This lesson contains 24 slides, with interactive quiz, text slides and 4 videos.
Items in this lesson
9.1.2: World War 1: Europe goes to war
9. The Time of World Wars
Slide 1 - Slide
Study the source. What disadvantage of an alliance does this source illustrate?
Slide 2 - Open question
Slide 3 - Slide
The assassination of Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie Chotek, on their state visit to Sarajevo. The illustration was published in the French newspaper Le Petit Journal on July 12, 1914.
Slide 4 - Slide
a German soldier accepts flowers from a woman in the street. The soldiers are cheerful. It's going to be a "Frische und Fröliche Krieg"
Slide 5 - Slide
Slide 6 - Slide
Slide 7 - Slide
general Alfred von Schlieffen
Slide 8 - Slide
Slide 9 - Video
Slide 10 - Video
Slide 11 - Slide
stalemate
The schlieffenplan failed.
the war turned into a stalemate
both sides dug trenches.
the war turned into a trench war....
....for the next 4 years....
= when neither side can make a winning move
Slide 12 - Slide
Slide 13 - Slide
Slide 14 - Slide
Sandbags were filled with earth and mud, and were meant to protect the soldiers
At the beginning of the war, the rations were still reasonable, but as the war lasted longer, there was also less (good) food.
If the soldiers did not have to fight, they would, for example, play cards.
In addition to the enemy, the soldiers suffered a lot from pests, such as rats and fleas. Some soldiers passed the time between battles by killing rats.
Dogs not only kept the soldiers company, they also delivered messages between the various trenches.
Soldiers could often only sleep during the day, because at night it was a good time to spy on the trenches of the enemies.
With a periscope, the soldiers could view the enemy without taking great risks. A periscope works with mirrors.
Thousands of letters and diaries of soldiers from the First World War have been preserved. These are important and valuable resources nowadays.
For the safety of the soldiers, the trenches were zigzag-shaped.
40,000 km of trenches are being built between the North Sea and the Swiss border (Western Front).
The area between the trenches is completely plowed in four years. It's called "no man's land".
During the video you can look in all directions! Try it out!
Keeping watch was one of the most important tasks you could get. There were very severe punishments for falling asleep during the watch.
Besides fighting and keeping watch, there were plenty of other annoying chores in a trench, such as replenishing sandbags, repairing barbed wire or emptying the latrines (toilets)
Slide 15 - Slide
Slide 16 - Video
Slide 17 - Slide
Slide 18 - Slide
Slide 19 - Slide
Slide 20 - Video
The Germans used the largest piece of artillery during the war, called the Pariser Kanone. They used this supergun to attack Paris from a distance of 120 kilometres. Other big cannons were ‘Fat Bertha’ and ‘Langer Max.’ All made by Krupstahl .
Slide 21 - Slide
‘Over the top’
Slide 22 - Slide
congratulations
congratulations
Slide 23 - Slide
Discuss: What was this document about and how did it affect the course of the war?
