World War One:

A Power Point Look

CAUSES OF WWI

1.INDUSTRIALISM

Increased factories and mechanization allowed nations to build weapons at a rapid pace. European nations stockpiled massive amounts of weapons which meant that there would always be a supply of artillery.

2. NATIONALISM

European nations felt such pride in their countries that they were willing to fight and die for their homeland. This created tension in Europe because each nation was trying to prove its superiority over other countries.

Nationalism was heavily promoted through cultural practices in most European countries. One of the most effective and telling signs of nationalism was through music. Here is an example of a WWI song put to classical music. It was used in England during the war and

became a song that was only second in it’s popularity to ‘God Save the King’

Edward Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance March No 1

Dear Land of Hope, thy hope is crowned.God make thee mightier yet!On Sov'ran brows, beloved, renowned,Once more thy crown is set.Thine equal laws, by Freedom gained,Have ruled thee well and long;By Freedom gained, by Truth maintained,Thine Empire shall be strong.

Land of Hope and Glory,Mother of the Free,How shall we extol thee,Who are born of thee?Wider still and widerShall thy bounds be set;God, who made thee mighty,Make thee mightier yet.

Thy fame is ancient as the days,As Ocean large and wide:A pride that dares, and heeds not praise,A stern and silent pride:Not that false joy that dreams contentWith what our sires have won;The blood a hero sire hath spentStill nerves a hero son.

3. IMPERIALISM This was a desire by European nations to expand their borders and control other nations. Land equaled power at this time. This competition for land had the potential to lead to war.

4. MILITARISM

This was a belief by European nations that it was acceptable to solve their disputes by military action. It meant keeping a large scale army that was ready to go to war at any time.

5. ALLIANCE SYSTEMS

Triple Entente- Britain, France, Russia & Serbia

Triple Alliance- Germany, Austria-Hungary & Italy (which is later replaced by the Ottoman Empire)

Rather than discouraging the chance of war, the alliance systems increased the chance of war on a large scale. There could not be a small dispute among competing alliances.

TIMELINE:

The Road to War

1. The Trigger- The Assassination of Franz Ferdinand

Gavrillo Princip

2.Austrian Ultimatum to Serbia

3.Serbian Rejection and Russian Guarantee of Support

4. Austria-Hungary invades Serbia

5.Russia mobilizes to threaten Austria-Hungary

6.Germany mobilizes to threaten Russia

7.Germany declares war on Russia but…

8. Germany declares war on France and invades using the Schlieffen Plan

The Great War . Maps & Battles . Europe in 1914 | PBS

The Schlieffen Plan

Canada Prepares for War

Sam Hughes

Valcartier, Quebec

Daily Ration for Soldiers Training at Valcartier:

Pepper and salt11/4 pounds bread1 ounce tea13 ounce coffee1 ounce cheese2 ounces jam2 ounces beans2 ounces butter2 ounces sugar6 ounces fresh vegetables1 pound fresh meat1 pound potatoes1 ounce oil1 cubic foot woodFruit is extra

Infantryman, Canadian Expeditionary Force, France 1915-1916.

National Film Board: Canadian Expeditionary

Force Footage

Trench Life

Trench Foot

Shrapnel Wound

Virtual Tour of TrenchesBBC - History - Dug-out Entrance Vitual

Tour

Simulation game: Over the Top

Canadian Battles in World War One

1. Second Battle of Ypres, April, 1915 Canadian troops fought their first battle in the trenches in Belgium. The Germans subject them to a gas attack. The Canadians survive by covering their faces with urine soaked rags. 6000 Canadians die and Canada gains a reputation as a strong fighting force.

Soldiers using makeshift gas masks during the second battle of Ypres

Soldiers loading special gas canisters near the front

2. Battle of the Somme, July, 1916 Canadians were led by British General Haig. He ordered troops openly into no-man’s land. Canadians lost over 24,000 troops during this battle. This was the first time tanks were used in battle. Over 1 million lives were lost on both sides making it the worst battle in modern history.

Smashed German position as a result of artillery barrage.

Believed to be the only genuine picture of British troops in action on the 1st of July, 1916

British dead awaiting burial after July 1

Exploring a WWI Mark 1 Tank

3. Vimy Ridge, April, 1917

Canadian troops, led by General Arthur Currie, fought for the first time as a single unit. The Canadians won the battle in only four days. Allied countries applauded Canada’s success. This was a defining moment in Canadian independence.

A photograph of a position at Vimy Ridge

Trenches at Vimy Ridge

Grange Tunnels Dug Under the Battlefield at Vimy

Grange Tunnel - Veterans Affairs Canada

29th Infantry Battalion advancing over "No Man's Land" during the battle of Vimy Ridge. This was a part of the creeping barrage.

Canadian soldiers celebrating victory after taking Vimy

Present-day view of shell holes left from the Vimy battle

4. Passchendaele, October, 1917

Canadian troops were assigned this mud-filled ridge after three years of fighting here. General Currie took the operation over from General Haig and warned that there would be heavy casualties. Conditions were terrible and many lives were lost in this victory. The land had little significance.

Battlefield at Passchendaele

5. The Last Hundred Days, August-November, 1918

Canadian troops, led by Arthur Currie, fought in several battles forcing the Germans to retreat. They suffer 46,000 casualties in these battles but defeat a quarter of the entire German army. The fighting ends at 11:00 am on November 11, 1918. The war was over.

German prisoners after the Battle of Amiens

Canadians crossing the Rhine into Germany

THE RESULTS OF WWI

Leaders of the four major victorious powers—Britain's Prime Minister David Lloyd George, Italy's Prime Minister Vittorio Orlando, President Georges Clemenceau of France, and President Woodrow Wilson of the United States—met in 1919 at the Paris Peace Conference to settle the issues raised by World War I.

Paris Peace Conference, 1919

The Allied (victorious) countries met to discuss the settlement of WWI. Some of the issues that needed to be resolved included: how to punish the losing countries, who was ‘guilty’ for causing the war? And, how would peace be maintained in the world. Canada participates here as an independent nation and becomes a member of the League of Nations.

Official Flag of the League of Nations

The Treaty of Versailles, 1919

This treaty was the result of the peace conference and it formally ended the war. It demanded that Germany:

•Accept blame for the war (War Guilt Clause)•Significantly reduce the army and navy•Give back the land it had conquered•Pay reparations amounting to approx. $30 billion•Allow Allied troops to be stationed on it’s territory

This treaty was extremely harsh on Germany and many acknowledged that it would simply lead to the outbreak of another war. Germany signed it under protest. Germany would be burdened by the terms of this treaty until Hitler takes power in the 1930’s.

Go To Movies, Chapter 6: Injury andShellshockBBC - History -

World War One Movies