April 27, 2015 Monday What “caused” World War I? Who were the Allied Powers and the Central Powers? Why and when did the United States enter World War I?

LT: Understand background information about world war 1, in order to understand its impact on the current world.

Causes of ww1 – mania! Militarism – policy of building up a strong military to prepare for war Alliances – agreements between nations to provide aid and protect one another Nationalism – extreme pride in one’s country Imperialism – when one country takes over another country economically and politically Assassination – of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Militarism 1910-1914: Increase in Defense Spending France 10% Britain 13% Russia 39% Germany 73% What looks suspicious about these numbers?

Defense Alliances European powers formed rival alliances to protect themselves Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy Triple Entente: Great Britain, France, Russia PROBLEM? One event could drag all countries involved into a conflict.

Triple alliance

Triple entente

Assassination of Archduke Gavrilo Princip (The Black Hand Organization) main objective was creation of a greater Serbia by means of violence.

The War begins

World War Central Powers Allied Powers Great Britain Germany France Russia U.S.A. Belgium Serbia Greece Romania Montenegro Portugal Italy Japan Germany Austria-Hungary Ottoman Empire Bulgaria Azerbaijan Ukraine Italy left the Triple Alliance for the Allied Powers because the Triple Alliance was originally a defensive pact, and Italy did not want to go to war. Also, Italy had just fought a war against the Ottoman Empire (Italo-Turkish War) which was strongly backed by Germany.

U.S. Involvement Initial position was neutrality -President Woodrow Wilson believed that all Americans needed to “act and speak in a spirit of neutrality” -Most Americans felt Europe was too far away, and the conflict was not trustworthy

Sinking of the lusitania May 17, 1915 -British ocean liner Lusitania is fired upon and sunk by German U-boats off the coast of Ireland. -1,198 passengers killed (mostly civilian), including 128 Americans -Broke international agreements regarding unrestricted warfare -Enraged Americans and Allies

Zimmerman telegram January 1917 -Secret German telegraph sent to Mexico -asking for help from Mexico in fighting America in future war -British intercept letter and share with U.S. -Mexico quickly chooses not to join Germany

Fighting becomes stalemate What is a stalemate -Neither side can make a move to win Reasons: -19th century tactics, 20th century weapons -Trench warfare Life in a Trench Results: -Millions die without gaining ground

Trench Warfare

New weapons Machine guns Poison gas Airplanes Submarines Tanks

Results of ww1 Germany surrenders Treaty of Versailles 1919 -Declares Germany guilty for war -Germany must pay reparations to Allied Powers Stage is set for WW2 League of Nations formed to prevent future war

casualties Total troops mobilized by all countries in WW1 65,038,810 Total troops dead from all countries in WW1 8,556,315 Total troops wounded from all countries in WW1 21,219,452 Total troops missing or POWs 7,750,945