WWI Introduction

World War I

World War I was a major conflict fought between 1914 and 1918.

Also known as:

• First World War

• WWI

• The War to End All Wars

• The Great War.

Who fought in WWI?

World War I was fought between the Allied Powers and the Central Powers.

The main members of the Allied Powers were France, Russia, and Britain. The United States also fought on the side of the Allies after 1917.

The main members of the Central Powers were Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria.

Where was most of the fighting?

The majority of the fighting took place in Europe along two fronts: the western front and the eastern front. The western front was a long line of trenches that ran from the coast of Belgium to Switzerland. A lot of the fighting along this front took place in France and Belgium. The eastern front was between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Bulgaria on one side and Russia and Romania on the other.

How did it start?

Although there were a number of causes for the war, the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the main catalyst for starting the war. After the assassination, Austria declared war on Serbia. Then Russia prepared to defend its ally Serbia. Next, Germany declared war on Russia to protect Austria. This caused France to declare war on Germany to protect its ally Russia. Germany invaded Belgium to get to France which caused Britain to declare war on Germany. This all happened in just a few days.

Major Battles

A lot of the war was fought using trench warfare along the western front. The armies hardly moved at all. They just bombed and shot at each other from across the trenches. Some of the major battles during the war included the First Battle of the Marne, Battle of the Somme, Battle of Tannenberg, Battle of Gallipoli, and the Battle of Verdun.

How Did it End?

The fighting ended on November 11, 1918 when a general armistice was agreed to by both sides. The war officially ended between Germany and the Allies with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles

Interesting Facts

• More than 65 million men fought in the war.

• Dogs were used in the trenches to carry messages. A well-trained messenger dog was considered a very fast and reliable way to carry messages.

• It was the first major war where airplanes and tanks were used.

• Ninety percent of the 7.8 million soldiers from Austria-Hungary who fought in the war were either injured or killed.

• When the British first invented tanks they called them "landships."

• The terrorist group responsible for assassinating Archduke Ferdinand was called the Black Hand.

• Famed scientist Marie Curie helped to equip vans with x-ray machines that enabled French doctors to see bullets in wounded men. These vans were called "petites Curies", meaning "little Curies."

American Involvement in WWI

What was America doing in 1914?

• The US had a long history of isolationism, which means they did not want to get involved with other countries.

• Since 1824, the US followed the Monroe Doctrine, which stated that Europe would stay out of the Americas, and the US would stay out Europe.

Multiple Choice

What idea was the basis for American isolationism?

• Roosevelt Corrolary

• Taft Diplomacy

• Wilson's Fourteen Points

• Monroe Doctrine

American Neutrality

• The official American policy was neutrality.

• That meant that they would not take sides and keep friendly relations with all the countries involved.

Why neutral?

• The US is a "melting pot," a land of immigrants from many countries.

• American leaders were worried that taking sides could create problems at home.

• Many Americans were descended from German, Austrian immigrants who supported the Central Powers.

Multiple Select

Why did the US want to stay neutral? (Select all that apply)

• Americans came from all the countries fighting.

• Many Americans thought that America was too weak to join the war.

• They wanted to stay out of European problems.

• Britain and Germany asked America to stay out.

American Trade and Money

• The one thing all European countries wanted was money and supplies.

• The US loaned large amounts of money and sold raw materials and weapons, mostly to the Triple Entente.

Multiple Choice

How was the US still involved in WWI even if they were not fighting?

• They sold supplies to many of the countries fighting.

• They sent letters to world leaders asking them to stop fighting

• American men joined the French army to fight.

• The American army trained with many of the countries to prepare to go to war.

Cause #1: Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

• The first reason the US joined the war was that Germany was sinking American ships with their U-boats. (Submarines)

• The Germans did not want the American supplies to reach Britain and France, even if they also carried innocent people.

Multiple Choice

Why did Germany sink American ships?

• Because they thought the US was a secret member of the Triple Entente.

• They wanted to stop supplies from reach Britain and France.

• They saw America as a natural enemy.

• They were not very good at telling American ships from British ones.

The Sinking of the Lusitania caused outrage among many Americans

Multiple Choice

Why were Americans so upset about the sinking of the Lusitania?

• It made America look bad, since we were trading with Britain.

• Many innocent civilians were killed.

• The Lusitania was very expensive and many people had invested in it.

• Most Americans actually did not care about the sinking.

Cause #2: The Zimmerman Telegram

• The second cause was a German telegram to Mexico.

• It promised that if Mexico attacked the US, Germany would make sure they got Arizona, Texas and California back from the US.

Multiple Choice

What does this political cartoon tell us about the Zimmerman Telegram.

• German-Americans sent bombs in the mail to discourage America joining the war.

• The Germans did not mean to send the telegram.

• Instead of keeping America out of the war, it back-fired and got America to join faster.

• Americans wanted to bomb Germany afterwards.

Multiple Choice

What part of the Zimmerman Telegram is this political cartoon talking about?

• Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

• Germany's hope that America won't join the war.

• Germany's promise of land if Mexico joins their side.

• Plans to convince Russia to fight on their side.

Did America Win the War?

• The US did not "win" by themselves.

• The large numbers of fresh soldiers landing every month allowed the Allies to replace men who died.

• The Americans did fight in several important battles and helped win the war.

Results of WWI for America

• The US was seen as an important country on the global stage.

• While Europe was devastated by war, the US became much more well-off.

• Many Americans wanted to go back to isolationism.

• Women won the right to vote after their efforts on the home front.

Multiple Choice

After WWI, many Americans wanted...?

• to become more involved in global issues.

• go back to isolationism and neutrality.

• conquer parts of Europe

• adopt French customs