General Information…

2. General Information… • Started on July 28, 1914 • Ended on November 11, 1918 • Almost 8,000,000 dead. • *** Russia the most = 1.7 million • Almost 22,000,000 wounded….. • Map of Europe greatly changed.

3. Roots of WWI

4. Causes of WorldWar I MANIA ilitarism– policy of building up strong military forces to prepare for war M A N I A lliances - agreements between nations to aid and protect one another ationalism – pride in or devotion to one’s country mperialism– when one country takes over another country economically and politically ssassination – murder of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand

5. Causes of World War I - Militarism Total Defense Expenditures for the Great Powers(Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy, France, Britain, Russia) in millions of £s (British pounds)

6. Causes of World War I - Alliances Triple Entente: Triple Alliance: Great Britain Germany Austria-Hungary France Tension Italy Russia

9. NATIONALISM • Often nationalism led to rivalries and conflicts between nations • Additionally, various ethnic groups resented domination by others and wanted independence • Russia and Austria-Hungary disagreed over the treatment of Serbs in central Europe Germany was allied with Austria-Hungary while Russia, France and Britain were partners

11. Causes of World War I - Assassination Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Duchess Sophie Sarajevo, Bosnia - June 28th, 1914.

12. Causes of World War I - Assassination

13. Causes of World War I - Assassination Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand was killed in Bosnia by a Serbian nationalist who believed that Bosnia should belong to Serbia.

14. Causes of World War I - Assassination Gavrilo Princip after his assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

15. The Point of No Return:The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand Austria blamed Serbia for Ferdinand’s death and declared war on Serbia. Germany pledged their support for Austria -Hungary.· example of Pan-German nationalism Russia pledged their support for Serbia.· example of Pan-Slavic nationalism

16. The Point of No Return:The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand Germany declares war on Russia. France pledges their support for Russia. Germany declares war on France. Germany invades Belgium on the way to France. Great Britain supports Belgium and declares war on Germany.

17. Allied Powers: Central Powers: Germany Great Britain World War I France Austria-Hungary Ottoman Empire Russia Italy

18. The Alliance system pulled one nation after another into the conflict – The Great War had begun • On August 3, 1914, Germany invaded Belgium, following a strategy known as the Schlieffen Plan • This plan called for a quick strike through Belgium to Paris, France • Next, Germany would attack Russia • The plan was designed to prevent a two-front war for Germany THE FIGHTING BEGINS The Schliefflen Plan

19. War in Europe

20. Technology and WWI

21. This picture epitomizes 3 of the major characteristics of war during this time. What do you think they are? Machine Guns Gas Masks Trenches

22. Machine Guns • combination of machine guns and barbed wire responsible for greatest # of deaths • Guns now lighter and more mobile • Maxim gun from earlier wars had wheels • BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle) • Gas operated • 16 to 19 lbs. • Slow or fully automatic

23. Chemical Warfare • Chemical warfare was a major distinguishing factor of the war. • Only a small portion of casualties were caused by gas • Caused blindness and death by choking • achieved harassment and psychological effects. • Effective countermeasures to gas were found in gas masks • Its effectiveness was diminished. • Wind could blow gases back at aggressor

24. Tanks • Armored combat vehicle used mostly for crossing rough terrain and over barbed wire. • Introduced by the British in 1916 • Armored cars used before tanks The name tank came when the British shipped them in crates marked "tanks“ trying to cover up what they really were

25. Submarines / U-Boats • German (unterseeboot) • Primary targets were merchant convoys bringing supplies from the United States and Canada to Europe • Lusitania Unrestricted Submarine Warfare – means you don’t have to give warning before destroying

26. THE WAR BECOMES A STALEMATE • Unable to save Belgium, the Allies retreated to the Marne River in France where they halted the German advance in September of 1914 • Both sides dug in for a long siege • By the spring of 1915, two parallel systems of deep trenches crossed France from Belgium to Switzerland • Between enemy trenches was “no man’s land” – an area pockmarked with shell craters and filled with barbed wire British soldiers standing in mud

27. German Soldiers The conditions in these trenches were horrific; aside from the fear of bombardment, soldiers also had to contend with the mud, flooding and disease associated with living in such a harsh environment.

28. Trench Warfare Trench Warfare – type of fighting during World War I in which both sides dug trenches protected by mines and barbed wire Cross-section of a front-line trench 

30. British trench, France, July 1916 (during the Battle of the Somme)

31. Trench Rats Many men killed in the trenches were buried almost where they fell. These corpses, as well as the food scraps that littered the trenches, attracted rats. Quotes from soldiers fighting in the trenches: "The rats were huge. They were so big they would eat a wounded man if he couldn't defend himself." "I saw some rats running from under the dead men's greatcoats, enormous rats, fat with human flesh. My heart pounded as we edged towards one of the bodies. His helmet had rolled off. The man displayed a grimacing face, stripped of flesh; the skull bare, the eyes devoured and from the yawning mouth leapt a rat."

