Ch. 20 Sect. 1
The Road To War
Objectives:
1.  Identify the main causes of World War I.
2.  Describe how the conflict expanded to draw in much of Europe.
3.  Describe the American response to the war in Europe.
Main Idea:
As World War I began and then expanded to much of Europe, the U.S.
remained neutral.
Causes Of WW I
  Imperialism, Militarism, Nationalism, and Alliances are the 4
main causes of WWI.
  Imperialism created rivalries among European powers as
they took over other nations creating colonies.
  Militarism building up a nation’s armed forces preparing for
war. Huge standing armies during peacetime (new policy).
  Nationalism saw European countries act on behalf of their
best interest and not in the best interest of Europe.
  Alliances the European powers created military alliances to
protect one another in war. It turns a small conflict into a
war involving most of Europe.
Event That Starts WWI
  Assassinations of Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his
wife Sophie will be the event that starts WWI.
  He was the heir to the Austria-Hungary throne. They
were killed on a visit to Sarajevo, Bosnia.
  The Austria-Hungary government believed the
neighboring country of Serbia was responsible for the
attack. Serbia wanted to unite with Bosnia and
promoted resisting Austria-Hungary rule.
  Austria-Hungary used the assassinations to crush
Serbia. Austria-Hungary made several demands on
Serbia and when Serbia did not meet all of them,
Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia.
Assassination Of
Franz & Sophie
Alliance System Kicks In
  Austria-Hungary received help from its main ally
Germany and after a year the Ottoman Empire (Turkey)
joins them creating the Central Powers.
  Serbia gets help from its main ally Russia, followed by
France and Great Britain. France joins the Allies after
being attacked by Germany. Great Britain joins
because of an alliance with Belgium, which was
invaded by Germany. Germany invaded Belgium
because it was the fastest route to Paris, France. In
1915 Italy joins the Allies and in 1917 the U.S. joins the
Allies. America’s response at the start of the war was
to remain neutral, but we traded with the Allies
upsetting the Germans.
Map Of WWI Alliances
Stalemate
  Experts predicted a 6 week war, war lasted over 4
years.
  Both sides were evenly matched in size and military
weapons. A huge offensive push led by cavalry was
usually enough to win a battle. But this tactic
failed due to the new weapon the machine gun.
  Germany will get to within 30 miles of Paris, where
the French and British will stop the attack and “dig
in.” The machine gun and trench warfare will turn
WWI into a stalemate. Neither side was winning.
Trench Design & Defense
Leaving The Trench
WWI Inventions & People
  WWI Inventions - Airplane, Convoy System (smaller
ships surrounding cargo ships), Flame Thrower, Hand
Grenades, Machine Gun (450 rounds per minute),
Poison Gas, Tank, Trench Warfare, and U-Boat
(submarine) – Extra Credit   David Lloyd George – Prime Minister of Great Britain
during WWI.
  Georges Clemenceau – Premier of France during WWI.
  Corporal Leon Roth – Motorcycle dispatcher from
Springfield, who carried the Armistice order to General
Pershing.
WWI By Numbers
  June 28, 1914 - assassination of Archduke Ferdinand
  August 1, 1914 - Germany declares war on Russia
  February – July 1916 - Battle of Verdun – longest, deadliest battle
600,000 soldiers killed
  April 6, 1917 – U.S. enters WW I
  November 11, 1918 – Armistice called fighting stops
  June 28, 1919 – Treaty of Versailles is signed
  8 million soldiers were killed during the war (France 1 million,
Great Britain 900,000, and U.S. 116,708)
  20 million civilians were killed during the war
  The U.S. drafted 4.7 million troops sending 2 million troops to
Europe. 204,002 U.S. soldiers were wounded