Social Studies 8 — 4.1: World War 1

• Nationalism


  May have both positive and negative implications. On the positive, this fervent feeling of love for one's country may serve as a unifying force. However, on the negative, it may cause competition among nations. Often nations would seek to overpower other in terms of materials and markets, territories and in usual cases, independence.
• Militarism


  The belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests.
• Imperialism


  A policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force
• Balkan Region


  • One of the events that triggered the start of World War I was the crisis in the Balkan Region. The region was a very unstable region and experienced a long history of nationalist uprising. The region was controlled by the Ottoman Empire, the balkan groups started to free themselves. One of those that successfully broke away was Serbia. Austria-Hungary did not support Serbian nationalism. They felt that growing nationalistic feelings of Serbians may affect Bosnia and Herzegovina. But Serbia vowed to take Bosnia and Herzegovina away from Austria.
• Alliances


  • Triple Alliance (May 1882):
  • Germany
  • Austria-Hungary
  • Italy

  Triple Entente (1907):

  • France
  • Great Britain
  • Russia
• Tensions in Europe


  • Tensions had been brewing throughout Europe especially in the troubled Balkan region of southeast Europe for years before World War I actually broke out. A number of alliances involving European powers, the Ottoman Empire, Russia and other parties had existed for years, but political instability in the Balkans (particularly Bosnia, Serbia and Herzegovina) threatened to destroy these agreements.
• Start of World War I

  The spark that ignited World War I was struck in Sarajevo, Bosnia, where Archduke Franz Ferdinand (heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire) was shot to death along with his wife, Sophie, by the Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip on June 28, 1914. Princip and other nationalists were struggling to end Austro-Hungarian rule over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The assassination of Franz Ferdinand set off a rapidly escalating chain of events: Austria-Hungary, like many countries around the world, blamed the Serbian government for the attack and hoped to use the incident as justification for settling the question of Serbian nationalism once and for all.
• The Blank Check


  Because mighty Russia supported Serbia, Austria-Hungary waited to declare war until its leaders received assurance from German leader Kaiser Wilhelm II that Germany would support their cause. Austro-Hungarian leaders feared that a Russian intervention would involve Russia's ally, France, and possibly Great Britain as well. On July 5, Kaiser Wilhelm secretly pledged his support, giving Austria-Hungary a so-called carte blanche, or "blank check" assurance of Germany's backing in the case of war.
• Austria-Hungary's Ultimatum to Serbia

  The Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary then sent an ultimatum to Serbia, with such harsh terms as to make it almost impossible to accept. The rationale for the ultimatum was simple: attacking Serbia without warning would make Serbia look like a victim. In contrast, an ultimatum would put the burden of avoiding war on Belgrade.
• Schlieffen Plan


  • According to an aggressive military strategy known as the Schlieffen Plan (named for its mastermind, German Field Marshal Alfred von Schlieffen), Germany began fighting World War I on two fronts, invading France through neutral Belgium in the west and confronting Russia in the east.
• Western Front


  On August 4, 1914, German troops crossed the border into Belgium. In the first battle of World War I, the Germans assaulted the heavily fortified city of Liege, using the most powerful weapons in their arsenal-enormous siege cannons-to capture the city by August 15. The Germans left death and destruction in their wake as they advanced through Belgium toward France, shooting civilians and executing a Belgian priest they had accused of inciting civilian resistance.
• Eastern Front


  On the Eastern Front of World War I, Russian forces invaded the German-held regions of East Prussia and Poland, but were stopped short by German and Austrian forces at the Battle of Tannenberg in late August 1914. Despite that victory, Russia's assault had forced Germany to move two corps from the Western Front to the Eastern, contributing to the German loss in the Battle of the Marne.
• First Battle of Marne


  • At the start of the First World War, Germany hoped to avoid fighting on two fronts by knocking out France before turning to Russia, France's ally. The initial German offensive had some early success, but there were not enough reinforcements immediately available to sustain momentum. The French and British launched a counter-offensive at the Marne (6-10 September 1914) and after several days of bitter fighting the Germans retreated. Germany's failure to defeat the French and the British at the Marne also had important strategic implications. The Russians had mobilized more quickly than the Germans had anticipated and launched their first offensive within two weeks of the war's outbreak.
• Battle of Tannenberg


  • The Battle of Tannenberg in August 1914 ended in German victory, but the combination of German victory in the east and defeat in the west meant the war would not be quick, but protracted and extended across several fronts. The Battle of the Marne also marked the end of mobile warfare on the Western Front. Following their retreat, the Germans re-engaged Allied forces on the Aisne, where fighting began to stagnate into trench warfare. The opening months of the war caused profound shock due to the huge casualties caused by modern weapons. Losses on all fronts for the year 1914 topped five million, with a million men killed.
• Trench Warfare


  • Trenches were long, narrow ditches dug into the ground where soldiers lived. They were very muddy, uncomfortable and the toilets overflowed. These conditions caused some soldiers to develop medical problems such as trench foot. There were many lines of German trenches on one side and many lines of Allied trenches on the other. In the middle was no man's land, which soldiers crossed to attack the other side.
• America Enters World War I


  At the outbreak of fighting in 1914, the United States remained on the sidelines of World War I, adopting the policy of neutrality favored by President Woodrow Wilson while continuing to engage in commerce and shipping with European countries on both sides of the conflict. Neutrality, however, was increasingly difficult to maintain in the face of Germany's unchecked submarine aggression against neutral ships, including those carrying passengers. In 1915, Germany declared the waters surrounding the British Isles to be a war zone, and German U-boats sunk several commercial and passenger vessels, including some U.S. ships. Widespread protest over the sinking by U-boat of the British ocean liner Lusitania-traveling from New York to Liverpool, England with hundreds of American passengers onboard--in May 1915 helped turn the tide of American public opinion against Germany. In February 1917, Congress passed a $250 million arms appropriations bill intended to make the United States ready for war. Germany sunk four more U.S. merchant ships the following month, and on April 2 Woodrow Wilson appeared before Congress and called for a declaration of war against Germany.
• Lusitania


