Transcript WWI Review - Dr. Charles Best Secondary School

WWI Review
History 12
Ms Leslie
Why?
Imperial,
 Nationalism
 Alliances
 led to the “Great War”, ‘war to end all
wars’

Imperialism

Great Britain, Germany and France needed
foreign markets after the increase in
manufacturing caused by the Industrial
Revolution.
 competed for economic expansion in Africa.
 several crises in North Africa with Germany
against Britain and France.
 In the Middle East, the crumbling Ottoman
Empire was desired by Austria-Hungary, the
Balkans and Russia.
Nationalism

Congress of Vienna in 1815, (after
Napoleonic wars) ignored nationalism in favor
of peace.
 Germany and Italy were left as divided
states, but strong nationalist movements and
revolutions led to the unification of Italy in
1861 and that of Germany in 1871.
 Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71 left France
seething over the loss of Alsace-Lorraine to
Germany.
Nationalism
a problem for Austria-Hungary and the
Balkans, areas comprised of many
conflicting national groups.
 The Panslavism of Serbia was
supported by Russia which conflicted
with Austria-Hungary's Pan-Germanism.

North African troops
Algerian, Tunisian, Sengalese
troops
Alliances
Were designed to keep the peace
 Triple Entente - UK, France, Russia,

– During WWI - Portugal, Romania, Italy,
Japan, China, Liberia, Siam, Greece

Central Powers - Austria-Hungary
Empire, German Empire, Bulgaria,
Ottoman Empire
Weird politics
Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, Tsar
Nicholas II of Russia and King George
V of England were all first cousins
 They were all grandchildren of Queen
Victoria of England

Who fought?

the Central Powers
– Austria-Hungary, Germany, Bulgaria, and Turkey
aka Ottoman Empire

the Allies (Entente)
– U.S., British Empire (Canada, Anzac, India),
France, Russia, Belgium, Serbia, Greece,
Romania, Montenegro, Portugal, Italy, and Japan.

About 10 million combatants killed, 20 million
wounded.
What is Austria-Hungary?
German empire
German colonies
Europe 1914
British Empire
Ottoman Empire? Huh?
We call it
Turkey now
1914
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June 28 - Austrian Archduke Francis
Ferdinand and wife assassinated in Sarajevo
by Serbian nationalist, Gavrilo Princip
July 28 - Austria declares war on Serbia.
Aug 1 - Germany declares war on Russia, on
France (Aug. 3),
Aug. 4 - Germany invades Belgium.
Aug. 4 - Britain declares war on Germany.
1914
Aug - Germans defeat Russians in
Battle of Tannenberg on Eastern Front
 Sept. First Battle of the Marne.
 German drive stopped 25 miles from
Paris.
 By end of year, war on the Western
Front is “positional” in the trenches.

1915

Feb - German submarine blockade of Great
Britain begins
 April - Dardanelles Campaign—British land in
Turkey
 April–May - Germans use gas at second
Battle of Ypres
 May 7 - Lusitania sunk by German
submarine—1,198 lost, including 128
Americans.
1915
by Sept. 6 - On Eastern Front, German
and Austrian “great offensive” conquers
all of Poland and Lithuania; Russians
lose 1 million men.
 Sept.–Oct - “Great Fall Offensive” by
Allies results in little change from 1914
 Oct. 14 - Britain and France declare war
on Bulgaria

1916

Feb - Battle of Verdun—Germans and French
each lose about 350,000 men.
 March - Extended submarine warfare begins
 May - British-German sea battle of Jutland;
British lose more ships, but German fleet
never ventures forth again.
 June–Sept - On Eastern Front, the Brusilov
offensive demoralizes Russians, costs them 1
million men.
1916
July–Nov - Battle of the Somme—British
lose over 400,000; French, 200,000;
Germans, about 450,000; all with no
strategic results
 Aug. 27 - Romania declares war on
Austria-Hungary.
 Dec - Romanian capital, Bucharest,
captured

1917

April 6 - U.S. declares war on Germany.
 The US entered WW1 because Germany
sent a note to Mexico (that was intercepted)
saying they would help Mexico get some
original American land back (meaning they
would declare war on the United States) if
they helped Germany in WW1
 Most American’s today think it’s because of
the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915.
1917

April - Submarine warfare at peak.
 Oct.–Dec - On Italian Front, Battle of
Caporetto — Italians retreat, losing 600,000
prisoners and deserters
 Nov - On Western Front, Battles of Arras,
Champagne, Ypres (third battle). First large
British tank attack
 Dec. 7 - U.S. declares war on AustriaHungary.
1917
Dec. 15 Armistice between new Russian
Bolshevik government and Germans. Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
 Russia dropped out because of the
Revolution

1918

March–June - Great offensive by Germans.
 June - Americans' first important battle role at
Château-Thierry—as they and French stop
German advance.
 July–Aug - Second Battle of the Marne
 Sept.–Oct - start of Allied offensive at Amiens,
St. Mihiel, etc. Battles of the Argonne and
Ypres panic German leadership
1918
Sept - British offensive in Palestine.
 Oct. 4 Germans ask for armistice.
British armistice with Turkey.
 Nov - German Kaiser abdicates.
Hostilities cease on Western Front (Nov.
11).

Losses

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France bore the brunt of
the war
Most of it was on
French land
Lost 2 million, another 4
million wounded (out of
39 million)
France wants
REVENGE
animals
800,000 horses killed
 40,000 dogs killed
 Winnie the Pooh
 Rin Tin Tin - famous dog that starred in
40 movies served in the war
 Lots of courier pigeons used

Other things to note
UK - 250,000 amputees
 Spanish flu (h1n1) kills 50 million world
wide
 USA only involved for 8 months
 Halifax explosion
 Women given the vote

WWI firsts
First war to be fought on 3 continents.
 First industrialized conflict.
 First use of chlorine & mustard gas.
 First use of the flame thrower.
 First tank battle.
 First use of mass airplanes.
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First use of x-ray in the military.
First use of a blood bank.
First use of guide dogs by blinded soldiers.
First use of trillion in estimating war costs.
First commissioning of war art for
propaganda.
First U.S. president to visit a European
country while in office was Woodrow Wilson
on 12/04/18