9.1.2: Europe goes to war -T-

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

9.1.2: World War 1: Europe goes to war

9. The Time of World Wars

-T-

What is this lesson about?

The assassination of the Archduke of Austria-Hungary became the direct cause of World War I. The Allies fought against the Central Powers on two fronts. In Eastern Europe, the Russians battled the Germans and Austrians. The war in the Western Front quickly turned into a stalemate in which both sides dug defensive trenches. The living conditions of the soldiers in the trenches were terrible.

people in this lesson

Wilhelm II

emperor

German Empire

Franz Joseph II

emperor

Austria-Hungary

Gavrilo Princip

assassin

Serbia

Franz Ferdinand

crown prince

Austria-Hungary

Word Duty

mobilisation: preparing the army for battle and moving the soldiers to the borders

neutrality: policy of a nation not supporting or helping either side in a conflict, war etc.

Battle of the Marne: battle in 1914, in which the advance of the German troops through France was halted

stalemate: situation in which neither side can make a winning move (the term comes from the game of chess)

trench war: a war in which both sides build a heavily defended frontline

trenches: long, narrow ditches defended with bunkers, machineguns and barbed wire

artillery: long range guns or missile launchers used in warfare on land

WORD DUTY

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

Dec 24:        Christmas Truce

What you will learn in 

this lesson

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

Use these questions to make your own summary

In this lesson:

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 assessination attempt

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.

The direct cause of the war

When the Austrian emperor heard about the death of his cousin, he was infuriated. He blamed the Serbian government for the assassination and immediately consulted with his ally, Wilhelm II of Germany. They decided that Austria should declare 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 demanded that Russia should stop its mobilisation, but when there was no response to this, they declared war on Russia and later on its ally France.

The news of war spread through Europe like wildfire. Due to the prevalent feelings of nationalism and militarism, there was widespread enthusiasm for war. In every participating nation, people felt that war was necessary to solve a conflict. To win would also mean that their country would be the most powerful in Europe. Because they felt that their army was the best, they expected that their soldiers would be back home in a few months. Thousands of young men voluntarily enlisted in the army.

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"

See how within several weeks after the murder in Sarajevo, all of Europe went to war.

Mobilisation, August 1914. Departure of a troop transport train bound for France.

Source A

The first days of the war

Germany was the first to strike, on 3rd August 1914. In accordance with the Schlieffen Plan, they wanted to go through Belgium. When the Belgians did not allow them pass through, the Germans invaded their country. The Belgians resisted furiously; they were not going to let the German soldiers destroy their villages and cities. Another setback came when Russia had mobilised its army faster than expected and had success against the Austrian army. Because of this, the Germans had to withdraw soldiers from the Western Front to send them to the East. Moreover, Britain proclaimed that they would join the side of the Allies. The British had signed a treaty in 1839 in which they promised to defend Belgium’s neutrality, but the Germans never expected that the British would keep this promise.

Newspaper August 1st 1914

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

War on the Western Front

During the Battle of the Marne, which lasted from 5th to 12th September 1914, the German army was halted. From that moment, a quick win on the Western Front was impossible. The two sides became unable to move forward and they dug themselves in. It became a stalemate, with Belgium and Northern France turning into a war zone. In Western Europe, the armies of both sides were of equal strength and because of this, the war became a trench war. The generals ordered their soldiers to dig in along the front. This means that they dug trenches, narrow ditches and tunnels into the ground, to hide from the bullets and artillery of the enemy.

These trenches were heavily defended with bunkers, machineguns, barbed wire and landmines, thus making them almost impossible to overcome by force. Still the generals tried to do this for years, at the cost of millions of lives. The land between the trenches became a no-man’s-land. Because of all the bombing, the forests, creeks and hills of Belgium and Northern France became a muddy, barren land full of craters and holes.

French soldiers taking a rest in their trench

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)

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.

Christmas truce

In 1914, at Christmas, something wonderful happened. Soldiers on both sides were singing Christmas carols in their trenches. They were so close to the frontline that they could hear each other and decided to sing together. Some brave soldiers left their trenches to meet with their enemies in no-man’s-land. German, French and British soldiers shook hands, exchanges gifts and played football together. The truce ended when the generals forced soldiers to open fire on each other again.

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 .

‘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

You have finished with this lesson:
- You have read the texts
- You have made the summary
- You have done the practise questions.
Are you well prepared for a test or do you need additional help?

If you still need help, you can ask your question here.

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