Introduction Activity

1. Introduction Activity • On the piece of paper you have been handed, list as many words as you can that are associated with WWI • If you do not know any words associated with WWI, list words that have to do with WAR itself – OR - do both (you have two minutes) • After you have finished, compare you words in groups and create groups of words that share common themes and provide category titles • Write your categories and words for each on your groups’ piece of poster paper • Throughout this process, list at least two questions per group that you would like answered during this unit about WWI, write those on the poster paper as well at the bottom

2. WAR – What is it good for? • Based on the activating activity, what would you say some of the causes of war might be? • Are all wars fought for the same reasons? • What are some reasons for war today that you have heard in the news, or from listening to your parents or teachers talk? • Making Predictions: • What do you think might be some factors that caused WWI? Think of what we have discussed so far in class and apply it Europe.

3. Causes of WWI • Imperialism • Militarism • Lack of International Organization • Boundaries and Past Conflicts • Nationalism • Alliances • The Straw that Broke the Camel’s Back – Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

4. Imperialism • Who can define imperialism? • The domination of one county over another (or region of another) politically, economically, and sometimes culturally • What are some examples of imperialism that we have talked about already in past classes? • British, French, Spanish • American

5. Imperialism as a cause for WWI • As soon as the technology was available to move in and create colonies and empires, the moves were made. • European nations such as Germany, France and Great Britain held many colonies abroad, stretching their realms of influence. • In the early 20th century, Germany and France bitterly fought over rule in Morocco. • The lands of the Middle East and Africa were hotly contested among the Allies and Central Powers. • Why do think that is???

6. Militarism as a cause for WWI • Even in peacetime, the nations of Europe continued to build and expand their armies. • Most notably, Great Britain, who relied on her navy for the vast majority of it military protection, felt a strong threat from Germany as its navy size began to swell. • Having peace time armies grow at alarming rates creates tension and mistrust among nations. • Think back to Spanish-American War and the presence of Navy in Asiatic and Caribbean

7. Lack of international organization • Prior to World War I, there was no governing organization to instill rules and regulations for international affairs. • There was no NATO or United Nations. • The only source of international organization was The Hague Court of Arbitration, and compliance was voluntary. • The international relations of this time consisted of individual treaties, forged between nations that were sometimes contradicted with treaties with other nations. • Bottom Line – Zero reliability or trust

8. Boundaries and Past Conflicts • War in Europe was not a new thing – there had been multiple wars in Europe for centuries • What were they fighting for??? • Territory • Example: Austria-Hungary – transfer of power occurred so often that this region had 3 alphabets, 3 religions, and at least 11 languages spoken

10. Nationalism • Feeling of pride and devotion to one’s country • ‘MERCA!!!! • Because of all the past conflicts and transfer of power, a strong sense of superiority and PRIDE for one’s nation fluctuated back and forth between different nations and regions • What does this lead to? Think of when you all have problems with one person, how does it affect everyone else in your circle of friends?

11. Nationalism as a cause of WWI • Europe, as well as other developed nations in the world at this time, flourished in national pride. • The idea of the nation and the sense of belonging associated with a nationality created pride and arrogance in certain situations. • For example, France had lost the regions Alsace and Lorraine to Germany. • These provinces were primarily French-inhabited, with a cultural and nationalistic connection to France, not Germany. • Also, many ethnic groups, such as the Poles, Czechs, and Slovaks craved independent nations, instead of being a minority in the Austro-Hungarian Empire or Germany.

12. !!!Alliances!!!

13. Alliances and Hostilities • If you find out someone has said or hurt one of your friends, how do you respond? • Think of this on a national foreign policy level . . . How would we expect our allies to respond if a terrorist group attacked us? • How do we respond any time a terrorist group attacks Israel? • Let’s see how this played out for the nations involved in WWI . . .

