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[for-you-fish]

Welcome!

This is basically a Masterpost to keep things organized. 

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　World War 1　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Causes of World War 1

Technology in World War 1

Political Figures 

Reasons the U.S Joined the War

Propaganda 

Impacts of the Civil War 

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Impacts of the War

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5. League of Nations

After the war, people felt like they needed a secure group of nations that endorses worldwide peace and security. The League of Nations was developed on January 10, 1920. Unfortunately, The League of Nations didn’t last long. It disbanded on April 20, 1946. 

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4. The Economy 

After the war ended, many European nations fell into economic turmoil. It shifted the economic and Industrial power to the United States. 

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3. Geneva Protocol 

After the war, everyone saw the cruel and inhuman effects of using chemical gases on soldiers. The Geneva Protocol was passed in 1925. It prohibits the use of chemicals and bacteria in wartime. 

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2. Technology

During the war, there were a lot of new technical innovations that were made. We have made improvements to those inventions and we have developed new weapons based on those ones made in World War 1. 

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1. Treaty of Versailles

Ah yes, the Treaty of Versailles. Basically one of the main causes of World War 2. It blamed the entire war on Germany. Germany had to pay millions of dollars to pay for reparations. If I were a German, I would not be happy. They were definitely not happy with this. Many Germans saw it as unfair that Germany (And the Central Powers) had to take the blame for the war. People like Adolf Hitler wanted to do something about. 

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Sources

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Propaganda

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5. Remember Belgium

Remember Belgium was a piece of propaganda that was made after the Germans attacked Belgium. Why was this such a big deal? Belgium was a neutral country in the war. When Germany attacked them, it sent a message that it doesn’t matter what your status is in the war, no one was safe from Germany. This sent a lot of fear throughout the country. 

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4. A Spot for You

This piece of propaganda was used to convince young men to join the army. Basically said, “As long as you’re in good shape, you can become a soldier and fight for your country.”

[Sorry, the Image won’t load. Here is a link instead.]

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3. Help America’s Sons!

This piece of propaganda was used to promote war bonds. The message told women that they could still help with the war efforts even if they weren’t fighting. It basically says “Hey, women! Want to help your sons win this war? Buy war bonds! It’s the best thing you can do without fighting in the war!” I think they bring up “sons” in this propaganda to appeal to the parental side of women

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2. Silver to Bullets

This piece of propaganda urged citizens to donate their silver pieces so they could turn it into ammunition for the soldiers.

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1. SAVE

This piece of propaganda was used to urge citizens not to use certain foods like wheat, meat, sugar, and fats, so they could make more food for the soldiers.

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Sources

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Reasons the United States Joined World War 1

You get the gist. This is another top list for my World War 1 Project. This time this is a top 3 list. 

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3. Economics and Loans

The US invested a lot of money into the outcome of the war. Banks and businesses put a lot of money into funding the Allied powers. If the Allied powers ended up losing in the end, it would be bad for the business owners and banks because they most likely wouldn’t get their money back again. And honestly, no one wants to lose a large sum of money. 

This is last on the list because I really don’t think this really would have impacted the United States’ decision to enter the war that much. 

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2. Zimmerman Telegram

The Germans used these telegrams as a way of communicating with Mexico. The Germans tried to convince Mexico to become allies with them and go against the United States. The Germans offered Mexico financial support and military power in return for Mexico’s alliance. This obviously stressed the relationship between the U.S and Germany. (The relationship was already bad because Germany kept sinking U.S ships with random submarine attacks.)

This is number 2 on the list because I think that it was just a minor factor in our involvement in World War 1. (Well, not minor exactly. They were plotting against us so. . . )

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1. The Lusitania and Submarine Attacks

German U-Boats spotted the RMS Lusitania and attacked it. For those who don’t know, The Lusitania was an ocean liner. It wasn’t a battleship or an aircraft carrier. When the Lusitania sunk, it killed 1,193 people. Out of those 1,193 people, 128 of them were US citizens. This was the final straw for President Woodrow Wilson. Not too long after this, he asked congress to declare.

