PRESENTATION OUTLINE
ALLIANCES BEFORE WWI
- Russia and Serbia
- Germany and Austria-Hungary
- France and Russia
- Britian and France and Belgium
- Japan and Britian
Austria declared war on Serbia. Russia got involved. Germany seeing Russia, declared war on them. France was then drawn in against Germany and Austria. Germany attacked France through Belgium pulling Britian into war then Japan entered the war.
TOP 5 CAUSES OF WWI
- Militarism
- Alliance
- Imperalism
- Nationalism
- Assassination
1. Militarism
By 1914, Germany had the greatest increase in military buildup. The military establishment began to have a greater influence on public policy. This increase in militarism helped push the countries involved to war.
2. Alliance
If one country was being attacked, allied countries were bound to defend them.
3. Imperialism - when a country increases their power and wealth by bringing additional territories under their control...
The increasing competition and desire for greater empires led to an increase in confrontation that helped push the world in WWI.
4. Nationalism
Much of the origin of the war was based on the desire of the Slavic people in Bosnia and Herzegovina to no longer be part of Austria but instead be part of Serbia. Nationalism led directly to the war. Each country wanted to prove their dominance and power.
5. Assassination (the trigger)
The assassination of archduke franz Ferdinand on June 1914, was the immediate cause of WWI. A Serbian nationalist of the secret society of black hand assassinated him and his wife while they were in Austria.
Muddy conditions...
As a result of consistent artillery bombardments in combination with extremely poor weather conditions, including heavy rain and wind, resulted in huge amounts of high density mud. These muddy conditions meant that advancement was very slow with soldiers, often taking three hours to travel 100 meters. Soldiers faced machine gun fire while running toward enemy trenches. Wounded soldiers who fell in the mud often drowned in it due to its extreme thickness. The mud was also extremely unhygienic often mixed with human waste and infested with rats.
Diseases...
A common disease was trench foot. Trench foot happened as a result of spending too long within a trench and keeping feet too moist and since the mud was so thick, soldiers feet were submerged most of the time. The foot would begin to absorb the water causing huge blisters and the foot would become swollen making extremely difficult to walk. There was no cure and if you left it untreated, it could turn gangrenous and the foot would have to be amputated.
Latrines issues...
Going to the bathroom during the battles was an extremely disgusting experience. They used laterines which were large holes dug with wooden beams across them for soldiers to crouch on. The stench that came from these latrines mixed with the decomposing corpses on the battlefield was so unbearable that many soldiers wore gas masks.
Rifles...
The main weapon used by British soldiers in the trenches was the bolt-action rifle. A person 1,400 meters away could be killed and 15 rounds could be fired in a minute.
Machine guns....
It needed 4-6 men to work a machine gun and had to be on a flat surface. It had the fire power of 100 guns.
Chlorine gas...
The German army were the first to use the chlorine gas. Chlorine gas causes a burning sensation in the throat and chest. But you had to make sure the weather was right when using chlorine gas. If the wind is in the wrong direction, it could end up killing your own troops instead of the enemies.
Mustard gas...
Mustard gas was the most deadly weapon used. It was fired in trenches in shells. It's colorless and takes 12 hours to take effect. The effects include: blistering skin, sore eyes, vomiting, internal and external bleeding. Death can take up to 5 weeks.
Zeppelin ...
Zeppelin was an airship that was used during the early part of the war in bombing raids. It carried machine guns and bomb.
Tanks...
Were used for the first time in the First World War. They were developed to cope with the conditions on the western front. The first tank, "little willie", needed a crew of three. It's maximum speed was three miles per hour and it could not cross trenches.
Planes..
At first planes were used to deliver bombs and for spying work but then became fighter aircraft armed with machine guns, bombs, and sometimes cannons.
How soldiers were injured during WWI
Giving and storing blood...
The British army began the routine use of blood transfusion in treating wounded soldiers. Blood was transferred directly from one person to another. U.S. Army doctor, captain Robertson was the one that realized the need to stockpile blood before casualties arrived. He established the first blood bank on the western front in 1917. Blood was kept in ice for up to 28 days and then transported to casualty clearing stations for use in life saving surgeries.
Innovations developed in the First World War had a massive impact on survival rates such as the Thomas splint, which secured a broken leg. At the beginning of the war 80% of all soldiers with a broken femur died. By 1916, 80% of soldiers with this injury survived.
From January 1915 the British military medical machine moved closer to the front line. Casualty clearing stations were better equipped and more surgeons were closer to the battlefield. There were fewer delays in administering potentially life saving treatments. Soldiers with wounds that would have been fatal were now more likely to survive.
The German people at home pushed the war to a conclusion. There was no decisive defeat on Germany. Germany was never invaded. The war ended with an armistice which is basically a cease fire on November 11, 1918 with negotiations to follow.
During the world war 1, there was much devastation done to Germany and other countries. Almost 10,000,000 soldiers around the world died as a result of this war. The allies wanted Germany to pay for this, so they created a treaty which held Germany responsible for WWI, which is called the treaty of Versailles.
TREATY OF VERSAILLES CONSEQUENCES
The treaty of Versailles caused World War II. This treaty took away Germany's land, money, livestock, and natural resources which forced their trading and population to decline. It also set limitations on Germany's army, forcing them to have a much smaller army. This led to the rise of Adolf hitler, and the German nazis, who eventually started WWII.
