Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Talk:World War I

2011-07-06T23:57:40Z

JasonN:

==Improve?==

Are we still doing the article improvement drive? This article says nothing about the events that led up to the war, or Wilson's 14 points plan. [[User:DanH|DanH]] 18:34, 25 April 2007 (EDT)

==Russian Revolution==

"the [[October Revolution]] ended any hopes for democracy within the former Tsarist territories for another two generations" - I would suggest it ended hopes until 1923 and the death of Lenin, when Russia seems to be on the verge of becoming a social democracy. Then, alas, Stalin won control. - Stevendavy
:Hope wasn't lost until Trotsky was kicked out. [[User:GodlessLiberal|GodlessLiberal]] 14:54, 29 April 2007 (EDT)

==Global war?==

"It was the first global war in history." It wasn't a global war. It was a European war. [[User:Blaise|Blaise]] 18:07, 8 May 2007 (EDT)

Blaise; there were engagements in the Middle East, West Africa, the Pacific. The only continent not to be involved was South America. and I am not too sure about that. The last full-scale mass cavalry charge in history took place at Beersheba in the Holy Land in October 1917...by Australians would you believe! It was bloody global, mate![[User:AlanE|AlanE]] 22:19, 15 May 2007 (EDT)

: All continents except Antarctica were involved

: Here is the full list

'''Australia''' 
Entered war together with Britain on 4 August 1914

'''Austria-Hungary''' 
Declared war with Serbia on 28 July 1914 
Declared war with Russia on 6 August 1914 
Declared war with Belgium on 28 August 1914 
Declared war with Portugal on 15 March 1916 

'''Belgium''' 
Invaded by Germany on 3 August 1914 

'''Bolivia''' 
Severed relations with Germany on 13 April 1917 

'''Brazil''' 
Severed relations with Germany on 11 April 1917 
Declared war with Germany on 26 October 1917 

'''Bulgaria''' 
Declared war with Serbia on 14 October 1915 
Declared war with Romania on 1 September 1916 

'''Canada''' 
Entered war together with Britain on 4 August 1914 

'''China''' 
Severed relations with Germany on 14 March 1917 
Declared war with Germany on 14 August 1917 
Declared war with Austria-Hungary on 14 August 1917 

'''Costa Rica''' 
Severed relations with Germany on 21 September 1917 
Declared war with Germany on 23 May 1918 

'''Cuba''' 
Declared war with Germany on 7 April 1917 

'''Ecuador''' 
Severed relations with Germany on 8 December 1917 

'''France''' 
Invaded by Germany on 2 August 1914 
Declared war with Austria-Hungary on 12 August 1914 
Declared war with Turkey on 5 November 1914 
Declared war with Bulgaria on 16 October 1915 

'''Germany''' 
Declared war with Russia on 1 August 1914 
Declared war with France on 3 August 1914 
Declared war with Belgium on 4 August 1914 
Declared war with Portugal on 9 March 1916 

'''Greece''' 
Declared war with Austria-Hungary on 27 June 1917 
Declared war with Bulgaria on 27 June 1917 
Declared war with Germany on 27 June 1917 
Declared war with Turkey on 27 June 1917 

'''Guatemala''' 
Declared war with Germany on 23 April 1918 

'''Haiti''' 
Declared war with Germany on 12 July 1918 

'''Honduras''' 
Declared war with Germany on 19 July 1918 

'''Italy''' 
Declared war with Austria-Hungary on 23 May 1915 
Declared war with Turkey on 21 August 1915 
Declared war with Germany on 28 August 1915 
Declared war with Bulgaria on 19 October 1915 

'''Japan''' 
Declared war with Germany on 23 August 1914 
Declared war with Austria-Hungary on 25 August 1914 

'''Liberia''' 
Declared war with Germany on 4 August 1914 

'''Montenegro''' 
Declared war with Austria-Hungary on 5 August 1914 
Declared war with Germany on 8 August 1914 
Declared war with Bulgaria on 15 October 1915 

'''New Zealand''' 
Entered war together with Britain on 4 August 1914 

'''Nicaragua''' 
Declared war with Austria-Hungary on 8 May 1918 
Declared war with Germany on 8 May 1918 

'''Panama''' 
Declared war with Germany on 7 April 1917 
Declared war with Austria-Hungary on 10 December 1917 

'''Peru''' 
Severed relations with Germany on 6 October 1917 

'''Portugal''' 
Entered war against Germany on 9 March 1916 
Entered war against Austria-Hungary on 15 March 1916 

'''Romania''' 
Declared war with Austria-Hungary on 27 August 1916 
Exited war with Treaty of Bucharest on 7 May 1918 
Re-entered the war on 10 November 1918 

'''Russia''' 
Declared war with Turkey on 2 November 1914 
Declared war with Bulgaria on 19 October 1915 

'''San Marino''' 
Declared war with Austria-Hungary on 3 June 1915 

'''Serbia''' 
Declared war with Germany on 6 August 1914 
Declared war with Turkey on 2 November 1914 

'''Siam''' 
Declared war with Austria-Hungary on 22 July 1917 
Declared war with Germany on 22 July 1917 

'''Turkey''' 
Declared war with Romania on 30 August 1916 
Severed relations with United States on 23 April 1917 

'''United Kingdom''' 
Declared war with Germany on 4 August 1914 
Declared war with Austria-Hungary on 12 August 1914 
Declared war with Turkey on 5 November 1914 
Declared war with Bulgaria on 15 October 1915 

'''United States of America''' 
Declared war with Germany on 6 April 1917 
Declared war with Austria-Hungary on 7 December 1917 

'''Uruguay''' 
Severed relations with Germany on 7 October 1917 

: This was a global war [[User:Samlake|Samlake]] 20:25, 9 March 2009 (EDT)

::The first global war was the [[Seven Year's War]], according to [[Winston Churchill]]. I am inclined to believe him.--[[User:JWeatherman|JWeatherman]] 10:01, 30 March 2009 (EDT)

==American casualties==
I would like to note the reasons behind the American troops having such a high mortality rate compared to other nations soldiers, but I'm not sure how to add it, partially due to it being rather unflattering on the parts of their commanders. Any thoughts? --[[User:JasonN|JasonN]] 00:03, 23 December 2009 (EST)

::if in doubt you can test it out on the talk page [[User:RJJensen|RJJensen]] 00:47, 23 December 2009 (EST)

::(In that case...) Unfortunately, the American soldiers lost far more men during their time in the war than they should have compared to their allies. This was due in part to their skeptical view of the way the war was being conducted, inexperience, and an overzealousness to get to grips with the enemy. As a result, they fought in 1918 the way the European troops had fought in 1914. Also, many American officers ordered attacks to take place all the way up to the very minute of the November 11th armistice.
It's rough, but you get the idea. --[[User:JasonN|JasonN]] 09:21, 5 January 2010 (EST)
::how many battle deaths were there? [[User:RJJensen|RJJensen]] 09:58, 5 January 2010 (EST)
:::There were 117,000 killed, and 207,000 wounded. The first time Americans participated on the front lines was in October of 1917, giving the AEF a total of a little over a year in the trenches. Additionally, the AEF didn't fight in many pitched battles against the German army that were comparable to Ypres, Verdun, or the Somme, due mostly to only arriving in large numbers near the end of the Micheal offensive. The battles the US troops fought in were almost (if not entirely) successes, they took more casualties than what would be expected when compared to nations that had been fighting since 1914-15. To their credit though, nobody could fault the US armies bravery in combat. Although, the allies casualty numbers for every nation are inflated by the Spanish influenza.--[[User:JasonN|JasonN]] 09:57, 6 January 2010 (EST)
:::less than half the deaths were in combat; most were flu. The Allies had rather higher rates. [[User:RJJensen|RJJensen]] 10:45, 6 January 2010 (EST)
::::I agree that the Spanish flu of 1918 killed something over half of the US troops that died overseas, but it still doesn't diminish the fact that America lost over 50,000 killed in action post-Michael offensive with a relatively smaller section of the front to cover. Their biggest engagements were in the second half of the second Marne, Saint-Mihiel, and the Meuse-Argonne offensive of which only the last of which was an attack upon a well entrenched and armed force, and that being the bloodiest battle in American history. Lastly, to the commonwealth forces credit, they refrained from intentionally sending troops into battle during the days when the armistice of 1918 was being discussed, while French and American troops, seeking revenge and glory respectively, were still sending troops over the top.--[[User:JasonN|JasonN]] 09:49, 7 January 2010 (EST)

== Add images! ==

This article could be greatly improved with the addition of some photos. Most (if not all) WWI photos are in the public domain and are easy to find. I don't have sufficient edit rights to upload photos, so I encourage anyone with the ability to please add some pictures! Thanks. [[User:EMorris|EMorris]] 15:11, 31 August 2010 (EDT)

==Darwinism==

I'm confused by the inclusion of a quote regarding darwinism and evolution at the introduction paragraph of the article. I've read a number of sources relating to the first world war, and only on the conservapedia page have I heard this vague reference to darwinism. I don't feel it's necessary, as it really was not a cause of WW1. Entangling alliances are by far the more important factor. Frankly, I think the current attempt to link it with evolution appears a desperate grasping at straws.