14. AllieD Powers (allies) • Allied Countries (25 total) • Russia • France • Great Britain • Italy (had a treaty with Germany, but recanted and secretly joined Allies • US (joined in 1917) • Serbia (small player) • Important people to know: • Herbert Henry Asquith, Prime Minister (UK) • Woodrow Wilson (U.S. President) • Aristide Briand, Prime Minister (France)

15. Central Powers • Austrian-Hungarian Empire • Ottoman Empire • Bulgaria • Germany • These nations banded together, mostly out of national pride, and for revenge for previous losses • Alliances were sloppy • Important people to know: • Prince Max von Baden, Chancellor (Germany) • Heinrich von Clam-Martinic, Prime Minister (Austria)

16. Map activity

17. The Assassination of Franz Ferdinand • READ through the article entitled “Assassination of Franz Ferdinand”

18. Assassination – Key Facts • The Austrian (prince) Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by a Serbian • Germany, being a Central Power with Austria, declared war on Serbia • France and Britain were allies to Serbia, so they joined Serbia to oppose Germany in the war • This single event began WWI, and set in motion tensions that lead to WWII and the Cold War

19. Closure – Paragraph (10 points) • Of all the causes we discussed for WWI, which one do you think was the most significant in creating hostilities in Europe? • Which of these causes do you think would lead to the US joining in the fight? • Answer both questions in a paragraph on your paper in the space provided. Use your notes and what you gained from the article to answer the questions.

20. 2.4B America Enters the war Essential Question: What were the reasons that led to US entry in the first World War? What were the reasons why some Americans did not want to enter the war?

21. Reasons to Stay out of War • Isolationism – why some wanted to remain uninvolved • The US would spend too much money and risk too many lives (Greek mythology) the priest of Apollo who warned the Trojans to beware of Greeks bearing gifts when they wanted to accept the Trojan Horse; a god who favored the Greeks (Poseidon or Athena) sent snakes who coiled around Laocoon and his two twin sons killing them

22. Reasons US Entered War • Belief that Germany violated American neutrality • German perspective: US was not neutral as they claimed, they were providing money and ammo to Allies long before US troops got involved • US needed to protect its economic interests • President Woodrow Wilson’s believed the US should enter WWI and asked Congress for approval • German submarines sank US merchant ships • Sinking of the Lusitania

23. German Submarine Warfare • German U-boat: submarine • Changed the rules of naval warfare • Element of surprise – give no warning to their targets • Americans felt like this was unfair and unjust • Irony: Britain had set up a blockade of the seas trying to lead to the starvation of the German people • Americans felt like this was justified in wartime • However, the use of U-boats to destroy these blockades were uncivilized in the American Eye

25. British Influence • Britain had destroyed the transatlantic cable connecting Germany and US so all communication came through Britain • Information was biased – but helped shape the attitudes of US in favor of Britain • Exaggerates stories to try and create a stir. • Common story in newspapers was that German troops would chop off the hands of Belgian babes • Of course after the war this proved to be untrue

26. Sinking of the Lusitania • Germany spotted the Lusitania in the Irish Sea and suspected correctly that it was carrying weapons for the allies. • Fired upon and within 18 minutes the ship sunk with its 1,198 passengers • 128 of the dead were Americans • Sparks start flying at home

28. Lusitania Continued • Germany had issued a warning reminding all potential travelers that there was a war going on and to do so at your own risk. • They took no blame for the incident • Wilson demanded that Germany renounce unrestricted submarine warfare and make payments to the victims and survivors. • Germany laughed • Wilson ordered a second stronger note • Germany says they will stop sinking ships without warning but of course they continued to do so. • Wilson had just been re-elected on the promise to “keep us out of war”. • Q: What would you do?

29. Zimmerman Telegram • The Zimmerman Telegram was a telegram from Germany that was intercepted on its way to Mexico by Britain – they, of course, turned it over to the U.S. • Guesses? What do you think it said???

30. What it looked like

31. What it really said

32. Zimmerman telegram significance • It was an agreement that said: • If the U.S. decided to declare war by joining the entente powers, Germany would form an immediate alliance to Mexico if Mexico joined the Central Powers • If Mexico agreed, Germany would promise Mexico that if they would invade the US, Germany would recover their lost lands for them that the US took • Texas, New Mexico and Arizona • How do you think Mexico responded? • They officially rejects it – it would be suicide to fight its northern neighbors

33. WWI Battles and Weapons

34. Imagination vs Reality • In 1914 the youth of Europe had marched off to fight, eager for a chance at heroism. • The number of soldiers killed or wounded was horrifying. • Industrialization had produced new killing machines of terrible efficiency. • Ripped apart by machine guns, hand grenades, or artillery shells, and asphyxiated or disabled by poison gases, soldiers found that heroism came at a ghastly price.