This is number 1 on this list because innocent human lives were lost. Human lives were more valuable than stocks or investments or alliances. 

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Sources

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Political Figures in World War 1

This is another list for my World War 1 Project. It will go from the most important person in World War 1. That’s basically it.

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5. Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Yes, we’re talking about this guy again. He was born on December 18, 1863, in Graz, Austria. He basically grew up in a royal family. He was trained from a young age to inherit his family's throne. He fell in love with Countess Sophia Chotek in 1894. His brother, Franz Joseph, did not approve of their relationship. Fortunately for the couple, many people were on their side (Even the Pope! Wow! Relationship goals, am I right?), so Franz Joseph eventually relented under 1 condition! None of their children could become heirs to the throne, ever. Of course, they accepted these terms and they got married. (Yadda, yadda, yadda) Of course, that’s not the important stuff. The real reason this guy is on this list again is because he is one of the direct causes of the Great War. On June 28, 1914, he and his wife Sophia were assassinated by the Serbian terrorist group, The Black Hand. 

Archduke Franz Ferdinand is placed 5th on this list because he was, in a way, the whole reason there was a war in the first place. I placed him pretty low on the list because he didn’t really do much in the war except for start it. 

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4. Nicholas II of Russia / Nikolay Aleksandrovich

Nikolay Aleksandrovich was born on May 6, 1868, in Pushkin, Russia. He was to inherit the Russian throne after his father died. He was crowned the Tsar of Russia on May 26, 1896. Based on what I’ve read about him, he wasn’t exactly an outstanding kid. To put it simply: He was average. Intellectually, he wasn’t much. (Not that he was stupid! That is not what I’m trying to say. I’m just trying to make the point that he was just really average.) He had military education from tutors and was very interested in the ins and outs of the army. (The physical exercises, parades, the insignias, etc)

Despite (supposedly) having a lot of charm, he was rather timid in nature. On the other hand, his wife, Alexandra Theodornva, was more outspoken and had a stronger personality than he did. Of course, how could they not fall for each other? They had 5 children together. 4 Daughters and 1 son. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, and Alexei. (Again, yadda, yadda, yadda. This is not the stuff you came here to read. Let’s get on with the interesting stuff.) 

Let’s just say Nikolay didn’t have the greatest first impression on his subjects. On the day of his coronation, thousands of Russian citizens were trampled to death. The couple's oblivion was not appreciated by the public. He made a bunch of other mistakes during his rule over Russia. During World War 1, on December 5, 1915, he dismissed his Commander in Chief in favor of controlling the armies himself. Unfortunately, without any prior war experience, to put it lightly, he didn’t do such a great job. Nikolay’s repeated failures sent Russia into political unrest and the citizens were sick of it. 

On March 15, 1917, Nikolay was forced to step down from his position as Tsar. Originally, the plan was to send him and his family to England. Instead, they were detained (Well, they were basically held hostage) in Yekaterinburg. They were sealed away in a house where they would all be killed on July 16, 1918. 

He is number 4 on this list because of his attempts to lead Russia. Sure, he tried to lead Russia to victory but he still wasn’t a good leader. 

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3. Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill opposed trench warfare. He proposed a new plan of attack that would prevent more men from dying in the trenches. He proposed that they should send in several fleets to invade and capture Constantinople and use that land as a route to give aid to their allies, Russia. Unfortunately due to several factors (Weather, a lack of confidence in the plan, and just other things like that) would lead to a bloodier battle than before. 9 months after invading Gallipoli they had to withdraw all troops. 

Winston Churchill is 3rd on the list because of his attempts to fix a bad situation. Also, his failures in this war would lead to the determined attitude he has in the Second World War. 

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2. David Lloyd George

(I just realized that I don’t really want to do all the background stuff on the rest of the people. Sorry that you don’t get to hear about their love lives anymore but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. At least it’s easier to get to the point now)

David Lloyd George was a British statesman who got elected as Prime Minister during World War 1. During the war, he quickly realized that Britain needed better military force. He set up various ammunition factories across the country to keep a steady supply to the front lines. He also had a way with words. He kept high hopes in Britain while still keeping a ‘down to earth’ perspective. 

