The War to End All Wars |
|
World War I is the first major example of a war between many nations during modern times and was called the Great War or the War to End All Wars by people who lived during this time period. The four main causes of war were imperialism, nationalism, militarism, and the creation of alliances between nations. These four ideas caused nations in Europe who had previously coexisted to rapidly declare war on one another.
The Spark That Started It All In June of 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, and his wife were visiting Sarajevo, Bosnia. He was the heir to the throne of Austria and would one day take over as ruler. Austria practiced imperialism and had many smaller countries under their rule. Many people in these countries did not like that their government had been taken over by foreigners. Bosnia was a country that Austria had recently annexed, or taken over. During their tour of the country, someone attempted to kill the royals by throwing a bomb at their car. While the Archduke and his wife were uninjured, the blast hurt many people and the ruler wanted to visit those who had been hurt, even though he was advised against being out in public after the assassination attempt. During their trip to see those that had been injured, an 18-year-old student and Serbian nationalist, Gavrilo Princip, shot and killed both the Archduke and his wife. Austria-Hungry quickly declared war on Serbia following the assassination, and many other countries became involved due to previous alliances. Taking Sides As countries began to declare war to protect their interests and alliances, two major sides formed, the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente. The Triple Alliance was made up of Germany, Italy, and Austria Hungry, while Great Britain, France and Russia formed the Triple Entente (Allied Powers). Suddenly, the most powerful countries in Europe were fighting for control over the continent. As the fighting began, alliances forced many countries to enter the war to honor their promise and protect their economic interests. Many smaller countries in Europe decided to stay neutral or did not have the means to participate in the fighting, but this did not mean that they were not impacted. Many times these countries were occupied by troops from both sides as the armies crossed the continents toward each other. The United States also decided to remain neutral. Many American citizens did not believe that we should participate in a war that was so far away from us and did not threaten American citizens. This practice is called isolationism. It practiced this policy until 1917, when the United States finally entered the conflict. |
Imperialism: The desire to expand one's country by taking over colonies or smaller countries
Nationalism: The belief that one's country is better than another Militarism: The collection of weapons in order to prepare for war or armed conflict Alliances: A formal agreement between two countries to cooperate and protect each other Assassination: To kill someone for political reasons Isolationism: The policy of not entering into formal alliances and avoiding involvement in the affairs of other countries Talk about a sticky situation! All those alliances tangled Europe up in a nasty web of war.
Why would Spider-Man call the European Alliances a nasty web? |
Map Skills Questions and Tasks
1. Make a T-Chart to show which countries belonged to the Central Powers, the Allied Powers, and which countries chose to remain neutral. 2. Why might it have been difficult for a country like Switzerland to remain neutral during this massive conflict? 3. Why do you think Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire became known as the Central Powers? 4. How do the Central Powers and Allied Powers differ from the original alliances, The Triple Alliance and Triple Entente? |
New War, New Technology
This war was one unlike anything that had ever been seen before. New technologies radically changed the way people were fighting, and poor conditions killed many soldiers. Explore what life in the trenches was like by clicking here, watching the video and reading the information below. |
A soldier on the front lines spent every day in the trenches. They ate, slept and fought all in the same small space. The trenches were difficult to keep clean, especially in poor weather. This, along with exposure to wild rodents, led to soldiers contracting many diseases. Some soldiers even lost legs and feet from standing in dirty water.
|
In the beginning, soldiers received rations of meats and vegetables for multiple meals. As the war continued to rage on, food shortages caused rations to dwindle and many soldiers survived on stale breads and canned stews. The lack of nutritious food made it difficult for soldiers to stay healthy and strong enough to fight.
|
Rations: an amount of an item allowed to be used during wartime
|
Other new technologies rapidly changed how war was fought during World War I. Some of these new developments included the use of airplanes during warfare, tanks, and chemical weapons.
