A Global Conflict
The Legacy of the war
War Affects the World
Conflict
War Affects the Home Front
Conflict
The main combatants looked beyond Europe for a way to end the stalemate.
None of the alliances they formed or new battlefronts they opened did much to end the slow and grinding conflict.
World war I was a new kind of war, there were many new technologies.
The Gallipoli Campaign
The Allies wanted to attack the Dardanelles in the Ottoman Empire
Many lives got taken because of WWI, about 8.5 million soldiers died, another 21 million were also wounded
The narrow sea strait was the gateway to the Ottoman capital, Constantinople. By securing the Dardanelles, the Allies believed that they could take Constantinople, defeat the Turks, and establish a supply line to Russia.
In addition to those deaths, there were another bunch of civilians that died because of starvation, disease, and slaughter.
The Allies Win The War
The Gallipoli campaign began in February 1915.
The war had a devasting economic impact on Europe
British, Australian, New Zealand, and French troops made repeated assaults on the Gallipoli Peninsula on the western side of the strait.
The great conflict
drained the treasuries of European countries.
One account put the total cost of the war at $338 billion. That is a huge amount of money today, but imagine that much money in that time!
Turkish troops, some commanded by German officers, vigorously defended the region.
Both sides dug trenches where they battled for the rest of the year
Allies gave up the campaign and began to evacuate. They had suffered about 250,000 casualties.
War
War
By time United States joined Allies, war had been raging for nearly 3 years
In many parts of Africa and Asia Germany’s colonial possessions came under assault. The Japanese quickly overran German outposts in China.
Europe had lost more men in battle than in all the wars of the previous 3 centuries
English and French troops attacked Germany’s four African possessions and seized control of three.
Elsewhere in Asia and Africa, the British and French recruited subjects in their colonies for the struggle. Fighting troops as well as laborers came from India, South Africa, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, and Indochina.
The war claimed the lives of millions and had changed countless lives forever
World War 1 soon became a total war. Countries devoted all their resources to the war effort
Some colonial subjects wanted nothing to do with their European rulers’ conflicts. Others volunteered in the hope that service would lead to their independence.
The Great War affected everyone. Touched not only soldiers in the trenches but civilians as well
America Joins the War
In 1917, the focus of the war shifted to the high seas. That year, the Germans intensified the submarine warfare that had raged in the Atlantic Ocean since shortly after the war began.
Consequence
There was also a new policy called unrestricted submarine warfare.
The war destroyed acres of farmland as well as homes, villages, and towns.
The sinking of the Lusitania really triggered America to join the war because 128 Americans were killed.
What strategies new to WWI probably contributed to the destruction of homes, villages, and farms?
Answer: Trench and air warfare
In February 1917, another German action pushed the United States closer to war.
The enormous suffering that resulted from the Great War left deep mark on Western society as well. A sense of disillusionment settled over the survivors.
The Zimmermann note simply proved to be the last straw. A large part of the American population already favored the Allies. In particular, America felt a bond with England.
The United States entered the war on the side of the Allies.
Why might Westerners have experienced disillusionment in the wake of World War I?
Answer: Because of the tremendous loss of life and economic devastation and also uselessness of all the suffering
Government Systems
In Britain, Austria, Germany, France, and Russia, the entire force of government was dedicated to winning the conflict
In each country, the war time government took control of the economy
Why did the Allies want to establish a supply line to Russia?
Governments told factories what to produce and how much
They wanted to establish a supply line to Russia so that they could close in on Germany from both the east and the west to put them in a harder position.
A peace agreement was made. The treaties to end WWI were forged after debate, and compromise
While they sought to bring a new sense of security and peace to
the world, they prompted mainly anger and resentment.
How did the Zimmerman Note draw America into the war?
The Zimmerman Note drew America in to the war because the note was a plan to renew unrestricted submarine warfare and to form an alliance with Mexico and Japan if the United States declared war on Germany. This caused a huge outrage in America to give them more motivation to join the war.
Numerous facilities were converted to munitions factories
Nearly every able- bodied civilian was put to work. Unemployment in many European countries all but disappeared
So many goods were in short supply that the governments turned to rationing
Under this system, people could buy only small amounts of those items that were also needed for the war effort. Rationing covered a wide range of goods, from butter to shoe leather
Governments also suppressed antiwar activity, sometimes forcibly
They censored news about the war. Many leaders feared that honest reporting of the war would turn people against it
Governments also used propaganda to keep up morale and support for the war
Total war meant that governments turned to help from women as never before
Thousands of women replaced men in factories, offices, and shops
Women built tanks and munitions, plowed fields, paved streets, and ran hospitals. They also kept troops supplied with food, clothing, and weapons
Most women left the work force when the war ended, they changed many people's views of what women were capable fo doing
Women also saw the horrors of war firsthand, working on or near the front lines as nurses and relief workers
Question: Why did the wartime governments take control of their countries' economies?
Answer: To make sure that all the resources would be dedicated to winning the war.
Question: How did total war lead to rationing? Answer: Most goods and supplies were sent to the war so people at home had to ration what they had
Russia Withdrawals
Civil unrest in Russia—due in large part to war-related shortages of food and fuel—forced Czar Nicholas to step down.
5.5 million Russian soldiers had been wounded, killed, or taken prisoner. As a result, the war-weary Russian army refused to fight any longer.
The Central Powers Collaspe
Lenin insisted on ending his country’s involvement in the war. Germany and Russia signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which ended the war between them.
Russia’s withdrawal from the war at last allowed Germany to send nearly all its forces to the Western Front.
The German military had weakened. The effort to reach the Marne had exhausted men and supplies
Soon, the Central Powers began to crumble. First the Bulgarians and then the Ottoman Turks surrendered.
Revolution swept through Austria-Hungary. In Germany, soldiers mutinied, and the public turned on the kaiser.
Germany declared itself a republic. A representative of the new German government met with French Commander Marshal Foch in a railway car near Paris. The two signed an armistice.
What effect did the Russian Revolution have on Russia’s role in World War I?
Russia made it so the Germans had to fight a two front war which made it incredibly hard for them to be successful. Without Russia being the other front, it's possible the Germans could've won the war earlier.
How did the surrender of the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria and the revolution in Austria-Hungary lead to the end of World War I?
The surrenders and revolutions weakened the central powers and without them as a strong united front they had no chance of winning the war.
War
Government Systems
Conflict