The War To End All Wars: World War I

Presented By: Joshua Burrows

Section 1World War I Begins

Causes of World War I

M.A.I.N. Militarism- the development of armed forces

for use as tools for imperialism and diplomacy Alliances

Central Powers- Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire

Allies- Britain, France, and Russia

Causes of World War I Cont.

Imperialism- the extension of a nation’s control over new territory

Nationalism- devotion to and pride in the interests and culture of one’s nation

Balkan Peninsula

“Powder Keg of Europe” Countries

Albania Bosnia Romania Serbia

International Interests Railway from Germany to Ottoman Empire Russia> Mediterranean Sea

Map of WWI

Click icon to add pictureMap of the Alliances in Europe during World War I

The Spark : Assassination

Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in 1914 Heir to the Austrian Throne

Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip: Assassin Results

Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia Alliance system is put into action

The Archduke

Click icon to add picturePicture of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand. He would of inherited the throne of Austria if he was not assassinated.

Gavrilo Princip

Click icon to add pictureThe assassin who was responsible for murdering The Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his mistress Sophie. He was believed to be a member of the gang The Black Hand

Emperor of Germany

Click icon to add picturePortrait of Kaiser Wilhelm II, the Emperor of Germany. Aiding Austria-Hungary because of the alliance system, he will unknowingly be the cause of the US joining the Allies in WWI

Warfare Begins

Schlieffen Plan Germany’s strategic plan to go straight to Paris After conquering France, attention could be

directed at Russia Allies hold up at the Marne River and conduct

Trench Warfare

Warfare Begins Continued

3 types of Trench Warfare Front Line Support Reserve

“No Man’s Land”- godforsaken area between the trenches

Trench Warfare was brutal and harsh for both the attackers and defenders Huge amounts of casualties for charging forces Trench foot, Shellshock, and disease took a toll on defenders

America Questions Neutrality

In 1914, most US citizens did not want to get involved

In contradiction, some still had ties to Europe Felt close to Europe due to:▪ Common language▪ Ancestry▪ Government

US had economic ties with the Allies

Trench Warfare

Click icon to add picturePictures of the brutal conditions of trench warfare experienced in WWI. Between the confined space, mud, disease, depression, low morale, death, and many other factors, WWI had some of the worst conditions for soldiers out of any war.

Blockade

British Blockade- The British Royal Navy blockaded German Coast Prevent weapons and military supplies from

leaving or entering Germany American ships carrying German merchandise

couldn’t go through the blockade Germany could not import foods

Resulted in famine

The War Hits Home

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare German response to British Blockade German U-Boats would engage any ships flying Allied

Flags Germans sank the Lusitania in 1915

128 American casualties Sussex Pledge- Germany will not sink anymore

ships without warning 1916 Election- Woodrow Wilson is relected

“He Kept Us Out Of War”

Sinking of the Lusitania

Click icon to add pictureIllustration of the U-Boat U-20 surfacing after sinking the British passenger ship Lusitania

The US Gets Involved

Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare

Zimmerman Note Secret note from Germany to Mexico If Mexico joined the Central Powers, they would

receive the Mexican Cession Territory British intercepted the telegram, sent it to the US;

Mexico declined the offer

Zimmerman Note Political Cartoon

Click icon to add pictureAny early form of the press expressing their opinions of politics, Political Cartoons have been made around for a long time. This is one describing the Zimmerman Note situation.

