WWI: from beginning to end

• Geschiedenis
• Middelbare school
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• Leerjaar 5

Alliances (until 1917)

• The triple Entante: France, Great-Brittain, Russia, Serbia
  

• The triple alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria

• Neutral countries: The Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Switserland, Norway, Sweden

Von Schlieffenplan

• Germany was closed in by 2 enemies: France and Russia
• To prevent a two front war, Germany wanted to defeat France quickly in order to fully focus on Russia.
• So Germany planned to surprise France by attacking from Belgium

Trench warfare

• The Von Schlieffenplan failed: The German advances are stopped in Marne by the French and British.
• Both sides started to dig trenches to protect themselves from the shelling
• A long line of trenches stretched on the Western front

2 different fronts

Eastern front: a moving war until the truce with Russia (March 1918)

Western front: trench warfare with many casualities and little movement of the front line

Westfornt

Battle of Verdun

• 21/02/1916 - 18/12/1916
• 714.231 in 302 days
• Germany charged the French line at Verdun

Battle of the Somme

- 01/07/1916-18/11/1916

- around 1.000.000 wounded or dead

- Deadliest battle in UK history

- around 60.000 dead on the first day

Devastating total war

Huge impact on the countries involved:

- conscription and a lot of death

- Women taking over male jobs

- scarcity (food and materials)

- use of new horrifying weapons like tanks, bombs, gas

- civilian casualties

During the war...

Active us of:

• modern propaganda (posters, films)
• modern communication (telegraph, phones)

USA joins the war against Germany

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

Armistice 1918

• Truce on 11am on the 11th of the 11th 1918
• Germany surrenders
• Truce signed in train chariot in Compiègne

The peace of Versailles 1919