~ GALLERY WALK POSTERS ~

Transcription

1 ~ GALLERY WALK POSTERS ~ WAR ON THE WESTERN & EASTERN FRONTS Because of its location in the center of Europe, with opponents located on both sides, Germany was forced to fight a two-front war. Everyone around the globe expected World War I to be a short traditional war with a lot of movement. However, the conflict was actually fought with little movement. The map above indicated the short distance of advancements by both the Allies and the Central Powers during World War I. On the Western Front: The Western Front was the zone of fighting in Western Europe during World War I, when on the border between France and Germany during WWI, when Germany engaged armies to its west against France, Great Britain and the United States. On the Western Front, both the Allies and Central Powers soldiers built trenches for protection against the enemy. The war on the Western Front quickly became a stalemate, or deadlocked, which lasted for the entirety of World War I. On the Eastern Front: The Eastern Front was the zone of fighting in Eastern Europe during World War I, when Germany and Austria- Hungary engaged armies to its east against Russia and Serbia. On the Eastern Front, Russia struggled greatly during the war. Their only advantage was the large population they could supply for the war effort. However, since they had not yet industrialized their nation, the Russian government was unable to provide their soldiers with enough food, guns, ammunition, clothes, boots, blankets, and other necessary supplies.

2

3 HOW THE WAR WAS FOUGHT While everyone expected WWI would be fought like an old fashioned conflict, the opposing sides quickly reached a stalemate. For the first time, miles of trenches were dug opposite one another as protection from the exploding shells and machine gunfire. Soldiers were forced to live in these trenches for five days at a time. Trench Warfare Trenches were used on the Western Front (border of France & Germany) 500 miles of parallel ditches were dug No land was gained by this tactic - Germany only advanced 4 miles - Britain gained only 5 miles Many men died on their first day in the trenches as a consequence of a precisely aimed sniper s bullet. Therefore, novices were cautioned against looking over the trenches into No Man s Land (the open space between opposing trenches). It has been estimated that up to 1/3 of the Allied deaths occurred in the trenches. On top of death by violence, many soldiers died as a result of disease.

4 Rats infestd trenches. Since the rats regularly feasted on human remains, some even grew the size of a cat. Soldiers would attempt to get ride of these rodents in any way possible, because if the animals were left to survive, men might find them later scampering across their faces in the dark. Rats were not the only source of infection and nuisance. Lice were a never-ending problem, causing men to chronically itch. The lice caused Trench Fever, a particularly painful disease that began suddenly with severe pain followed by a high fever. Trench Foot was another medical condition that soldiers in the trenches faced regularly. It was a fungal infection of the feet caused by the men s feet always being cold, and enduring consent moisture from the pools of water in the trench and the overall unsanitary conditions. The infection could turn gangrenious (decay or decommission) and result in amputaion of the foot.

5 WHY DOES THE UNITED STATES JOIN THE WAR? At first, the United States tried to remain neutral. This neutrality ended in Two factors caused American entry into World War I: the naval war between Germany and Great Britain, coupled with a secret decoded message sent to Mexico. Britain set up a blockade of Germany, keeping war materials and other goods from reaching Germany by sea. Germany responded by setting up a counter blockade of Britain. Germany enforced their blockade with the use of unrestricted submarine warfare the sinking of neutral ships and enemy merchant & passenger ships without warning. On May 17, 1915, German forces sunk the British ship the Lusitania. Over 1,200 civilians, including 100 Americans, died. After strong protest from the United States, Germany suspended their submarine warfare to avoid antagonizing the United States further. In 1917, the Germans resumed submarine warfare, thinking it would cause the British to surrender. Then Germany sank three American ships that were carrying supplies to the Allies because they were angry the US was claiming neutrality but secretly providing the Allies with help. Germans hoped the was would end before the US could mobilize troops. The Zimmerman Note was a telegram sent from the German Foreign Secretary, Arthur Zimmerman, to Mexico. The British government intercepted the message, decoded it, and passed the information on to the United States government. The telegram indicates that Germany wants an alliance with Mexico. In exchange for joining on the side of the Central Powers, Mexico would be assisted by Germany in reclaiming land that they lost to the US during the Mexican-American War. This territory includes Texas, New Mexico, & Arizona. When the information of the telegram was published in the news, it caused public outrage among Americans and contributed to the US declaration of war against Germany and its allies.

6 Impact of the US Joining the War Entry of the United States gave the Allied Powers a psychological boost because the fresh American troops had not endured the horrors of war like the rest who were already involved in fighting for three continuous years. The United States also provided a new source of money and war materials for the Allies.

