Name: Date: Global History 10 Period:

A Two Front War Background : The system of alliances turned the war between Austria-Hungary and Serbia into a wider war. Russia moved against Austria-Hungary. It figured that Germany would support Austria-Hungary, so it moved soldiers against Germany as well. Germany declared war on Russia and on Russia’s ally France. 1. Explain how the war between Austria-Hungary and Serbia turned into a war between several European countries. Due to its position, Germany was faced with fighting on two f ronts (area where fighting happens). On the Western Front, the Germans would be fighting the British and the French. On the Eastern Front, they would be fighting the Russians. Germany had a plan for winning the war on two fronts. This was the Sch l ie f fen P lan . The plan called for attacking and defeating France in the west and then rushing east to fight Russia. The Germans felt that the plan would work because Russia was not as industrialized and would take longer to supply its front lines. To capture France quickly, Germany moved through Belgium. Belgium was a neutral country. Angered by the invasion of Belgium, Britain declared war on Germany. 2. How was the location of Germany a problem for the German army in World

War I?

3. What was the Schlieffen Plan?

4. Predict whether or not the Germans would successfully avoid a two-front war using Schlieffen Plan. Explain your reasoning.

At first Germany was successful on the Western Front, until it made the mistake of changing

its plan. Instead of making quick moves, the Germans stopped and dug t renches (long narrow holes in the ground to protect the soldiers) into the ground to protect themselves. Trenches were protected with barbed wire (wires with sharp points). The space between the opposing trenches became known as “no man’s land.” When officers ordered an attack, their men went out over the top of their trenches into this bombed-out landscape. Life in the trenches was awful. The Industrial Revolution had enabled countries to produce new tools of war such as machine guns, poison gas, and armored tanks that killed hundreds of thousands of soldiers.

By early September 1914, the German army was defeated by the French. The war on the Western Front settled into a s ta lemate . There was heavy fighting with terrible losses, but almost no change in the position of either side. On the Eastern Front, Russian forces had already invaded

Germany and Austria-Hungary. Realizing this, Germany sent thousands of soldiers to help its forces in the east. The Schlieffen Plan failed, and Germany was now fighting a two- f ront war .

The Eastern Front was much larger than the Western Front. The war in the east was also a more mobile (movable) war than that in the west. Although Russia did not have a fully industrial military, the Russians were still difficult to defeat because Russia had a huge population and

could send millions to war. The large Russian army provided a constant threat to Germany. This threat prevented Germany from putting its full resources against the Allies in the West.

Germany and her allies were concerned with more than just the Western or Eastern Front. As the war raged on, fighting spread beyond Europe to Africa as well as Asia. The massive European conflict became a world war (a war that includes several continents). In various parts of Africa and Asia, Germany’s colonial possessions came under assault. Elsewhere in Africa and Asia, the British and French recruited subjects in their colonies for the struggle. Some colonial subjects wanted nothing to do with their European ruler’s conflicts. Others volunteered in the hope that service would lead to their independence. 5. Explain two reasons why the war in Europe became a World War?

6. If you were living in a British colony, would you have helped your mother country in World War I? Explain why.