1. 16.2- The Great War

2. The Players

3. Reactions to War
People on both sides were in favor of war- young men enlisted in the army in droves
War seemed like an exciting adventure, and many thought the war would “be over by Christmas”
However, enthusiasm soon faded- there were no quick and glorious victories, only a new deadly kind of warfare

4. Trench Warfare
War along the Western Front (between France and Germany) was fought primarily in trenches
Both sides dug elaborate trenches (400 miles long, 3800 miles in all) to protect soldiers.
The men would “Go Over the Top” into “no man’s land” trying to break through the enemy’s trenches

5. Support Trench
Barbed Wire
Front Line Trench
No Man’s Land
Long-range Artillery
Communication Trench
Enemy Trench
Dugout

6. Stalemate
Trench warfare led to a stalemate, where neither side was able to gain ground or an advantage over the other
The war would drag on for four years in the same trenches

7. Life in the Trenches
Life in the trenches was usually boring. Soldiers spent long hours standing in puddles of water, hunting rats, or picking lice from their bedding.
Many soldiers suffered from Trench Foot, an illness caused by the cold temperatures and wet conditions

8. Trenches Today

9. High Casualty Rates
Trench warfare contributed to the vast casualties in WWI
Over 17 million deaths (~11 million military, ~7 million civilian)
About 20 million wounded
The massive amount of casualties in WWI were partially due to the destructive nature of trench warfare and partially due to new deadly weapons

10. Modern Military Technology
Weapon
Uses
Machine guns
Few gunners can mow down waves of soldiers, especially in no man’s land
Tanks
Not very effective, but could protect troops with powerful artillery shells
Submarines
U-boats were used by Germany to sink Allied ships, both military and merchant
Airplanes
Dogfighting aces had little effect on the war but were morale boosters
Gas/ Gas mask
Gas was launched into enemy trenches, forcing troops “over the top” or killing on contact

11. Machine Guns and Artillery
First rapid-fire machine guns- Vickers machine gun
Artillery allowed troops to first at the enemy from more than 10 miles away
Flying shrapnel killed even more soldiers than the guns

12. Poison Gas
Both sides used poison gas to try to break the stalemate of the trenches
The first gas used was tear gas, but eventually both sides moved to phosgene, chlorine, and mustard gases
Gases could blind or choke victims, or cause agonizing burns or blisters
Poison gas became less useful as each side developed masks to protect soldiers against attacks

14. Submarines
The Germans used submarines called U-boats to do massive damage to the Allied supply ships
Although the “rules of war” required them to surface and allow civilians to leave doomed ships, the Germans often fired without revealing themselves
The Allies tried to defend them- selves by organizing convoys

15. You tell me...
Which weapon do you think was the most powerful? Why? How was it used? How is it used today?

16. Total War- a nation channels all of its resources into the war effort
World War I is the first time we see total war, involving the governments, economies, and populations of countries at a level never before seen in history
Military conscription (the draft) was instituted in many warring nations to ensure a steady supply of fresh young troops
Civilians were subject to rations, including food, gasoline, and boots

17. It’s a crime to waste...

18. Women in the War
As millions of men left to fight, women took over their jobs and kept the economy running
Many women worked in factories manufacturing weapons and supplies
Others joined women’s branches of the armed forces or grew food
Military nurses on the fronts risked their lives treating causalities
Women’s work in the war helped them to gain suffrage

19. Propaganda- one-sided information used to persuade
Part of total war was controlling public opinion
Even in democratic nations censors restricted the news
Both sides also waged a propaganda war
Used to keep up morale or lower enemy morale
Played up atrocities, motivated military mobilization, urged citizens to give money to the cause
Propaganda- one-sided information used to persuade

20. Review During World War I, developments in military technology led to
an early victory by the Allied powers
the establishment of industrial capitalism
the use of poisonous gas and submarine attacks
an increase in ethnic tension in western Europe

21. Review
"Bombardment, barrage, curtain-fire, mines, gas, tanks, machine-guns, hand-grenades — words, words, but they hold the horror of the world.”
— Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front
This quotation best describes the effects of the
technological developments used during World War I
formation of alliances in World War II
tension between the superpowers during the Cold War
protests against reforms during the Indian independence movement

22. Review The technology developed during World War I resulted in
smaller nations becoming part of larger empires after the war
a smaller number of refugees during the war
increased military casualties in battles fought during the war
a slowdown in transportation improvements after the war