35. Weapon Impact • It was the machine gun that froze the front • If soldiers charging across no-man’s land toward the enemy survived the shelling that rained down upon them, the enemy’s machine guns, firing 450 rounds a minute, mowed them down. • The generals, unaccustomed to the new weaponry were confused, but they continued to give orders to attack. • Such tactics produced only a mounting pile of infantry dead. • In one 1916 battle for example, the British suffered 60,000 casualties in a single day of combat.

36. Effect on Soldiers • Morale sank • Desperate, troops began using any tactic available: • They slaughtered prisoners of war • Erasing the distinction between soldier and civilian, they burned fields and poisoned wells. • On the seas, German submarines struck any ship they believed to be carrying arms to the Allies. • A British naval blockade slowly starved the German people. • Soon the war was one of attrition - meaning each side tried to wear down the enemy gradually by inflicting enormous losses

37. Song Lyrics • Read through the lyrics to the song “Take me Out” by the Band Franz Ferdinand • What do you think the song is about? • Which lyrics led you to come to that conclusion?

38. Weapons of War • At the Start of the war (1914) armies were composed of: • Infantry (foot soldiers) • Cavalry (soldiers on horses) • Artillery • No tanks, no guided missiles, very few trucks (supplies were carried in horse-drawn wagons), only a few airplanes. EVENTUALLY THEY BECAME MORE ADVANCED

39. Infantry • 1) infantry (foot soldiers) • Weapon: rifle that could fire from 5-10 shots before reloading effective range of about 600 yards

40. Cavalry • 2) cavalry (soldiers on horses) • Weapons: short rifle • Sword or lance

41. Artillery • 3) artillery • machine guns could fire around 500 bullets a minute • cannons could fire about 6 explosives a minute range of 2-5 miles • navy were basically armored warships that were floating platforms for cannons • some navies possessed a few submarines with armed torpedoes

43. Trench Warfare

45. Problems with Trench Warfare • -easily destroyed by gunfire • -rain turns it into mud holes • -cold and small • -morale of soldiers hard to keep up

46. Christmas Truce • The Christmas truce was a series of widespread, unofficial ceasefires that took place along the Western Front around Christmas 1914. • Through the week leading up to Christmas, parties of German and British soldiers began to exchange seasonal greetings and songs between their trenches • on occasion, the tension was reduced to the point that individuals would walk across to talk to their opposite numbers bearing gifts. • On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, many soldiers from both sides independently ventured into "no man's land", where they mingled, exchanging food and souvenirs. • As well as joint burial ceremonies, several meetings ended in carol-singing. • Troops from both sides were also friendly enough to play games of football with one another.

47. America to the rescue • After years of battle the final Allied assault came on September 26, 1918. • Over a million troops began the drive to expel the Germans from France and cut their supply lines. • The German commanders begged for peace, but still hoped to dictate some terms. • The Allies refused. • By the time the cease fire came, the Kaiser had fled. • On November 11, the guns finally fell silent.

48. The losses • More than 50,000 American soldiers died in battle and many more died of disease. • These losses though were minute in comparison to those suffered by the Europeans. • There is an estimate that a total of 8 million soldiers and sailors lost their lives in Europe. • The French alone suffered over a million war dead and 4,000 towns completely destroyed.

49. Essay (Discussion) Question • Do you think it was necessary for us to get involved in WWI? Why or why not? • How do you think history would have been rewritten if we had not joined in the fight? • What were the benefits of the War for the US, and do you think those outweighed the negative consequences?

50. Establishing Peace after war Essential Question: How and why did America chose to be peace makers in global foreign affairs? What was Wilson’s proposal for peace in as mentioned in the Fourteen Points?