Download World War One

The Destruction of the Old Order
Franz Ferdinand heir to
the throne of AustriaHungary was murdered
by Serbian nationalist
Gavrilo Princip.
 The assassination was
planned by the
terrorist organization
the Black Hand based
in neighbouring Serbia.

German officials told
Austrian leaders that
Germany would
support any Austrian
actions taken.
 This meant that Austria
now controlled the
destiny of Europe
supported by the
guarantee of German
arms.
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Following Franz
Ferdinand’s death the
Austrian government
sent an ultimatum to
Serbia demanding those
responsible be turned
over to Austria. Austrian
police would also be
allowed to look for other
anti-Austrian elements.
Serbia agreed to all of
the terms, but the last.
Austria said this would
mean war.
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Tsar Nicolas II of Russia
and Wilhelm II of
Germany were Europe’s
last chance for peace, as
private correspondence
between the two tried to
avert war.
The failure of this last
communication channel
pushed Europe to war.
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Austria’s rejection of the Serbian reply to its ultimatum led to Austria’s
invasion of Serbia.
The Austrian attacked prompted Russia to declare war on Austria to
protect Serbia. Germany then declared war on Russia to defend Austria.
Germany’s Schlieffen Plan now meant that German armies would invade
France and Belgium spreading the war to the West.
The German Army massed on the border of Belgium preparing to
invade France. The German commander had weakened the
western armies to better defend East Prussia from Russia.
 The German ultimatum to allow the passage of its armies was
rejected by Belgium and Germany invaded the following day.
Britain declared war August 4th to defend Belgium.
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French armies quickly
mobilized and attacked
Germany to regain
Alsace-Lorraine, as
German armies
advanced south through
Belgium.
The French advance into
Lorraine was stopped
and 300,000 casualties
were suffered in two
weeks.
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The German army
advanced south pushing
British and French
opposition before it. At
the Marne river a hastily
prepared French
counter-attack pushed
the Germans back.
A quick victory was now
out of the question, as
the armies began trying
to outflank each other
and reach the sea.
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The German defeat at
the Marne ended the
Schlieffen Plan.
The armies now
attempted to out flank
each other as they
moved closer and closer
to the sea resulting in a
continuous front
hundreds of kilometers
long.
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The creation of the continuous front and the new weapons of
war, especially the machine gun meant that soldiers needed
safety, which was found by digging trenches.
Trenches protected the soldiers from machine guns and
artillery and when supported by them created formidable
defenses.
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The Germans had hoped
to win a quick victory in
France before Russian
could mobilize its army
of 4.5 million men. A
small force of 200,000
was left to contain
Russia.
The majority of Russia’s
army was poorly trained
and suffering from being
beaten by Japan in 1904.
Unexpectedly Russia
invaded August 12th.
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The Russian advance had
surprised the Germans and
pushed Austria back 15o
km, but the Russian army
was exhausted.
Using 400 trains a day the
Germans redeployed their
forces and inflicted two
crushing defeats on the
Russians at Tannenburg
and Masurian Lakes.
The Russians lost 250,000
men and all their
equipment.
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Russian forces were more
successful against the
Austrians where they
routed the Austrians and
drove them deep into
Galicia.
Austrian losses of 300,000
saw the front collapse and
only German victory in the
north prevented Austrian
collapse.
After four months of
fighting the Russian army
was out of ammunition and
on the defensive.
Austrian armies
attacked Serbia
expecting an ease
victory.
 The Serbs battle
hardened from the
Balkan Wars and
defending
mountainous terrain
destroyed half their
Austrian foes.
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Germany and Austria
launched limited attacks
on Russia to prevent a
Russian offensive against
wavering Austrian troops.
The result was the collapse
of Russian Army and
between 2.5 and 3.4
million casualties.
Russia was effectively out
of the war, for now.
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In November 1914 the Ottoman
Empire joined the Central
Powers.
Turkey’s entry into the war
closed Mediterranean access to
Russia, cutting her off from
Allied supplies.
In April 1915 Italy joined the war
on the side of Britain and
France.
Italy had been promised lands
from Austria-Hungary including
Trieste, Tyrol and lands of
Dalmatia
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Britain launched the invasion of
the Ottoman Empire in 1915. The
goal to open access to the Black
Sea and Russia.
The initial landings were nearly
unopposed, but Australian and
New Zealand troops were
pinned on the Gallipoli peninsula
and slaughtered.
When the British evacuated in
December 1915 250,000 men
had been lost.
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The German attack on Ypres
began with the release of
thousands of cylinders of
chlorine gas.
French colonial troops facing the
gas fled, but Canadian troops
held the line and fought to close
the 6 km gap.
Poison gas was soon in use by
both sides and new forms of gas
were developed including
phosgene and Mustard Gas.
Gas was the only weapon not
used in World War Two.
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Though important in
development of the war, 1915,
outside of the Russian front saw
frontal assaults that were
repelled by massive casualties.
