World War 1

Austria-Hungary Alliances

1868

1,2,3. Alliances with Germany and Russia were countered by France, England and Great Britain, which led to tensions between the allied powers.

German Empire

1871

1,2,3. Bismarck used war and industrialization to forge a German Empire that caused tension with Italy because of Germany’s alliance with Austria-Hungary, which Italy wanted some land from.

French Efforts

1871

1.2.3. After Franco-German war, French nationalism spread to support France getting land back from Germany.

British Tensions

1904

1.2.3.Tensions between France, Germany and Great Britain over land in Africa. Resolved between Britain and France in a treaty.

British Propaganda

1914

1. British citizens could buy literature that depicted Germans as cold, cruel and calculating; the Russians as uncultured barbarians. The most popular targets were The German Kaiser and Russian Tsar, who were ridiculed for their arrogance and ambition.

German Grudge

1914

1. German propaganda held a grudge against Great Britain, and in many images British were depicted as selfish, greedy and obsessed with money. This upset the German people.

Austria-Hungary Declares War

1914

1.2.3.4. Serbia declared war on Austria-Hungary after a Serbian Nationalist shot and killed Archduke Ferdinand and his wife.

Glorious War

1914

1. All European propaganda depicted war as a thrilling and positive experience for the soldiers and that their reason to fight was justified.

Quick Solution

1914

1. When the soldiers left for war, they were under the impression that they would be back before Christmas.

Trench Warfare

1914

1. Fighting in trenches was common in The Great War, but it was constantly wet, and water would often get up to several inches, causing diseases like Trench Foot, along with infections carried from animals and other people in the trenches.

Battle of the Seas

1914

1. Oceans were constantly fought over to gain control of ports and supplies. The domination of the seas was important because naval fighting was a sign of true power.

War in France

1914

1. The wars that were fought on French land gave France an advantage in the wars because they knew the land better than the enemies.

Warfare in the Sky

1914

1. The advancements in technology made it possible to continue battles in the sky, allowing pilots to drop bombs on enemy forces. More advancements made it possible to shoot a machine gun while the pilots were still flying.

Muddy Fields in Ypres

1914

1. French troops blew up Hill 60 in Ypres, which allowed anyone in control of it, a perfect view of what was happening in Ypres. The explosion was successful, but the area was reduced to a muddy mess, drowning many soldiers.

Diseases in the Trenches

1914

1. Most common disease was Trench Foot, which was caused by exposure to wet and damp conditions. It was bad for soldiers because they would either have to have feet amputated or be taken out of the war for several months until it recovered. The most deadly was the Spanish Influenza, which killed over 15 million people during the was. It only took around 3 days for the disease to kill you once you were infected.

Problems in Russia

1914

1. Food and fuel shortages caused problems in the battlefields, which led to the Russian Revolution and forced Russia to leave the war. This allowed Germany to send troops from the Eastern Front to the Western Front to fight the battles in France.

Indian Warriors

1914

1. Over one million Indian troops served overseas to fight for the British. It was one of the largest volunteer armies in the world, which added 9 divisions to the British Army. About 74,000 Indian soldiers died during the war.

Atrocities Against Belgium

1914

1. Germany invaded the neutral country Belgium to get to be able to efficiently invade France and reach Paris. An estimated 5,500 Belgians were killed by using harsh measures to get through. Many towns and and buildings were destroyed or plundered.

Allies Blockade Germany

1914

1. The Allied Powers blockaded the supply of goods to the Central Powers using naval force. The German board of Public Health claimed that 763,000 German civilians died of starvation and disease caused by the blockade.

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

1915

1.2.12.United States entered the war after German u-boats sunk British passenger ships that were carrying supplies to the Allies.

Women in Factories

1915

1. Many women in America, England and other countries were hired in factories to make weapons to supply the armies with enough ammunition and supplies.