Talk:World War I

2011-07-06T23:55:30Z

JasonN:

Manfred von Richthofen

2011-07-06T23:42:54Z

JasonN:

{{Military bio
| image =[[Image:redbaron.jpg|300px]]
| name =Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen
| birth =May 2, 1892 Kleinburg, Lower Silesia (now Wrocław, [[Poland]])
| parents =Albrecht Phillip Karl Julius Freiherr von Richthofen Kunigunde von Schickfuss und Neudorff
| religion =Protestant
| spouse =none
| children =n/a
| death =April 21, 1918 Morlancourt Ridge, near Vaux-sur-Somme, [[France]]
| burial =Südfriedhof Cemetery, Wiesbaden, Germany
| education =Royal Military Academy, Lichterfelde, Germany
| branch =Imperial German Army Air Service (''Luftstreitkräfte'')
| years =1911–1918
| rank =Captain
| commands =''Jasta 11'' ''Jagdgeschwader 1'' ("Flying Circus")
| battles =[[World War I]]
| postmilitary =Died in combat
}}
'''Baron Manfred von Richthofen''' (2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918) was a German [[Flying ace|ace]] fighter pilot in [[World War I]], and known in history as the "Red Baron"<ref>http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0151771723&id=XB0HAAAAMAAJ&q=%22bloody+red+baron%22&dq=%22bloody+red+baron%22&[[Image:redbaron.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]pgis=1</ref> due to the bright red colour scheme on a plane he used late in the war. He was the most successful [[flying ace]] during World War I, being officially credited with 80 confirmed air combat victories during his service with the Imperial German Army Air Service (Luftstreitkräfte).

==Early Life and Outbreak of War==
Richthofen was born into an aristocratic Prussian family in Kleinburg, Silesia. He had two brothers, one of which being [[Lothar von Richthofen]], who would later join his brother's squadron, and one sister, His father, Phillip, was a cavalry Major in the German army. This was to form a basis for much of Richthofen's life. He joined a military cadet unit when he was 11, and completed his cadet training in 1911. Soon afterwards, his father got him accepted into a [[cavalry]] regiment.

Following the outbreak of [[World War One]], he served as a cavalry recon officer on both the Western and Eastern fronts. However, upon the bogging down of fighting on the Western front into [[trench warfare]], the cavalry became increasingly disused, and Richthofen was not satisfied with being used in a role that eventually became that of an infantry messenger. Leaving his cavalry regiment behind him, Richthofen applied, and was accepted into, the Imperial German Army Air Service (later Luftstreitkräfte).

==Piloting Career==
Richthofen began as an observer in a recon plane over the Eastern front between June and August 1915 with No. 69 Flying Squadron, before his unit was transferred to the Western front. Between October 1915 and March 1916, he completed his training as a pilot, and joined a bomber squadron. During his time as an observer and bomber pilot, he claimed to have downed two French aircraft, although he was unable to produce enough evidence to be given official credit for the victories.

During another stint flying bombers over the Eastern front, he was approached by [[Oswald Boelcke]], who was searching for promising pilots for the new fighter squadron, Jasta 2. After joining the unit, he won his first confirmed victory on September 17th, 1916.

Manfred was taught how to be an effective fighter pilot by his squadron commander, Oswald Boelcke. At the time, Boelcke was the German Ace-of Aces (the highest scoring German ace), and the first to write down the basic tactics for being a good fighter pilot, many of which he pioneered, and most are still used today. These were known as the [[Dicta Boelcke]]. Boelcke was killed in a flying accident after colliding with a member of his own jasta on October 28th, 1916, shortly after his 40th victory.

In January 1917, he was awarded the Pour le Mérite, the highest award for bravery that could be awarded to a member of the German army. Shortly afterwards, he was given command of Jasta 11, his now-famous "flying circus". Around this time, one of his pilots awoke one morning to see Manfred painting his plane red. When asked why, he responded with: "No reason in particular". This red colour scheme would eventually be shared by all the members of Jasta 11, with each plane having distinct personal markings for identification while airborne. Richthofen's however, was the only one to be painted almost purely red.

The most famous time period of his victories is April, 1917, called "bloody April" by the allied air services. During bloody April, Richthofen won 22 additional victories. On the 6th of July, he received a near-fatal head wound after being forced into an emergency landing by several British planes.

After a lengthy recovery period, Richthofen was never quite as efficient as a fighter once he returned to service.

==Death==

Manfred von Richthofen was killed on April 21, 1918. At the time of his death, he was in pursuit of a rookie Canadian pilot, Wilfrid "Wop" May. Fellow Canadian, and May's squadron commander, saw the pursuit and went to attempt to save May from the attacking triplane.

At this point, there is much contest between historians as to who fired the fatal shot at Richthofen, with some claiming that he was shot down by Roy Brown, and others claiming that the shot was fired by Australian anti-aircraft gunner, Cedric Popkin, who was also shooting at Richthofen during the same engagement.

Regardless, his plane crashed near an Australian trench, where he was buried with full military honours by the nearby No.3 squadron Australian Flying Corps. His last word, as reported by the Australians from the trench line, was simply "kaputt" (broken).

==In Popular Culture==

Contrary to popular belief, he did not fly exclusively in his Fokker dr.1 triplane, although he did use that aircraft for 20 of his victories. Many of the others were gained using a wide variety of planes at his disposal, most notably the Albatros D.III.

[[James Thurber]] wrote a famous story entitled ''The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,'' in which a mild-mannered man has heroic daydreams while running shopping errands for his wife. In one of them, he imagines himself a World War I pilot in the RAF fighting Von Richthofen's Flying Circus.

In [[Charles M. Schulz]]'s Peanuts cartoons, the beagle Snoopy, in a reference to Walter Mitty, is constantly daydreaming of being a World War I flying ace and fighting the Red Baron.

Then, in 1966, The Royal Guardsmen recorded a hit song entitled "Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron" which retells Schulz's story in song lyric form:

[[Image:snoppy.jpg]]

:Now, Snoopy had sworn that he'd get that man 
:So he asked the Great Pumpkin for a new battle plan 
:He challenged the German to a real dogfight 
:While the Baron was laughing, he got him in his sight.... 

*A videogame was made based on the song

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richthofen, Manfred von}}
[[Category:Military Commanders]]
[[Category:World War I]]
[[category:Air Power]]

Franz Ferdinand

2011-07-06T23:41:10Z

JasonN:

'''Franz Ferdinand''', born on December 18 1863, was the [[archduke]] of [[Austria]] and heir to the Imperial crown of Austria-Hungary.On June 28, 1914 he was assassinated in Sarajevo, capital of the Austro-Hungarian province of [[Bosnia-Herzegovina]], by [[Gavrilo Princip]], a member of the Black Hand organisation, a [[Serbia|Serbian]] ultra-nationalist group. The political ramifications of his assassination led to an outbreak of hostilities between countries in [[Europe]] and the start of [[World War I]].

Franz Ferdinand was the nephew and heir-apparent to Emperor Franz Joseph I, a monarch who was known for being staunchly conservative and traditionalist, opposing change of any kind. Ferdinand however, held to a slightly more progressive view of how Austria-Hungary should function in the future. At that time, their were significant ethnic and groups aside from Austrians and Hungarians, and these minorities had no representation in the running of the country. Franz Ferdinand had a map drawn up to illustrate his ambitious goal: The United States of Great Austria, wherein the significant ethnic groups would be given their own province within the greater superstate with a stark resemblance to the United States Of America.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferdinand, Franz}}
[[Category:International Political Figures]]

Franz Ferdinand

2010-11-08T19:03:45Z

JasonN: Added information on who he really was, rather than simply his death.

