World War I

Causes of World War I Colonial disputes - Imperialism Nationalism Alliances Militarism

The First World War: Who? Germany Austria-Hungary Ottoman Empire Bulgaria Russia France Great Britain Italy Japan United States (1917) Central Powers:Allies:

Colonialism Virtually all the major powers were engaged in a scramble for empire to bolster their economies The fiercest competition was between Britain and Germany and between France and Germany

Nationalism: Assassination of Ferdinand Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary went on a visit to Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina which Austria-Hungary had annexed in 1908 Sarajevo was a hotbed of pan- Serbian nationalism As he drove through Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, seven assassins from the terrorist group Black Hand waited for him –The Black Hand advocated for a greater Serbia Archduke Ferdinand and his family

Nationalism: Assassination of Ferdinand Gavrilo Princip shot and killed Ferdinand Austria issued an ultimatum to Serbia demanding that Austrian officials take part in any investigation of people found on Serbian territory connected to the assassination Serbia refused this demand as a violation of its sovereignty On July 28, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia –A tangled alliance system then began to realize itself

The inevitability of war July 28, 1914 A-H declares war on Serbia July 29, 1914 Russia orders full mobilization of its troops August 1,1914 Germany declares war on Russia August 2, 1914 Germany demands Belgium declare access to German troops

Tangled Alliances So… –When Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on July 28, on July 29 Russia began mobilizing to defend its Serbian ally –Then, in consideration of mobilization timetables, Russia also mobilized against Germany –In response, Germany declared war on Russia on Aug 1

Tangled Alliances It continues… –France started to mobilize on behalf of its ally Russia –On Aug 3, Germany declared war on France and also began to attack through neutral Belgium to France in accordance with its war plan –Belgium protested to the signatories of the 1839 treaty guaranteeing its neutrality –When Germany refused Britain (one of the treaty signatories) ultimatum on Aug 4, Britain declared war on Germany

Militarism The reason all this happened so fast was the advanced state of militarism –World War I was the first war in which the opponents went to war with detailed and precise plans that had been written years before the outbreak of hostilities “Mobilization means war” (German ambassador to the Russians) War Plans –Austria: Attack Russia, Italy, or the Balkans (Variants R, I, and B) –Russia: Attack Austria-Hungary (Plan A) or defend against Germany (Plan G) –Germany: Attack France before Russia could mobilize (Schlieffen Plan) –France: Attack Germany (Plan XVII) –Great Britain: Deploy BEF

Schlieffen Plan The Schlieffen plan sent a powerful right wing through western Belgium, the Netherlands, and northern France in a gigantic wheeling movement The idea was to destroy France before Russia could mount an effective offensive against the weak German forces in the east and thus avoid fighting a two-front war Alfred von Schlieffen ( ), chief of the German general staff

The Schlieffen Plan’s Destructive Nature

Result Schlieffen Plan worked initially but stalled due to logistical demands; static warfare began

Trench Warfare

The Trenches Trenches dug from English Channel to Switzerland 6,250 miles 6 to 8 feet deep Immobilized both sides for 4 years

The Trenches

Attempts to Break the Stalemate: Gas Various efforts were made to break the stalemate The Germans first used gas against the Russians on Jan 13, 1915 with little effect They were more successful at Ypres on Aug 15 Even German dogs were outfitted with gas masks

Attempts to Break the Stalemate: Frontal Attacks On Feb 21, 1916, the Germans launched a massive attack on Verdun which was preceded by a 12-hour bombardment Fighting continued until December 19 and caused over an estimated 700,000 dead, wounded and missing The battlefield was smaller than ten square kilometers

Attempts to Break the Stalemate: Frontal Assaults On July 1, the British launched an offensive along the Somme River to try to divert German troops from Verdun On the first day, 60,000 British soldiers were killed, wounded, or captured. When the attack halted in November, the Allies and the Germans had each suffered more than 600,000 casualties. German casualties at the Battle of the Somme

Attempts to Break the Stalemate: Tanks The British began developing tanks in 1914 and used them in small numbers at the Somme on Sept 15, 1916 –Achieved little in this initial employment The Battle of Cambrai on Nov 20, 1917 marked the first large scale use of tanks with 474 British Mark I tank of the type used during the Battle of the Somme

