WWI: Causes, Allies, and Warfare

Causes of WWI

• Communism is not considered one of the five main causes of WWI.
• Nationalism, militarism, and imperialism are considered to be main causes of WWI.

Trigger of WWI

• The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand directly triggered the start of WWI.

Allied Powers

• France was part of the Allied Powers.
• Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire were not part of the Allied Powers.

Central Powers

• Germany was a member of the Central Powers.
• Italy, Russia, and the United States were not members of the Central Powers.

Traditional European Rules of War

• The use of chemical weapons was not a traditional European rule of war.
• Traditional rules included not targeting civilians, declaring war before attacking, and fighting on open battlefields.

Weapons

• Machine guns caused the highest number of deaths in WWI.
• At the start of the war, airplanes were primarily used for reconnaissance (spying).
• Germany first used submarines in warfare during WWI, and they were called U-boats.

Schlieffen Plan

• The goal of the Schlieffen Plan was to quickly defeat France and then attack Russia.
• As part of the Schlieffen Plan, Germany invaded Belgium, which was a neutral country.
• Britain responded to Germany’s actions by imposing a naval blockade on Germany.

Western Front

• Most of the fighting on the Western Front was located in France and Belgium.
• A major battle on the Western Front was the Battle of the Somme.
• Trench warfare is best described as fighting from long ditches.
• “No Man’s Land” was the land between enemy trenches.
• To “go over the top” meant to leave your trench to attack the enemy.
• The three main trenches were called front-line, support, and reserve.
• Trench Foot was a condition caused by standing in wet, cold trenches.
• The First Battle of Ypres was also known as The Massacre of the Innocents.
• Poison gas was used for the first time at Ypres.
• Tanks were used for the first time at the Battle of the Somme.

Eastern Front

• The main opponents on the Eastern Front were Germany and Russia.
• Russia’s biggest disadvantage was a poorly equipped army.
• Russia’s greatest advantage was its huge population.
• The Battle of Tannenberg demonstrated Russia’s weakness early in the war.

US Entry to WWI

• The U.S. stayed neutral at the start of WWI due to isolationist policies.
• Before joining the war, the U.S. sold weapons, supplies, and food to the Allies.
• The Lusitania was a British passenger ship.
• Woodrow Wilson won the U.S. Presidential election in 1916.
• The Zimmerman Note was a message from Germany to Mexico.
• In 1917, Congress passed the Selective Service Act to grow the U.S. army.
• In 1918, German forces were 50 miles from Paris.

War Economy

• The war economy required cooperation between government and industry.
• The CPI was the Committee on Public Information.
• The U.S. raised money for WWI through taxes and war bonds.
• A “sin tax” is a tax on alcohol and tobacco.
• The War Industries Board (WIB) encouraged production and conservation.
• The role of the National War Labor Board was to settle disputes between workers and employers.
• The Food Administration promoted conserving food.
• Victory Gardens were home-grown gardens to help the food supply.

Social Changes

• Women took jobs in factories during WWI, changing their roles.
• The 19th Amendment gives women the right to vote.
• The Great Migration was when African Americans moved North for jobs.
• The Espionage and Sedition Acts punished anti-war speech.

End of WWI

• The WWI armistice was signed on November 11, 1918.
• Wilson’s plan for peace was called Fourteen Points.
• The League of Nations was most important to Wilson in his peace plan.
• The Big Four countries were the U.S., Britain, France, and Italy.
• WWI was often called “The War to End All Wars” by Americans.