World War I: Causes, Strategies & Military Technology

• WW1 was caused by imperialism, militarism, nationalism, and alliances.
• The assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand sparked the start of WW1
• Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, triggering a chain reaction.
• Russia declared war on Austria-Hungary in response.
• Germany declared war on Russia, France, and Great Britain

Military Strategies

• The Schlieffen Plan was Germany’s initial strategy to attack France before turning to Russia.
• The First Battle of the Marne halted the German advance on Paris.
• Trench warfare became the dominant form of combat on the Western Front in France leading to a stalemate.
• Stalemate conditions led to little or no movement on either side.

Military Technology

• New weapons in WW1 included machine guns, poison gas, tanks, airplanes, and submarines.
• Manfred Von Richthofen, the Red Baron, was the top German flying ace.
• Germany used submarines to sink cargo ships in an attempt to starve Britain.
• The sinking of the Lusitania, a passenger ship, by a German submarine resulted in over 1,100 deaths, including 128 Americans.

Alliances

• The Allies included Great Britain, France, and Russia, with the US joining later in 1917.
• The Central Powers consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire.

Key Battles

• Battle of Verdun occurred in 1916 when Germans tried to inflict heavy casualties on the French, both sides suffered approximately 500,000 casualties.
• Battle of the Somme in 1916, the British attacked German forces to relieve pressure on the French at Verdun, the British suffered 400,000 casualties and the Germans suffered 500,000.

US Entry and Involvement

• The Zimmerman Note, a German telegram to Mexico proposing an alliance against the US, influenced the US decision to enter the war.
• The US declared war on Germany in 1917.
• The Selective Service Act of 1917 required men aged 18-45 to register for the military draft.
• The Sedition Act made it illegal to speak negatively about the war or the government.
• The American Expeditionary Force (AEF), led by General John Pershing, was the name of the US Army in WW1.

Russian Withdrawal

• The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, overthrew the Russian government and executed Czar Nicholas II.
• Russia withdrew from WW1.

Final Stages

• Germany launched attacks on the Western Front before American forces could fully mobilize.
• At the Battle of Chateau Thierry, American forces proved to be capable fighters.
• Eddie Rickenbacker was America's top flying ace, with 26 kills.
• Alvin York killed 28 Germans, captured 32 machine guns, and took 132 prisoners.
• An armistice was signed on November 11, 1918, to stop the fighting.

Post-War

• President Woodrow Wilson proposed the Fourteen Points as a post-WW1 peace plan.
• Only the League of Nations was adopted from the Fourteen Points.
• The Treaty of Versailles held Germany responsible for the war, reduced its military, and imposed $33 billion in reparations.