ARTICLE UNDER CONSTRUCTION

'''Franz Ferdinand''', born on December 18 1863, was the [[archduke]] of [[Austria]] and heir to the Imperial crown of Austria-Hungary.On June 28, 1914 he was assassinated in Sarajevo, capital of the Austro-Hungarian province of [[Bosnia-Herzegovina]], by [[Gavrilo Princip]], a member of the Black Hand organisation, a [[Serbia|Serbian]] ultra-nationalist group. The political ramifications of his assassination led to an outbreak of hostilities between countries in [[Europe]] and the start of [[World War I]].

Franz Ferdinand was the nephew and heir-apparent to Emperor Franz Joseph I, a monarch who was known for being staunchly conservative and traditionalist, opposing change of any kind. Ferdinand however, held to a slightly more progressive view of how Austria-Hungary should function in the future. At that time, their were significant ethnic and groups aside from Austrians and Hungarians, and these minorities had no representation in the running of the country. Franz Ferdinand had a map drawn up to illustrate his ambitious goal: The United States of Great Austria, wherein the significant ethnic groups would be given their own state within the greater superstate with stark resemblance to the United States Of America.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferdinand, Franz}}
[[Category:International Political Figures]]

Manfred von Richthofen

2010-11-08T18:47:24Z

JasonN: /* Piloting Career */

[[Image:redbaron.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]'''Manfred von Richthofen''' (2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918) was a German [[Flying ace|ace]] fighter pilot in [[World War I]]. He was also called the "[[Red Baron]]," the "Bloody Red Baron," the "Jolly Red Baron," the "Red Falcon," the "Red Devil," and "Le Diable Rouge."<ref>http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0151771723&id=XB0HAAAAMAAJ&q=%22bloody+red+baron%22&dq=%22bloody+red+baron%22&[[Image:redbaron.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]pgis=1</ref> (2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918) was a German fighter pilot known as the "Red Baron", due to the bright red colour scheme on his planes. He was the most successful [[flying ace]] during World War I, being officially credited with 80 confirmed air combat victories. He served in the Imperial German Army Air Service (Luftstreitkräfte).

==Early Life and Outbreak of War==
Richthofen was born into an aristocratic Prussian family in Kleinburg, Silesia. He had two brothers, one of which being [[Lothar von Richthofen]], who would later join his brother's squadron, and one sister, His father, Phillip, was a cavalry Major in the German army. This was to form a basis for much of Richthofen's life. He joined a military cadet unit when he was 11, and completed his cadet training in 1911. Soon afterwards, his father got him accepted into a [[cavalry]] regiment.

Following the outbreak of [[World War One]], he served as a cavalry recon officer on both the Western and Eastern fronts. However, upon the bogging down of fighting on the Western front into [[trench warfare]], the cavalry became increasingly disused, and Richthofen was not satisfied with being used in a role that eventually became that of an infantry messenger. Leaving his cavalry regiment behind him, Richthofen applied, and was accepted into, the Imperial German Army Air Service (later Luftstreitkräfte).

==Piloting Career==
Richthofen began as an observer in a recon plane over the Eastern front between June and August 1915 with No. 69 Flying Squadron, before his unit was transferred to the Western front. Between October 1915 and March 1916, he completed his training as a pilot, and joined a bomber squadron. During his time as an observer and bomber pilot, he claimed to have downed two French aircraft, although he was unable to produce enough evidence to be given official credit for the victories.

During another stint flying bombers over the Eastern front, he was approached by [[Oswald Boelcke]], who was searching for promising pilots for the new fighter squadron, Jasta 2. After joining the unit, he won his first confirmed victory on September 17th, 1916.

Manfred was taught how to be an effective fighter pilot by his squadron commander, Oswald Boelcke. At the time, Boelcke was the German Ace-of Aces (the highest scoring German ace), and the first to write down the basic tactics for being a good fighter pilot, many of which he pioneered, and most are still used today. These were known as the [[Dicta Boelcke]]. Boelcke was killed in a flying accident after colliding with a member of his own jasta on October 28th, 1916, shortly after his 40th victory.

In January 1917, he was awarded the Pour le Mérite, the highest award for bravery that could be awarded to a member of the German army. Shortly afterwards, he was given command of Jasta 11, his now-famous "flying circus". Around this time, one of his pilots awoke one morning to see Manfred painting his plane red. When asked why, he responded with: "No reason in particular". This red colour scheme would eventually be shared by all the members of Jasta 11, with each plane having distinct personal markings for identification while airborne. Richthofen's however, was the only one to be painted almost purely red.

The most famous time period of his victories is April, 1917, called "bloody April" by the allied air services. During bloody April, Richthofen won 22 additional victories. On the 6th of July, he received a near-fatal head wound after being forced into an emergency landing by several British planes.

After a lengthy recovery period, Richthofen was never quite as efficient as a fighter once he returned to service.

==Death==

Manfred von Richthofen was killed on April 21, 1918. At the time of his death, he was in pursuit of a rookie Canadian pilot, Wilfrid "Wop" May. Fellow Canadian, and May's squadron commander, saw the pursuit and went to attempt to save May from the attacking triplane.

At this point, there is much contest between historians as to who fired the fatal shot at Richthofen, with some claiming that he was shot down by Roy Brown, and others claiming that the shot was fired by Australian anti-aircraft gunner, Cedric Popkin, who was also shooting at Richthofen during the same engagement.

Regardless, his plane crashed near an Australian trench, where he was buried with full military honours by the nearby No.3 squadron Australian Flying Corps. His last word, as reported by the Australians from the trench line, was simply "kaputt" (broken).

==In Popular Culture==

Contrary to popular belief, he did not fly exclusively in his Fokker dr.1 triplane, although he did use that aircraft for 20 of his victories. Many of the others were gained using a wide variety of planes at his disposal, most notably the Albatros D.III.

[[James Thurber]] wrote a famous story entitled ''The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,'' in which a mild-mannered man has heroic daydreams while running shopping errands for his wife. In one of them, he imagines himself a World War I pilot in the RAF fighting Von Richthofen's Flying Circus.

In [[Charles M. Schulz]]'s Peanuts cartoons, the beagle Snoopy, in a reference to Walter Mitty, is constantly daydreaming of being a World War I flying ace and fighting the Red Baron.

Then, in 1966, The Royal Guardsmen recorded a hit song entitled "Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron" which retells Schulz's story in song lyric form:

[[Image:snoppy.jpg]]

:Now, Snoopy had sworn that he'd get that man 
:So he asked the Great Pumpkin for a new battle plan 
:He challenged the German to a real dogfight 
:While the Baron was laughing, he got him in his sight.... 

*A videogame was made based on the song

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richthofen, Manfred von}}
[[Category:Military Commanders]]
[[Category:World War I]]
[[category:Air Power]]

World War I

2010-08-24T23:22:17Z

JasonN: /* 1914 */

'''World War I''', also known as the '''First World War''' and '''The Great War''', was waged primarily in [[Europe]] from 1914 to 1918, but spilled over into Africa, the Middle East, and the Atlantic Ocean.

On one side of the war were the [[Central Powers]]: [[Austria-Hungary]], [[Germany]], [[Bulgaria]], and the [[Ottoman Empire]]. The major [[Allies]] consisted of the [[Britain|British]] and [[France|French Empires]], the Tsarist [[Russian Empire]](until 1917), [[Italy]], [[Japan]], and after 1917 the [[United States]].

World War I saw the first use of [[poison gas]], large [[artillery]], armored [[tank|tanks]], and [[airplane]]s. It was a "total war" because the governments involved took control over the economy and factories, giving first priority to the goods needed for war. Wage and price controls were imposed, there was rationing of goods for civilians, and free speech was limited. The governments put out [[propaganda]] to maximize support for the war and dislike of the enemy. Many of the techniques of population manipulation and central government control which we see today were first pioneered by European powers during World War I.