The Zimmerman Note

Click icon to add pictureThe “before” and “after” of the interception of the Zimmerman Note

US Declares War

Oppressive Russian monarchy replaced with a democracy US feared communism Bolshevic Revolution US felt comfortable with Lenin’s Russia

President Woodrow Wilson delivers a declaration of war US joins the Allies

Section 2American Power Tips the Balance

America Mobilizes

Selective Service Act- required for men to register with in order to be randomly selected for military service

The US had to achieve the goal of supplying and transporting a large army during German unrestricted submarine warfare Exempted shipyard workers for draft Shipyards used assembly line techniques Converted commercial and private ships into warships

America Turns the Tide

American Admiral William S. Sims conceived the idea of the Convoy System Armed Destroyers escort merchant or supply ships

on the Atlantic American troops contributed the Allied war

effort with supplies, troops, and moral American Expeditionary Force▪ Known as the “Doughboys”

Commanded by General John J. Pershing

Convoy System

Click icon to add pictureA group of Destroyer Class Warships escorts civilian ships across the Atlantic

New Weaponry

Machine Guns Tanks Airplanes Observation Balloons Poison Gas

Machine Guns

The first machine gun was used in the American Civil War Designed by Gatling; known as the “Gatling Gun” or the

“Gatling Cannon”▪ Multiple Barrels▪ Crank powered▪ Shell Casings

Fast-forward 60 years, machine guns are gas powered and chain or clip fed Maxim, Vickers, Lewis, and Hotchkiss machine guns were

some of the most widely used

WWI Machine Guns

Click icon to add picturePictures of common machine guns used in WWI; Vickers Machine Gun (Top Left), Maxim Machine Gun (Top Right), Lewis Machine Gun (Bottom)

Tanks

Tanks were the infantry’s worst nightmare on a WWI battlefield

Primitive tanks were designed to punch through “No Man’s Land” and take enemy trenches by force

However tanks in WWI had defects Lightly armored and armed Tank crews would experience sea sickness Gas fumes would flood the inside compartment

WWI Tanks

Click icon to add picturePicture of a British Mark I Tank issued into service in 1916. Some initial models had two large wheels added to the back for aided steering, but after proved unsuccessful, they were left off of later models

Airplanes

Airplanes would be the one invention that wasn’t originally intended for warfare but would be used for war to this day

Originally created by Orville and Wilbur Wright for transportation and commercial use

During WWI it would have various uses Dogfights- multiple planes would fight in air Bombers- capable of dropping a single bomb Scouts- used to scout out enemy movements ahead

WWI Airplanes

Click icon to add picturePicture of Central Powers bombers targeting allies on the battlefield. These primitive airplanes are made out of wood and light fabric material and could not withstand much flak, as seen around the airplanes in the photo.

Observation Balloons

Dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries, Observation Balloons were widely used by both sides during WWI

Used to observe the battlefield and give information to the infantry, they had their pros and cons “Sitting Duck” Flack, AA, Machine Guns, and nets were used as

defense

Poison Gas

Poison Gas was a new form of military technology first used in WWI

Will come to be known as “chemical warfare” Most commonly used was Chlorine Gas

Targeted “No Man’s Land” and enemy trenches Either dropped from a bomber or shot from

artillery Chlorine Gas reacts with moisture; First burning

your eyes, then turning your lungs into liquid

Chlorine Gas

Click icon to add pictureVictims of a Chlorine Gas attack in WWI. Bandages over their blinded eyes, surprisingly, these were the lucky ones.

New Hazards

Trench Warfare Trench mouth and trench foot Lice, rats, disease Polluted water, poison gas

Battle fatigue and Shellshock Civilian targets

Libraries Cathedrals City Districts

American Troops Go on the Offensive

Russia signed their own treaty with Germany after the Bolshevic Revolution in 1917 Left out of the Treaty of Versailles

Germans shifted attention to Western Front Americans reinforce the allies just in time

Stopped the German offensive Tide began to turn against the Central Powers

The Collapse of the Central Powers

Austria-Hungary surrenders in November, 1918 German sailors mutinied

Mutiny spread like wildfire Germans started to organize revolutions Berlin Socialists began to establish a Republic

Kaiser Wilhelm II gave up throne Germans were exhausted to keep fighting WWI ends on the 11th hour on the 11th day in the 11th

month of 1918 Germany agreed to an Armistice▪ Everybody drops their weapons and goes home