WW I Events

Before World War I, France and Russia made an agreement. Read these words from the agreement.

If France is attacked by Germany, or by Italy supported by Germany, Russia shall employ all her available forces to attack Germany.

If Russia is attacked by Germany, or by Austria supported by Germany, France shall employ all her available forces to attack Germany.

employ: use

On August 1, 1914, Germany declared war on Russia. Why did Germany declare war on France two days later? Because the German government knew that France was going to help Russia in the war.

The countries of France and Russia did not always agree on politics. However, they decided to form an alliance anyway. France wanted protection from Germany. Russia wanted protection from Austria-Hungary.

The "two-front" threat

By working together, France and Russia were a two-front threat. They could attack Germany and Austria-Hungary from both the east and the west.

French and Russian leaders hoped their two-front threat would make it less likely for Germany to attack them.

n August 4, 1914, Germany invaded Belgium. Belgium had an alliance with Great Britain.

Germany knew about Great Britain's alliance with Belgium. It invaded Belgium anyway. German leaders didn't think that Great Britain would actually join the war to protect its ally.

Britain at war!

The night of August 4, 1914, Great Britain declared war on Germany. The British government wanted to honor its agreement with Belgium.

In October 1914, the Ottoman Empire made an alliance with Germany. It became one of the Central powers.

At first, the Ottoman leaders didn't want to join the war. Their empire was already struggling. However, they were worried that European powers would take their land once the war was over. They decided to join the war to protect their territory.

The leaders of the Ottoman Empire preferred working with Germany. They also trusted Germany more than they trusted the Allies. So, the Ottoman Empire joined the Central powers.

When World War I started, the Ottoman Empire was weak. It had lost a lot of land and money to past wars. Because of this, it was nicknamed the sick man of Europe.

Stealing from the sick man

When World War I started, the Ottoman Empire was weak. It had lost a lot of land and money in past wars.

Many European countries wanted to take land from the empire. For example, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria took land from the Ottoman Empire before World War I started.

Once World War I began, the Ottoman Empire allied with Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria. But it didn't get its land back.

Woodrow Wilson was president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. He was president during all of World War I.

In 1914, most of Europe was entering World War I. The United States had an isolationist policy. In other words, it did not want to join the wars of other countries.

Why did the United States stay out of the war?

United States president Woodrow Wilson was worried about entering the war. There were many immigrants from Germany living in the United States. They might feel betrayed if the United States fought against their home country. In addition, the United States' economy might suffer if it could not trade with all European countries. Finally, many Americans didn't want to sacrifice American lives for a war that was far away.

"He has kept us out of war"

In 1916, Woodrow Wilson was elected president again. Many people liked Woodrow Wilson because he didn't join the war in 1914. His election slogan was "he has kept us out of war."

When World War I first started many thought it would be a quick war.

World War I started in the summer of 1914. Originally, many people believed that the war would be over quickly. The people in each country believed that their army could win the war easily. One popular saying during the time was that the war would be "over by Christmas."

Not over by Christmas

The Allied powers and Central powers were almost equally matched in resources and strength. Both sides used modern weapons and technology. Because of the matched resources and new technology, World War I was deadlier than past wars. It ended up lasting four long years.

This image shows German soldiers on their way to the French border. Many of them believed the war would be over soon.

The main type of fighting in World War I was trench warfare. Soldiers dug trenches, or deep holes in the ground, to protect themselves from enemy fire.

The area between the trenches of two opposing armies was called "no man's land." It was called "no man's land" because it was not protected. If a soldier went there, the enemy could easily see him and kill him.

Soldiers stayed in the trenches for weeks at a time. The trenches were dirty and uncomfortable. Many soldiers got sick in the trenches.

"Enemy fire" is another way of saying bullets from enemy weapons. So, the trenches were used to protect soldiers from enemy weapons.

Trench warfare is one reason why World War I lasted so long. It was hard for armies to take over their enemies' trenches. For much of the war, the two sides were at a stalemate. Neither side was able to make any progress.

During World War I, armies used poison gas as a weapon. Poisonous gas had never been used as a major weapon on the battlefield before. Sometimes soldiers died from these gases.

Gas masks stopped the gas from getting to the soldiers' lungs. However, the masks could not fully protect the soldiers. Uniforms that soaked up the poison gas had to be thrown away.

Weapons used in WWI:

• Airships were used by the Germans in World War I. They were called zeppelins. Although zeppelins didn't cause many deaths, they still frightened people.

• Machine guns were commonly used during World War I. Unlike old guns, machine guns could shoot bullets quickly without needing to be reloaded right away. Machine guns allowed soldiers to stop enemies from getting into their trenches. Many people died from machine guns.

• Submarines travel under water. Germany was the first country to use submarines in World War I. Submarines sink enemy ships with torpedoes, or missiles.

• Grenades are small bombs meant to be thrown at the enemy. Grenades could hold explosives or dangerous chemicals.

"U-boat" is short for the German word unterseeboot.

During World War I, U-boats were used in combat. Here are some facts about U-boats:

• U-boats could stay underwater for two hours. After that, soldiers in the U-boat needed to go back up to get air.

