Name: ______Class: ______

World War I

When did WWI occur?

World War I was a major conflict fought between 1914 and 1918. Other names for World War I include TheFirst World War, WWI, and TheGreat War.
Who fought in WWI?
World War I was fought between two groups. They were the Allied Powers and the Central Powers. The main members of the Allied Powers were France, Russia, and Britain. The United States also fought on the side of the Allies after 1917. The main members of the Central Powers were Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria.

Where did most of the fighting occur during WWI?
The majority of the fighting took place in Europe along two fronts: the western front and the eastern front. (The western front was a long line of trenches that ran from the coast of Belgium to Switzerland. A lot of the fighting along this front took place in France and Belgium. The eastern front was between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Bulgaria on one side and Russia and Romania on the other.)
What were the four main causes of WWI and how did the war start?
There were several reasons for World War I. The four main reasons for WWI are: Nationalism (the belief that your own country is better than all others), colonization (is the act of setting up a colony away from one's place of origin), militarism (a belief that a strong military force should be maintained and used aggressively to defend or promote national interests), and the alliance system (a formal agreement or treaty between two or more nations to cooperate for specific purposes). Also, the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the main catalyst for starting the war. After the assassination, Austria declared war on Serbia. Then Russia prepared to defend its ally Serbia. Next, Germany declared war on Russia to protect Austria. This caused France to declare war on Germany to protect its ally Russia. Germany invaded Belgium to get to France which caused Britain to declare war on Germany. This all happened in just a few days.

When did the USA get involved?

The United States did not become involved in the war until 1917. Though angered by the sinking of the passenger ship Lusitania by a German (u-boat) submarine in 1915, resulting in 128 American deaths, the last straw was the Zimmerman Telegram. This German message was sent to Mexico offering the country a chance to ally with Germany and attack the United States. In return, Germany promised the return of the territories that Mexico lost to the United States during the Mexican-American War. Upon discovering this telegram, the United States declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917.

How did WWI end?
The fighting ended on November 11, 1918 when a general armistice was agreed to by both sides. The war officially ended between Germany and the Allies with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in France. For its part in the war, Germany had to accept blame for causing the conflict and required to pay 33 billion dollars in restitution.

How did Georgia contribute to WWI?

Georgia made several contributions to the U.S. war effort during World War I. One of these contributions included providing more military training camps than any other states. These camps included Fort McPherson, Camp Gordon, Camp Benning, and Camp Stewart. Over 100,000 Georgians fought in the war, and over 3000 soldiers died in the fight in Europe. Georgia also housed a prisoner of war camp in the state and Georgia’s civilians rationed (portioned out) good and gave money (through bonds), and grew “victory gardens” to help supply the troops.

How many people died in WWI?

Millions of people died throughout Europe during this war. In fact,More than 65 million men fought in the war and 17 million deaths and 20 million wounded.

Who was president of the United States during WWI?

When World War I broke out in 1914, Woodrow Wilson was the president of the USA. He was determined to keep the United States out of the conflict but was unable to do so after learning about the Zimmerman Telegram.

Interesting Facts about World War I

  • Dogs were used in the trenches to carry messages. A well-trained messenger dog was considered a very fast and reliable way to carry messages.
  • It was the first major war where airplanes and tanks were used.
  • 90% of the 7.8 million soldiers from Austria-Hungary who fought in the war were either injured or killed.
  • When the British first invented tanks they called them "landships."
  • The terrorist group responsible for assassinating Archduke Ferdinand was called the Black Hand.
  • Famed scientist Marie Curie helped to equip vans with x-ray machines that enabled French doctors to see bullets in wounded men. These vans were called "petites Curies", meaning "little Curies”.