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WORLD WAR ONE
“THE GREAT WAR”
Click to watch this brief introductory
video - Start and fast forward to 1 min.
What was World War One (WWI) all about?
While the United States was establishing itself
as a world power in the early 1900s, problems were
rising in Europe. Powerful countries in Europe
began developing fierce rivalries. This led to
competition for land and military power. Many
European countries controlled other countries around
the world and they competed with one other for land
in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. This
competition for land and power would soon lead to
serious disagreements and war.
What were the MAIN causes of World War I?
Militarism – the building of a strong military by
a country to use as a way to solve problems
Assassination – On June 28, 1914 the
Archduke of Austria-Hungary , Franz Ferdinand, was
killed by a Serbian. (Austria-Hungary controlled
Serbia and would later declare war on them.)
Imperialism – gaining control of many lands
to build an empire
Nationalism – a love for one’s country and the
desire to have that country free from the control of others
Who fought in World War One?
Fearing an attack from a rival, many European countries
began to form alliances. This was an agreement between
countries to defend each other. The two major alliances were
the Allied Powers and the Central Powers.
ALLIED POWERS:
Great Britain
France
Russia
Serbia
Belgium
Italy
(and others)
CENTRAL POWERS:
Germany
Austria-Hungary
Bulgaria
Turkey
How did the fighting in Europe begin?
After Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated, Austria-Hungary
declared war on Serbia. Russia agreed to help Serbia in order to protect
trade routes it used.
Germany was an ally of Austria-Hungary and demanded that Russia
demobilize (dismiss their army and not fight). When Russia refused to
listen, Germany declared war on them.
Germany was afraid that by declaring war on Russia, they might also
be attacked by France. (France was Russia’s ally and was to Germany’s
east.) Germany decided to also declare war on France.
To get to France, German troops had to march through Belgium.
When the Belgian king refused to let the troops cross his country,
Germany declared war on Belgium. This led Great Britain, an ally of
Belgium, to declare war on Germany. Soon every major country in
Europe was involved in the war.
What was the fighting of WWI like?
World War One introduced
a new fierce type of fighting
to the world. Armies from
both sides dug a series of
trenches facing each other.
These trenches could extend
hundreds of miles and
served as a home to the
soldiers that fought there.
The land between the trenches was known as “Noman’s Land”. This area was usually filled with barbed
wire and land mines. A new weapon, poison gas, was
sent into enemy trenches. Occasionally, soldiers from
one side would climb out of their trench and race across
no-man’s land to attack the enemy. This was known as
going “over-the-top”.
What did the U.S. think about the war?
When WWI started, there was a policy of
isolationism in the U.S. This meant that the U.S.
would stay out of World War One. This was
easy to do since the fighting was so far away.
Isolationism was well-liked by many European
immigrants living in the U.S. This belief would
soon change for some Americans.
U.S. President
Woodrow Wilson
(left) used the slogan
“He kept us out of
war!” when running
for re-election.
This notice reminded
tourists of the possible
dangers in Europe.
Why did the United States get involved?
On May 7, 1915, the British steamship the Lusitania was torpedoed and
sunk by a German submarine. Even though more than 100 U.S. citizens were
killed, President Woodrow Wilson still refused to declare war. It wasn’t until
1917 before the U.S. would enter the war.
In January of 1917, the U.S. learned about
a letter Germany had sent to Mexico asking
Mexico to enter the war as part of the Central
Powers. Germany promised to help Mexico
get back lands it had lost to the U.S.
In February of the same year, German
submarines were ordered to attack any ships
they believed were carrying weapons to the
Allied Powers. Three American-owned trade
ships were sunk. The deaths of American
sailors angered many Americans.
The U.S. declared war on
Germany on April 6, 1917.
How did the war impact Americans?
While American soldiers were busy fighting in
Europe, Americans were doing whatever they could
to help win the war. Patriotic songs like “Over
There” were sung and money was given to the Red
Cross.
Since many men were off at war, fewer workers
were available to work in factories and on farms.
Some women and African Americans went to work in
factories to help produce weapons, tanks, and
ammunition.
Despite less food being produced in the United
States, even more food was needed to send to troops
overseas. Many people started planting “war gardens”
or “victory gardens”. Many towns even dug up local
parks and planted food crops in the town square. Extra
food was sent to soldiers and Allied civilians overseas.