  • In May 1915 the Lusitania was returning from New York to Liverpool with 1,959 passengers and crew on board. The sinkings of merchant ships off the south coast of Ireland and reports of submarine activity there prompted the British Admiralty to warn the Lusitania to avoid the area and to recommend adopting the evasive tactic of zigzagging, changing course every few minutes at irregular intervals to confuse any attempt by U-boats to plot her course for torpedoing. The ship's captain, William Thomas Turner, chose to ignore these recommendations, and on the afternoon of May 7 the vessel was attacked. A torpedo struck and exploded amidships on the starboard side, and a heavier explosion followed, possibly caused by damage to the ship's steam engines and pipes. Within 20 minutes the Lusitania had sunk, and 1,198 people were drowned. The loss of the liner and so many of its passengers, including 128 U.S. citizens, aroused a wave of indignation in the United States, and it was fully expected that a declaration of war would follow, but the U.S. government clung to its policy of neutrality.
• Gallipoli Campaign


  • The Gallipoli campaign (25 April 1915 - 9 January 1916) was the land-based element of a strategy intended to allow Allied ships to pass through the Dardanelles, capture Constantinople (now Istanbul) and ultimately knock Ottoman Turkey out of the war. But Allied plans were based on the mistaken belief that the Ottomans could be easily overcome. At dawn on 25 April 1915, Allied troops landed on the Gallipoli peninsula in Ottoman Turkey. General Sir Ian Hamilton decided to make two landings, placing the British 29th Division at Cape Helles and the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) north of Gaba Tepe in an area later dubbed Anzac Cove. Both landings were quickly contained by determined Ottoman troops and neither the British nor the Anzacs were able to advance. Trench warfare quickly took hold, mirroring the fighting of the Western Front. Casualties mounted heavily and in the summer heat conditions rapidly deteriorated. Sickness was rampant, food quickly became inedible and there were vast swarms of black corpse flies. In August a new assault was launched north of Anzac Cove. This attack, along with a fresh landing at Suvla Bay, quickly failed and stalemate returned. In December, it was decided to evacuate - first Anzac and Suvla, and then Helles in January 1916. Gallipoli became a defining moment in the history of both Australia and New Zealand, revealing characteristics that both countries have used to define their soldiers: endurance, determination, initiative and 'mateship'. For the Ottomans, it was a brief respite in the decline of their empire. But through the emergence of Mustafa Kemal (later known as Ataürk) as one of the campaign's leading figures, it also led to the foundation of modern Turkey.
• Battle of the Somme


  • The Battle of the Somme (1 July - 18 November 1916) was a joint operation between British and French forces intended to achieve a decisive victory over the Germans on the Western Front. For many in Britain, the resulting battle remains the most painful and infamous episode of the First World War. In December 1915, Allied commanders had met to discuss strategies for the upcoming year and agreed to launch a joint French and British attack in the region of the River Somme in the summer of 1916. Intense German pressure on the French at Verdun throughout 1916 made action on the Somme increasingly urgent and meant the British would take on the main role in the offensive. They were faced with German defenses that had been carefully laid out over many months. Despite a seven-day bombardment prior to the attack on 1 July, the British did not achieve the quick breakthrough their military leadership had planned for and the Somme became a deadlocked battle of attrition. Over the next 141 days, the British advanced a maximum of seven miles. More than one million men from all sides were killed, wounded or captured. British casualties on the first day - numbering over 57,000, of which 19,240 were killed make it the bloodiest day in British military history. The Somme, like Verdun for the French, has a prominent place in British history and popular memory and has come to represent the loss and apparent futility of the war. But the Allied offensive on the Somme was a strategic necessity fought to meet the needs of an international alliance. British commanders learned difficult but important lessons on the Somme that would contribute to eventual Allied victory in 1918.
• Archduke Franz Ferdinand was killed by Gavrilo Princip who was part of the Black Hand Society which wanted to create an independent Serbia.
• The main cause of WWI is the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
• The war was fought between the Allies (Britain, France, Russia) and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary)
• Franz Joseph was the Emperor of Austria-Hungary
• Wilhelm II was Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. He was known for his aggressive foreign policies and militarism.
• Germany declared war on Russia because they thought Russia would invade Germany if they didn’t declare war on them
• Britain declared war against Germany because they believed that if Germany won, they could control Europe and become more powerful than Great Britain. This would threaten trade routes and colonies.
• Trench warfare was used during WWI where soldiers dug trenches as protection against enemy fire.
• Nicholas II was the Tsar of Russia
• The League of Nations was created after WW1 to prevent future wars
• Wilhelm II was the Kaiser of Germany
• The League of Nations was created after WW1 to prevent future wars
• The Treaty of Versailles ended WW1 and forced Germany to pay reparations to other countries involved in the war
• Trench Warfare was used during WW1 where soldiers dug trenches into the ground and lived inside them for protection against enemy fire
• Canada joined WWI because Canada was still under British rule and felt obligated to support them. Many Canadians also volunteered to fight overseas.
• Edward VII was the King of England
• Britain declared war on Germany because Germany invaded Belgium and France asked for help
• Serbia had been trying to gain independence from Austrian rule since the late 19th century
• Austria-Hungry declared war on Serbia because they were angry about the murder of their leader by Serbian nationalists
• Austria-Hungry declared war on Serbia because they believed that Serbia was responsible for the death of their leader
• The League of Nations was created after WWI to prevent future wars through diplomacy and collective security measures.