Historian Jacques Barzun observed how Darwinism caused the horrendous brutality of the wars leading up to this one: "Since in every European country between 1870 and 1914 there was a war party demanding armaments, an individualist party demanding ruthless competition, an imperialist party demanding a free hand over backward peoples, a socialist party demanding the conquest of power and a racialist party demanding internal purges against aliens — all of them, when appeals to greed and glory failed, invoked Spencer and Darwin, which was to say science incarnate."<ref>http://www.creators.com/conservative/pat-buchanan/making-a-monkey-out-of-darwin.html</ref>

=== A Spark Leads to a Fire ===
----
''Main article: [[Causes of World War I]]''

On June 28, 1914, a Serbian nationalist group of assassins known as The Black Hand, killed the [[Austrian]] [[Archduke Franz Ferdinand]] and his wife Sophie in [[Sarajevo]]. This action led to Austria-Hungary giving an ultimatum <ref>http://teachers.sduhsd.k12.ca.us/mmontgomery/world_history/world_war1/ultimatum.htm</ref> to Serbia. Serbia agreed to comply with all of the demands, except the ones which violated their sovereignty, and, due to a number of military alliances throughout Europe, a full scale war was soon in progress. Serbia requested support from its ally, [[Russia]], which mobilized its military forces. This mobilization led to [[Germany]] invading both Russia and [[France]] (which had an existing alliance with Russia), which was a part of Germany's [[Schlieffen Plan]] of war on two fronts. En route to France, German forces passed through neutral [[Belgium]]. The violation of this [[neutrality]] led [[Britain]] to declare war on Germany. [[Italy]] had an alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary, but refused to join the war.

Alternative theories cite the building of the Berlin-Baghdad railway and the problems it would have created for England. <ref>http://stinet.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA138432</ref>

=== Great Battles of World War I ===
----
World War I consisted mostly of [[trench warfare]]. This method of waging war was very slow and messy. Soldiers might wait in their trenches for weeks, only to advance a few feet and wait in a new trench. Unfortunately, this became a necessity, as air forces were in their infancy, and the first combat tank only saw action by August of 1916. There were several important battles which were fought before America joined the war.

'''[[First Battle of the Marne]]'''

By the 5th of September, 1914, the German invasion of France was going so successfully, that French and British forces were in a general retreat towards Paris, with the German army hot on their heels. Just prior to the battle, the two main German forces, the 1st and 2nd German armies, had split up to attack the French 5th and 6th armies, respectively. The regiments of the British Expeditionary Force were pushed in between the two German armies, acting as a wedge, allowing the Germans to be outflanked. Following that, the French 5th army launched a surprise attack, eventually forcing the German army to retreat, stopping after having marched 40 miles. A number of unofficial cease fires took place, allowing both sides to dig their own trenches, setting the tone for the rest of the war. The Western allies took 234,000 casualties, while the Germans took just over 220,000. France still refers to this battle as "The miracle of the Marne" to this day.

'''Gallipoli Campaign'''

In 1915, [[Winston Churchill]], then First Lord of the Admiralty, proposed a daring plan to attack the [[Dardanelles]], a narrow section of ocean south of what is now [[Turkey]], in order to open a supply route to Russia. Unfortunately, he made his plans based of bad intelligence.
A preliminary attack was launched in February of 1915, bombarding artillery of the Ottoman Empire. However, in March, a fleet of British and French warships attempted to navigate the Dardanelles and ran into mines at its narrowest point (which is only a mile wide).
The British and Churchill, not wanting to admit defeat, diverted British, Australian, New Zealander and French troops from training in [[Egypt]] to their campaign in Turkey. Putting together an amphibious Allied force, a plan was put together to land on the Turkish peninsula of Gallipoli on April 25. Although the Allies greatly outnumbered the Turks, poor counter-intelligence efforts by the Allies allowed the Ottoman Empire to resupply and reinforce the Gallipoli peninsula. Additionally, the Allies did not understand the terrain adequately and suffered from limited knowledge of their enemy. The Turkish soldiers were also very tenacious and very able fighters.
However, the bloody-mindedness of the British commanders led to nine months wasted on the peninsula, with 44,000 deaths among over 100,000 casualties before their successful withdrawal, which was completed by January 9th, 1916.

'''[[Battle of Verdun]]'''

In 1916, the Battle of Verdun between the French and Germans may have been the most demanding battle in world history. The struggle started when the Germans attacked [[Verdun]], France, a city surrounded by a ring of underground forts. At least 220,000 soldiers died, and at least 480,000 were wounded in this 10-month struggle that accomplished nothing. At the end the front lines were in nearly the same locations as at the beginning.

''' Brusilov Offensive '''

The Brusilov Offensive began on 4 June 1916 in spectacular fashion, demolishing the Austrian Fourth and Seventh Armies. The Austrians lost a staggering 1.5 million men (including 400,000 taken prisoner) and ceded some 25,000 square kilometres of ground. <ref>http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/brusilov.htm</ref>

With the launch of the Brusilov Offensive any hopes the Austrians harboured of bringing about victory in the east were extinguished. Austrian attacks in Italy ceased; and Romania finally entered the war with the Allies.

'''[[Battle of the Somme]]'''

Also in 1916, and also in France, the British and French armies met at the Somme River and began a massive attack on the Germans in order to distract them from [[Verdun]]. This became the Battle of the Somme, and the fighting was even heard across the British channel in England. First the Allies shelled the Germans to weaken them, and then 100,000 British soldiers charged the enemy. But the shelling did not have its intended effect, as the Germans were dug in too deeply to be affected by it. On July 1, 1916, the Germans killed 20,000 of the British soldiers and wounded over 40,000, making it the single worst day in British military history. This battle, which did not succeed in moving trench lines, eventually involved over 2 million men along a 30-mile front. The British and French lost nearly 750,000 men.

'''[[Third Battle of Ypres]]'''

For 18 months the British hid 19 huge land mines underneath the German lines southeast of Ypres, Belgium, a location that had already seen battles in 1914 and 1915. The British then detonated those massive mines, and charged the German positions in July 1917. At first the strategy worked, as the Germans were confused and disorganized. But the British did not pursue the Germans as quickly as they should have. Rain began to drench the area in one of the wettest fall seasons there in years. Soon the British forces were stuck in a mountain of mud, and this Allied plan was yet another failure.

=== The United States Joins the War ===
----
For the first three years of World War I, the [[United States]] attempted to stay out of the war, but try to act as a mediator. Mediation failed. When the Germans used a [[U-boat]] to sink the British ocean liner ''[[Lusitania]]'' in 1915, killing over one thousand civlians including some prominent Americans, the Americans were outraged. Badly hurt by the British naval blockade of Germany, which cut off food supplies, the germans wanted to retailiate. In early 1917 they decided they could defeat Britain and France by cutting off all supplies. They could only do this by sinking merchant ships without warning, which violated international law and theur repeated promises to the U.S. Berlin knew it meant war with the U.S. but moved anyway. At the same time Berlin invited Mexico to form a military allaince and fight the U.S. Publication of the [[Zimmerman Telegram]] was a ''casus bellum" (cause of war). The Mexicans wisely ignored the proposal but American pubic opinion was outraged.

German U-boats now began sinking American ships on sight. On April 2, 1917, President [[Woodrow Wilson]] spoke in favor of declaring war on Germany in an address to the joint houses of Congress. Congress then formally declared war on April 6, 1917, with opposition votes coming mostly from areas with large German ethnic populations.<ref>http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/usofficialawardeclaration.htm</ref>

The Army was expanded by a factor of 100 to 4 million soldiers (all men), and a major expeditionary force was sent to Europe called the [[American Expeditionary Forces]], under command of General [[John J. Pershing]]. Officially the U.S. did not join the Allies and there was no treaty or formal agreement with Britain or France, so Perhaps was practically independent. He was also largely independent of Washington, and allowed to make his own strategic and command decisions.

=== Russia ===
In 1917 Russia suffered two successive internal Revolutions which would later caused it to withdraw from the side of the Allies and leave the war altogether. The [[February Revolution]] overthrew the centuries-old monarchy of the Tsar; the [[October Revolution]] installed the [[communist]] [[Bolshevik Party]] under [[V.I. Lenin]]. The lack of success against the German and Austrian Empires, and the hyperinflation caused by unsustainable military spending by the Russian government led to much internal discontent and economic chaos.

Losses and hardship of the war had weakened Russian [[Czar Nicholas II]]. He abdicated the throne in March 1917 in favor of a provisional government headed by [[Alexander Kerensky]]. Hopes for a democratic revolution still existed at this time. But in October 1917, [[Vladimir Ilyich Lenin]], and the [[Communist Party]], which was never strong enough to challenge the Czar, overthrew the fledgling provisional government. The Communists later executed every member of the Czar's family including the children.

