3.
WORLD WAR I—
THE WAR IN EUROPE
OVERVIEW
OF THE
VIDEO
This visually rich program is the first of a
two-part World War I study from the
America in the 20th Century series. “World
War I—The War in Europe” provides a
clear and concise narrative discussion of
the conflict illustrated by seldom seen photographic and film images, carefully chosen
and dramatically presented. Historically
accurate, full-color maps provide geographical context for the program, while cogent
narration and a dynamic soundtrack bring
the period to life. Topics include the roots
of the war; European military alliances that ignited the war; industrial age technological advances such as the U-boat, machine guns, air combat, and chemical
weapons; U.S. involvement, including the participation of women and African
Americans; U.S. economic policies; and public support for the war effort.
NATIONAL STANDARDS
FOR
HISTORY
(From The National Center for History in the Schools, Basic Edition, 1996. Found
at: http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/nchs/standards/)
U.S. History—Era 7—Standard 2:
The changing role of the United States in world affairs through World War I
2B–The student understands the causes of World War I and why the
United States intervened.
2C–The student understands the impact at home and abroad of the
United States’ involvement in World War I.
VOCABULARY
Allied Powers
armed neutrality
Central Powers
chemical warfare
©2003
Daylight Savings Time
dogfights
doughboys
draft
fabrication
mobilization
nationalism
propaganda
shell shock
Triple Alliance
Triple Entente
U-boats
World War I—The War in Europe ✯ 13
BEFORE
THE
VIDEO
Review the major events that led up to World War I before beginning the video.
(These events are summarized briefly at the beginning of the episode.) Emphasize:
✯ Woodrow Wilson’s campaign promises in both his first and second elections.
✯ The Franco-Prussian War and the dispute over the areas of Alsace and Lorraine.
✯ The conflict over Serbia that made Russia and Austria-Hungary enemies.
✯ The reasons that control of Poland had been a point of contention, and the steps
that country had taken to protect its borders.
DURING
“If I should
come out of this
war alive, I will
have more luck
than brains.”
—Baron Manfred von
Richthofen, German
fighter pilot nicknamed The Red
Baron (1918)
THE
VIDEO
There are natural PAUSE POINTS within this episode that separate the content
into sections. Pause the video at these times for class discussion, using the following
questions as springboards.
1. TIME CODE 07:20—If there had been no European alliances at the time of
the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, how might the conflict have been limited?
ANSWER: Allow the class to debate this issue freely, as the events in Europe at the
time make this a very complex issue. One possible answer would be that without
the agreements of the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance, the conflict might
have stayed between Austria-Hungary and Russia in a small, easily ended battle.
2. TIME CODE 12:11—Why did soldiers call WWI the “trench war”? Which of
the modern weapons of war was most responsible for the war on the Western
Front being fought in the trenches?
ANSWER: In the beginning of the war on the Western Front, generals in both
France and Germany ordered men to attack the enemy across open ground, only to
watch as wave upon wave of soldiers were cut down by enemy machine-gun fire. In
the first two weeks of fighting, the French lost nearly 210,000 men in this manner.
The only defense against such weapons was to take cover. As a result, both sides
quickly learned to dig trenches and use machine guns to hold their lines. The
remainder of the war was spent attacking and defending these trench positions,
with less than three miles gained on either side at any time.
3. TIME CODE 16:24—How did Great Britain use the Zimmermann note to pull
the United States into the war?
ANSWER: The Zimmermann note to Mexico, which promised help to return
Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona to Mexican rule in exchange for Mexico’s joining
with Germany in the war, was intercepted and decoded by British Intelligence.
They chose the perfect time to share its contents with Woodrow Wilson, who in
turn published the note to sway the American public against Germany.
14 ✯ America in the 20th Century
©2003
AFTER
THE
VIDEO
The episode ends with an on-screen Video Quiz, a series of True/False questions
(see page 18). This quiz may be copied for classroom use.
Video Quiz Answer Key
1. F
2. F
3. F
4. F
5. F
6. T
7. T
8. T
9. F
10. T
For in-depth discussion:
1. How did the checks-and-balances system keep the war from starting before it
did?
2. Why was World War I called the first modern war? How was it different from
earlier wars?
3. What roles did women and African Americans play in fighting the war? What
might have been some of the arguments against allowing women to serve in the
army, or African Americans to serve in the Navy, which reflect the culture of
the time?
EXTENDING
THE
LESSON
Research topics for either group or individual study.
1. Time, Continuity, and Change. The purpose of George Creel’s Committee on
Public Information—also referred to as the Propaganda Committee—was to
“sell” the war to the American public. What methods did the members of the
committee use to accomplish their goal? Name popular books and movies from
the time that this committee sponsored. How has this practice been continued
throughout the years? What propaganda techniques has the government used in
recent years?
2. Viewpoints. Even before America entered the war, Woodrow Wilson had
embarked on a “preparedness program” to marshal the resources of the nation
for war, “just in case.” Describe the preparedness program as outlined by
President Wilson. What were some of the opposing points of view concerning
the preparedness program, and who held them?
3. Political Perspectives. Outline the measures that Bernard Baruch and the War
Industries Board put into place to fund the war effort. What opposition did the
Board encounter, and what actions did it take in order to push through its
agenda? Discuss the differing political opinions about these measures.
4. Presidential Focus. Woodrow Wilson declared that the United States had a
moral obligation to enter the war in order to make the world “safe for democracy.” Did President Wilson need to make our entrance into the war a moral
issue? What character traits did Wilson possess that caused him to take this
stand? List other decisions and acts of his two terms as president that highlight
these character traits.
