9.1.2 Europe goes to war

• History
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 3

9.1.2: World War 1: Europe goes to war

9. The Time of World Wars

Important dates in this lesson:

1914

June 28:       assassination of Franz Ferdinand

August 3:     Germany invades Belgium (start Schlieffenplan)

Sept. 5 - 12: Battle of the Marne

What you will learn in 

this lesson

• Why the murder of Franz Ferdinand was the direct cause of the war
  
• How the Schlieffenplan failed
  
• What trench warfare is
  
• What life in the trenches was like

Use these questions to make your own summary

Lesson 9.1.2 Europe goes to war

Direct cause of WW1

• the assassination of archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary
   

Going to war

• Countries mobilize their armies
• Aug 1914: Start of WW1. Germany attacks using the Schlieffenplan
• Blitzkrieg turns into a stalemate: trenches are built
• Life in the trenches

Introduction

On 28th June 1914, the 19-year-old Gavrilo Princip stood along the road in the Bosnian city of Sarajevo. He was a member of The Black Hand, a secret Serbian military organisation. Princip and his companions were waiting for Franz Ferdinand, the Austrian crown prince, who was about to visit the Bosnian capital. They were instructed to kill him…

Archduke Franz Ferdinand arrives at the townhall of Sarajevo, after he survived the first assasination attempt.

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The assassination of Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria and Royal Prince of Hungary, was the cousin of the Austrian emperor and heir to the throne. He and his wife were making a visit to the Bosnian capital to show Austria’s influence in the Balkan region. In Sarajevo, hundreds of people showed up to see a glimpse of the royal couple on their tour through the city. But horror unfolded when a member of The Black Hand threw a grenade at the car. He missed and the bomb exploded underneath the next car. The passengers were hurt, but Franz Ferdinand was taken to safety. Gavrilo Princip, who stood further along the route, heard about the failed attempt. Disappointed with this, he went into a bar to get a drink. Meanwhile Franz Ferdinand had changed his plans: he decided to visit the victims of the attack in the hospital instead of meeting Sarajevo’s mayor. His driver did not know that the plans had changed and had to turn around along the route. From the bar across the street, Princip saw that the car had to make a turn. Immediately he walked out, drew his weapon and shot. Franz Ferdinand and his wife were hit and they both died within minutes.

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.

After the assassination, Bosnia became part of Serbia again

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

Lesson 9.1.2 Europe goes to war

Direct cause of WW1

• the assassination of archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary

Going to war

• Countries mobilize their armies
• Aug 1914: Start of WW1. Germany attacks using the Schlieffenplan
• Blitzkrieg turns into a stalemate: trenches are built
• Life in the trenches

The direct cause of the war

Austria declares war on Serbia.

        For their defence, Serbia looked to its ally Russia for support. The Russians knowing that their French allies would help them, immediately started to mobilise their army on the German and Austrian border. 

The Germans declared war on Russia and later on its ally France.

Nationalism  +  militarism  = enthusiasm for war. 

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"

Mobilize = preparing the army for battle and moving the soldiers to the borders

Russia's mobilisation was reason for Germany to declare war on Russia.

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

The countries that went to war expected a long lasting war

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

Look at the source
What is the mood of these soldiers
who are about to go to war?

1. angry
2. cheerful
3. worried
4. disgusted

Lesson 9.1.2 Europe goes to war

Direct cause of WW1

• the assassination of archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary

Going to war

• Countries mobilize their armies
• Aug 1914: Start of WW1. Germany attacks using the Schlieffenplan
• Blitzkrieg turns into a stalemate: trenches are built
• Life in the trenches

The Schlieffenplan

Russia

Germany

France

Britain

Vlaggen zijn versleepbaar!

The first days of the war

The German Schlieffenplan (see §1.1)

BUT!

       The Belgians resisted furiously

              Britain proclaimed its support                to the Allies 

 

       Russia mobilised its army faster then expected.

Newspaper August 1st 1914

German infantry on the move in Belgium, Aug 7th, 1914

Why did Britain declare war on Germany?

