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World War I
The Great War
1914 - 1918
Fundamental Causes
Militarism
Alliances
Imperialism
Nationalism – 2 kinds
Militarism
Conscription (draft), training, build-up –
each sought military superiority
 German military tradition (Prussia)
 Armament manufacturers increased
supply; Krupp
 German naval build-up to compete with
GB
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Alliances
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Triple Alliance
– Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy
– Central Powers – added Turkey and Bulgaria
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Triple Entente
– France, Russia, Britain
– France desired Alsace Lorraine back (Franco
Prussian War)
– England threatened by German naval build-up
– Became “Allies”
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Creates tension, mistrust, fear
Imperialism - Examples
Russia and Austria-Hungary – rivals in
the Balkans;
 France and Germany clashed over
Morocco
 England and Germany (highly
industrialized) competed for colonies in
Africa and Middle East
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Nationalism
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Intense patriotism fueled war
 France wanted
– Lost in Franco-Prussian War
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Serbia wanted Austria-Hungarian territory
inhabited by Yugoslav peoples
 Russian kinship w/Slavic people in Balkans
 Subject nationalities - Czechs, Slovaks, Serbs,
Yugoslavs, Slovaks, Poles, desired
independence
 Balkans – “powder keg of Europe”
Immediate Cause

Assassination of
Austrian Archduke
Franz Ferdinand
 June 28, 1914 in
Sarajevo
 Gavrilo Princip –
Serbian nationalist
 The Black Hand
The First World War:
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Long term -
Why?
1. Alliance system
2. Imperialist
Competition
3. Stockpiling of
Weapons
Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria and his Wife Sophie, Duchess of
Hohenberg one hour before their deaths, June 28, 1914
Short term Assassination of
Franz Ferdinand of
the AustroHungarian Empire
Assassination and War
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Austria declares war
on Serbia
Russia mobilizes to
help Serbia
Germany declares
war on Russia &
France
Invades France
through neutral
Belgium (“atrocities”)
England declares war
on Germany
Assassination and War
Alliance all fall into place
 Unstoppable chain of events
 Nations fueled by militarism, alliances,
imperialism, nationalism honored their
alliances
 War to end all wars

Other Nations Join
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Central Powers
– Germany
– AustriaHungary
– Turkey
– Bulgaria
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Allied Powers
– GB, France and
Russia
– Serbia
– Belgium
– Italy (changed
sides)
– Japan
– U.S. - 1917
Countries Joining Allies
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Australia
Brazil
Canada
China
Costa Rica
Cuba
Greece
Guatemala
Haiti
Honduras
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Japan
Liberia
Montenegro
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Panama
Portugal
Romania
San Marino
Siam (Thailand)
Side note on Japan
1905 – Russo Japanese War
 Japan attacked Russian bases
 Defeated Russia easily; fueled
nationalism in Asia and Africa
 Emergence of the FIRST non-European
power on the world stage
 Rapidly industrializing and militarizing
 Teddy Roosevelt brokered the peace
treaty – won Nobel Peace Prize
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Von Schlieffen Plan - German
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Quick, decisive attack
through neutral Belgium
Goal: Destroy France
quickly; one front
Fails, First Battle of the
Marne; taxis sent to the
front
600 mile Western Front
is established
Stalemate
Western Front
Trenches – unaccustomed to this
 Mud, filth, lice, rats, trench foot, disease
 “No man’s land” – between trenches
 “Over the top” – suicidal charges into
machine guns, barbed wire
 Deadly battles for small pieces of land
 War of attrition – wear the enemy down
by constant killing
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Video Clips

Trench Warfare:
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/world-war-ihistory/videos/trench-warfare
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WWI Firsts: http://www.history.com/topics/worldwar-i/world-war-i-history/videos/wwi-firsts
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Soldiers Learn to pack:
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/world-war-ihistory/videos/world-war-i-soldiers-learn-to-pack
New Weapons of War
 Machine
guns
 Tanks
 Flame
Throwers
 Airplanes
 Zeppelins
 Poison Gas
 Barbed
Wire
 Grenades
 Torpedoes
 Submarines
 Trench Warfare
 Giant Artillery
Photo Gallery
http://www.history.com/topics/worldwar-i/world-war-i-history/pictures/worldwar-i-trench-warfare/german-front-linetrenches
 http://www.history.com/topics/worldwar-i/world-war-i-history/pictures/worldwar-i-technology/postcard-of-a-us-armyballoon-and-hangar
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War in the East – 2 front war
More mobile, no trenches or stalement
 Russia unprepared, not industrialized,
unemployment, dissension
 Russians defeated at Tannenburg and
Galicia; almost out of the war
 Italy changes sides – 1915 (Allies)
 Germany turned attention back to the
West
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Battles
War of attrition – wear enemy down
 Verdun – 1916 – 700,000 died over a few
miles of land
 Ypres – first use of poison gas
 Gallipoli – Dardanelles (Bulgaria and
Ottoman Empire w/Central Powers)
 Disastrous defeat of British and Australian
troops on the beaches (ordered by
Churchill)
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Battles cont.
Somme – Allied forces helped by US
stopped Germans (first battle to use
tanks)
 Chateau-Thierry, St. Mihiel, Ypres –
aided by US under John J. Pershing
 American Expeditionary Force – AEF–
key allied victories
 Enter in April, 1917
 “Doughboys” head “over there”
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Reasons for U.S. Entry
Pres. Woodrow Wilson – neutrality
 “Unrestricted submarine warfare”
– U- Boats
– Lusitania – British, 128 Americans died
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– http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/world-war-ihistory/videos/u-boats-sink-the-lusitania-in-1915
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Hostility toward Germany
– Invasion through neutral Belgium
– Zimmerman note – Germans promised
Mexico U.S. territory if they attacked U.S.
U.S. Entry cont.
Idealism – “the world must be made
safe for democracy” (Wilson)
 Kinship/history with democratic allies
 Security – feared autocratic and
militaristic Germany in Europe
 Significance:
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– Turned tide of battle towards Allies
– Broke U.S. policy of isolation
– America emerges as a world leader
Home Front – Impact
Total War – involving complete
mobilization of resources and people
 1. Increased government power
 2. Economic controls
 3. Manipulation of public opinion
(propaganda) to keep war effort going
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Home Front cont.
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Gov’t. increases power during war – conscription –
Selective Service Act
Free market capitalism temporarily put aside –
price, wage, rent controls, rationing of food and
supplies, regulation of imports, control of
transportation – planned economies
WIB – War Industries Board – Bernard Baruch
CPI – Committee of Public Information – George
Creel
All citizens were made part of the war
– Victory gardens, Liberty bonds
Home Front cont.
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Enthusiasm weakens as war drags on
Censorship of press, civil liberties suspended
Espionage Act – silence criticism of war
Eugene V. Debs – Socialist leader imprisoned
Schenk v. U.S. – “clear and present danger”
Conscientious objectors – moral or religious
opposition to war
Intense propaganda (started w/Belgium – “Germans
cut off hands of Belgian children!”)
U.S. propaganda strong also (see PP)
Home Front cont.
Many wanted to support Central Powers
(Irish, German – why?)
 Women took jobs men left behind
 Lower wages, no job security
 Most lost jobs as men returned
 Overall, gave boost to women’s
movement and status
 Great Migration – many African
Americans move north for opportunities
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Home Front
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Lots of German words changed:
– Sauerkraut – Liberty cabbage
– German measles – Liberty measles
– Hamburger – Liberty sandwich
– Dachshund – Liberty pups
– Gesundheit – frowned upon and illegal in
certain places