World War One

1. World War One A Brief Look at the First World War

2. Causes

3. War Clouds Gather In 1914 many Serbs felt that they were about to lose their independence to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, so they formed a terrorist organization known as the “Black Hand”. On June 28th, 1914, the Austro-Hungarian heir to the throne, Franz Ferdinand (along with his wife, Sofia), was assassinated by GavriloPrincip, a member of the Black Hand. Austro-Hungarian generals believe they can fight and win a limited war with Serbia without anyone else getting involved. To that end a heavy-handed ultimatum is sent to Serbia, which rejects it. Austria-Hungary now has what it considers to be a legitimate reason to go to war. What followed next was a series of events that led to what would later become known as the Great War.

4. Austria-Hungary Declares War on Serbia 24 July, 1914

5. Russia Announces Mobilization of its Army

6. Germany Declares War on Russia 1 August, 1914

7. Germany Declares War on France and Invades Belgium 3 August, 1914

8. United Kingdom Declares War on Germany 4 August, 1914

9. Other Factors: Imperialism – the belief that one country has the right or duty to rule over other nations. Germany had a growing interest in Africa, making United Kingdom and France nervous concerning German expansion. Nationalism – a strong pride in or love of one’s country. The citizens of all countries involved believed that they were on the side of right and that God was on their side.

10. Major Players Who was involved? The two differing factions were known as the Triple Entente - consisting of the British Empire, France and Russia and the Central Powers - consisting of the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria. Since these nations controlled many others, and many other nations would later join, this war quickly became known as the Great War or the War to End All Wars.

11. Battles

12. World War One was fought on both the Eastern Front, and the Western Front. Notable Eastern Front Battles: Battle of Stalluponen began 17 August 1914 Battle of Gumbinnen began 26 August 1914 Battle of Tannenberg began 26 August 1914 First Battle of Masurian Lakes began 9 September 1914 Battle of Bolimov began 31 January 1915 Second Battle of Masurian Lakes began 7 February 1915 Battle of Lake Naroch began 18 March 1916 Battle of Lutsk began 4 June 1916

13. Notable Western Front Battles: Battle of Liege began 5 August 1914 First Battle of Ypres began 14 October 1914 Second Battle of Ypres began 22 April 1915 Battle of the Somme began 1 July 1916 Battle of Vimy Ridge began 9 April 1917 Battle of Passchendaele began 31 July 1917 Third Battle of Ypres began 31 July 1917 Battle of Havrincourt began 12 September 1918

14. Results of the War

15. Casualties Most estimates place the number of war dead (military and civilian) at around ten million with the number of wounded at around twenty million. Canada’s war dead stood at around 65,000 or nearly one percent of the overall population. The high casualty rate of W.W.I. left many countries reeling after the war and this led the way to some major changes in how these countries were governed. For example….

16. Germany Many Germans believed that they had not so much lost the war as they had been cheated of victory. To this end they blamed The new democratic government, communists and even Jews. Since fault of the war was placed mostly on the back of Germany in the Treaty of Versailles, Germany had to make reparation payments to the victors. The poor handling of this by the German government meant inflation was widespread and people were experiencing tough times in Germany even before the devastating depression of the 1930’s. German’s wanted to see Germany once again treated with respect on the world stage, and were therefore increasingly willing to listen to anyone who promised them this end, even people like Adolph Hitler.

17. Russia Russia’s military did not fair well during the war and as rations were both meager and not always guaranteed desertion became a major problem in the Russian army. To make matters worse, The Tsar (Emperor) was at the front dealing with the war instead of running his country. People began to believe that the Tsar was incapable of running either his country or the military and began to revolt. At first a provisional government was put in place but it was not long before the communists would seize control of the country and rule the Russian Empire as the Soviet Union for almost 75 years.

18. Italy Italy’s military suffered high casualties in W.W.I. Corruption plagued Italy’s government in the postwar period and people there were looking for change. Benito Mussolini’s Fascist Party was growing in popularity but was denied entry into the government by the Italian Prime Minister. Fearing civil war would erupt when the Fascist military wing marched on Rome, the Italian King offered the government to Mussolini, who readily accepted.

19. In Summary… Many of the seeds of the W.W.II were sown as a result of the Treaty of Versailles, which many Germans resented, as well as from the chaos that had arisen as a result of the war in several countries. Despite the warning of W.W.I veterans like Remarque (All Quiet On the Western Front) and Owen(Dulce et Decorum Est) about how terrible war is, Europe and the rest of the world would soon once again walk that path.

