WW1 ABC
Scott Summers B1
Alliances
The two teams of World War 1 were the alliances of the Allied Powers and the Central Powers.
World War 1 started between two countries. However, due to alliances, the rest of Europe erupted into war. Throughout the war, alliances kept gains at a minimum. The addition of the United States to the Allies gave the Allies the final advantage they needed over the Central Powers.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria was a member of the Central Powers during World War 1.
Bulgaria joined the Central Powers in an effort to take Serbia's area of Macedonia. They were not one of the major forces of the Central Powers but they did provide all they could to the war effort.
Central Powers
The Central Powers were the opposition to the Allied Powers in World War 1.
The Central Powers were made up by the countries of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey. The Central Powers were generally seen as the aggressors of World War 1. The Central Powers were defeated in the war and faced harsh reperations.
Franz Ferdinand
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary set off World War 1.
Europe was very close to war and all it needed was a spark. When Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was killed by a Serbian, countries immediately began mobilizing and declaring war on eachother
Germany
Germany was the main force of the Central Powers throughout the war.
Germany was usually seen as the aggressor of the war. They were the first to declare war and always seemed to cause more problems. As a result of their role in the war, they faced harsh consequences following the war.
Imperialism
Imperialism was one of the main causes of World War 1.
After conquering all of the defenseless territories of Africa, the European Powers looked to each other for more land. This caused all of Europe to erupt into war in hopes of gaining new terretory.
Japan
Japan was the part of the Allies that controlled the Pacific.
Japan entered the war on the side of the Allies mostly because of their diplomatic relationship with Great Britian. They joined the war effort in hopes to gain more Pacific Territories. Following the war, Japan was disappointed in what they received from the Treaty of Versailles. For this reason, Japan entered World War 2 on Germany's team.
Kaiser Wilhelm 2
Kaiser Wilhelm 2 was the leader of Germany in a very pivotal part of the years leading up to World War 1.
Kaiser Wilhelm 2 was an arrogant leader. He broke of ties with Austria Hungary and Italy because he did want share power with any other country. This decision ended up backfiring when they made new alliances not involving Germany.
Lusitania
The sinking of the passenger ship, the Lusitania, played a major role in the United States entering the war.
The Lusitania, a British passenger ship, was sunken by a German U-boat off the coast of Ireland. This enraged the U.S. because there were 128 Americans on the ship. President Wilson negotiated a stop to Germany's unrestricted submarine warefare. However, this would not last forever.
Militarism
Militarism was a major contributing factor to the start of World War 1.
All the powers of Europe had built huge militaries with money gained from the imperialization of Africa. Most countries were eager to test their new militaries and the assassination of Franz Ferdinand provided the spark for war to erupt.
Nationalism
Nationalism provided a feeling of superiority over other European countries and was a main cause of the war.
Countries had began to love their countries and be proud of their achievements. They started to believe they were better than everyone else and they wanted to prove themselves to the rest of the world.
Poison Gas
World War 1 was the first time poison gas was used in battle.
Probably one of the most negative legacies of World War 1 was poison gas. Numerous toxic gasses were used to combat trench warfare. The gas was heavier than air which caused to to seep down into the protective trenches. Many people were killed but those who survived experienced a lot of pain and horror.
Rationing
The United States resorted to rationing supplies in the states in order to be able to meet the demands of the war.
The United States experienced total war. This means every citizen was affected by the war. One way the United States conserved food was by rationing food on the homefront. This gave more food to the soldiers fighting in Europe.
Schlieffen Plan
The Schlieffen Plan was Germany's first offensive.
Germany's first offensive attack was know as the Schlieffen Plan. This plan was to attack France before they had time to mobilize and defeat France in six weeks. Then, their plan was to go east and fight against the other Allied Powers. The Germans could not defeat the French in the given amount of time and this forced them to fight a two front war.
Trench Warfare
Trench Warfare was a new system of fighting during World War 1.
Trench Warfare was developed on the western front as a result of the stalemate. The trenches that were fought in were dirty and disgusting. Soldier slept, ate, and fought from the trenches for months at a time. This new
U-Boat
German U-Boats were responsible for unrestricted submarine warfare.
German U-Boats first sunk the Lusitania. These submarines were ordered to torpedo any boat coming into the war area. After angering the United States, Germany agreed to stop submarine warfare but later started doing it again. German U-Boats caused many controversies in World War 1.
Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles, which ended the war, was directly responsible for the start of World War 2.
The treaty that ended World War 1 was very unfair to the Central Powers. The treaty was especially hard on Germany. They were required to decrease their standing army to almost nothing and they lost a lot of land. The Treaty of Versailles did not end the war, but rather put it on hold for twenty years.
Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson was the president of the United States during their involvement in World War 1.
Woodrow Wilson was forced into the war through the actions of Germany. His ideas for ending the war were his "Fourteen Points". These included his steps to world peace. Most notably was his idea to create a world peace organization. Although this was created, the United States did not join the League of Nations because congress did not agree. Woodrow Wilson tried very hard, but not many of his ideas were successful following the war.