Lenin became the founder of the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] state. He was both a writer and a revolutionary, a rare combination. He was the brother of the "bomb thrower" [[Alexander Ulyanov]] who was hanged for his involvement in terrorist activity and an assassination attempt on Czar Alexander III in 1887. An atheist, he became a [[Marxism|Marxist]] in 1889. He obtained a law degree shortly afterwards, and by 1895 was a subversive who was arrested and sent to the Tsarist gulag along the Lena River in frigid [[Siberia]] where he adopted the name Lenin after the place of his internment. Once he served his time he left for [[Zurich]], where he developed his ideas further and became a leader of the [[Bolsheviks]]. He was returned to Russia by the Germans in the wake of chaos during the [[Kerensky]] regime with the hope to led the Bolsheviks to power and negotiate a peace settlement with the Germans. After the [[Treaty of Versailles]] failed to recognize the settlement between Germany and the Soviet Union in the [[Treaty of Brest-Litovsk]], he then ruled the Soviet Union and imposed a system of [[Marxism-Leninism]] (communism) that remained in force there until [[Stalin]]'s rise to power.

=== The Western Front ===
----
The exit of Russia allowed Germany to shift a majority of their troops from the [[Eastern Front (World War I)|eastern front]] to the [[Western Front (World War I)|western front]]. This gave them a final chance to try and break the Allies before the Americans arrived. Known as [[Operation Michael]], the German offensive began in March of 1918.

The Germans launched five major campaigns in a four month period in 1918 on the [[Western Front]]. The Germans had technology and lots of energy. They had elite storm-troopers with [[automatic rifle]]s, light [[machine gun]]s, [[flame-thrower]]s and [[artillery]] fire. They used poisonous [[mustard gas]] lavishly. They easily defeated the vastly outnumbered British Fifth Army. The Germans were advancing and taking property.

But a combination of fresh American troops arriving on the scene, and a failure in German supply lines was soon to halt the Micheaal offensive. In the [[Second Battle of the Marne]] in July 1918, the Allies started winning. Nine American divisions fought in this battle about 75 miles northeast of [[Paris]]. The Germans started this battle on another one of their offensives, but the Americans valiantly turned the tables and enabled the Allies to win it. Casualties were enormous for everyone, including the Americans. Former President [[Teddy Roosevelt]]’s son Quentin was killed in this battle.

American Capt. [[Jesse Woolridge]], 38th Inf., 3rd Division described the battle as follows: “It’s [[God]]’s truth that one Company of American soldiers beat and routed a full regiment of picked shock troops of the German Army ... At ten o’clock ... the Germans were carrying back wounded and dead [from] the river bank and we in our exhaustion let them do it - they carried back all but six hundred which we counted later and fifty-two machine guns... We had started with 251 men and 5 lieutenants...I had left 51 men and 2 second lieutenants."

=== The War Ends ===
In January 1918, Wilson proclained the [[Fourteen Points]], which an idealistic vision of world peace that strengthened the peace movement inside germany and Austria and promised ana alternative to the increasingly despised monarchies.

As the Americans and the Allies advanced toward Germany, the [[Ottoman Turks]] and [[Bulgarian]]s surrendered. There was a [[revolution]] in Austria-Hungary that overthrew its government, and Germany would not recognize that new government. [[Kaiser Wilhelm II]] abdicated his throne in Germany on November 1918, and the Germans formed a new republic. Members of the German republic signed an [[Armistice]] (agreement to stop fighting), which was tantamount to surrender. The Armistice took effect at 11:00 AM on November 11, 1918. The "war to end all wars", was over.

=== Aftermath ===
----
Austria-Hungary was dismantled, mostly along ethnic lines. The Ottoman Empire was also dismantled. For the first time in over 1000 years [[Palestine]] was not under Muslim control, as Britain assumed control of the area as a colony. Germany was forced to sign the [[Treaty of Versailles]] accepting full responsibility for the war and had to pay for the entire cost of the war. This led Germany into economic collapse and sowed the seeds for anyone who could get them out of this collapse and restore their pride to be view as almost a savior. Italy felt they were shortchanged in their portion of the spoils and led to a bitterness that would cause them to side with Germany in the years ahead. The initial causes of the war, alliances and imperialism, were not dealt with. Only 20 years after the Treaty of Versailles, [[World War II]] would start.
====Cultural effects====
On the cultural level, World War I represented the end of the Enlightenment movement in Europe, opening the doorway for cultural movements such as avante-garde, absurdism, and other artistic forms questioning moral absolutes. These movements justified their relativistic stance by pointing out the horrors of war, which caused them to question the concepts of human goodness within the world. The currents set in motion by this continue to the present day.

== Chronology of World War I ==

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
|+
|-
== '''1914''' ==
|-
| June 28 || In [[Sarajevo]], [[Serbia]], [[Austria]]-[[Hungary]] Archduke [[Franz Ferdinand]] is murdered. The Black Hand is responsible.
|-
| July 28 || War is declared on [[Serbia]] by [[Austria]]-[[Hungary]]
|-
| August 1 || War is declared on [[Russia]] by [[Germany]]
|-
| August 3 || War on [[France]] is declared by [[Germany]]; [[Italy]] remains neutral
|-
| August 4 || [[Belgium]] is invaded by [[Germany]]; War is declared on [[Germany]] by [[Britain]]
|-
| August 5-6 || War is declared on [[Russia]] by [[Austria]]-[[Hungary]]; War is declared on [[Germany]] by [[Serbia]]
|-
| August 12 || [[Serbia]] is invaded by [[Austria]]-[[Hungary]]
|-
| August 17 || [[East Prussia]] is invaded by [[Russia]]
|-
| August 23 || War is declared on [[Germany]] by [[Japan]]
|-
| August 26-29 || [[Russia]] is defeated by [[Germany]] at [[Tannenburg]], [[East Prussia]]
|-
| September 6-10 || Battle of the [[Marne]], [[France]]- [[Germany]] is defeated by [[France]]. Both sides dig in.
|-
| October 19-November 22 || First Battle of [[Ypres]], [[Belgium]]; [[Germany]] is stopped by [[Britain]]
|-
| October 29 || Attacking the [[Russian Black Sea Fleet]], [[Turkey]] enters the war.
|-
| November 5 || War is declared on [[Turkey]] by [[Britain]] and [[France]]
|-
| November 11-25 || [[Russia]] is defeated by [[Germany]] in [[Lodz]], [[Poland]]
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
|+
|-

== '''1915''' ==
|-
| February 23 || Off coast of [[Britain]], first [[German]] [[submarine]] attacks occur
|-
| April 22-May 25 || [[Britain]] holds [[Germany]] at [[Second Battle of Ypres]]; [[poison]] [[gas]] is first used by [[Germany|Germans]]
|-
| April 25 || [[Allies]] land at Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey
|-
| May 7 || [[''Lusitania'']] is sunk by [[German]] [[U-boat]]
|-
| May 23 || The [[Allies]] are joined by [[Italy]]
|-
| August 5 || [[Warsaw]], [[Poland]] is captured by [[Germany|Germans]]
|-
| August 6 || [[British]] land at [[Suvla Bay]], [[Gallipoli Peninsula]]
|-
| August 20 || War is declared on [[Turkey]] by [[Italy]]
|-
| September 25 || Western Front ([[Artois]], [[Champagne]], and [[Loos]] in France) is attacked by [[Allies]]
|-
| December 8 || [[Evacuation]] of [[Gallipoli]] is begun by [[Allies]]
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
|+
|-

== '''1916''' ==
|-
| February 21 || In [[France]], the Battle of [[Verdun]] begins by [[Germany]] attacking [[France]]
|-
| March 9 || War is declared on [[Portugal]] by [[Germany]]
|-
| May 31 || [[North Sea]], [[Battle of Jutland]]
|-
| June 4 || [[Russia]], The Brusilov Offensive begins
|-
| July 1 || Battle of [[Somme]], [[France]] begins
|-
| August 28 || War is declared on [[Romania]] by [[Germany]]
|-
| September 2-3 || [[Britain]] shoots down first [[Zeppelin]] [[German]] [[airships]]
|-
| September 15 || [[Tanks]] used for the first time in war by [[Britain]]
|-
| November 18 || Battle of [[Somme]] ends- [[Britain]] and [[France]] hold the [[Somme River]]
|-
| December 18 || [[France]] defeats [[Germany]], Battle of [[Verdun]] ends
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
|+
|-

