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Industrial Growth
In 1914, Industrial development led to a massive growth in Berlin and other cities. • Economic rivalries, rising nationalism (a love of one’s own country, and militarism (the glorification and growth of the military) were growing all over Europe. The Great Powers expanded their armies and navies, which caused many countries to begin to fear each other. These developments sowed the seeds of distrust that would eventually erupt into WWI. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeZMQoF2QR0 -
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WWI Timeline
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Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand
Several European countries formed alliances to defend each other in the event of an attack. Two groups were formed: the Triple Alliance, composed of Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary; and the Triple Entente composed of France, Russia, and Britain. The tension created by these groups laid the groundwork for war. Finally, on June 28th, 1914, The Archduke of Austria-Hungary, Franz Ferdinand, was assassinated in Serbia by Gavrillo Princip. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeZMQoF2QR0 -
War Begins!
• As a result of Ferdinand’s death, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Because of the alliances that had already been established, a chain reaction occurred that caused the major powers to declare war on one-another. Germany invaded France through Belgium, which was a neutral county. This caused Britain, an ally of France, to declare war against Germany. Now the whole world was at war. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeZMQoF2QR0 -
The Blank Cheque and Germany's Desire for Power
On July 6th, 1914, Germany opted to offer Austria-Hungary the “blank cheque;” this was a term for unconditional support of Austria-Hungary’s nationalist endeavors. Germany wanted to exert great influence around the world, which sparked the naval arms race with Britain. Source: http://www.firstworldwar.com/origins/causes.htm -
The Battle of Somme
In 1916, the allies created a plan to launch multiple simultaneous attacks on several fronts. At 7:30 AM on July 1st, 1916, the British Allies began marching across the no-man’s land that was the Somme battlefield. The British were slaughtered, so the Canadians stepped in to assist them. o On November 11th, Canadians managed to take control of the Regina Trench, a strategic point which had been the site of many failed allied assaults. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zseiJqpKouk -
The United States Joins the War
The United Stated joined the war effort in 1917 because of President Woodrow Wilson, who wanted to “make the world safe for democracy.” Source: http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/ -
The Battle of Vimy Ridge
The Battle of Vimy Ridge is a famous Canadian victory. It began on April 9th, 1917. Canadian Infantry advanced through artillery and explosions at a pace of 100 yards every 3 minutes. Their goal was to capture Hill 145, a strategic point that provided an overview of everything. On April 10th, the Canadians captured Hill 145. On April 12th, the Canadians captured The Pimple. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zseiJqpKouk -
Battle of Passchendaele
The Battle of Passchendaele took place between July and November of 1917. Canadians did not arrive on the battlefield until early October. The Canadians aimed to take over the Belgian Channel Ports. On November 6th, the First Canadian Division attacked Passchendaele Bridge while the Third Battalion of Toronto captured a German machine gun nest. That same day, the town was captured. It was a great victory for Canada. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zseiJqpKouk -
Woodrow Wilson's 14 Points and The League of Nations
Woodrow Wilson, the American president, listed his “Fourteen points” as a basis for long-standing peace. Among these points was the need for a League of Nations to maintain world peace. There was a fatal flaw in his plan: he wanted to create this highly symbolic organization that would ensure peace for Europe, yet America refused to join it. As a result of America’s refusal to join, the League was severely weakened. Source: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/treaty_of_versailles.htm. -
The Hundred Days Offensive
The Hundred Days Offensive was a series of battles that led to the ending of WWI. The purpose of these battles was to push back the German line, which led to their surrender in November of 1918. The Hundred Days Offensive consisted of the following battles: 1) The Battle of Amiens.
2) The Battle of Aras.
3) Breaking htrough the Drocourt Queant Line.
4) The Canal du Nord Offensive.
5) Capturing Cambrai and the Mons. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zseiJqpKouk -
The End of WWI
The official Armistace (cease-fire) was declared on November 11th, 1918. 9 million people died in the war. The global landscape was changed forever. Source: http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/ -
The Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was signed in the Versailles Palace near Paris. The Treaty was designed by David Lloyd George, a British politician; George Clemenceau, a senior French representative; and Woodrow Wilson, the American president. The Treaty dictated that Germany to take full responsibility for the war, and Germany would also pay war reparations to Belgium and France, where much of the fighting had occurred. Source: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/treaty_of_versailles.htm -
OPTIONAL: The Onset of the Great Depression
The stock market collapses on Wall Street on October 29th, 1929. This causes worldwide markets to crash, resulting in the Great Depression. Germany was hit especially hard by this depression since it still had war reparation payments to make. The result was that Germany, already humiliated by the Treaty of Versailles, was now in financial turmoil due to the circumstances of America and the rest of the world. This left its citizens in poverty. Source: www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/ -
OPTIONAL: Hitler's Rise to Power
The Nazi Party, led by Adolf Hitler, wins the German election with over eighteen per cent of the vote. This is an unprecedented victory for the Nazi party, which was previously a small contender in the Reichstag parliament. Hitler won the election because he promised the following to the German people:
1) Work for the unemployed and success to failed business owners. 2) An end to the war reparation payments to the Allies. Source: http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/
