Section 1.

The Great War Begins

Triple Alliance =
Germany, AustriaHungary, and Italy
Austrias declaration
of war sets off chain
reaction
Russia mobilizes to
the Russian/Austrian
Border
Germany declares
war on Russia and
France in response
Allied Powers =
Russia, France, and
Great Britain
Axis Powers =
another name for the
forces aligned with
Austria-Hungary and
Germany
Many people predict
a quick war, but
some are skeptical
The lamps are going
out all over Europe.
We shall not see
them lit again in our
lifetime. ~Sir
Edward Grey

Section 2.
A Bloody Stalemate

Western Front = a
deadlocked region
of fighting along
Northern France
Schlieffen Plan =
named after the
man who invented
it. Germany
planned to attack
France on the
Western Front and
defeat them
quickly and then
rush to the Eastern
Front to fight
Russia
The first battle of
Marne when the
Allied Powers 1st
begin to push back
Germany outside
of Paris
Extremely
important victory
bc it undermined
the Schlieffen Plan

Section 3.
War in the Trenches

CALIFORNIA STANDARDS

Trench Warfare =
we soldiers fought
one another from
parallel trenches
Miles of trenches
had been dug on
the Western Front
by 1915 on both
sides
Little lands were
ever gained, but
there was great
loss of life
Life in the
trenches was pure
misery. The men
slept in mud,
washed in mud,
ate mud, and
dreamed mud,
wrote one soldier.
The trenches
swarmed with rats.
Fresh food was
nonexistent. Sleep
was nearly
impossible.
The space
between the
opposing trenches
called no mans
land
Long brutal
fighting is
described by
French soldiers
In February 2016,
the Germans
launched a
massive attack
against the French
near Verdun. Each

Section 4.
New Weapons of War

Many new weapons were

invented during this time
that lead to incredible loss
of life. Some of these

side lost more

than 300,000 men.
In July 2016, the
British army tried
to relieve the
pressure on the
French. British
forces attacked
the Germans
northwest of
Verdun, in the
valley of the
Somme River. In
the first day of
battle alone, more
than 20,000 British
soldiers were
killed.
Battle of the
Somme ended in
November; each
side had suffered
more than half a
million casualties.
What did the
warring sides
gain? Near Verdun,
the Germans
advanced about
four miles. In the
Somme valley, the
British gained
about five miles.

Section 5
The Battle on the Eastern Front

Eastern Front = battle lines

on the Germany/Russian
border
More mobile warfare than on

weapons included:
Poison Gas Soldiers were
gas masks to protect
themselves. Gas could
blindness, blisters, or death.
Machine Guns New guns
could fire rounds
automatically and could
wipe out waves of soldiers
at a time.
Tanks Armored vehicles
that could move across
multiple terrains. Introduced
by the British in 1916 at the
Battle of the Somme.
Submarines Introduced by
the Germans in 1914.
Some of the weapons
invented during this time
are no longer allowed to be
used today due to ethical
issues (like gas)

Western Front
Battle of Tannenberg
Germans pushed back
Russians. More than 30,000
Russians killed
Austria also defeats the
Russians in Austria and
drives them out of their
country
By 1916, Russias war effort
is near collapse because
Russia was a country that
had not industrialized before
the war (unlike Germany
and Great Britain for
example)
Allied shipments to Russia
were also limited due to
German control of the Baltic
Sea
Russias main advantage is
its numbers
Armies would be slaughter
but Russia would just rebuild
its ranks from its population
Russia kept German soldiers
tied up on the Eastern Front
and as a result they could
not concentrate their full
force on the west
European conflict became
full fledged world war