©2003
“Every man has
a right to be
wrong in his
opinions, but
no man has a
right to be
wrong in his
facts.”
—Bernard Baruch,
head of the War
Industries Board of
1918, writing in his
memoir of 1957
World War I—The War in Europe ✯ 15
“Over there,
over there,
Send the word,
send the word
over there.
That the Yanks
are coming,
The Yanks are
coming,
The drums
rum-tumming
Ev’rywhere.
So prepare, say
a pray’r,
Send the word,
send the word
to beware.
We’ll be over,
we’re coming
over,
And we won’t
come back till
it’s over
Over there.”
—George M. Cohan,
Songwriter,
Over There (1917)
5. History and Technology. How did America’s participation in World War I
contribute to the development of new technologies? What production techniques still in place today got their start during this time period?
6. Signs of the Times. Explore actual propaganda postcards from World War I
on the Internet at http://www.ww1-propaganda-cards.com/. After looking at the
Web site, create your own postcard that would convince the public to support a
war. What other methods did the Propaganda Committee use to sway the
American public toward a feeling of nationalism?
7. Curriculum Connections (Health). More than 20 million people died from
from hunger and disease related to the war—double the number who died in
battle. Investigate some of the diseases that plagued both soldiers and civilians
as a direct result of World War I. Which were caused by trench warfare, and
which came from chemical warfare? What caused illness among non-fighting
civilians?
8. Your Region in History. What contributions to the war effort did your community make? Create a table that lists the number of local soldiers who served
in World War I, numbers of war casualties, local efforts to raise money for the
war effort, and so on.
9. Career Exploration (Air Force). The airplane became a true weapon of
destruction over the battlefields of World War I, and by the end of the war the
United States had more than 50,000 men enlisted in the Air Service. Research
the education, training, ranks, and duties of members of this branch of the
American military. What other career opportunities are available in the field of
aviation?
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ellis, John. Eye-Deep in Hell: Trench Warfare in World War I. Baltimore: Johns
Hopkins University Press, 1989.
John Ellis, a military historian, wrote this book to explain the daily routines of
the fighting men of World War I. The title of the book comes from the poet
Ezra Pound, who wrote an epitaph for the soldiers who survived and died on
the battlefields.
Fussell, Paul. The Great War and Modern Memory. New York: Oxford University
Press, 2000.
The year 2000 marked the 25th anniversary of the publication of this book,
which was a winner of the National Book Award, the National Book Critics
Circle Award, and recently named by the Modern Library one of the 20th century’s 100 Best Non-Fiction Books. Fussell’s landmark study of WWI remains a
literate, literary, and illuminating account of the Great War, the one that
changed a generation, ushered in the modern era, and revolutionized how we
see the world.
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©2003
Morrow, John H. Jr. The Great War in the Air: Military Aviation from 1909 to 1921
(Smithsonian History of Aviation). Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press,
1993.
A comprehensive study of the development and significance of airpower in
World War I, comparing various military, political, technological, industrial,
and cultural aspects of airpower in the major combatant powers, and discussing
aviators’ lives and their attitudes toward aerial combat. (Annotation copyright:
Book News, Inc., Portland, OR)
Tuchman, Barbara W. The Guns of August. New York: Ballantine Books, 1994.
In this Pulitzer Prize-winning history, Tuchman writes about the turning point
of the year 1914—the month leading up to the war and the first month of the
war.
Tuchman, Barbara W. Zimmermann Telegram. New York: Ballantine Books, 1985.
In this slim volume that reads like a whodunit, Barbara Tuchman reveals the little-known secret of the Zimmerman telegram, and the part it played in the
United States’ entry into the Great War.
WEB RESOURCES
Note: Teachers should preview all sites to ensure they are age-appropriate for their
students. At the time of publication, all URLs were valid.
This companion resource to the PBS series contains time lines, maps, and more
than 20 interviews with World War I historians:
http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/
The Library of Congress exhibit on U.S. Participation in the Great War (World
War I), containing many primary source documents:
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/features/timeline/progress/wwone/wwone.html
A History Channel affiliate, this is a personal Web site, created by a WWI history
buff, with articles and information on all aspects of the war. (The site contains no
ads, but it is recommended that teachers preview the site before students.):
http://www.worldwar1.com
This Web site provides information on Aces and Aircraft of World War I:
http://www.theaerodrome.com/
©2003
World War I—The War in Europe ✯ 17
VIDEO QUIZ: WORLD WAR I—THE WAR
IN
EUROPE
Name_______________________________________________
Date________________________________________________
Read each of the following statements and circle T if it is true, or F if it is false.
T
F
1. Asian military alliances were responsible for the outbreak of World War I.
T
F
2. Americans were universal in their desire to enter World War I.
T
F
3. President Theodore Roosevelt signed the declaration of war against
Germany.
T
F
4. The sinking of the Titanic sealed the U.S. decision to enter World War I.
T
F
5. The Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance combined to form the Central
Powers.
T
F
6. More than 65 million people fought in World War I.
T
F
7. Battlefield trenches were choked with mire, rats, and lice.
T
F
8. German U-boats sunk many merchant ships destined for Great Britain.
T
F
9. Women and African Americans did not participate in World War I.
T
F
10. General John J. Pershing led the American Expeditionary Force.
18 ✯ America in the 20th Century
©2003