He is number 2 on this list because he was a level-headed leader that successfully lead England to victory in World War 1. 

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1. Woodrow Wilson

Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States. He served his second term during World War 1. He opposed the war in the beginning but when the Germans attacked he basically said: “Enough is enough!” He believed in keeping the peace but when his country was being threatened he stood up to it. Congress declared war on April 2, 1917. 

He is number 1 on this list because of his values that led the United States to peace. That might just be the nationalist side of me but I personally think that Woodrow Wilson and his involvement in the war were the most impactful. 

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Sources

Masterpost

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Technology in World War 1

In this post, we will talk about the different technology and machinery that was developed during World War 1. Again, this is another Top 5 list. We’ll start with the worst and end with the best. (I’m not sure if that’s the right thing to say. Some of the technology on this list will have killed a lot of soldiers so I don’t know if it’s right for me to call them the best? So let’s go with the most efficient?)

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5. Airplanes / Air Warfare

It’s basically exactly how it sounds. They just used airplanes to fight in battle. Here’s some basic background history on the airplane. The first airplane was successfully flown in 1903 by Orville and Wilber Wright. Their version of the plane is much different than what our planes look like now. Their plane had a wire-like structure and flimsier wings. Honestly, I can’t describe it very well. It would be better if I just put a picture of it 

So yeah, very different from what we have today. 

Planes were first used in the War of Tripoli in 1911 by the Italians against the Turks. The use of planes in battle didn’t really become a thing until World War 1. Originally, aircrafts were used for reconnaissance. Aircrafts were basically used as another pair of eyes on the battlefield. As expected, the enemy didn’t want us to scout out their territory so things quickly led to in air combat. Basically, both sides fought to assert dominance over each other, to establish superiority over the other. Since air-to-air combat was becoming more common, planes were armed with machine guns. These machine guns were pretty much short-range weapons. They could reach around 200 yards. 

As the war progressed, air to air combat evolved. Basically, they developed different plans of attack. They had surprise attacks which were pretty efficient. When flying, pilots didn’t have much of a warning system. They only knew what they saw. Blindspot? That’s too bad. The sun is in your eyes and you can’t see the enemy? Oh well. There were also different techniques of evasion. They used different turns and techniques to avoid getting shot down. 

This is number 5 on the list because airplanes by themselves wouldn’t have done much. The machine guns and weapons that were added on were what made airplanes effective. 

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4. Rifles

Rifles have been around for a long time. (Well, in the context of the history of the human race, not that long. They’ve been around since before the American Revolution. So actually, I’ll leave it up to you on whether you think the rifle has been around for a long time or not.) Over time, it has been modified to improve its range and accuracy. 

Honestly, I don’t have a lot to say about this. I’m willing to sacrifice a few points for this. This is at spot number 4 because it was effective but it was also becoming outdated technology. 

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3. Tanks

Tanks were invented in response to the trench warfare problem. (Y’know, since the trenches weren’t exactly the greatest place on earth. I mean it was just dirty, disease spread quickly, there was almost never enough food, and just the trenches were a bad place to be.) They were invented to cross Deadmans’ Land safely and to crush barbed wire. 

The first tank was invented in Britain on September 6, 1915. Well, obviously not the finished product. The tank that was created on September 6, 1915, was the first prototype. It was named Little Willie. Let’s just say that Little Willie was a big disappointment. It was slow, too slow, and it got stuck in a lot of places and it overheated. So in 1916, they created the second prototype. They called this one Big Willie. Big Willie was still disappointing. Did the British give up after these failed attempts? NO! They made more improvements and by Mark IV, they’ve captured around 8,000 enemy troops with it. 

This is going in spot number 3 because of its efficiency. It had a lot of pros but I also had its fair amount of cons. I also just like it because in order to appeal to the British Navy they called it a “Land Boat”. I just thought that was funny. 