The battles of the third year of
the war would be the bloodiest
of the conflict, as both sides
looked to use attrition, the
wearing away of an opponent’s
strength, to bring victory.
The Germans would strike first.
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The battle of Verdun began 21
February 1916. It was planned as
a battle of attrition to draw
French troops into the range of
German guns, so they could be
easily destroyed.
The Germans attacked the
French fortresses at Verdun
hoping to pull French
reinforcements into its defense.
In the six month battle nearly all
French army units were rotated
through the battle.
Verdun cost 978,000 casualties.
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For fifteen days British guns
bombarded Germans on the
Somme River. Germans soldiers
were safely below ground or
behind the lines out of the
shelling.
The British lined up 100,000 men
to cross no man’s land with
orders to slowly advance up the
ridge. Three minutes after the
barrage lifted German machine
guns killed 20,000, wounding
another 40,000.
By November 420,000 British,
200,000 French and 450,000
Germans were casualties.
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The Brusilov Offensive caught
Austria unprepared and 130,000
men were lost in two days. A
planned spoiling attack against
the Germans did not occur and
35 German divisions were
rushed east to face the Russians.
The Austrians lost 1.5 million
men including 400,000 prisoners
during the Russian onslaught.
The German counter-attack
caused nearly a million Russian
losses.
The Russian army was finished.
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The years before the war had
been spent building
dreadnoughts, but when war
came in 1914 there was no
decisive naval clash.
The British fleet remained in
home ports waiting for the
German fleet, as British ships
enforced a blockade on German
trade.
Germany responded by using
submarines in an attempt to
starve Britain into surrender.
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In May 1916 the German fleet
left its bases in a bold bid to
break Britain’s blockade and
defeat the Royal Navy.
The battle of Jutland was the
only major fleet engagement of
the war ending in a strategic
British victory.
Britain lost 14 ships and 6,097
men to German losses of 10
ships and 2,551.
German fleet remained in its
harbours for the rest of the war.
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World War One saw the
development of war in the air.
Planes were initially ised for
scouting but by the end of the
war they were bombing
factories, cities, and supporting
soldiers on the ground.
The pilots of World War One
became national heroes, knights
of the sky.
The German Red Baron, and the
Canadian Ace Billy Bishop were
household names.
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The needs of industrial war
meant that the home front
became more important
than ever.
Soldiers and countries
required an uninterrupted
flow of men and materials
to supply the war and
women were brought back
into the factory to meet
the demands of industry
for workers.
The response of the British
to the need to break out of
the trenchs came in the
form of tanks.
 A new armoured weapon
impervious to machine gun
fire; the tank could drive
across the wire and No
Man’s Land and through to
the enemies rear.
 Both sides had tanks by the
end of the war.
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1917 was the decisive
year of the war. The
United States entered
the war and revolution
in Russia caused its
departure. In France
the army mutinied and
refused to attack.
 The war was taking its
toll as national
societies broke down.
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Following the failure of the
Nivelle Offensive the
French Army refused to
obey its officers some of
whom were shot.
The mutiny was kept from
the Germans as an attack
at this time would have
shattered the French.
Concessions and promises
of no further wasteful
offensives returned
discipline.
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By February 1917 the
Russian army had been
defeated and demoralized.
Soldiers were deserting
and law and order was
breaking down.
In the cities shortages of
food and labour strikes
contributed to tensions.
Tsar Nicholas II abdicated
and a provisional
government replaced him.
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The United States entered
W.W.I. on April 6, 1917.
The American decision to enter
the war was based on Germany’s
use of Unrestricted Submarine
warfare, and the Zimmerman
Telegram.
The telegram offered Mexico
Texas, California, Arizona and
New Mexico if they would
declare war on the U.S. and keep
them out of Europe.
The U.S. declared war and
promised to bring 12 million
soldiers to Europe by 1919.
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On Easter Monday the
Canadian Corps led by
Julian Byng attacked
German positions on
Vimy Ridge. In just four
days the ridge had
fallen and Canada had
established itself as
the shock troops of the
British Army.
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In November 1917
following another
disasterous summer for the
Russian army, the
Bolsheviks led by Vladamir
Lenin overthrew the
Provisional Government.
The Bolsheviks negotiated
the Treat of Brest-Litovsk
with Germany and the war
in the east ended.
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On March 21, 1918 the German’s
launched their final offensive of
the war.
1.5 million troops stormed
forward in a final desperate
attempt to take Paris and win
the war.
By the end of May they had
advanced to Marne river where
they met American troops for
the first time.
Defeated at the Marne; there
was no way but back for the
Germans.
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Beginning August 8, 1918
the Allies, led by the
Canadian Corps, counter
attacked with 640 tanks
and 800 airplanes.
By September all of the
gains of the spring
offensive had been lost and
German morale collapsed.
The Allied offensive would
continue unchecked until
November 11, 1918.
The defeat of its
armies in the West led
to collapse at home.
 The Kaiser abdicated,
and a provisional
government was
established to create
peace.
 At 11 a.m. on
November 11, 1918 the
guns fell silent.
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