== '''1917''' ==
|-
| January || [[Palestine]] is entered by [[Britain]]
|-
| February || [[Germany]] declares unrestricted [[U-boat]] warfare and sinks five [[American]] ships
|-
| March 12 || [[Russian Revolution]] begins
|-
| April 6 || War is declared on [[Germany]] by the [[United States]]
|-
| April 9 || Battle of [[Arras]], [[France]]
|-
| April 10 || [[Vimy Ridge]], [[France]] is captured by [[Canadians]]
|-
| April 16-May 9 || [[French]] attack on Second Battle of [[Aisne River]], [[France]]
|-
| May 25 || In [[Britain]], daylight [[bombing]] raids begin
|-
| June 7 || [[Messines Ridge]], [[Belgium]] is attacked by [[British]]
|-
| July 31-November 6 || [[British]] against [[Germans]]- third Battle of [[Ypres]]
|-
| November 6-7 || [[Passchendaele]] is captured by [[Canadians]], ending Battle of [[Ypres]]; [[Bolshevik revolution]] begins in [[Russia]]
|-
| November 20 || [[British]] use large number of [[tanks]] to win Battle of [[Cambrai]]
|-
| December 9 || [[Jerusalem]] in [[Middle East]] is captured by [[British]]; [[Romania]] and [[Central Powers]] make [[Armistice]] (a cease-fire before signing a peace treaty)
|-
| December 15 || [[Armistice]] between [[Russia]] and [[Central Powers]]
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
|+
|-

== '''1918''' ==
|-
| January 18 || [[Fourteen-point Peace Plan]] is proposed by [[Woodrow Wilson|President Woodrow Wilson]]
|-
| April 9 || [[Germans]] begin attack in northern [[France]]
|-
| May 27-30 || [[Allies|Allied]] line on the [[Marne River]] is broken by [[Germans]]
|-
| August 8 || [[Germans]] are routed by [[Allies]] at Battle of [[Amiens]]
|-
| September 26 || Final [[Allies|Allied]] attack begins
|-
| October 1 || [[Damascus]], [[Syria]] is captured by [[British]]
|-
| October 30 || [[Italy]] defeats [[Austria]]-[[Hungary]] at Battle of [[Vittorio Veneto]]; [[Armistice]] is signed by [[Turkey]]
|-
| November 3 || [[Armistice]] is signed by [[Austria]]-[[Hungary]]
|-
| November 9 || Revolution in [[Berlin]], [[Germany]]; throne is given up by [[Kaiser Wilhelm II]], [[Germany]] becomes a republic
|-
| November 11 || [[Armistice]] is signed by [[Germany]]; War on [[Western Front]] ends
|}

==Further reading ==
===Short popular histories===
* ''American Heritage History of WWI''. (1964). heavily illustrated
* Barnett, Correlli. ''The Great War,'' (2003), 224pp, illustrated
* Carver, Michael, Field Marshal Sir. ''War Lords''. (1976) Includes brief bios of Hamilton, Foch, Haig, von Falkenhayn
* Cawood, Ian, and David Mckinnon-Bell. ''The First World War.'' (2001), 174pp [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=109316843 online edition]
* Cruttwell, C. R. M. F. ''A History of the Great War, 1914-1918'' (1934), general military history
* Esposito, Vincent J. ''The West Point Atlas of American Wars: 1900-1918'' (1997) despite the title covers entire war; [http://www.dean.usma.edu/history/web03/atlases/great%20war/great%20war%20index.htm online maps from this atlas]
* Evans, David. ''Teach yourself— the First World War''. (2004)
* Falls, Cyril. ''The Great War'' (1960), general military history
* Gilbert, Martin. ''Atlas of World War I'' (1995), very clear schematic maps
* Gilbert, Martin. ''The Routledge Atlas of the First World War: The Complete History'' (2002)
* Henig, Ruth ''The Origins of the First World War'' (2002) 76pp [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=103326769 online edition]
* Hurley, Alfred F. ''Billy Mitchell, Crusader for Air Power'' (1975)
* Jeffers, H. Paul. ''Ace of Aces: The Life of Captain Eddie Rickenbacker'' (2003). 352 pgs.
* Keegan, John. ''An Illustrated History of the First World War'' (1999). by a leading British scholar [http://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-History-First-World-War/dp/B0001FZGNU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205528338&sr=1-2 excerpt and text search]
* Livesey, Anthony, and H. P. Willmott. ''The Historical Atlas of World War I'' (1994)
* Lyons, Michael J. ''World War I: A Short History'' (2nd Edition), 1999.
* Neiberg, Michael S. ''Fighting the Great War: A Global History.'' (2005). 416 pp. [http://www.amazon.com/Fighting-Great-War-Global-History/dp/0674022513/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201531862&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
* Pope, Stephen and Wheal, Elizabeth-Anne, eds. ''The Macmillan Dictionary of the First World War'' (1995)
* Robbins, Keith. ''The First World War'' (1993), very short overview [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=14754381 online edition]
* Stevenson, David L. ''1914 - 1918: The History of the First World War'', 2004
* Stone, Norman. ''World War One: A Short History'' (2008), 208pp
* Stokesbury, James L. '' A Short History of World War I'' (1981) [http://www.amazon.com/Short-History-World-War-I/dp/0688001297/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205527619&sr=1-11 excerpt and text search]
* Strachan, Hew, ed. ''The Oxford Illustrated History of the First World War'' (2001) [http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-Illustrated-History-First-World/dp/0192893254/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205528053&sr=1-12 excerpt and text search]
* Strachan, Hew. ''The First World War'' (2004): a 385pp version of his multivolume history [http://www.amazon.com/First-World-War-Hew-Strachan/dp/B000F4LMQC/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205528053&sr=1-2 excerpt and text search]
* Taylor, A. J. P. ''The First World War: An Illustrated History'', (1963) [http://www.amazon.com/First-World-War-J-P-Taylor/dp/0399502602/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205537432&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
* Toland, John. ''No Man's Land. 1918 - The Last Year of the Great War'' (1980)
* Tuchman, Barbara. ''The Guns of August'', best-seller and Pulitzer Prize book tells of the opening diplomatic and military manoeuvres in August 1914 [http://www.amazon.com/Guns-August-Barbara-W-Tuchman/dp/0345476093/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205537159&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
* Tucker, Spencer. ''The Great War 1914-18'' (1998) [http://www.amazon.com/Great-War-1914-18-Spencer-Tucker/dp/0253211719/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205528478&sr=1-7 excerpt and text search]
* Willmott, H. P. ''World War I'' (2007) 296pp
* Winter, J. M. ''The Experience of World War I'' (2nd ed 2005), topical essays; well illustrated; strongest on behind-the-lines

===Advanced books===
* Bakeless, John Edwin. ''The Economic Causes of Modern War: A Study of the Period: 1878-1918'' (1919) [http://books.google.com/books?id=5wgAAAAAYAAJ&printsec=toc&dq=intitle:war+date:1919-1921&num=30&as_brr=1&sig=LZcIMpEGmzqwkIldzuhfH5Muveg#PPR3,M1 online edition]
* Fay, Sidney. ''The Origins of the World War'' (1930); classic scholarly study; argues every nation shared guilt for starting the war [http://yamaguchy.netfirms.com/7897401/fay/origin_index.html online edition]
* Ferguson, Niall ''The Pity of War'' (1999), 563pp; much on death and casualties [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=100769957 online edition]
* Gray, Edwyn A. ''The U-Boat War, 1914-1918'' (1994)
* Halpern, Paul G. ''A Naval History of World War I''(1995)
* Herwig, Holger H. ''The First World War: Germany and Austria-Hungary 1914-1918'' (1996)
* [http://www.stratnet.ucalgary.ca/publications/pdf/herwig_operation-michael_nov2001.pdf Herwig, Holger H. ''Operation Michael: The “Last Card”'' 2001], German spring offensive in 1918
* Haber, L. F. ''The Poisonous Cloud: Chemical Warfare in the First World War'' (1986); the standard history
* Higham, Robin and Dennis E. Showalter, eds. ''Researching World War I: A Handbook'' (2003), 475pp; highly detailed historiography, stressing military themes; annotates over 1000 books; [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=107066504 online edition]
* Horne, Alistair. ''The Price of Glory: Verdun 1916'' (2nd ed 1994), very well written narrative
* Joll, James. ''The Origins of the First World War''. (3rd ed 2006).
* Kennett, Lee. ''First Air War, 1914-1918'' (1999). 288 pp. [http://www.amazon.com/First-Air-War-1914-1918/dp/0684871203/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205528300&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
* Miller, Steven E. (ed.) ''Military Strategy and the Origins of the First World War: an International Security Reader'', (1985)
* Passingham, Ian. ''All the Kaiser's Men: The Life & Death of the German Army on the Western Front 1914-1918,'' (2nd ed 2006) 288pp
* Sheldon, Jack. ''German Army on the Somme, 1914-1916,'' (2005) 352pp
* Showalter, Dennis. ''Tannenberg: Clash of Empires,'' 1991
* Stevenson, David. ''The First World War and International Politics'' (2005)
* Stone, Norman. ''The Eastern Front, 1914–1917.'' 1975.
* Strachan, Hew. ''The First World War: Volume I: To Arms'' (2004): the major scholarly synthesis. Thorough coverage of 1914 in 1248 pp [http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0199261911/ref=sib_dp_bod_ex/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&p=S00M#reader-link excerpt online]
* Tooley, Hunt. ''The Western Front: Battle Ground and Home Front in the First World War.'' (2003), 305pp, social history, does not emphasize battles
* Travers, Tim. ''How the War Was Won: Command and Technology in the British Army on the Western Front, 1917-1918,''. London:Routledge (1992) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=103449849 online edition]
* Tuchman, Barbara W. ''The Zimmermann Telegram'' (1966)
* Tucker, Spencer, ed. ''The Encyclopedia of World War I: A Political, Social, and Military History'' (5 vol 2005); the most detailed reference source; articles by specialists cover all aspects of the war
* Tucker, Spencer, ed. ''European Powers in the First World War: An Encyclopedia'' (1999)
* Tucker, Spencer C. ''Tanks: An Illustrated History of Their Impact.'' ABC-CLIO, 2004. 379 pp.

