20th Century America

1
20th Century America

• How World War I contributed to American thought,
  culture, politics, and literature
• Part 1 - WWI

2
About WWI

• Causes of WWI, pt. 1
• Treaty Alliance System Political maneuvers
  sought encirclement and protection from the
  imperialistic aspirations of neighboring nations.
  The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
  encouraged domino-effect declarations of war by
  nations across first Europe and then the world.
• Imperialism Many nations sought to increase
  their territory and national wealth. Britain and
  Frances colonial acquisitions prompted Germany
  to scramble into forging colonies in Africa.

3
About WWI

• Causes of WWI, pt. 2
• Militarism Ruling entities in Britain, France,
  and Germany engaged in an arms race as military
  exploits were seen as a central focus for each
  government. Invasion plans and strategies were
  drawn up by many governments.
• Nationalism Many nations desired independence
  from ruling authorities, particularly Serbia and
  other Balkan principalities from Austria-Hungary.
  Others, including the Italians and Germans,
  desired unification after being left as separate
  states at the conclusion of the Congress of
  Vienna.

4
Weapons of War

• Bayonet - a blade that is attached to the barrel
  of a rifle for use in close combat
• The bayonet, an outdated weapon in offensive
  warfare, was seen as symbolic of a warrior
  mentality. Bayonets continued to be issued to
  personnel in the Second World War.

5
Weapons of War

• Flamethrower spreads fire by launching fuel
• Initially used by the Germans in short range
  trench warfare against the British and French,
  flamethrowers were later adopted by both the
  British and French armies. Not effective at
  distance or in covering large areas, the
  flamethrower was a short-range trench-clearer.

6
Weapons of War

• Grenade an explosive, either hand or
  rifle-driven with detonation triggered by either
  impact or a timer.
• Grenades were essential to trench warfare in
  World War I and date back in some form to the
  15th century. Grenades are still in use today in
  modern combat.

7
Weapons of War

• Machine Gun often tripod-mounted, the gun
  produced a rapid-fire succession of bullets
  (estimated between 400 rounds/min in 1914 and up
  to 1200 rounds/min by the end of the war)
• Machine guns were typically used to maintain
  defensive positions. In this era, the machine gun
  was too heavy to be portable, and thus was not
  often used as an offensive weapon.

8
Weapons of War

• Trench mortars a short tube that fires a
  projectile (explosive) at a steep angle so that
  it falls directly on an enemy.
• Trench mortars could be fired from the relative
  safety of inside the trench.

9
Weapons of War

• Tank an armored car driven on a caterpillar
  track, often with mounted machine guns, later
  with large artillery guns
• Tanks didnt figure into WWI until 1916, but by
  the end of the war were an important means to
  cross trenches and advance infantry in a more
  protected manner. The British and French built
  over 7000 tanks combined. Germany, having not
  foreseen the tanks potential, only produced 20.

10
Weapons of War

• Poison Gas a variety of airborne chemicals,
  sometimes released from canisters, sometimes by
  means of artillery shell.
• Poison Gas tear gas, mustard gas, chlorine,
  etc. had a variety of effects. Some effects
  were deadly, all were unpleasant. Poison gas
  attacks were used in anti-German propaganda
  (though the French were the first to use gas
  attacks in 1914). Walls of gas could be used to
  disable or clear trench areas.

11
Weapons of War

• Rifles, Pistols, etc.
• The General Change in Philosophy Although war
  has always involved some amount of killing, the
  Great War brought about a philosophical shift.
  No longer would battles be carried out primarily
  in a man-against-man or man-against-fortress
  fashion. The means of bringing about an enemys
  death expeditiously was at a premium, especially
  when it involved a minimal human cost from ones
  own ranks.