World War I

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World War I
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The War
It will be a short war

• Kaiser assured Parliament Before the leaves
  fall
• Churchill Short, cleansing thunderstorm
• War is inevitable therefore acceptable
• Rebellion against liberal values of peace and
  rational problem-solving
• Sense of relief when war was declared
• Imperialism wanted war

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The Schlieffen Plan

• German plan to attack France
• by going through Belgium
• flat, little resistance
• promised early victory since defeat France very
  quickly
• entire German army would attack France
• German victory must have
• no Russian build up or mobilization for 6 weeks
• no Belgian resistance
• no French counter-attack
• no British aid to France (remain neutral)

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The Schlieffen Plan
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The War

• Failure of the Schlieffen Plan caused
• a stalemate in the war
• long, drawn out war in the trenches
• neither side could advance against the other
• huge numbers of dead and wounded on both sides
• The war became a 2-front war
• Germany had to fight in both France and Russia
• Germany had to split their army
• Germany could not win the war quickly

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The War
Western Front

• was fought in France and Belgium
• front lines barely moved during entire war
• first poisonous gas attacks in History

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World War I - Gas Deaths and Injured World War I - Gas Deaths and Injured    
   
Country Non-Fatal Deaths Total

British Empire 180,597 8,109 188,706
France 182,000 8,000 190,000
United States 71,345 1,462 72,807
Italy 55,373 4,627 60,000
Russia 419,340 56,000 475,340
Germany 191,000 9,000 200,000
Austria-Hungary 97,000 3,000 100,000
Others 9,000 1,000 10,000
   
Total 1,205,655 91,198 1,296,853
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The War
Western Front

• was fought in France and Belgium
• front lines barely moved during entire war
• first poisonous gas attacks in History
• destroyed the countryside
• standard battle tactic was artillery barrage
• followed by army on foot attacking opposing
  trenches
• usually followed by counter-attack
• air battles with primitive aircraft
• only major sea battle of the war - Jutland

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The War
Eastern Front

• fought in Poland and Russia
• huge Russian army
• but VERY poorly equipped
• very poor leadership
• officers promoted by wealth
• Csar more interested in family than war (play on
  his yacht)
• supply lines broke down (no food soldiers
  starved)

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The War
Eastern Front

• major battles at Tannenberg and Masurian Lakes
  destroyed two entire Russian armies
• at least 225,000 prisoners taken by Germans
• huge numbers of Russian guns and ammunition
  captured
• 1 of every 3 Russian soldiers had no weapon
• often fought with pitchforks
• wait for someone to be killed to get a weapon
• by 1917, gt3 million Russian soldiers dead or
  prisoners

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The War
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

• huge Russian military losses
• poverty and starvation in Russia
• much corruption in Russian government
• protest marches in Russia against government
• demanded food, economic reform and the end of
  the war for Russia
• Communist party won revolution against the Csar
• armistice (stop fighting) with Germany

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The War
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

• Germany and Russia
• Russia out of the war
• Russia lost 1/3 of population and agricultural
  land
• Ukraine the breadbasket of Europe
• lost almost all coal reserves
• Germany got new source of coal and food
• Germany got one front war
• entire German army could fight on Western Front

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Technology

• Changed the entire nature of war
• no longer fought between gentlemen
• made war longer and bloodier
• kill many more at once
• Poison Gas
• Chlorine, Mustard and Phosgene (the worst)
• burned the inside of the body as well as the
  outside
• Could be stopped by good gas masks
• Dangerous to attacking army if wind shifted

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Technology
Machine Gun

• perfected as brutal killing machines by World
  War I
• Vickers Mark I could fire gt600 rounds per minute
• deadly for closely packed attacking army

Tank

• heavy, slow, VERY noisy inside, cramped
• But could cross trenches and barbed wire
• And could carry soldiers more safely than on
  foot

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Technology
Aircraft

• Lighter than Air
• Blimps, Dirigibles, Zeppelins
• used for reconaissance, spotting, photography,
  and attack
• slow, easy to hit - filled with hydrogen (very
  explosive)
• very stable gun platform from above the troops
• used as bombers carry very heavy loads
  (Germans bombed England in Zeppelin raids)

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Technology
Aircraft

• Heavier Than Air
• Airplanes
• faster, lighter, more manoeuverable than blimps
• early planes very primitive used mainly for
  reconaissance
• open cockpit, gunner in separate seat
• some light bombing

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Technology
Battleships
German Fleet
British Fleet
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Technology
Submarines

• perfected by the Germans
• destroyed much allied shipping (8 million
  tonnes)
• Britain in danger of losing supply lines to
  United States and British Empire
• submarine attacks eventually brought U.S. into
  war

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The United States
Why was U.S. not in the war?

• U.S. wanted to remain neutral
• policy of Isolationism
• did not want to be involved in petty European
  wars
• U.S. made huge - supply of war materials
• became very powerful industrially
• tripled exports
• Europe owed U.S. 10 billion by end of war

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The United States
Why did U.S. enter the war?

• Germany made all waters around Britain to be
  war zone
• warned all Allied vessels to be torpedoed
• safety of neutral vessels not guaranteed
• (1) May 1915, British ship Lusitania sunk by
  torpedo
• 128 Americans on board
• increased animosity against Germany
• (2) Feb 1917 German strategy of unrestricted
  submarine warfare
• any ship transporting goods to Allies would be
  sunk
• several U.S. freighters sunk

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The United States
Why did U.S. enter the war?

• (3) Zimmerman telegram
• from Germany to Mexico
• if Mexico attacks U.S. to regain territory
• - Germany would support Mexico
• U.S. declared war April 1917

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The United States
U.S. entry meant many fresh soldiers and equipment

• but U.S. unable to train and equip troops
  quickly
• Russia out of the war
• 1917 very bad year for the Allies
• 1918 huge offences both sides but enormous
  losses
• July 18, Allied offensive turning point of the
  war
• August huge Allied victories
• Germans tired, poorly equipped and defeated
• Allies enthusiastic and energetic (always fresh
  troops)

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Peace?
Germany asked U.S. President (Wilson) to
negotiate for an armistice

• Wilson proposed the 14 Points
• no secret treaties
• freedom of the seas
• removal of all tariffs
• reduction of national armaments
• French territory to be returned to France
• independent Polish State
• association of world states

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Peace?
United States Objectives

• a new international order to promote peace
• resume trade so U.S. can make money
• want to return to policy of isolationism
• want war loans paid by all countries

British Objectives

• international peace
• economic return trade with all nations
• security of sea trade lanes destruction of
  German navy

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Peace?
French Objectives

• wanted National Security - with no threat from
  Germany
• wanted Reparations full payment for damage
  done
• wanted revenge
• Russia no longer an ally
• demanded a demilitarized zone in the Rhineland
• against the 14 Points

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Treaty of Versailles
Major Terms

• Alsace-Lorraine to be returned to France
• loss of much German territory and colonies
• no German air force and navy to have no capital
  ships or submarines
• German army reduced to 100,000 men border
  patrol only
• Germany must pay reparations 6,600 million
  pounds
• demilitarization of Rhineland
• Saar coal mines to France for 15 years
• Germany must accept total guilt for entire war

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Treaty of Versailles
Germany protested the very strict terms

• Germany thought the 14 Points would be the
  treaty terms
• especially protested the guilt clause
• France and Belgium warned Germany
• if they dont sign, the war would continue
• fighting would move into Germany with the same
  type of destruction as in France and Belgium

• Germany signed the treaty

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World War I Casualties
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