Drafting for War

1915

1. All countries drafted soldiers for war, some as young as 16, and as the war grew on, they drafted older civilians. They were taken from their factory jobs and replaced by women.

War Economy

1915

1. All manufactured weapons, munitions and other war material in Britain, France and Germany was sent to the front line to aid the troops. Food was rationed to feed the troops.

Government Spending

1915

1. The government spent more attention to propaganda and not enough on mobilization of manpower and other economic needs.

Forces of Nature

1915

1. Rain in the trenches weakened the structural integrity of the wood by being soaked up and not having a chance to dry. Water that is collected in the trenches could get as high as waist deep. The water pools attracted diseases from bugs and rats, and brought trench foot to most of the soldiers.

Russia Treaty with Russia

1915

1. The troops that were sent to the Western Front were balanced out by the entry of USA into the war, so there was no real advantage for Germany.

Colonial Support

1915

1. France was the country that most extensively made use of African soldiers in the war. They deployed around 450,000 troops from Africa. The majority of those soldiers fought on the Western front. Anywhere from 42,000 and 178,00 total African troops were killed.

Armenian Genocide

1915

1. Approximately 1.5 million Armenian civilians were killed in concentration camps set up by the Ottoman government. Ottoman authorities rounded up, arrested and deported 235-270 Armenian intellectuals and communities, who were eventually murdered. Afterwards, women, children and the elderly were led on death marches into the Syrian Desert where they were later killed.

Battle of Verdun

1916

1. Largest and longest battle of World War 1. Fought by German and French armies. France countered major German offensive. about 300,000 soldiers were killed.

Disillusionment with Soldiers

1916

1. Soldiers go into the war persuaded by propaganda, which showed war as glorious. During and after the war, soldiers saw the true horrors of it, and how meaningless it had become.

PTSD

1916

1. Soldiers that fought in the war suffered from shell shock. In the middle of the war, they had sudden, horrifying realizations of what they were actually doing.

Battle of the Somme

1916

1. Fought by British and German near Somme River. 1 million were killed or wounded, making it one of the bloodiest battles in human history. Notable for the importance of air power and the first use of the tank.

Unbearable Winters

1916

1. Soldiers suffered from wet and freezing conditions in the harsh winters in the trenches. The trenches did little to provide shelter or warmth from the conditions, especially at night, when their clothes and blankets froze solid. Food and water became almost impossible to eat or drink.

Chinese Contributions

1916

1. They came as laborers in order to make up for the loss in French workers. They dug a lot of the trenches for the Allied soldiers. France brought in 37,000 Chinese workers, while Great Britain took about 94,500.

Battle for Positions

1917

1. When actual fighting took place, the physical features became very important. Higher elevations were fought over bitterly, so the positions of Vimy Ridge and the Messines Ridge in France were very important.

America Kills German Hope

1917

1. America’s involvement in the war shut down any hope Germany had of winning the war. The large number of troops they sent out decreased the Central Powers’ moral, while it boosted the Allies’.

Russian Revolution

1917

7.9. Food riots and the rise of the Bolsheviks took Russia out of the war, which turned German focus completely to the Western front, putting an end to the split army on both fronts.

Battle of Caporetto

1917

1. Austria-Hungary and Germany broke through Italian line. Italian government changed leaders and tactics in response to violent anti-war protests. They were forced back 60 miles from their first front line as the Central Powers achieved an important victory.

United States Enters the War

1917

7.10. Before entering the war, the U.S. had remained neutral even though it was supplying materials to Great Britain and other allied powers. When they entered, they gave the allies a new will to fight; the soldiers had an enthusiasm that the French hadn’t seen in a long time, even though they were poorly trained.

Insertion of the U.S.

1917

1. The war had been deadlocked in a stalemate on the Western Front for about 4 years until the U.S. entered. The Americans added more numbers to the force fighting the Germans, who were already wearing down.

American Attitude

1917

1. The soldiers were incredibly excited about their time in the war. They were tempted by the promise of adventure because it offered the soldiers a new chance to leave the country and see something completely new, which was rare for them.

