The 20th Century: The Age of Total War

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The 20th Century The Age of Total War

• The Character of World War I

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Points to remember

• Modern Theorists I Mahan and Corbett
• Mahans beliefs
• Corbett and sea control
• FFS, Corbett and Mahan
• Mahans Six General Conditions

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Iraqi Presidential Ballot
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The 20th Century The Age of Total War

• The Character of World War I

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Educational Objective

• To comprehend
• the causes,
• the character and
• the outcome of World War I.

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The Players

• France
• Germany
• England
• Austria-Hungary

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Assassination and War

• Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary
• Serbian Nationalist

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World War I

• Context
• First major war since the Napoleonic Wars
• A watershed the beginning of modern warfare
• Extensive use of railways
• Unparalleled level of staff coordination
• Development of indirect fire capabilities
• Extensive logistic dimension
• Cooperation between combat arms

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Fundamental Questions about War

• How are armies formed?
• Why do wars occur?
• Why do armies fight?
• How do armies fight?
• What is the relationship between the armed forces?

• Who directs their employment?
• How are armies sustained?
• How are wars ended?
• How is their period distinctive?
• What non-military factors affected the outcome?

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How are armies formed?

• The Prussian Military Revolution
• Conscription
• Professional education and training
• Pre-conflict planning

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Why do wars occur?

• Crucial events
• Division of Europe into two alliances
• Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand
• German blank check to Austria
• Austrias ultimatum to Serbia
• Germanys efforts to restrain Austria
• Outbreak of war on Aug 1, 1914

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Why do armies fight?

• Unification of Germany
• Germany
• France
• England
• Russia
• Balance of power

• Nationalism
• Economic competition
• Colonial disputes
• An arms race
• Interlocking alliances

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Why do armies fight?

• U.S. Goals
• Wilsons 14 Points
• U.S. entry
• Unrestricted submarine warfare
• The Zimmerman Note
• Wilsons New World Order

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How do armies fight?

• Character of WWI
• From a war of movement to a stalemate
• Increased centralized control by governments
• Expanded war aims
• Propaganda
• Increasing body count
• Distinction blurred

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How do armies fight?

• Major military question
• How to mount an attack?
• How to cover the final 300 yards?
• Firepower
• Germans Envelopment
• British and French Artillery bombardment
• Germans Defense in depth
• The tank

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How do armies fight?

• Most European armies ignored the lessons of the
• Boer War
• Russo-Japanese War.

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How do armies fight?

• Western front
• Stalemate and attrition
• Eastern front
• Maneuver
• Dardanelles
• Operational maneuver and tactical stalemate
• Palestine and Syria
• Maneuver

• The Atlantic
• Attrition
• East Africa
• Maneuver
• Salonika
• Stalemate and attrition

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What is the relationship between the armed forces?

• The alliances
• Central Powers
• The Triple Entente
• The role of the AEF
• Sea power
• Air power

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Who directs their employment?

• Operational level details.
• Little influence on military matters
• Friction
• Clausewitz

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How are armies sustained?

• Railroads
• Industrial warfare
• Artillery shells

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How are wars ended?

• Armistice 11/11/18
• Negotiations
• Treaty of Versailles

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How is their period distinctive?

• Modern War
• Decisive battle
• The people in arms
• Lingering question
• How to break the stalemate of the trenches?

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What non-military factors affected the outcome?

• Industrial capacity
• Economic warfare
• Civilian Morale

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The Post War World

• Search for an assailable flank
• Mechanization
• Airpower
• The indirect approach
• The colored war plans

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Fundamental Questions about War

• Who directs their employment?
• How are armies sustained?
• How are wars ended?
• How is their period distinctive?
• What non-military factors affected the outcome?

• How are armies formed?
• Why do wars occur?
• Why do armies fight?
• How do armies fight?
• What is the relationship between the armed forces?

Questions?
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Issues for Consideration

• Conditions for WWI
• Causes
• Continuation
• Evolution

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Conditions

• What were the conditions leading up to WWI?
• Nationalism
• Military planning
• Unholy mix
• An arms race
• Colonial rivalries
• Abdication of political leadership
• Professionalization race

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What were the causes of WWI?

• German unification
• Balance of power
• Social and economic changes
• Nationalism and domestic conflict

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Continuation of the war

• At the political level, why did the powers
  continue this costly conflict?
• Equal opponents
• Persistence
• Stalemate
• Prestige

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Evolution

• How could leaders have prevented it from evolving
  into a self-destructive bloodbath?
• Reducing objectives
• Aligning goals and capabilities
• Trinity

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WWI

• Who finally won the war?

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The 20th Century The Age of Total War

• The Character of World War I

Questions?
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Points to remember

• Causes of the war
• Failure of the Schlieffen Plan
• German solution to tactical problem
• Extraordinary number of casualties
• Wars end

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Next Week

• Modern theorists II
• Air
• Monday night
• November 18

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Newspaper Headline 2035

• Microsoft Announced It Has Perfected Its Newest
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• - It crashes before installation is completed.