7 TOTAL WAR & WOMEN S ROLES IN THE WAR Total war is a military conflict in which the participating countries devote all their resources to the war effort. The nations involved in total war are willing to make any sacrifices necessary to win. In Britain, Germany, Austria, Russia, and France, the wartime governments took control of their economy. Numerous facilities were told what to produce and how much, and many factories were converted to produce vehicles and munitions. Nearly every able-bodied civilian was put to work, and there was almost no unemployment. On the home front, governments asked civilians to make sacrifices to the war effort, such as rationing: a limit on the number of goods citizens could buy. Sugar, meat, flour, butter, margarine, and milk were tightly controlled. Families were urged to consume less, because those items were needed for the soldiers fighting in the war. In 1915, German women rioted in cities to protest the high prices and food shortages. The German government announced: no fats sold on Mondays and Thursdays no meat on Tuesdays and Fridays no flour on the weekends Women and children in line for rationed food in Berlin, Germany in 1917.

8 Total war meant that governments needed help from women to supply soldiers with food, clothing, and weapons. Thousands of women, working in factories, offices, and shops, replaced the men who went off to war. Many women built tanks and munitions, while others were farm laborers, chimney sweeps, bus drivers, police officers and hospital staff. Women munition workers finish small arms cartridges at Woolwich Arsenal, London. Over 100,000 British women also became a part of the uniformed service to assist the war effort. Women s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) Women s Royal Naval Service and Royal Air Force Women served as cooks, drivers, and other non-combat roles. Women saw the horrors of war firsthand, working on front lines as nurses. Because the men took back jobs when the war ended, most women were forced to leave the workforce. After the war, however, women retained some independence and won the right to vote in many countries, including the United States, Britain, Germany, Sweden, and Austria.

9 WHY IS IT CALLED A WORLD WAR? By 1917, World War I was truly a global conflict. As the stalemate continued in Europe on the Western and Eastern Fronts, the Allies and the Central Powers looked to gain more alliances around the globe in hopes of gaining the advantage over their opponent. Japan entered the war on the Allies side, while the Ottoman Turks and later Bulgaria allied themselves with Germany and the Central Powers. Then Italy entered the war on the Allied side because France and Britain promised them territory in exchange for their help. In the Middle East (Southwest Asia), a British officer named T.E. Lawrence urged Arab princes to revolt against their Ottoman Turk rulers. These internal rebellions helped the Allied armies gain control of the region. The Allied Powers took advantage of the fact that Germany was distracted by fighting on two-fronts in Europe. Germany s colonies came under attack by the Allies. The Japanese, a part of the Allies, quickly overran German territories in China and stole a number of German held islands in the Pacific. Britain and France gained control of three of Germany s four African colonies. By attacking Germany s colonial possessions, the Allies were cutting off supplies and money that Germany would other wise benefit from.

10 In Asia and Africa, the British and French recruited subjects in their colonies for help in fighting the war. Fighting troops and laborers came from India, South Africa, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, and Indochina. Many fought and died on the battlefields, while others contributed to the war effort by providing supplies. Many of the colonial people believed that they would receive independence in exchange for helping their mother countries in the war. Sikh British Soldiers in India French colonial infantry in China

11 NEW WAR TECHNOLOGY Submarines German U-Boats Included torpedoes, a self-propelled underwater missile Germans used unrestricted submarine warfare sinking neutral ships and enemy merchant & passenger ships without warning Barbed Wire Blocked advances on the battle front Machine Gun Fires ammunition automatically Could wipe out waves of attackers Made it difficult to cross open areas

12 Artillery Killed more people than any other weapon between The biggest gun could fire shells as large as a soldier Shrapnel from these large shells would injure or kill soldiers Used to destroy barbed wire, machine guns, and kill soldiers Artillery made it harder to attack because it destroyed all cover & created a bare landscape of burnt trees & shell holes Aircraft Used to gather info about the enemy WWI is the first time planes were used for combat In 1915, machine guns were installed, then bombs Bombs Dropped over the enemy from aircraft Little accuracy at the beginning of the war, but British inventors improve it

13 Tanks 1916, British armored vehicle Purpose was to roll over rough ground, break through barbed wire, & crush machine gun posts Early tanks were slow & unreliable Poison Gas Introduced by the Germans, but used by both sides Over 60 types used Made the trenches miserable Poison gas burned the throat, made soldiers spit blood, & they struggled to breathe Gas masks were issued, but it could still blister the skin, eyes, & lungs Caused long-term health problems & even helped kill soldiers over 40 years later Use of poison gas was a sign that war had changed forever

14