32. Trench Rats

33. Soldiers digging trenches while protected against gas attacks

34. U.S. enters WWI

35. AMERICANS QUESTION NEUTRALITY • In 1914, most Americans saw no reason to join a struggle 3,000 miles away – they wanted neutrality • Some simply did not want their sons to experience the horror of warfare • German-Americans supported Germany in World War I • However, many American felt close to the British because of a shared ancestry and language • Most importantly, American economic interests were far stronger with the Allies French propaganda poster portrayed the Germans as inhuman and impacted American attitudes toward the Germans

36. THE WAR HITS HOME • During the first two years of the war, America was providing (selling) the allied forces dynamite, cannon powder, submarines, copper wire and tubing and other war material • Both the Germans and British imposed naval blockades on each other • The Germans usedU-boats (submarines) to prevent shipments to the North Atlantic • Any ship found in the waters around Britain would be sunk German U-boat 1919

37. THE LUSITANIA DISASTER • United States involvement in World War I was hastened by the Lusitania disaster • The Lusitania was a British passenger liner that carried 1,198 persons on a fateful trip on May 7, 1915 • A German U-boat sank the British passenger liner killing all aboard including 128 American tourists • The Germans claimed the ship was carrying Allied ammunition • Americans were outraged and public opinion turned against Germany and the Central Powers May 7, 1915

38. The N.Y. Times reports on the Lusitania

39. Was the sinking of the Lusitania justified? • U.S. claimed the Lusitania carried an innocent cargo • Lusitania was in fact heavily armed;* • 1,248 cases of shells • 4,927 boxes of cartridges (1,000 round/box) • 2,000 cases of small-arms ammunition *Information from Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States

40. 1916 ELECTION • The November 1916 election pitted incumbent Democrat Woodrow Wilson vs. Republican candidate Supreme Court Justice Charles Evans Hughes • Wilson won a close election using the slogan, “He kept us out of war” • That slogan would prove ironic because within a few months the United States would be embroiled in World War I Wilson

41. Several factors came together to bring the U.S. into the war; • 1) Germany ignored Wilson’s plea for peace • 2) The Zimmerman Note, a telegram from the German foreign minister to the German Ambassador in Mexico, proposed an alliance • Germany promised Mexico a return of their “lost territory” in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona • 3) Next came the sinking of four unarmed U.S. merchant ships by German subs AMERICA EDGES CLOSER TO WAR (Zimmerman note) Encoded message from Germany to Mexico

42. Zimmerman note intercepted by a British agent and decoded

43. AMERICA DECLARES WAR • A light drizzle fell on Washington on April 2, 1917, as senators, representatives, ambassadors, members of the Supreme Court, and other guests crowded into the Capital building to hear Wilson deliver his declaration of war • Wilson said, “The world must be safe for democracy” • Congress passed the resolution a few days later

44. SECTION 2: The Home Front • The entire U.S. economy was focused on the war effort • The shift from a consumer economy to war economy required a collaboration between business and government • In the process, the power of the U.S. government expanded • Congress gave President Wilson direct control over the economy

45. WAR INDUSTRIES BOARD • The War Industries Board (WIB) encouraged companies to use mass-production techniques • Under the WIB, industrial production and wages increased 20% • Union membership almost doubled during the war years – from 2.5 million to 4 million • To deal with disputes between management and labor, President Wilson set up the National War Labor Board in 1918 Poster encouraging production

46. VICTORY GARDENS • To conserve food, Wilson set up the Food Administration (FA) • The FA declared one day a week “meatless” another “sweetless” and two days “wheatless” • Homeowners planted “victory gardens” in their yards • Schoolchildren worked after-school growing tomatoes and cucumbers in public parks • Farmers increased production by almost 30% by adding 40 million acres of farmland

47. The U.S. had two major tasks; raising money and convincing the public to support the war • The U.S. spent $35.5 billion on the war effort • The government raised about 1/3 of that through an income tax and “sin” taxes • The rest was raised through war bonds sold to the public (Liberty Loans & Victory Loans) SELLING THE WAR

48. PROPAGANDA • To popularize the war, the government set up the nations first propaganda agency called the Committee on Public Information (CPI) • George Creel led the agency and persuaded many of the nation’s artists to create thousands of paintings, posters, cartoons and sculptures to promote the war

50. As the war progressed, Civil Liberties were limited • Anti-Immigrant feelings were openly expressed especially anti-German and Austrian- Hungarian • Espionage and Sedition Acts were passed by Congress • These acts were designed to prevent anti-war protests but some argued that they went against the spirit of the First Amendment (Free speech) • Socialists and labor leaders were targeted LIMITING CIVIL LIBERTIES Any anti-American sentiments were targeted during wartime