Technological Advances from World War I The industrialization of society in the 19 th Century would generate many military applications of new technology In 1915 British Admiral Jacky Fisher wrote, “The war is going to be won by inventions.” Example of war becoming more total Machine gun Rapid fire artillery Airplanes Internal combustion engine Tanks Zeppelins Gas Flamethrowers

World War I Airplanes Baron Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron, was credited with 80 confirmed kills 148th American Aero Squadron Petite Sythe, France. (August 6, 1918)

World War I Zeppelin

World War I Flamethrower

Breaking the Stalemate: American Entry In 1914, the American public was firmly opposed to intervening in the war The mood began to change in 1915, when the Germans sunk the British passenger liner Lusitania, killing 1,198, including 128 US citizens Still in 1916, Woodrow Wilson was reelected President with the slogan, “He Kept Us Out of War” Between Feb 14 and Sept 18, 1915, the Germans practiced “unrestricted submarine warfare.” Any Allied ship in the seas around the British Isles would be sunk without warning.

What did it take to get the US involved? 1. Blockades Lusitania torpedoed, sinking with 1200 passengers and crew (including 128 Americans) Was eventually found to be carrying 4200 cases of ammunition German Propaganda Justifying Lusitania sinking

What did it take to get the US involved? 3. Zimmerman Note US intercepted a note from Germany to Mexico, It promised Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona back in return for an alliance

Russia Leaves the War Russia was experiencing social and political unrest and growing war-weary The Bolsheviks seized power through the Russian Revolution and ended Russia’s involvement in World War I by signing the treaty of Brest- Litorsk with Germany on March 3, 1918 In the midst of World War I, Britain, France, Japan, and the US all sent troops and supplies to aid the “Whites” in their struggle against the “Reds” but the Whites were defeated in Bolshevik poster showing the three White generals as vicious dogs under the control of the US, France, and Britain.

The AEF In order to field the AEF, the US had to overcome numerous challenges –On April 6, 1917 the Army had only 127,588 active soldiers and 80,446 National Guardsmen –No active units larger than a regiment existed –Severe shortages in uniforms, weapons, and equipment existed Some new soldiers would have to train in coveralls and used wooden sticks to simulate weapons

The AEF On May 18, 1917, the US passed the Selective Service Act By the time of the armistice in November 1918, the US Army had 3,685,458 soldiers, an increase of more than 17 times its April 1917 strength

Overwhelming the Germans On July 18, 1918 the Allies began a series of counterattacks designed to take advantage of their new strength and seize the initiative from the Germans Nine American divisions participated as part of three French armies (rather than as an independent force) The Germans were forced out of their Marne River salient

SGT Alvin York Conscientious objector from Tennessee; drafted and assigned to the 82 nd Battalion commander gave York two weeks’ leave to search his soul about serving York returned having decided to serve

SGT York Won the Medal of Honor for heroism in the Argonne Forest Oct 8, 1918 York’s battalion received fire from German machine guns and York’s 16-man platoon was sent to flank the enemy Nine Americans, to include the platoon leader and the other two corporals, were killed our wounded York was the only remaining unhurt leader

SGT York York’s platoon was now trapped and under fire within 25 yards of the enemy’s machine guns York was an expert marksman. He began shooting at the nearest position, knowing the enemy would expose themselves to return fire. One by one, he hit every enemy soldier who popped his head up

SGT York After York killed over a dozen enemy, six Germans charged him with fixed bayonets. York shot the last man first, than the 5 th, 4 th, etc so the soldiers in front didn’t see their comrades fall. Then he turned his attention to the machine guns.

Surrender In the end, the Allies had overwhelmed the Germans with men and equipment –“Americans and tanks” Bulgaria surrendered Sept 30, 1918 The Ottomans Oct 30 Austria-Hungary Nov 4 Germany Nov 11 –“Armistice Day” was replaced by “Veterans’ Day” by Act of Congress on May 24, 1954

Death Toll of War Allied PowersCentral Powers 42 million served23 million served 22 million casualties15 million casualties