===USA and Canada===
* Bassett, John Spencer. ''Our War with Germany: A History'' (1919) [http://books.google.com/books?id=76UTAAAAIAAJ&printsec=toc&dq=intitle:war+date:1919-1921&num=30&as_brr=1&sig=4Vx3GGygya6F24ozaNJyLzMI694#PPP10,M1 online edition]
* Chambers, John W., II. ''To Raise an Army: The Draft Comes to Modern America'' (1987)
* Coffman, Edward M. ''The War to End All Wars: The American Military Experience in World War I'' (1998) [http://books.google.com/books?id=px_1JGtbeIAC&printsec=frontcover&dq=COFFMAN+The+War+to+End+All+Wars:&lr=&num=30&as_brr=0&ei=0RdYSJKmKJyMjAG04JWFDA&sig=s-w6Np6drA_a-MzUxR0UnsQcORc excerpt and text search]
* Kennedy, David M. ''Over Here: The First World War and American Society'' (1979) [http://www.amazon.com/Over-Here-First-American-Society/dp/0195173996 excerpt and text search]
* May, Ernest R. ''The World War and American isolation, 1914-1917'' (1959[http://hdl.handle.net.proxy.cc.uic.edu/2027/heb.00283 online at ACLS e-books]
* Morton, Desmond, and Jack Granatstein. ''Marching to Armageddon: Canadians and the Great War 1914-1919'' (1989)
* Scott, Emmett Jay. ''Scott's Official History of the American Negro in the World War'' (1919) 511 pages [http://books.google.com/books?id=obUHAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA10&dq=intitle:world+intitle:war+date:1919-2007&num=30&as_brr=1 online edition]
[http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=24640205 online edition]
* Venzon, Anne ed. ''The United States in the First World War: An Encyclopedia'' (1995)
* Wilson, Dale E. ''Treat'Em Rough!: The Birth of American Armor, 1917-20'' (1989)
* Zieger, Robert H. ''America's Great War: World War I and the American Experience.'' 2000. 272 pp.

===Online secondary and primary sources===
* [http://tigger.uic.edu/~rjensen/military.html#J. ''Web Sources for Military History'' by Richard Jensen]
* [http://net.lib.byu.edu/~rdh7/wwi/ WWI Document Archive], valuable collection
* [http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/ww1.htm diplomatic primary documents, from Mt. Holyoke College]

====notes====
<references/>

[[Category:Wars]]
[[Category:World War I| ]]

== External links ==
* [http://tigger.uic.edu/~rjensen/military.html#J. Guide to web resources by RJJensen]
* [http://www.firstworldwar.com/index.htm Excellent British site]
* [http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/ The Great War, from PBS]
* [http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/historian/index.html interviews with historians]
* [http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/docs/books/gutenberg/etext04/shogw10.txt ''A Short History of the Great War,'' by A.F. Pollard (1920), British perspective]
* [http://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/Main_Page Primary documents], very thorough collection from all countries
** [http://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/WWI_Biographical_Dictionary short biographies]
** [http://www.vlib.us/wwi/resources/archives/imarchive.html Photographs]
** [http://www.vlib.us/medical/ medical history]
* [http://www.worldwar1.com/maproom.htm maps]
* [http://www.worldwar1.com/reflib.htm Trenches on the Web]
===Origins and political impact===
* [http://net.lib.byu.edu/~rdh7/wwi/comment/WarFacts/wfactsTC.htm ''Handbook of War Facts and Peace Problems'' (1919) sophisticated American pamphlet; anti-German; good summary of effects of war on each country involved]
* [http://yamaguchy.netfirms.com/7897401/fay/origin_index.html Sidney Fay, ''The Origins of the World War'' (1930) classic scholarly study; argues many nations shared guilt for starting the war]
* [http://www.onpower.org/history_wwi.html/ World War I]
* [http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=1345 "American Foreign Policy: The Turning Point, 1898–1919," by Ralph Raico]
* [http://www.independent.org/publications/working_papers/article.asp?id=1499 "Government and the Economy: The World Wars," by Robert Higgs]
* [http://www.lewrockwell.com/rothbard/rothbard91.html "War Collectivism in World War I," by Murray N. Rothbard]
* [http://www.independent.org/publications/tir/article.asp?issueID=40&articleID=506 "The Great War Retold," by Ralph Raico]

Talk:United States presidential election, 2012

2010-08-24T16:40:13Z

JasonN: /* A concern */ new section

I think the biggest negative about John Thune (other than the fact that he's not really well known right now) is that he supported the McCain-Feingold bill. He's since admitted that that was a mistake, and no one is perfect, of course, but if he does seriously run in 2012, people are going to bring that vote up.--[[User:Whizkid|Whizkid]] 22:56, 12 February 2010 (EST)

:Good point, I'll add it. I don't think it disqualifies him.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 22:58, 12 February 2010 (EST)

Is Mitt Romney "regularly" on Fox? I haven't seen that, but I don't watch it regularly.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 09:44, 15 February 2010 (EST)

:If no one can vouch for Mitt Romney being "regularly" on Fox, then I'll revert it back to something like "rarely" on Fox.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 16:45, 15 February 2010 (EST)

:::While "regularly" is obviously a subjective measure, he's been on Fox a lot lately. He was on Hannity on January 20th, on "On the Record with Greta van Sustern" on January 11th, and on Hannity again on December 18th. Of course, a lot of that was to discuss the Scott Brown race. Sean Hannity also had him on a lot in 2008 after John McCain got the nomination to analyze the presidential race. While I don't have an opinion as to whether or not that counts as regularly, I thought you might like to know.--[[User:Whizkid|Whizkid]] 17:23, 15 February 2010 (EST)

::::That's helpful, but doesn't seem to be nearly as much as the Fox favorites of Palin, Huckabee and Gingrich. So perhaps "on occasionally" might describe this best. 2008 is ancient history and not relevant to appearances in connection with 2012.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 17:54, 15 February 2010 (EST)

==Hillary Clinton==
Of all potential candidates, Obama, Palin, McCain, Romney, ''et all'', [[Hillary Clinton]] currently enjoys the highest approval ratings at 58%. It is hard not to believe the Clintons are not seriously mulling thier options at the moment. This article should note the distinct possibility of a Democratic Primary challenge in 2012 as ''[[US News]]'' has reported. [http://www.usnews.com/blogs/peter-roff/2010/01/27/a-hillary-clinton-primary-challenge-to-obama-in-2012.html] Obama recently remarked on the possibility of being a one term president in his Diane Sawyer interview and Hillary stated she cannot see herself being Secretary of State after 2012. [[User:RobSmith|Rob Smith]] 10:02, 15 February 2010 (EST)