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2. Artillery

 Basically, Artillery is like a modern-day canon. It throws things across the battlefield farther than any gun can shoot. It can destroy enemy trenches and bases and things like that. 

(I’m not putting a picture because I already took a risk with the other pictures and I don’t want Tumblr to ban this account.) Here is a link instead.

Honestly, this is at number 2 because caused a lot of progress in the war. 

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1. Chemical Warfare

Chemical Warfare was originally used by France. They used xylyl bromide, which defined by Wikipedia as: 

A mixture of organic chemical compounds

And ethyl bromoacetate. So it’s basically tear gas. Tear gas didn’t have that many effects. It made your eyes water and it made it hard to breathe when you inhaled it. In extreme cases, it can cause temporary blindness if you’re exposed to too much of it. That was the extent of its effects. So let’s just say that it wasn’t too effective on soldiers with weapons. 

Then let’s just say that the Germans caught wind of what the French were doing. In 1915, Fritz Haber, who was the head of Germany’s Gas Warfare Program, used Chlorine Gas in a battle in Ypres, Belgium. The effects of Chlorine Gas wasn’t pretty. When inhaled, it reacts to the moisture in your lungs and creates hydrochloric acid. That acid would burn through lung tissue and it would often lead to a very quick death. If you survived the Chlorine Gas then you would have permanent lung damage and disability. 

It was effective. . . Until it wasn’t. The blue/green color of the gas gave itself away. So back to the drawing board! The next gas that was used was Carbonyl Dichloride (or Phosgene). Unlike Chlorine Gas, it was clear and odorless. Carbonyl Dichloride was extremely toxic. When inhaled, it reacts to the proteins in the Alveoli. This reaction will cause suffocation by disrupting the blood-air barrier. Again, this was effective at killing soldiers but of course, it wasn’t flawless. It didn’t work immediately. It took around 48 hours to take effect. The only immediate effect was having your eyes water. 

Fortunately, there was a way to avoid the effects of these gases. Soldiers used gas masks to protect themselves from the gas.

The most common gas that was used was bis(2-chloroethyl) sulfide. You will probably know it by it’s more common name “Mustard Gas”. It got that nickname from its mustard yellow color. Unlike the other 2 gases, you didn’t have to inhale Mustard Gas to take effect. Mustard Gas reacts with water/ liquid. It will irritate and create chemical burns and gross, yellow blisters on your skin. When it is inhaled it can cause bad respiratory problems. There are no initial symptoms of Mustard Gas. 

Since Mustard Gas reacts to the skin, Gas masks could not stop the effects of this gas. 

Gases were transported in a few different ways. They were delivered in color-coded artillery shells or containers. If they were using containers, they would leave them out and wait until the wind was blowing the right direction before releasing the gas. 

Surprisingly enough, the use of chemical warfare didn’t actually kill a lot of people. In fact, it only killed around 1% of soldiers that were killed in the war. Chemical warfare might not have had a big physical effect, it did have a huge psychological effect. Unlike a gunshot wound, you can’t see it. You may not know that you are about to die until it is too late. 

Fortunately, the use of Chemical Warfare was banned in 1925 when the Geneva Protocol went into effect. The Geneva Protocol banned the use of poisonous gases, chemicals, and bacterial methods in war. (This didn’t stop the Germans from using poisonous gases on people in concentration camps in World War Two. Though they technically weren’t breaking the rules of the protocol because it didn’t address anything relating to unarmed citizens. It only says not to use it in battles.). 

Chemical Warfare is in the number one spot just because I find it fascinating how the use of science could be so deadly in battle. That’s basically it

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Sources

Masterpost

[for-you-fish]

Welcome!

This is basically a Masterpost to keep things organized. 

