The document discusses the origins and early stages of World War 1 from 1914-1915. It describes how the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand led to alliances pulling countries into war. Both sides initially thought the war would be brief but they failed to foresee the industrialized nature of modern warfare, leading to lengthy trench stalemates. Life in the trenches was difficult and dangerous with new weapons like poison gas and shelling causing death on a large scale.

2. Inevitability of war
• June 28, 1914 – Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand
causes a crisis
• The alliances in Europe
caused a “World War”
that spread quickly

5. 1914 – 1915: False Beliefs
• Many Europeans
were excited about
war!
– Both sides thought
they were the “good
guys”

6. 1914 – 1915: False Beliefs
• Most thought the war
would be over in a few
weeks
– Ignored the length and
brutality of the
American Civil War
(a model for World War I)

7. 1914 – 1915: False Beliefs
• Belief that Modern industrial war could not
be conducted for more than a few months
• Most said they’d be
“Home by Christmas”

8. 1914 – 1915: False Beliefs
• Many European nations
thought the war would be
“fun”
– A glorious adventure
– War would rid the nations of
selfishness
– War could make people
“heroes”

9. The Schlieffen Plan

10. The Schlieffen Plan
• Invade western front
1st
• After defeating
France concentrate
on the Eastern front
• Avoid fighting a 2
front war

11. The Schlieffen Plan
• Germany made an
encircling movement
through Belgium to
enter Paris
• But the British quickly
sent troops to France

12. The Schlieffen Plan
• Battle of Marne
– Sept 6-10, 1914
– France stopped the Germans but
were exhausted
– Both sides dug trenches
for shelter
-Caused a Stalemate

13. Stalemate - A position counting as a draw,
or a “Dead-End”

14. The Trenches
• 6,250 miles of
Trenches were dug
• 6 to 8 feet deep
• This immobilized both
sides for 4 years

16. The Trenches

20. Life in the Trenches
• Elaborate systems of
defense
– barbed wire
– Concrete machine gun
nests
– Mortar batteries
– Troops lived in holes
underground

21. Life in the Trenches
• Boredom
– Soldiers read to pass the
time

22. Life in the Trenches
• Death numbed the
soldier’s minds
• Shell shock
– Could cause panic or even
paralysis
“We all had on us the stench of
dead bodies.”

23. Life in the Trenches
• Mustard gas
– Carried by the wind
– Burned out soldier’s lungs
– Deadly in the trenches
where it would
sit at the bottom

24. Life in the Trenches
– Millions of young
men sacrificed
attempting to
break the lines

25. Battle of Verdun
• 10 months
• 700,000 men killed

26. Battle of Verdun
• 10 months
• 700,000 men killed

27. The changes of war
• New weapons were made because of new
technology (industrial revolution)
– Poison gas (mustard gas)
– Hand grenades
– Flame throwers
– Tanks
– Airplanes
– Tanks
– Subs

28. The changes of war
• Airplanes
– Dog fights in the air
– Bombing inaccurate
– Paris and London
bombed
– Pilots fired pistols and
threw hand grenades

29. The Eastern Front
• Russian army moved into Eastern Germany on
August 30, 1914
– Russia has major losses
• The Austrians were chased out of Serbia
• Germany came to Austrian aid and
pushed Russians back 300 miles
into own territory
• 1915: 2.5 million Russians
killed, captured, or wounded

30. The Eastern Front
• Germany and Austria
Hungary joined by
Bulgaria in Sept. 1915
– Attacked and
eliminated Serbia from
war

31. The Home Front
• Women took war
factory jobs
• Received lower
wages than males
• Food shortages made
things at home hard
also

32. The Home Front
• Censorship
– The Public was not
told about high death
toll
– Made the dead
“legendary”

33. QUESTION
Why do you think the
governments
involved in World
War I did not tell the
public people about
the number of
soldiers killed?

34. The Home Front
• Censorship
– Newspapers
described troops as
“itching to go over the
top”
– Made “trench warfare”
seem like a nice adventure

35. The Home Front
• Taking Leave (getting
a break from the war
and visiting home)
• Troops would stay
together
Why?
• so they could
sympathize with each
other

36. The Home Front
• Impossible to hide death
– Women in mourning, lost husbands and sons
– Badly wounded soldiers began to return home
– Opposition to the war began

37. The war ends
• 1917 – Russia
surrenders
• U.S. joins the war on
the Allied side
• Nov. 11, 1918
Armistice – End of
Fighting

38. Death Toll of War
Allied Central
Powers Powers
42 million served 23 million served
22 million 15 million
casualties casualties

39. Social Impact
• Men lost limbs and were mutilated
• Birthrate fell markedly
• Invalids unable to work
• Ethnic hostility
• Influenza epidemic