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Prior to 1914, nationalism and militarism
were growing trends in Europe
Tensions mounted as nations
competed for colonies in Africa and Asia
Fueled by nationalism the competition threatened
to end decades of relative peace
many countries formed alliances with
one another in case war should arise
On June 28, 1914, the storm broke
Archduke Francis Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary
and his wife were assassinated
while visiting nearby Serbia
After the Archduke's assassination
Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia
other nations quickly came to the aid of their allies
as a result, Europe's main powers were aligned into two camps
Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire made up the Central Powers
Britain, France, and Russia made up the Allied Powers
People referred to the war as the Great War
because so many countries were involved
The Great War was total war. It wasn't human
it was something bigger than humanity
it was an escape from human control
another way to put it, is that
the machinery of war expanded much more rapidity
then did the capacity of human beings to control it
it got out of control
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the technology of war had evolved in a deadly way
new weapons like howitzers, machine guns and mortars
were accurate and could kill and injure scores of men at a time
from great distances. These new weapons
forced soldiers and generals to adopt a new stagey - Trench Warfare
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long trenches were dug into the ground
and were used as camps and posts
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the trenches stretched almost 450 miles
from the northeastern boarder of France
down to the southeastern boarder
soldiers of the Allies and the Central powers faced each
other in these long opposing defensive lines
the space between the two sets of trenches was called
no man's land this desolate landscape was
covered with holes from bombs and shells
when generals ordered an attack, soldiers
dashed from their trenches across no man's land
but enemy machine guns and artillery ripped through the attackers lines
attacks rarely succeeded and they generally produced 10s of thousands of casualties
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poison gas was also a new weapon on the battlefield
on that soldiers dreaded
when armies released mustard and chlorine gas the
the chemicals burned and choked soldiers leaving
many dead and others blinded or with scared lungs
if the wind shifted this terrible weapons
could even hurt soldiers of the army that had used them
eventually soldiers on the front lines
wore gas mask for protection
trench warfare became a stalemate
neither side could dislodge the enemy from its trenches
then the allies developed a new weapon
tanks
tanks were armored vehicles with tracks that allowed them to move over broken ground
and even barbed wire. They could be used to cross no man's land
forcing men out of trenches. Tanks packed a punch
but they did have flaws. They only moved about 4 mph
so there was little surprise
many got stuck in mud others broke down and became unable to move
eventually, spare tanks were kept close to the front lines
and used only to deliver spare parts to other tanks
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other new weapons added to the destructiveness of WW I
this was the first war to use airplanes
planes were used for bombing, photography and attacking enemy lines
sometimes, planes fought each other in spectacular battles
called dog fights
while the fighting raged in Europe
president Woodrow Wilson attempted to keep the U.S. neutral
Wilson tried maintaining commerce with counties on both sides
but British blockades stopped ships headed to the Central Powers
Germany countered the British blockade with yet another new weapon
The Germans employed U-Boats or submarines
that could cruse beneath the surface of the water and launch surprise attacks on ships
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this was the first time that submarines were used in great numbers
and with such great veracity. By the end of the war
U-Boats had been responsible for sinking 5,000 ships
U-Boats attacked any ship thought to be aiding the war effort
On May 7, 1915
a U-Boar sunk the British passenger liner the Lusitania off the Irish coast
military supplies were on board
but so were 124 Americans
all of whom lost their lives.
Americans were outraged by the attack
fearing American entry into the war
Germany halted the U-Boat attacks
Then in 1917, two German actions changed
the mind of President Wilson and most Americans
The first was a telegram sent by Author Zimmerman, Germany's foreign minister to the Mexican government
in it, the Germans asked Mexico to
attack the United States.
In return, Germany promised that Mexico would get back land
it had lost in the Mexican American War
After the British had intercepted the telegram, the note was made public. Angering many Americans.
The second action came when Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare
Once again, American merchant ships were at risk for being sunk at sea
Wilson had seen enough
On April 2, 1917, he asked Congress for a declaration of war
Congress quickly agreed
The country jumped into war mode. WW I was a new kind of war
Total War
The military was built up and factories were
switched from making consumer goods to producing weapons
and other good need for the war effort
The Allies were relieved when the first American forces arrived in France
in the Spring of 1917.
The war had been ragging for 3 years. Allied soldiers
were tired and their moral was slipping
Fearing the impact of fresh American troops the
Germans mounted a strong new offensive and
pushed deep into France. But the German soldiers
were tired as well. American soldiers gave the Allies
the support they needed to push the Central Powers back
to their original position.
Allied efforts took their toll on the Central Powers
On November 11, 1918, German
officials surrendered to the Allies.
The war was over. And, the Allies were victorious.
But the price was astronomical.
Over 50 thousand Americans lost their lives
and nearly 230 thousand were wounded
about 5 million Allied soldiers and 8 million from
the Central Powers died.
But the war did not just affect the soldiers and armies fighting
total war affects everyone
Food and medical resources were cut.
Cities were hit by powerful artillery
There was no safe haven
An estimated 6.5 million civilians were
victims of this brutal war
this terrible destruction left scars on the people of Europe and the U. S.
Pre-war optimism was gone
many people felt nothing but loss and bitterness
bitterness that would mar the peace that followed
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