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　World War 1　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Causes of World War 1

Technology in World War 1

Political Figures 

Reasons the U.S Joined the War

Propaganda 

Impacts of the Civil War 

[for-you-fish]

Causes of World War 1

In this post, we are going to be talking about the top 5 causes of World War 1. To remember these 5 causes, I used the acronym M.A.N.I.A that was previously taught to me. Since this is a “Top 5 List���, the causes won’t be in order. With that in mind, let’s get into it!

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5. Imperialism

Imperialism is the ‘i’ in “M.A.N.I.A”. 

By definition, imperialism means:

 A policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force.

In this context, European powers used military force to spread their power and colonize different parts of the world. To conquer so many territories, countries need to build up their military power. With this increased military power, tension starts to rise. Other countries start to build up their military power. (Because of course, it can’t not be a competition. Let’s face it, it’s just like that game Risk. You just want to conquer as many territories as you can and keep those territories from being conquered by other people.) So basically what I’m trying to say is that imperialism caused tension and lowkey is a cause for militarism and the Arms Race.

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4. Militarism

Militarism is the ‘m’ in “M.A.N.I.A”.

As stated above, militarism might as well have been caused by imperialism. I’ll get into that in a second. 

The definition of militarism is:

The belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests.

In simple terms, militarism is just the glorification of the military and war. It is to become strong enough that other countries don’t mess with you. 

I say that militarism is caused by imperialism because of the increase of strength in a countries military. Of course, there are nonviolent or forceful ways to show imperialism but in this context, there isn’t. The only difference between militarism and (forceful) imperialism is the reason why you are trying to build up your army. Militarism is to protect yourself against your opponents and imperialism is to spread your country’s power and control. 

Militarism is a cause of World War 1 because it created larger tension between countries. In my opinion, the world of politics and the art of running a country is a big competition. You have to show rival countries that you are better than them. Take the Arms Race as an example. During this time, Britain and Germany were trying to assert their dominance over the seas. In 1906, Britain released a new kind of battleship that was called the “Dreadnaught”. Not soon after that, Germany released its own kind of battleship. By 1914, Britain had 27 Dreadnaughts and Germany had 17 of their own ships. 

I should also mention that France, Russia, and Germany were in their own competition to expand their armies. 

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3. Nationalism

This one, I think, is pretty straight forward. But to follow the same format as I have been doing, let’s start with the definition of nationalism.

Identification with one's own nation and support for its interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations.

It’s just being proud of your country! 

Nationalism caused World War 1 by simply being a motivator for the people. People in a country want their country to do good. Let’s make up a country name. (This is mainly for my own sake, so I don’t have to keep typing “People in a country” or “A country”) Let’s call it Pangea. The people obviously don’t want to lose the war. They (probably) think their country is too great to lose. So they use that pride that they have as a motivator to fight for Pangea. 

It’s like when you root for a team in football. You root for this team because it’s for the state you grew up in. Let’s take the Packers as an example. A lot of people like the Packers because they are from Wisconsin. If I remember correctly, the Packers did really bad this year. (Don’t @ me. I wasn’t really paying attention.) That didn’t stop the Packers’ fans from rooting for their team. It’s that sort of stubborn pride that keeps supporters going. 

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2. Alliances

This one is also really obvious if you know basic history. 

Definition of Alliance:

A union or association formed for mutual benefit, especially between countries or organizations. 

Once Austria-Hungary declared war against Serbia it set things into motion. Once Serbia was threatened, Russia sprung into action to do what allies do. Russia threatened Austria-Hungary and A-H’s allies went to protect A-H. The political cartoon can describe what happened. 

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1. Assassination

We all know what an assassination is but for the sake of keeping the same format.

Assassination

The action of assassinating someone.

(Thanks a lot Google.)

This, I think, is the most important cause of World War 1. This is the spark that started this who shebang. On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophia were shot by Gavril Princip. They were assassinated because Serbia wanted to free South Slav from Austria-Hungary. And what better way to free people than to kill someone else? (Note my heavy sarcasm) For obvious reasons, Austria-Hungary was not happy. That same day, A-H declared war on Serbia. That triggered alliances to be set into motion and basically, the war started. 

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Sources (In Progress)

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