1. The Great War

2. WWI TIMELINE: KEY EVENTS
6/28/1914: Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
8/1914: Germany declares war on Russia, France & Belgium
2/1915: Germany begins U-Boat blockade of England
9/1916: Tanks first used at the Battle of the Somme
1/1917: Germany declares unrestricted submarine warfare
2/1917: Zimmerman Telegram intercepted by British
3/1917: Tsar overthrown, Provisional Govt. est. in Russia
4/1917: U.S.A. declares war on Germany
11/1917: Communists seize power in Russia
3/1918: Treaty of Brest-Litovsk signed
5/1918: U.S. forces fight first battle vs Germans
11/1918: Armistice signed after Kaiser steps down
6/1919: Treaty of Versailles
1933: Hitler & Nazis seize power in Germany
9/1939: Germany invades Poland, starting WWII in Europe

3. Key Battles of WWI to Discuss
The Western Front
The Eastern Front
1914
First Battle of the Marne
1916
The Battle of Verdun
The Battle of the Somme
1917
Second Battle of Ypres
1918
The Ludendorff Offensive (2nd Marne)
Meuse-Argonne Attack
1914
The Battle of Tannenberg
1917
The Russian Revolution
1918
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

4. The Western Front
Western Front

5. 1st Marne Sept. 1914 Germans hope to enact Schlieffen Plan
Problem: Plan changed by commanders
Germans get 30 miles outside Paris
Stopped by French & British
French 250,000 casualties
Germans similar
Ended German hopes for quick & decisive victory
Led to stalemate on the Western Front

7. German and British Blockades
Both sides tried to prevent supplies from reaching their enemy by water.
British try to starve Germany with the Royal Navy.
Germany used unrestricted submarine warfare to blockade G.B.

8. Verdun Feb.-Dec. 1916 German attempt to “bleed the French white”
Longest battle of WWI
French lost 550,000 men
Able to hold back Germans
Germans 434,000 men
½ of casualties were combat deaths

9. Somme July-Nov. 1916 French/British offensive
Attack preceded by 8 day bombardment
Failed to destroy German defenses
1st day-Brits lose 58,000 men, 1/3 killed
Worst day in history of British army
Total casualties
Brits 420,000
French 200,000
Germans 500,000

10. 2nd Marne (Ludendorff Offensive)
Summer 1918
German offensive for quick victory
Used troops from Eastern Front
Almost reached Paris again
Prevented by French, Brits and US troops
Last real attempt at offensive by Central Powers
Casualties
French 95,000
Brits 13,000
US 12,000
Germans 168,000

11. The Eastern Front
Eastern Front

12. Tannenberg August 1914 Eastern Front Germans vs. Russians
Russian leaders incompetent
Refused to communicate due to
personal feud
German forces attacked split
Russian forces separately

13. The Russian Revolution
Military disasters in WWI and dissatisfaction at home led to revolution
March 1917: Czar abdicates, provisional govt. takes power, led by Alexander Kerensky
Prov. Govt. continued war at Allied urging
Given large sums of $$$
Allied fears of German advantage
Bolsheviks overthrow Prov. Govt.