1. Europe at War

2. Central Powers vs. Allies
By the end of the war, the two sides were:
Central Powers
Austria-Hungary
Germany
Bulgaria
Ottoman Empire
Allies
Russia
France
Great Britain
Japan
Italy
U.S.

3. The Western Front 1914 - Stalemate along the border of France
This was the Western Front

4. *The Schlieffen Plan* Germany’s plan to win the war It was:
Germany planned a long war.
Attack & defeat France FIRST
Then rush East to fight Russia
In order for this to work, what had to happen? What actually happened?

5. The First Battle of the Marne
Germany was on track to defeat France
Made it almost all the way to Paris
The First Battle of the Marne
September 5th
French armies regrouped in the Valley of the Marne
600 taxicabs rushed French soldiers from Paris to the front lines
Finally Germany had to retreat

7. Effects of the First Battle of the Marne
Any guesses?
Destroyed the Schlieffen Plan
Russia had already invaded Germany
Germany was going to have to fight a war on two fronts after all

8. Trench Warfare Stalemate on the Western Front
Troops dig trenches to protect themselves from fire
Trench Warfare
They then fight from those trenches
Why does this make war last longer?

9. Experiences of Trench Warfare
Some soldiers lived in the trenches for weeks or months
Lived with rats, dead bodies, disease, starvation
Led to huge loss of human life for little land gain

11. Trench facts British Army treated 20,000 soldiers for trench foot
To boost morale, there was a trench rotation. A week at the front, a week in support, and a week on reserve.
1/3 of all casualties on the Western Front may have been killed or wounded in a trench
Daytime was mostly safe. Raids attacks, and eavesdropping near enemy lines occurred at night or early morning.
Soldiers in the trenches often drank impure water causing dysentery
New weapons created a “no-man’s land” between enemy lines.
Soldiers would fight days , and many would die, for little or no gain in land

12. Machine Guns, Poison Gas, Tanks & Submarines
Poison Gas – Some caused blindness, others caused death by choking
Machine Guns – Defining feature of WWI, main cause of the huge death toll, made it difficult for troops to advance
Tanks – Could cross any type of terrain
Submarines – Changed naval warfare forever

13. War on the Eastern Front
Meanwhile, troops were also battling between the German and Russian border

14. Russia Struggles By 1916, Russia’s army was on life support
Short on food, guns, ammunition, supplies
The one thing Russia did have: a huge population
Though the Russian army was not strategically sound or well-equipped, they tied up German forces in the East
Suffered massive death tolls

15. Timeline 1914 – WWI begins 1917 1915 1918 – WWI ends
June 28, 1914 – Franz Ferdinand shot
1915
Stalemate on the Western front
Gallipoli Campaign
1916
Feb – Dec – Battle of Verdun
July – Battle of the Somme
Russia struggles
1917
U.S. enters WWI
Russia withdraws from the war
1918 – WWI ends
1919 – Treaty of Versailles signed