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The Great War
1914-1918
The Great (World) War (I)
 With the death of
Queen Victoria in
the late 1800s the
continent of Europe
began to slowly but
surely spiral towards
war.
Long Term Causes of WW I
 Nationalism = (An
extreme love of country)
The belief that interests
and national unity
should be placed ahead
of global cooperation
and that foreign affairs
should be guided by
national self-interest.
Long Term Causes of WW I
 Imperialism = The
desire to establish
empires.
 This really became an
issue with the growth of
industrialization in
Europe.
 Think back to the
reasons for supporting
American Imperialism
Long Term Causes of WW I
 Militarism = The development of armed forces
and their use as a tool of diplomacy.
HMS Dreadnought
Long Term Causes of WW I
 Secret System of
Alliances
The build up of fears and
jealousies and desire for
power led the country’s of
Europe to sign treaties of
assistance with each other,
by 1914 they had aligned
themselves into two distinct
camps:
The Triple Alliance of
Germany, Italy and the
Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The Triple Entente of Great
Britain, France and Russia.
The Road to War
By 1914, it had come to the point that
war was going to happen. It wasn’t a
matter of if it would happen, but a
question of what would be the spark to
set of the powder keg that was the
continent of Europe.
The answer to that question would
come from the tiny Balkan country of
Serbia!
The Saga of Franz and Sophie
 In June of 1914 the
Archduke of AustriaHungary Franz
Ferdinand would visit
the city of Sarajevo
(which was/is in
Bosnia).
 It is here that he and his
young wife Sophie
would be assassinated
by a group of Serbian
nationalists.
Domino Effect = The Great War
“The lights have gone out in
Europe…”
 Austria-Hungary submits a list
of unreasonable demands to
Serbia.
 July 28 = Austria-Hungary
declares war on Serbia.
 July 29 = Russia begins to
mobilize it’s military.
 August 1 = Germany declared
war on Russia.
 August 3 = Germany declares
war on France and invades
France through Belgium
 Great Britain declares war on
Germany and Austria-Hungary.
The Great War Begins - Who’s Who?
 The Triple Alliance
becomes the
Central Powers:
Germany
Austria-Hungary
The Ottoman Empire
 The Triple Entente
becomes the Allies:
France
Russia
Great Britain
Italy
+ a long cast of
characters too
numerous to mention
& the United States
von Schlieffen’s Plan of Attack
 Plan developed by
German Field Marshall
in 1905.
Germany would fight a
holding action against
Russia in the east.
Germany would launch a
quick drive into France going
through the lowlands of
Belgium and capture Paris.
Once France had fallen,
the two German armies
would combine and defeat
the Russians.
Terminology of the Great War
 Trench Warfare =
Tactics had not kept up
with the technology of
the war (remember the
U.S. Civil War).
 No man’s land = The
area of ground between
the opposing trenches.
America and the Great War
 America would almost
immediately proclaim
ourselves “Neutral”.
What do we care about a
war that is being fought by
people we don’t know 3,000
miles away, and besides,
how could it possibly have
an effect on us!
 This would be in name
only, as our actions
would it very obvious to
all (including the
Central Powers) that
we favored the Allies.
 Opposition to the War:
Millions of recent
immigrants did not want to
see America fighting their
homeland.
Socialists criticized the
war as one being fought to
benefit the industrialists in
Germany and Great Britain.
Pacifists were against
wars in general.
Many Americans did not
want to send their sons to
have to experience war,
especially so far from home
for not well-understood
causes.
What brought America to War?
By 1917 the U.S. was mobilizing for
war against the Central Powers to:
 ensure that the Allies would be able to
repay debts owed to the U.S.
 protect American shipping from German
attacks.
The British Blockade
 As the fighting on the land turned into a
stalemate, the British began using a
blockade of the German coast to keep
needed supplies out.
 This blockade was also extended to neutral
ports and the entire North Sea was mined.
 U.S. ships refused to challenge the blockade.
 They were required to go to Britain for inspection.
 Germany was unable to import food and fertilizer.
 The lack of fertilizer would lead to a famine.
 Germany responded to the blockade with a
U-Boat (submarine) blockade of Great
Britain.
 The Kaiser would announce that all cargoes
headed for Britain would be considered
contraband (items used for fighting a war)
and any ship found in waters around Britain
would be sunk.
 While the effects of the British blockade were
only visible inside Germany, the effects of
the U-Boat blockade (while much less
successful) were visible everywhere and
easily exploited by propaganda.
 Americans are now
angry at the loss of life
in the u-boat attacks
 May 7, 1915 (1) - The
Lusitania (a British liner)
was sunk by a U-Boat
Over 1,100 would die,
including 128
Americans.
 President Wilson refused a military
response, but he did protest to Germany
about the attack.
 Two weeks later Germany would sink
another liner killing more Americans.
 Germany would then pledge (The Arabic
Pledge) to stop sinking liners, but that would
last only a few months before more attacks
would occur.
 Germany would again pledge (The Sussex
Pledge) to stop attacking liners.
 However, they said if the U.S. could not get
Britain to lift its blockade against food and
fertilizer they would consider renewing the
attacks.