20. Parallels

21. In 1914 - A terrorist act occurs - Canada, by way of the alliance system, is drawn into a war that lasts four years and sows the seeds of the next major conflict

23. In 2001 - A terrorist act occurs - Canada, by way of the alliance system, is drawn into a war that lasts elevenyears and counting

25. Special Weapons

26. Gas There were two types of gas used in W.W.I. The first is mustard gas, which sticks to skin and causes chemical burns.

27. Gas The second type of gas used was chlorine gas. This gas is heavier than air and so it would find the lowest parts of the trench.

28. Machine Gun The machine gun revolutionized warfare. With the ability to fire as many as 600 rounds per minute the machine gun gave unprecedented killing power to the modern battlefield. More than any other weapon, the machine gun was responsible for the trench warfare of W.W.I due to the fact that attacking a well defended machine gun position with the rifles of the time was all but a suicide run, a lesson that W.W.I generals would learn all to slowly.

30. Tanks Just as the machine was responsible for the trench warfare of W.W.I the tank was responsible for breaking it. The tank allowed soldiers to advance on enemy machine gun positions without fear of certain annihilation. While the first tanks were somewhat unreliable and had difficulty dealing with the muddy conditions of the trenches, they still gave the British the edge in some of the later battles of the war.

32. Airplanes Flight had been achieved about a decade before the war began but no nation had an actual air force, as we would know it, at the outset of the war. Planes were used for reconnaissance but not equipped for aerial battle. In time the machine gun was mounted and timed to fire in between the spinning blade of the propeller, and the modern fighter plane was born. Pilots could then engage in direct battle with the objective of knocking the enemy out of the sky.

34. Flame Thrower While used since ancient times, the modern flamethrower was widely developed in W.W.I. Germany, France and Britain all developed portable models that could reach as far as 35 metres. While effective at clearing trenches, the operator of the flamethrower could expect to draw heavy enemy fire, making the job dangerous at even the best of times.

36. Trench Mortar Also not new, the mortar was adapted for use in W.W.I trenches, thus giving it the name “trench mortar.” Designed to essentially lob mines or grenades a short distance, the trench mortar proved useful in attacking enemy machine gun positions from the relative safety of the trench. Like the flame thrower, the operators of the trench mortar could expect to draw enemy fire, only it was usually artillery fire that came, as no enemy wanted a trench mortar in their near vicinity.

38. Literature Arising from the War

39. All Quiet on the Western Front Written in the 1920’s, All Quiet on the Western Front is a novel that criticizes politician’s handling of the war while questioning the value of war itself. While receiving widespread acclaim, the novel was immensely unpopular with the Nazi’s, who claimed it was anti German and staged public burnings in protest. Remarque himself escaped any harm but his sister was arrested, found guilty of undermining morale and executed.

40. Dulce et Decorum Est Written in 1917, Dulce et Decorum Estby Wilfred Owen shows the tragic figures of broken soldiers returning from battle. Unlike poetry of the Victorian age which glamorized war, this poem illustrates the hopelessness and fatigue that people felt as they slowly watched their friends die from inhaling chlorine gas. The poem ends with a Latin phrase “dulce et decorum est pro patria mori” which roughly translates “it is sweet and honourableto die for the fatherland.”

41. Notes

42. World War One (1914-1918) Causes – caused mainly by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand other factors leading to war were nationalism, imperialism and the alliance system. Factions – the two main factions fighting the war were the Triple Entente (Russia, France, Britain) and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria). Outcomes – the war killed and seriously wounded millions of people, leaving many former soldiers with the difficult task of reintegrating into society. Several countries in Europe experienced severe unrest after the war and turned to extreme political leaders such as Lenin, Hitler and Mussolini.

43. Vocabulary Ace – a pilot with at least 5 kills Artillery – heavy cannons Barrage – being attacked by artillery Bombardment - being attacked by artillery Chloroform – a chemical once used as anesthetic Court Martial – a military court Dogfight – a fight between two or more airplanes English Heavies – English artillery Latrine – a communal toilet Lorry – British word for truck Militarism – the belief that diplomacy is best settled militarily Nationalism – a strong love for or pride in one’s country Shell – like a big bullet, it is what is fired by artillery Shelling – being attacked by artillery Sniper – a marksman Trench – a ditch dug for protection

44. Questions What was the catalyst that led to the First World War? What was the catalyst that led to the current war in which Canada is involved? How could the First World War Have been prevented? How could the war that Canada is currently involved in been prevented? Are alliances a good thing or a bad thing? What, if any, benefits does a war have? How is Canada’s current military conflict similar to/different from Canada’s commitment in the First World War?

45. What We’ve Learned - Causes of World War One - Factions fighting in the war - Notable battles of the war - Outcomes of the war - Parallels to today’s war - Special weapons used during the war - Famous literature arising from the war - Vocabulary for the novel