• U-boats had a supply of torpedoes. Since U-boats were hidden underwater, they could surprise other ships with attacks.

• U-boats attacked Allied military ships and other ships that were helping the Allies.

On May 7, 1915, German U-boats attacked the Lusitania. The Lusitania was a British ship. This attack upset the United States because the Lusitania had U.S. citizens on board.

Germany's warning

In April 1915, the German government put an ad in major U.S. newspapers. The ad warned Americans about traveling on Allied ships.

Many Americans ignored the warning in the newspaper. They thought the Lusitania was too fast to get hit by a torpedo.

When the Lusitania sank, many Americans were angry with Germany. Some Americans thought the United States should go to war. Others believed the United States should stay out of the war. The war had already been going on for longer than expected and many people didn't want American soldiers to die.

In 1917, the United States decided to join the war. One reason for the decision was the discovery of a secret telegram. The Zimmermann Telegram was a message between Mexico and Germany that proposed a military alliance between Germany and Mexico. If the United States entered World War I against Germany, Mexico would recover Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico.

The Zimmermann Telegram was written in code. The British cracked the code and sent the message to the United States.

The United States goes to war

When Woodrow Wilson found out about the Zimmermann Telegram, he wanted to go to war. On April 2, he asked Congress to declare war on Germany.

The United States Congress declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917, joining the Allied powers. The vote in the Senate was 82 to 6 in favor of going to war. The vote in the House of Representatives was 373 to 50.

August 1914

"The United States must be neutral in fact as well as in name . . .

" April 1917

"Neutrality is no longer feasible . . . where the peace of the world is involved and the freedom of its peoples . . ."

neutral: not picking any side in a war

feasible: possible

Woodrow Wilson's opinion about World War I changed over time.

Even after German U-boats sunk the Lusitania, the United States didn't declare war on Germany. However, by 1917, things had changed. More Americans supported going to war than in the past:

• • The Zimmermann telegram showed Americans that Germany was actively working against the United States.

  • More American ships were attacked by German U-boats than earlier in the war.

  • Some Americans heard reports that German soldiers were attacking innocent women and children. Many of these reports were not true, but many Americans wanted to stop Germany.

Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany. He felt that Germany was a threat to American safety.

General of the Armies of the United States

To honor John J. Pershing after the war, Congress promoted him. His title became General of the Armies of the United States.

General of the Armies of the United States is the highest U.S. military rank. The only other person in U.S. history with that title was George Washington!

One of the most famous army units in World War I was the 369th Infantry Regiment. It was nicknamed the Harlem Hellfighters. This unit was all African American.

Harlem Hellfighters to the rescue

During World War I, the United States army was segregated. This meant that African American soldiers were not allowed to fight with white Americans. But in 1917, the French Army needed extra help. So, the Harlem Hellfighters were sent to fight with French soldiers.

The French were impressed at how bravely the Harlem Hellfighters fought. After the war, the Harlem Hellfighters all received the Croix de Guerre for their brave service.

Why were they called the Harlem Hellfighters?

Harlem is a famous neighborhood in New York City. During World War I, most of the people who lived there were African American.

In December 1917, Russia dropped out of World War I for the Russian Revolution.

The October Revolution

In October 1917, there was a revolution in Russia. A man named Vladimir Lenin came to power.

Lenin wanted to focus on fixing some of the problems that Russian people were facing. So, he pulled Russia out of World War I.

World War I is sometimes called a total war.

In a total war, even people who aren't soldiers are targeted by the enemy.

In some cases, civilians are targeted because they provide help to the war effort. Here are some examples of how civilians contributed to World War I:

• • Many civilians, or non-soldiers, worked in weapons factories in their home countries. The weapons they made were then used to fight the enemy.

  • Civilians produced food that could be sent to soldiers. The food that civilians grew kept the soldiers healthy and strong for fighting. People saved food for soldiers to eat.

During World War I, women were often not allowed to fight as soldiers in the war. What did they do instead?

• • They built weapons and gas masks.

  • They worked as telephone operators.

  • They worked as nurses for soldiers.

  • They worked in steel mills.

Even though few women fought as soldiers, women played a big part in the war in other ways:

• • Women worked as nurses in the war. They worked long hours to treat the many wounded soldiers.

  • When men left for war, many jobs were left empty. Women took jobs that used to be given only to men. These women helped keep the economy going.

  • Women kept their countries' armies well-supplied. They built weapons for soldiers to use.

  • Women worked as telephone operators during World War I. They connected the person on one end of a telephone call with the right person on the other side. Telephone operators helped members of the military communicate.

"Food will win the war"

The United States Food Administration made posters like this during World War I. They encouraged families to save certain foods for soldiers. Saving food for soldiers was an important way that American civilians supported soldiers in the war.

At the end of World War I, an influenza epidemic spread across the world. An epidemic is when a disease quickly affects a large number of people. The epidemic lasted from 1918 to 1919.

About how many people died during the 1918-1919 influenza epidemic? 50,000,000

No entrance without a mask!

During the influenza epidemic, people were encouraged to wear masks to stop the spread of the flu. However, the masks didn't do much. More people died in the 1918-1919 influenza epidemic than in World War I.

In the winter of 1919, the epidemic ended naturally.