EUROPE AT WAR

CENTRAL POWERS VS. ALLIES By the end of the war, the two

sides were:

Central PowersAustria-Hungary

Germany

Bulgaria

Ottoman Empire

AlliesRussiaFranceGreat BritainJapanItalyU.S.

THE WESTERN FRONT 1914 - Stalemate along the border

of France This was the Western Front

*THE SCHLIEFFEN PLAN* Germany’s plan to win the war

It was: Germany planned a long war. Attack & defeat France FIRST Then rush East to fight Russia

In order for this to work, what had to happen? What actually happened?

THE FIRST BATTLE OF THE MARNE

Germany was on track to defeat France Made it almost all the way to Paris

The First Battle of the Marne September 5th

French armies regrouped in the Valley of the Marne

600 taxicabs rushed French soldiers from Paris to the front lines

Finally Germany had to retreat

EFFECTS OF THE FIRST BATTLE OF THE MARNE Any guesses? Destroyed the Schlieffen Plan

Russia had already invaded Germany Germany was going to have to fight a war on

two fronts after all

TRENCH WARFARE

Stalemate on the Western Front Troops dig trenches to protect

themselves from fire Trench Warfare

They then fight from those trenches Why does this make war last longer?

EXPERIENCES OF TRENCH WARFARE Some soldiers lived in

the trenches for weeks or months

Lived with rats, dead bodies, disease, starvation

Led to huge loss of human life for little land gain

TRENCH FACTS British Army treated 20,000 soldiers for trench foot To boost morale, there was a trench rotation. A week at

the front, a week in support, and a week on reserve. 1/3 of all casualties on the Western Front may have been

killed or wounded in a trench Daytime was mostly safe. Raids attacks, and

eavesdropping near enemy lines occurred at night or early morning.

Soldiers in the trenches often drank impure water causing dysentery

New weapons created a “no-man’s land” between enemy lines.

Soldiers would fight days , and many would die, for little or no gain in land

MACHINE GUNS, POISON GAS, TANKS & SUBMARINES

Poison Gas – Some caused blindness, others caused death by choking

Machine Guns – Defining feature of WWI, main cause of the huge death toll, made it difficult for troops to advance

Tanks – Could cross any type of terrain

Submarines – Changed naval warfare forever

WAR ON THE EASTERN FRONT

Meanwhile, troops were also battling between the German and Russian border

RUSSIA STRUGGLES

By 1916, Russia’s army was on life support Short on food, guns, ammunition, supplies The one thing Russia did have: a huge

population Though the Russian army was not strategically sound

or well-equipped, they tied up German forces in the East

Suffered massive death tolls

TIMELINE

1914 – WWI begins June 28, 1914 – Franz

Ferdinand shot

1915 Stalemate on the Western

front Gallipoli Campaign

1916 Feb – Dec – Battle of Verdun July – Battle of the Somme Russia struggles

1917 U.S. enters WWI Russia withdraws from

the war

1918 – WWI ends 1919 – Treaty of

Versailles signed