1. Germany had attacked British ships
2. Britain had promised to protect Belgium
3. France had asked Britain for help
4. The British had a pact with Austria-Hungary

Lesson 9.1.2 Europe goes to war

Direct cause of WW1

• the assassination of archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary

Going to war

• Countries mobilize their armies
• Aug 1914: Start of WW1. Germany attacks using the Schlieffenplan
• Blitzkrieg turns into a stalemate: trenches are built
• Life in the trenches

1.2 Europe goes to war

Lesson objectives=

(What is the direct cause of the war?)

how it was to fight and live in the trenches?

War on the Western Front

During the Battle of the Marne (5th - 12th september 1914)

          German army halted.

Stalemate           trench warfare

French soldiers taking a rest in their trench (january 1915)

The Cheshire Regiment trapt in a trench (near the Albert-Bapaume-road in Ovillers-la-Boisselle, July 1916 during the battle of the Somme)

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".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/0/ww1/

360˚ video of a trench

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)

Third battle of Ypres, better known as the battle of Passchendaele. (in Passchendaele, 1917)

Third battle of Ypres, better known as the battle of Passchendaele (31st of July – 10th of November 1917)

Fort Douaumont (near Verdun, France) before and after the war.

Which statement is correct?
I. trenches are easier to defend then to conquer
II. a stalemate is a situation in which neither side can make a winning move

1. only I is correct
2. only II is correct
3. both are correct
4. both are wrong

Put the events in the correct chronological order

Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia.

The Triple Entente is formed.

The Schlieffen Plan failed.

The First World War turns into a trench war.

Franz Ferdinand is assassinated.

Lesson 9.1.2 Europe goes to war

Direct cause of WW1

• the assassination of archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary

Going to war

• Countries mobilize their armies
• Aug 1914: Start of WW1. Germany attacks using the Schlieffenplan
• Blitzkrieg turns into a stalemate: trenches are built
• Life in the trenches

Life in the trenches

The life of soldiers in the trenches was terrible. They did not get much sleep because they had to stand guard or do other chores. During a break, they had to try to sleep through the sound of the artillery bombardments. Luxuries were rare and on some days there was barely enough food. The trenches were also very unhygienic; toilets were dug into the ground and when it rained they sometimes overflowed into the trenches. Dead bodies were buried nearby, which gave off a terrible smell. Rats infested the trenches, of which some grew as big as cats. Most soldiers had lice, which caused terrible itchiness. When it rained or snowed, the trenches became muddy and cold; soldiers’ clothes would not dry and their boots remained wet, which could cause trench foot. Their feet became numb, turned blue, swelled up and got covered with blisters and open wounds. In the worst cases, a foot had to be amputated or caused an illness that resulted in death. Life in the trenches was the very opposite of the ‘glorious war’ that the young soldiers had signed up for.

life in the trenches. Above: British troops, below: French troops.

French soldiers after a successful rat hunt in the trenches.

Rats were a terror, as they ate from the corpses and 

from the rations. They sometimes grew as big as cats.

‘Over the top’

The saying ‘going over the top’ is derived from World War I. Soldiers had to climb out of the trenches and run across the no-man’s-land to attack the enemy. Going over the top was the ultimate test of bravery.

Fragment from the diary of an unknow soldier, 1914-1918

For what research question could this be a usable source?

1. How was a trench war fought?
2. What was life like in the trenches?
3. Was propaganda used during World War I?
4. How many soldiers died during World War I?

Finally, here you can write down a question about
something from this lesson that you don't fully understand yet.

To work!

• What? Make a summary, mindmap, work out the learning objectives.

• How? Alone in silence (music with headphones is allowed)
  
• Help? Ask neighbour. Can't work it out together? Ask teacher for help.
  
• Time? Until the end of the lesson.

Almost done!

• What? Make a summary, mindmap, work out the learning objectives.

• How? Alone in silence (music with headphones is allowed)
  
• Help? Ask neighbour. Can't work it out together? Ask teacher for help.
  
• Time? Until the end of the lesson.