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Central powers (Germany (army (Britain naval blockade (food shipped to…

- - - - Ludendorff
      - used everyone and everything possible
      - many casulities
      - if they couldn't win this, they would not win the war
    - - lengthy conflict favored allies
    - - with strong military, other factors would also improve
      - strong rail network, large industrial capacity
    - - Hemluth von Moltke
      - get victory in France w/in 6 weeks, then defeat Russia
      - attack france, go through Belgium
      - battle of tannenberg (August 26th 1914)
        
        troops in east prussia (Hindenburg and Ludendorff) opposed Russian 2nd army
        
        intercepted Russian radio
        
        countered Russian advance
        
        won, but took many soldiers from west
      - Battle of the Marne (september 5-12 1914)
        
        aerial reconnaissance revealed gap in center of German advance
        
        600 taxicabs moved french troops up
        
        French & British disrupted schlieffen plan east of Paris
        
        germans withdrew north, allies followed
        
        race to the sea
        
        each side kept trying to outmaneuver the other, gain tactical advantage
    - - food shipped to front
        
        hard to defer if food was for combats or combats
      - wheat & timber imports no longer available from Russia
      - munitions factories had to use nitrate for farming fertilizer
      - people starving, royals building new palaces
        
        in Britain, Royals used rationing books, several political/public figures had kids fighting
      - had severe dietary effects
      - poor diet, bad weather, war profiteering & spanish flu would shift many from working class towards Bolshevism
  - - - threatened other european powers
      - meddled with foreign policy based on personal feeling
      - brought germany into war due to alliances
      - abdicated throne and fled to netherlands
      - inc hostile & aggressive politics
    - - chief of general staff at outbreak
      - changed attack plan in west, couldn't gain control over army
      - indecisive in critical time in France
      - fear of Russian attack distracted him
      - replaced by Erich Falkenhayn on 14 september 1914
    - - leader of military september 1914, after schleiffen plan failed
      - conservative leadership
      - didn't want to run two great offensives (east and west)
      - though victory would come from western front
      - defense suited trench warfare on eastern front
      - battle of Verdun
        
        wanted 'Verdun to bleed white'
        
        draw majority of French to Verdun region
        
        destroy french with concentrated artillery fire
        
        central powers did not have enough manpower
        
        british offensive at Somme was to relieve french in Verdun
        
        french already starting to take back land
        
        french casualties=550,000
        
        german casualties=434,000 (half losses)
        
        no tactical/strategic advantage dained
        
        Germany could not afford loss of manpower
      - replaced by Hindenburg in august 1916
    - - formed 'third supreme council'
        
        supported by senior officers & prominent industrialists
      - military industrial dictatorship, held total power after Verdun until september 1918
        
        defeat was coming, power went back to reichstag
      - put all effort towards war (people, food, resources)
      - largest party, social democrats (SPD) broke apart over supporting war credits in late 1914
        
        majority faction still behind war effort, wanted assurance that Germany fought only for self-defense & peace
      - austria-hungary weak and demoralized
      - Germany conquered lots of territory in the east & west
        
        but allies had superior resources & strong naval blockade
      - wanted to break military stalemate
      - wanted to bring in unrestricted submarine warfare
        
        bethmann feared it would bring the US & others to war (true)
      - Hindenburg managed to stop allied advance, united hindenburg line
      - Romania defeated after joining allies
      - Russia forced out of war in 1917
        
        protracted struggle they could not afford
        
        needed swift victory, but couldn't (Tannenberg)
        
        famine & resource supply low
        
        Tsar replaced by provisional government
        
        Bolshevik revolution (German rail passage for Lenin) leaded to new regime
  - - - famers had been enlisted
      - bread & potatoes soon in short supply
      - lower classes could barely afford food
      - affected ability to support troops
      - war raw materials department (KRA)
        
        household objects with useful materials (copper, tin &rubber) handed in
        
        clever propaganda to convince pop. ('i gave gold for iron")
- - - - central powers could get benefits from foreign supplies and contraband
  - - - disorganize the German troops, draw enemies away from French in Verdun
      - force rapid & devastating advance on German lines
      - incorporated new technologies
      - kept pushing failing tactics, many causlties
      - tanks
    - - 8 day bombardment thought to be enough to destroy defense
      - had underground bunkers
    - - resulted in many loses