World War I is the first time the airplane was used in war. They were initially used to learn about enemy movements, but over time the use of airplanes was developed into a craft that could carry multiple people to drop bombs, hand grenades, and fire machine guns while flying through the air. These developments brought the fighting into the cities where many civilians lived.
Tanks were the land based solution to the daunting task of crossing no man's land, the space between opposing forces' trenches. These large machines were covered in armor to protect those inside. The tanks had the ability to cross uneven terrain with large ditches and barbed wire. In addition to these features, the tanks were fitted with weapons, making them extremely deadly.
During World War I, chemicals were weaponized to injure and kill soldiers who may be sleeping or stuck in the trenches. These chemicals could severely hurt the skin and make breathing impossible. Soldiers had to carry gas masks to protect themselves in case of a chemical attack.
World War I is the first time the airplane was used in war. They were initially used to learn about enemy movements, but over time the use of airplanes was developed into a craft that could carry multiple people to drop bombs, hand grenades, and fire machine guns while flying through the air. These developments brought the fighting into the cities where many civilians lived.
Tanks were the land based solution to the daunting task of crossing no man's land, the space between opposing forces' trenches. These large machines were covered in armor to protect those inside. The tanks had the ability to cross uneven terrain with large ditches and barbed wire. In addition to these features, the tanks were fitted with weapons, making them extremely deadly.
During World War I, chemicals were weaponized to injure and kill soldiers who may be sleeping or stuck in the trenches. These chemicals could severely hurt the skin and make breathing impossible. Soldiers had to carry gas masks to protect themselves in case of a chemical attack.
Neutrality Couldn't Last Forever
The United States decided to stay neutral. Many Americans wanted to focus on improving social conditions at home. Others were anti-imperialists who believed that the United States should simply stay out of other countries business and simply trade openly with other counties. Some Americans believed that entering World War I would be a senseless waste of American lives. The sentiment was clear, Americans did not want to go to war. President Wilson was even able to win a reelection with the slogan, "He kept us out of war!" However, as time passed the United States found it difficult to stay out of the war.
The United States decided to stay neutral. Many Americans wanted to focus on improving social conditions at home. Others were anti-imperialists who believed that the United States should simply stay out of other countries business and simply trade openly with other counties. Some Americans believed that entering World War I would be a senseless waste of American lives. The sentiment was clear, Americans did not want to go to war. President Wilson was even able to win a reelection with the slogan, "He kept us out of war!" However, as time passed the United States found it difficult to stay out of the war.
Remember the LusitaniaDuring World War I, the Germans developed a special ship called a U-Boat. These ships could fully submerge in the water so they could not be seen from the surface. They warned the Allied Powers that they were practicing "Unrestricted Submarine Warfare". This meant that any ship, regardless of whether it was one that belonged to the countries that Germany was at war with, would be shot and sunk if it entered European waters near Great Britain or France. This included ships used by businesses to transport goods and passenger ships.
In May of 1915, a German U-Boat sunk the Lusitania. This ship had 128 American citizens on board. Many Americans believed this to be cause to go to war, and that civilians should be able to travel safely through international waters. The Germans were concerned that the United States might enter the war and issued a temporary order to stop attacks on civilian ships. |
The Germans eventually returned to unrestricted submarine warfare. They believed that the use of their u-boats would lead them to a victory before the United States would be able to mobilize their military. When Germany returned to this practice, President Wilson was not ready to ask Congress to declare war. He wasn't sure if enough Americans had changed their minds about participating in the war. Many newspapers began running propaganda and political cartoons encouraging the American public to support the Allied Powers.
The Zimmerman Telegram was intercepted by the British. It was a secret message the Germans had sent to Mexico. The British translated the secret code and sent it to the United States. Newspapers quickly published the content of the letter.
1. What did Germany ask Mexico to do if the United States decided to enter the war?
2. What would Mexico receive in return for fighting with Germany? |
On April 6, 1917 the United States Congress officially declared war. The sleeping giant had awoken.