World War One Overview

• Also known as the First World War
• Global conflict centered in Europe
• Duration: July 20, 1914 - November 11, 1918
• Lasted exactly 4 years, 3 months, and 14 days
• More than 15 million deaths
• Involved 135 countries
• Initially referred to as the Great War or the War to End All Wars

Alliances

• Allies:
  • Russia
  • France
  • British Empire
  • Italy
  • United States
  • Japan
  • Romania
  • Serbia
  • Belgium
  • Greece
  • Portugal
  • Montenegro
• Central Powers:
  • Germany
  • Austria-Hungary
  • Turkey
  • Bulgaria

Causes of the War

• Triggered by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (June 28, 1914)
  • Assassinated by Gavrilo Princip, a member of the Serbian terrorist group "The Black Hand"
• Underlying causes:
  • Differences over foreign policy
  • Tangle of alliances
  • Nationalism and militarism
  • Previous territorial conflicts (e.g., Bosnian crisis, Moroccan crisis)

U.S. Involvement

• Entered the war on April 6, 1917
• Triggered by the sinking of the Lusitania and the Zimmerman Telegram
• U.S. suffered 116,000 military deaths

Key Battles and Strategies

• The Battle of the Somme:
  • 58,000 British soldiers lost on the first day
• Chemical weapons (mustard gas) used for the first time
• Battle of Verdun (1916):
  • Over a million casualties in ten months

End of the War

• Armistice signed on November 11, 1918
• Collapse of several empires:
  • Russian Empire
  • Ottoman Empire
  • German Empire
  • Austro-Hungarian Empire
• Treaty of Versailles (1919):
  • Germany held responsible for the war
  • Required reparations and territorial concessions
  • Established League of Nations

Aftermath and Legacy

• League of Nations aimed to prevent future wars
• U.S. Senate refused to join the League, affecting its effectiveness
• Feelings of resentment in Germany due to the Treaty of Versailles

Interesting Facts

• Explosion in France heard in England
• Use of trench warfare; miners created tunnels and detonated explosives
• Journalists risked lives to report the war despite government restrictions
• Over 2 billion letters delivered to soldiers in trenches
• Plastic surgery techniques pioneered by Dr. Harold Gillies for facial reconstruction
• Youngest soldier was 12 years old (Sidney Lewis)
• Blood banks established during the war for transfusions
• Myth of trench life; many soldiers lived in relative safety within trench systems
• Generals often banned from frontline due to high casualty risks

Conclusion

• World War One had a lasting impact on global politics and society
• Connected to the rise of World War Two due to unresolved issues and resentment.