U.S. Loans

1917

1. The U.S. donations sustained Britain and France in the war, who, at the time, lacked the money to buy food and raw materials, let alone pay the troop and buy munitions and equipment.

Military Casualties

1918

1. About 9 million soldiers died in World War 1 from both sides combined. The Triple Entente lost about 5 million men, while the Central Powers lost around 4 million. About two-thirds of the total deaths took place in combat, while the other one-third died from diseases.

New Land

1919

13.18. At the treaty, France wanted to get the land from Germany back that they lost in previous wars, so Germany returned Alsace-Lorraine to France. New countries were formed from Russian and German land: Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria and Hungary

Germany was Responsible

1919

1. The Allies decided that Germany was responsible for all the lives lost and destruction of cities in the war. They demanded Germany pay all reparations to cover the cost of all damages.

Limited Military

1919

1. The German Army was limited to 100,000 men, the Navy was limited to 6 cruisers, two old battleships and some smaller ships for port duties, and no large artillery pieces were allowed for the German Empire.

The Fourteen Points

1919

1. Wilson's speech tried to eliminate the causes of the first World War by calling for the abolition of secret treaties, a reduction in army sizes, freedom of the seas and an adjustment of colonial claims.

United States Rejects League of Nations

1919

1. The Senate of the United States rejected entering the League of Nations because they didn't want to get involved in the territorial integrity of any other country.

Effects of Not Joining the League of Nations

1919

1. By not signing the treaty, the United States would be in a position that would lead to increased international political and economic isolation.

The Great Migration

1919

1. The relocation of more than 6 million African Americans from the rural south to the cities of the North, Midwest and West.

Germany Divided

1919

17.18. A restriction on a treaty with Austria blocked any unification with Germany, which lost Germany's goal of a unified German Empire.

America's Promise of Peace

1919

13.14. President Woodrow Wilson wanted to make the world a safer place. He said he wanted a League of Nations where countries can talk about their problems without war. He also promised self-determination for the people of Europe.

Clemenceau's Revenge

1919

1. The Prime Minister of France wanted revenge and to punish the Germans by making them pay for the damages during the war. He wanted to weaken Germany by limiting their army so they won’t invade France again.

Britain's Halfway Point

1919

1. George wanted to make Germany pay without being too harsh, or another war would start soon. He tried to get a compromise between Wilson and Clemenceau, known as the “halfway point”. He also wanted to expand the British Empire, keep control of the seas and increase trade in Britain.

Different Opinions on Revenge

1919

1. Wilson wanted to ensure that Germany was not destroyed and wasn’t blamed for the war. Clemenceau’s aims were to punish and get revenge on Germany. He wanted to disband the German army so it wouldn’t be able to attack France again. George was just in between the other two views; he wanted a peace that would “make Germany pay”, but would leave it strong enough to trade.

Austrian Empire Divided

1920

17.18. The Austrian Empire was divided up to create new states, like Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Yugoslavia. It also gave South Tyrol, Trieste, Trentino, and Istria to Italy.

The Lost Generation

1920

1. The Lost Generation were said to be disillusioned by the senseless slaughter of WW1, cynical, disdainful of the Victorian notions of morality and properties of their elders.

Use of Technological Advancments

1920

1. Europeans began to do faster paced activities, like go for bike rides, swim, ski and hike, as opposed to slower paced activities that they did before the war (picnicking or strolling on the beach).

Changes in Technology and Culture

1920

1. Technological innovations established the foundation for the transformation of the dimensions of life and thought, for example: stream-of-consciousness novel, Cubism and the theory of relatively shaped consciousness directly.

Guernica

1945

1. One of Pablo Picasso's most famous paintings is drawn after The War to End All War. It was drawn in a time when millions of people had been discarded to focus on the war. It depicts the dead bodies forgotten about in concentration camps.