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The Treaty of London 1839:Why Britain declared war on Germany
• In 1839 Britain had signed an international
treaty saying that Belgium would always
remain a neutral country.
• Germany had signed this too.
• When Germany invaded Belgium Britain
entered the war to defend Belgium’s right to
be neutral.
1914 – 1915 Illusions and Stalemate
Many Europeans were excited about war “Defend yourself
against the aggressors”
Domestic differences were put aside
1914 – 1915 Illusions and Stalemate
War would be
over in a few
weeks
Ignored the length
and brutality of the
American Civil War
1914 – 1915 Illusions and Stalemate
Belief that Modern industrial war could not be conducted for more than a few months
“Home by Christmas”
No major war in 50 years
1914 – 1915 Illusions and Stalemate
“Fatal attraction of
war”
Exhilarating release
from every day life
A glorious adventure
War would rid the
nations of selfishness
Spark a national re-birth
based on heroism
Recruitment PostersRecruitment Posters
Recruits of the Central PowersRecruits of the Central Powers
Austro-Hungarians
Austro-Hungarians
A German Soldier Says Farewell to His
Mother
A German Soldier Says Farewell to His
Mother
New French RecruitsNew French Recruits
A British Boy Pretends to Be a Soldier
A British Boy Pretends to Be a Soldier
Myth of War
The Schlieffen Plan
Invade western front 1st
Counted on the slow mobilization of Russian forces due to lack of railways
Called for 39 days for the fall of Paris, and 42 days for the defeat of France General Alfred Graf von
Schlieffen
The Schlieffen Plan
After defeating France concentrate on the Eastern front
Avoid fighting a 2 front war
The Schlieffen Plan’s Destructive Nature
Germany made vast encircling movement through Belgium to enter Paris
Underestimated speed of the British mobilization
Quickly sent troops to France
The Schlieffen Plan’s Destructive Nature
Sept 6-10, 1914
Battle of Marne
Stopped the Germans but
French troops were
exhausted
With this defeat the
Schlieffen Plan failed
Germany was forced to
fight a two front war
The Schlieffen Plan’s Destructive Nature
As the summer of 1914 turned to fall, the war turned into a long and bloody stalemate along the battlefields of France
Stalemate = to bring to a standstill; deadlock
This deadlocked region in northern France became known as the Western Front.
THE TRENCHES Both sides dug trenches
for shelter
Conflict descends into trench warfare Trench warfare = armies
fighting from trenches
Battles result in many deaths and very small land gains
Life in trenches is miserable, difficult, unsanitary.
LIFE IN THE TRENCHES
Elaborate systems
of defense barbed wire
Concrete machine gun
nests
Mortar batteries
Troops lived in holes
underground
Trench WarfareTrench Warfare
THE TRENCHES
LIFE IN THE TRENCHES Boredom
Soldiers read to pass the time
Soldiers were expected to carry all their equipment with them at all times
Suppose to keep it clean and in good condition They were British after
all
How the uniform and equipment changed after just three weeks in the
trenches…
No smiling and relaxed faces…
No clean uniforms…
Their equipment is scattered everywhere…
Boredom and sleep are obvious…
LIFE IN THE TRENCHES
Trench warfare
baffled military
leaders Attempt a breakthrough
Then return to a war of
movement
Millions of young men
sacrificed attempting
the breakthrough
TRENCH FOOT
Affected feet become numb and then turn
red or blue.
Advanced immersion foot often involves
blisters and open sores, which lead to fungal
infections
If left untreated, immersion foot usually
results in gangrene, which can require
amputation.
TRENCH RATS
The soldiers had very little decent food, and what food they had was often attacked by rats.
These rats were the size of small rabbits and badgers because they had fed on the decomposing bodies of dead soldiers.
BODY LICE
Men in the trenches suffered from lice
The first symptoms were shooting pains
in the shins and was followed by a very
high fever
Although the disease did not kill, it did
stop soldiers from fighting
Accounted for about 15% of all cases of
sickness in the British Army.