WWI 1914-1918

1
WWI 1914-1918

• The War to End all Wars
• The Great One

2
Causes

• Militarism countries in Europe were creating
  massive armies, larger than the world had ever
  seen before
• Imperialism Europe was overtaking weaker
  countries all around the world for resources,
  these were hostile take over's and the people
• Unchecked Alliances nations were forming
  friendships with other nations at an alarming
  rate, many of these were alliances that didnt
  make any sense and screamed something is wrong
• Nationalism European nations were swept with
  intense feelings that people from their
  particular nation were the best and everyone else
  was below them or weaker

3
Causes

• Assassination of the Archduke Ferdinand Franz
  is the next in line for the thrown of Austria and
  is killed by members of the Black Hand terrorist
  group while touring Europe, his death is deemed
  an act of war and countries start to take sides
• Sinking of the Lusitania A British cargo ship
  carrying many passengers was sunk by Germany off
  the coast of Ireland, onboard were American
  citizens
• The Zimmerman Telegram English spies intercept
  a telegram from Germany to Mexico offering them
  all land in America as their reward at the end of
  the war, if Mexico will attack and destroy America

4
The Assassination

• Franz Sophia

• The Black Hand

5
Alliances

• The Triple Entente

• The Alliance (The Axis)

• The United Kingdom
• France
• Russia
• The United States
• Portugal
• Many from Africa

• Germany
• Italy
• Austria-Hungary
• The Ottoman Empire
• Bulgaria
• Many from the Middle East

6
Alliances
7
Key People

• The Axis

• The Entente

• Germany Kaiser Wilhelm II
• Italy Vittorio Orlando
• Austria Hungary Kaiser Franz Joseph I
• Bulgaria Tsar Ferdinand I
• Ottoman Empire Sultan Mehmed V
• Main Generals
• Paul Von Hindenburg
• Erich Ludendorff

• England - King George V
• France Raymond Poincare
• Russia Tsar Nicholas II
• America Woodrow Wilson
• Main Generals
• John Blackjack Pershing
• Douglas Haig
• Ferdinand Foch

8
The Two Fronts

• The Western Front

• The Eastern Front

• Most of the war is fought in France
• Trench warfare is used (modeled after how Grant
  attacked Petersburg in the Civil War)
• Trenches were dug on both sides for over 300
  miles, the land between the trenches is called
  no mans land because no man, animal or plant
  could live in this area

• This area of fighting stretches from the Baltic
  Sea to the Caspian Sea in what is mostly Poland,
  Ukraine, Russia in todays world
• This was more of a traditional total warfare
  style of combat

9
The Two Fronts

• The Western Front

• The Eastern Front

10
The Schlieffen Plan

• Because Germany is surrounded on all sides by the
  Entente, it will create a massive army and move
  towards Russia, after the enemy sees this
  movement and sends all their troops to Russia to
  help, Germanys army is actually twice the size
  anyone thinks it is and whats headed towards
  Russia is only less than half of its total
  strength, the main army will actually sneak
  through Belgium and capture Paris France ending
  the war, this plan works off deception and
  strength

11
Key Battles

• 1914

• 1915

• Mons 1st major battle
• Tannenburg causes the Eastern Front
• Marne taxis save Paris and trench warfare
  begins
• 1st Ypres Race to the Sea begins
• The Christmas Truce

• Gallipoli Turkey enters the war and crushes
  the entente, sometimes called Battle of the
  Dardanelles
• 2nd Ypres 1st time gas is used in war, chemical
  warfare begins
• Sinking of the Lusitania America now begins
  giving aid to the Entente instead of the Alliance

12
Key Battles

• 1917

• 1916

• Zimmerman Telegram captured message between
  Germany and Mexico draws America into the war
• 3rd Ypres Also called Battle of Passchendale,
  3 month long battle, rained so heavy the mud
  swallowed soldiers, horses and trucks whole
• Caporetto After Italy switches sides, Germany
  and Austria crush them causing them to leave the
  war all together
• The Russian Revolution Nicholas II and his
  family is killed by a new political party that
  will become the communist party, Russia has to
  leave the war completely

• Verdun Longest battle of the war, over 1
  million die, Germany creates Phosgene Gas which
  puts hydrochloric acid in your lungs
• Somme 1st tanks used in battle, Little
  Willie, over 750,000 dead in one battle

13
Key Battles

• Dough Boys

• 1918

• America enters the war for the Entente
• Flu epidemic of 1918 the flu kills over 100
  million people world wide
• The March Offensive Germanys last chance to
  win the war, sometimes called the 2nd battle of
  Somme
• Battle of Chateau Thierry sometimes called the
  Argonne Offensive, America fights for 7 months in
  the woods of France, bloodiest battle for America
  during WWI
• Armistice Day The war officially ends at 11
  oclock on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918

14
The Russian Revolution

• Tsar Nicholas II drew Russia into World War I in
  the summer of 1914.
• The war was a disaster for Russia it caused
  inflation, plunged the country into a food
  shortage, and ultimately cost the lives of nearly
  5 million Russian soldiers and civilians, as well
  as a series of humiliating military defeats.
• The war was the final straw for the Russian
  people. Within three months, Russia would be
  without a monarch for the first time in its
  history with the assassination of the Romanov
  family. You know this as the story of Anastasia.
• The legend of Rasputin begins with his death and
  the murder of the Romanov Family
• The revolution is led by Vladimir Lenin and the
  new political party he creates becomes the
  Communist Party

15
Wilsons 14 Points of Peace

• As the tide of war begins to turn, America
  unveils its plan for the end of the war,
  including the creation of a League of Nations to
  oversee world affairs
• It is quickly declined by almost all Entente
  nations.
• Instead the Treaty of Versailles is signed
  officially ending the war
• The 14 points will eventually lead to the
  creation of the The United Nations after WWII
• The Treaty of Versailles is extremely tough and
  strict, it so poorly ends the war that 20 years
  later it will help cause WWII