 In 1916 Wilson would be
re-elected President,
running on the campaign
theme “He kept us out of
war”.
This election was a very
close election, with Wilson
going to bed on election night
believing he had probably
lost.
 On January 31, 1917 the
Kaiser would announce
that U-Boats would sink
all ships in British waters
on sight (2).
 The Zimmerman Note (3) = A telegram sent
from the German Foreign Minister to Mexico
suggesting that Mexico would get back it’s lost
territory from the U.S. when the war was over
if Mexico would join the side of the Central
Powers.
 The message was intercepted by the British
and given to the U.S.
 This would end up being the last straw that
would lead America into what was now no
longer the Great War, but the World War.
 With Wilson stating that the world must be
made “safe for democracy”, Congress would
declare war in April of 1917.
America Mobilizes for War
 The Selective Service Act
(draft)
By wars end over 20,000,000
men would be registered, with
just over 3,000,000 being
drafted.
The Convoy system was
used to escort merchant and
troop ships to Europe.
The American Army would
help to turn the tide of the
war.
Fighting a Mechanized War
 Big Bertha
 Zeppelins
 Mustard Gas
 Tank
 Airplanes
 Medical Problems
 Shell shock
 Trench foot
 Trench mouth
Aerial view of trenches in France
A Turning of the Tide
 General Pershing would be in charge of the
American Expeditionary Forces (A.E.F.).
 He would cause problems with the Allies by
insisting that the U.S. would fight as a
separate army.
 Major Battles with U.S. involvement:
 Helped to stop German advance at:

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Cantigny
Chateau-Thierry
Belleau Wood
Second Battle fo the Marne River
 Lead offensives at:
 Saint-Mihiel
 Meuse-Argonne
The End is Near!
 In 1918 the second (Bolshevik/Communist)
Russian Revolution would lead to them signing
a peace treaty with Germany to end their
fighting.
 Nov. 3, 1918 - Austria-Hungary surrenders to
the Allies.
 Same day, A mutiny would occur at a German
naval base and would quickly spread.
 Nov. 9, 1918 - The German people in Berlin
would revolt, leading the Kaiser to abdicate the
throne.
Armistice Day
 The eleventh hour of the
eleventh day of the
eleventh month!
 At 11:00am on Nov.
11,1918 an Armistice will
be signed ending the
fighting of the World War.
 This is what would
become known as
Armistice Day.
 What do we celebrate on
Nov. 11 today?
The Cost of War
 W.W. I lasted 4 years and involved more than
30 countries.
 Deaths numbered at least (a conservative
estimate) 22 million, with more than 1/2 of
them civilian.
 This doesn’t count the 40+ million who died in the
flu epidemic of 1918.
 Another 20 million would be wounded.
 10 million would become refugees.
 What is a refugee?
 The direct economic cost of the war has been
estimated at $338 billion (1920 $s).
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Country
Africa1
Australia
Austria-Hung*
Belgium*
Bulgaria*
Canada
The Carib
French Emp
Germany*
Great Britain*
Greece*
India3
Italy*
Japan*
Montenegro*
New Zealand
Portugal*
Romania*
Russia*
Serbia*
South Africa
Turkey*
USA*
Mobilized Killed
Wounded
55,000
10,000
unknown
330,000 59,000
152,000
6,500,000 1,200,000 3,620,000
207,000 13,000
44,000
400,000 101,000 153,000
620,000 67,000
173,000
21,000
1,000
3,000
7,500,000 1,385,000 4,266,000
11,000,000 1,718,000 4,234,000
5,397,000 703,000 1,663,000
230,000 5,000
21,000
1,500,000 43,000
65,000
5,500,000 460,000 947,000
800,000 250
1,000
50,000
3,000
10,000
110,000 18,000
55,000
100,000 7,000
15,000
750,000 200,000 120,000
12,000,000 1,700,000 4,950,000
707,000 128,000 133,000
149,000 7,000
12,000
1,600,000 336,000 400,000
4,272,500 117,000 204,000
Total
unknown 211,000
4,820,000
57,000
254,000
241,000
4,000
5,651,000
5,952,000
2,367,000
26,000
108,000
1,407,000
1,250
13,000
73,000
22,000
320,000
6,650,000
261,000
19,000
736,000
321,000
Casualties
64%
74%
28%
64%
39%
19%
75%
54%
44%
11%
7%
26%
0.2%
26%
66%
22%
43%
55%
37%
13%
46%
8%
The War at Home
 War Industries Board
 The Food Administration
 Rationing
 Victory Gardens
 Financing the war
 Taxes increased (raised about 33% of cost)
 Sale of War Bonds (single largest source)
 Propaganda
 Anti-immigration feelings
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Stop listening to classical music by German composers
Removing books
Stop teaching German in schools
Mob violence against German immigrants
German/Liberty measles
Hamburger = Salsbury Steak
The War at Home
 In Kansas City, MO
 Dec. 1917 power was shut off on Sunday &
Thursday nights to conserve energy and fuel.
 Boy scout troops would knock on doors of homes
not displaying Red Cross membership banners
asking, Why?