World War One also brought the
use of propaganda to the United
States. Propaganda is any information
that is used to help a cause. During
WWI, millions of posters and leaflets
were printed praising American
soldiers and supporting the war. Some
of this propaganda was also designed
to persuade young men to join the
army.
To make the army larger, Congress
also passed the Selective Service Act.
This established a military draft,
meaning that all men between the
ages of 21 and 30 had to sign up with
special committees and could then be
called on to fight for their country.
President Wilson also set up the Fuel Administration to encourage
Americans to use less coal and oil. One way to save fuel was by introducing
daylight savings time. To help pay the cost of the war, the government
increased taxes. Money was also borrowed from Americans through the sale
of war bonds. The government promised to pay back the cost of each war
bond bought, plus interest. One out of every five Americans bought war
bonds.
What new technology was used in World War One?
Just like in the U.S. Civil War fifty years earlier,
changing technology played a major role in World
War One. In 1915, Germany began using poison
gases that could burn lungs, blind eyes, or even
kill. By the end of the war, more than 80,000 had
died because of poison gases. In order to protect
themselves from the dangerous fumes, gas
masks were developed.
Click the picture above to watch a
training video on using gas masks.
Even though it had only been 15 years since it was invented, the
airplane was also used in the war. Pilots would drop bombs by hand
as they flew over enemy territory. Airplanes were also used to scout
out the enemies’ position. Photographs could be taken and used to
create maps of the enemy’s front lines.
A pilot who shot down 10 or more enemies was
considered an “ace”. One of the most well known aces
was the German Baron von Richthofen. The “Red
Baron” shot down 80 Allied aircraft.
British-invented tanks were
first used in battle in 1916. Tanks
were successful in helping to
flatten barbed wire, cross enemy
trenches, and act as shields for
advancing soldiers.
More than 500,000 pigeons were
used in the war. They were
dropped by parachute into
occupied areas. When
information agents had news to
send home, a message was
attached to their legs. The
pigeon would then fly home to
their lofts.
Messenger dogs carried
messages and orders in
containers strapped to their
backs. Dogs were also used to
help lay down telegraph wire.
Zeppelins caused extreme panic
when they appeared in the sky, but
they played little part in the war. For
some time in the war, they flew
higher than planes and were useful
in dropping bombs. The use of
higher flying aircraft and fire-making
bullets later in the war put an end to
these airships.
Flamethrowers were first used
by the German army. They could
shoot jets of flame as far as 130
feet!
What led to the end of the war?
In September 1918, more than
one million American troops fought
in a battle in the Meuse-Argonne.
More U.S. troops fought in this
battle than any other battle in U.S.
history. The U.S. had helped the
Allied Powers win this battle, which
led to the final defeat of the Central
Powers. The Central Powers
surrendered on November 11, 1918.
The war became known as “The
War to End All Wars” because no
one could imagine it happening
again.
This graph shows the number of
military deaths in WWI. It does not
include the 3.5 million Central Power
and 3 million Allied Power citizens that
died. More citizens were wounded.
What officially ended the war?
U.S. President Wilson and Allied
leaders met in Versailles, France in
January 1919 to create a peace
treaty to end the war. President
Wilson wanted there to be long
lasting peace and did not want to
punish the Central Powers.
Instead, he wanted to create a
group called the League of
Nations. This organization would
include members from all the
countries of the world and would
try to solve future problems
peacefully.
Even though the League of Nations
was President Wilson’s idea, the U.S.
Congress did not want to join the
League of Nations. They wanted to
return to a policy of isolationism, where
they stayed out of other countries’
problems.
The Treaty of Versailles officially ended the war when it was
signed in 1919. It punished the Central Powers by demanding that
Germany pay large fines and not rebuild its army. It also created the
League of Nations that President Wilson had wanted.
The U.S. Congress did
not approve of the treaty.
Not only did they dislike
the League of Nations, but
they also disagreed with
the harsh treatment of
Germany. The United
States never signed the
Treaty of Versailles.
How did Americans react to the war’s end?
Click to watch a brief video on American reaction when the troops came home.
WWI Technology Four Square
• Create a four square in your social studies
notebook.
•In each square draw a different type of technology
used during WWI.
•Make sure you tell how it was used.
•Use color.
•Examples: Poison Gas, Gas Mask, Tanks,
Flamethrower, Pigeon, Dogs, Airplanes, Bombs,
Zeppelins, etc.