 A written excuse was required of every Montgomery
Ward employee who had not joined the Red Cross.
 The Missouri Superintendent of Schools refused to
certify schools who still taught German.
 Cass county banned the German language in
phone conversations.
The War at Home
 Restriction of civil rights
 Espionage & Sedition Acts of 1917
 Violations of 1st Amendment
 The “Great Migration”
 Movement by southern blacks to northern cities
 Employment gains
 Advances for Women
 Volunteering
 Red Cross
 War Bonds
 Employment gains
 The Great (Spanish) Flu Epidemic
 500,000 dead in U.S.
 40,000,000 dead worldwide
 Originated at Fort Riley, Kansas - returning soldiers
President Wilson & Versailles
 Before the end of the war,
President Wilson presented
to Congress his Fourteen
Points of Peace.
 This plan was designed to
prevent the start of any
future wars by addressing
the causes of W.W. I and
encouraging nations to work
together to maintain peace.
 This would be done by:
Stop secret treaties
Freedom of the seas
Reduce the size of armys
 Point #14 called for
the creation of The
League of Nations
which would be used
to help settle future
disputes.
This would be a
forerunner of the U.N.
 Wilson was given a
hero’s welcome when
he arrived in Europe,
but he would soon be
brought back to the
political reality of the
post-war climate.
Treaty of Versailles
“…the Peace to end all Peace.”
J.M. Keynes
 On June 28 of 1919 the “Big Four” Allied leaders and the
leaders of the defeated nations began meeting at the Palace at
Versailles (just outside of Paris).
 Germany was not allowed to take part in any of the negotiations.
 They would not be involved until all negotiations were
completed, and then they would not even be allowed to discuss
the provisions with the Allies.
 Russia was not included in the entire process.
 Big Four:
 Wilson = U.S.
 George = Great Britain
 Clemenceau = France
 Orlando = Italy
 Wilson soon found that the European leaders
were seeking revenge (as was much of the
American public = “Hang the Kaiser!”).
 The Treaty of Versailles would:
 Establish nine new nations with land taken from the
defeated countries + Russia (who fought with the
Allies).
 Shift the boundaries of many other countries.
 What was left of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was
divided into the countries of Austria and Hungary.
 Demilitarize Germany to an army that was large
enough to police themselves.
 Germany was forced to accept sole responsibility
for the war.
 Required Germany to pay “reparations” - damage
payments for the cost of the war.
 The total amount would be calculated later at $33 billion.
The New Europe
Europe in 1914
(First Year of WWI)
Europe after Versailles
Treaty (1919)
The New Europe – Look 2
Weaknesses of the Treaty
 The treaty humiliated Germany and would cause
Germans of all political backgrounds to detest the
treaty.
 The German delegation ruined any chance of negotiating
by making a long and condemning speech after being
presented with the final document - but before even
reading it.
 The new Bolshevik (communist) government felt
mistreated.
 Even though it had fought on the side of the Allies,
Russia would lose more territory than any of the Central
Powers.
 The treaty created political instability around the
world by stripping Germany of its territories and
consequently, its ability to pay the reparations it
owed.
Treaty of Versailles
Problems in the Middle-East
 Article 22 of the Treaty 
of Versailles stated:
 The character of the
mandate must differ
according to the stage
of the development of
the people, the
geographical situation
of the territory, its
economic conditions
and other similar
circumstances.
Certain communities formerly
belonging to the Turkish empire
have reached a stage of
development where their existence
as independent nations can be
provisionally recognized subject to
the rendering of administrative
advice and assistance by a
Mandatory until such time as they
are able to stand alone. The wishes
of these communities must be a
principal consideration in the
selection of the Mandatory.
 The former Ottoman Empire
would be divided into mandates
controlled by the British &
French.
 The Arabs had fought with the
Allies in the region against the
Ottomans, and would feel
betrayed by the treaty - they
were looking for the
independence that was
proposed in Wilson’s 14 Pts.
Palestine and Mesopotamia (Iraq)
would be under the control of the
British.
Syria and Lebanon would be
administered by France.
 These two countries controlled
the region until the end of
W.W.II
The British &
French Mandates
The Treaty Fight at Home
 The U.S. Constitution requires that any treaty made
by the President must be approved by a 2/3s
majority vote in the U.S. Senate.
 The fight over approval of the treaty would be the
center-piece of the 1918 mid-term elections.
 What is a mid-term election?
 Wilson would campaign all over the country for
candidates who would support the treaty.
 He collapsed of exhaustion and then suffered a
stroke that would incapacitate him for most of the
remainder of his second term in office.
 The U.S. Senate would never ratify the treaty and
we would eventually sign a separate treaty with
Germany.
 Any idea why the treaty was rejected by the Senate?
Legacy of the World War
 Most Germans were
angry at their treatment
by the Allies.
 World economy suffersGermany’s economy is
destroyed.
It is was these horrible
economic conditions that
would lead to the rise of radical
political groups such as the
Nazi Party and Adolph Hitler.
 In America, we would
enter the 1920’s seeking
a “Return to Normalcy” =
Isolationism.