== Sarah Palin ==

Is "irrational liberal hatred of her" really a con? It seems it will just make the Democrats look foolish when they foam at the mouth and drive more voters to the Republicans. [[User:DouglasA|DouglasA]] 13:40, 31 March 2010 (EDT)

: You may be right, but it could be a hurdle. The liberal media are losing market share but still have some.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 17:00, 31 March 2010 (EDT)
::I'm guessing it'd come down to her performance. If she does well in debate and interviews, the rage will look silly. [[User:DouglasA|DouglasA]] 17:10, 31 March 2010 (EDT)
:::People resent seeing those like them being attacked. They look at Palin and see someone they know IRL. We all have family dramas and tribulations. Those outside the political world don't see her quitting as Governor to be as bad a thing as the media and political world make it out to be, to use but one example. --<big>[[User:TK|'''ṬK''']]</big>/Admin[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]] 17:20, 31 March 2010 (EDT)

== Ken Cuccinelli ==
Why is "effective critic of Obama" under cons? I have a feeling that might have been vandalism. Does anyone oppose if that is moved to a pro?--[[User:IScott|IScott]] 18:45, 6 July 2010 (EDT)

: Please do. Great point, thanks.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 19:06, 6 July 2010 (EDT)

== A concern ==

Does anyone feel like having so many potential Republican candidates is a detriment? It just feels like the Republican Party is so divided these days.
As for Clinton and Obama, if Clinton wins over Obama I'd be thoroughly surprised. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure the incumbent president has never been beaten in the primaries by someone else in their own party. Also, I think Obama has kept a lot of moderates on his side. However, he's never been a friend of the right, and he's alienating the left. Just my 2 cents. --[[User:JasonN|JasonN]] 12:40, 24 August 2010 (EDT)

Talk:Black Metal

2010-01-07T15:21:18Z

JasonN: /* How can something be Secular and Satanic? */

==List of bands==
I added it so parents reading this could get an idea of what names to be wary of when you look on your child's ipod, but it looks like an ugly block of text to me. If some one can think of a more elegant way to present it, that would be great.

That's me, btw [[User:Jewishfanofnsbm|Jewishfanofnsbm]] 16:08, 3 June 2008 (EDT)

:Done. May I suggest alphabetizing? [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 16:18, 3 June 2008 (EDT)
::Done. [[User:Jewishfanofnsbm|Jewishfanofnsbm]] 16:39, 3 June 2008 (EDT)

== Moving ==

This should be moved under name [[Black metal]] because Black Metal is name of Venom album, and black metal name for music style. --[[User:Miihkali|Miihkali]] 17:07, 14 June 2008 (EDT)

*Depends on whether this site follows the convention of capitalizing names of music genres. Many Metalheads capitalize Metal and Metal sub-genres out of reverence or something. Anyway, I'm inclined to agree with you, but the page for the album (if this site actually needs a page for it???) can always be called "Black Metal (album)". [[User:Jewishfanofnsbm|Jewishfanofnsbm]] 01:03, 6 October 2008 (EDT)

== Bands ==

I added some christian black metal bands to the list with (christian) beside them and i removed venom from the list since its a death metal band not a black metal band.
*Venom is in no way death metal, dude. :P They are just Motörhead with worse production.[[User:Jewishfanofnsbm|Jewishfanofnsbm]] 01:01, 6 October 2008 (EDT)
** I still would add them to the list of bands, though musically they were more likely thrash with influences from style which is now called black metal, those days Venom was commonly referred as black metal. Also, Venom is traditionally categorised to black metal, and even when their music is quite similar to thrash, their poorly produced sound, high and fast guitars and satanic imaginery is what normally makes bands black metal. --[[User:Miihkali|Miihkali]] 16:47, 15 November 2008 (EST)

==How can something be Secular and Satanic?==
Black metal does truly bite when it comes to sound an message but does that really justify for such a contradiction in the introduction to this topic as ''secular and Satanic''?Secular refers to a lack thereof of any religious preferences at all and a stance of neutrality whereas something satanic would dictate that it takes on a religious role and a worship of Satan.isn't that contradictory to the idea of secularism and vice versa?
:Google LaVeyan Satanism, and Theistic Satanism. They're two different things.--[[User:JasonN|JasonN]] 10:21, 7 January 2010 (EST)

World War I

2010-01-07T15:01:37Z

JasonN: /* The War Ends */ the armistice took effect at 11:00, not the 11:11

'''World War I''', also known as the '''First World War''' and '''The Great War''', was waged primarily in [[Europe]] from 1914 to 1918, but spilled over into Africa, the Middle East, and the Atlantic Ocean.

On one side of the war were the [[Central Powers]]: [[Austria-Hungary]], [[Germany]], [[Bulgaria]], and the [[Ottoman Empire]]. The major [[Allies]] consisted of the [[Britain|British]] and [[France|French Empires]], the Tsarist [[Russian Empire]](until 1917), [[Italy]], [[Japan]], and after 1917 the [[United States]].

World War I saw the first use of [[poison gas]], large [[artillery]], armored [[tank|tanks]], and [[airplane]]s. It was a "total war" because the governments involved took control over the economy and factories, giving first priority to the goods needed for war. Wage and price controls were imposed, there was rationing of goods for civilians, and free speech was limited. The governments put out [[propaganda]] to maximize support for the war and dislike of the enemy. Many of the techniques of population manipulation and central government control which we see today were first pioneered by European powers during World War I.

Historian Jacques Barzun observed how Darwinism caused the horrendous brutality of the wars leading up to this one: "Since in every European country between 1870 and 1914 there was a war party demanding armaments, an individualist party demanding ruthless competition, an imperialist party demanding a free hand over backward peoples, a socialist party demanding the conquest of power and a racialist party demanding internal purges against aliens — all of them, when appeals to greed and glory failed, invoked Spencer and Darwin, which was to say science incarnate."<ref>http://www.creators.com/conservative/pat-buchanan/making-a-monkey-out-of-darwin.html</ref>

=== A Spark Leads to a Fire ===
----
''Main article: [[Causes of World War I]]''

On June 28, 1914, a team of Serbian nationalist assassins killed the [[Austrian]] [[Archduke Franz Ferdinand]] and his wife Sophie in [[Sarajevo]]. This action led to Austria-Hungary giving an ultimatum <ref>http://teachers.sduhsd.k12.ca.us/mmontgomery/world_history/world_war1/ultimatum.htm</ref> to Serbia. Serbia agreed to comply with all of the demands, except the ones which violated their sovereignty, and, due to a number of military alliances throughout Europe, a full scale war was soon in progress. Serbia requested support from its ally, [[Russia]], which mobilized its military forces. This mobilization led to [[Germany]] invading both Russia and [[France]] (which had an existing alliance with Russia), which was a part of Germany's [[Schlieffen Plan]] of war on two fronts. En route to France, German forces passed through neutral [[Belgium]]. The violation of this [[neutrality]] led [[Britain]] to declare war on Germany. [[Italy]] had an alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary, but refused to join the war.

Alternative theories cite the building of the Berlin-Baghdad railway and the problems it would have created for England. <ref>http://stinet.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA138432</ref>

=== Great Battles of World War I ===
----
World War I consisted mostly of [[trench warfare]]. This method of waging war was very slow and messy. Soldiers might wait in their trenches for weeks, only to advance a few feet and wait in a new trench. Unfortunately, this became a necessity, as air forces were in their infancy, and the first combat tank only saw action by August of 1916. There were several important battles which were fought before America joined the war.

'''[[First Battle of the Marne]]'''

By the 5th of September, 1914, the German invasion of France was going so successfully, that French and British forces were in a general retreat towards Paris, with the German army hot on their heels. Just prior to the battle, the two main German forces, the 1st and 2nd German armies, had split up to attack the French 5th and 6th armies, respectively. The regiments of the British Expeditionary Force were pushed in between the two German armies, acting as a wedge, allowing the Germans to be outflanked. Following that, the French 5th army launched a surprise attack, eventually forcing the German army to retreat, stopping after having marched 40 miles. A number of unofficial cease fires took place, allowing both sides to dig their own trenches, setting the tone for the rest of the war. The Western allies took 234,000 casualties, while the Germans took just over 220,000. France still refers to this battle as "The miracle of the Marne" to this day.

'''Gallipoli Campaign'''

In 1915, [[Winston Churchill]], then First Lord of the Admiralty, proposed a daring plan to attack the [[Dardanelles]], a narrow section of ocean south of what is now [[Turkey]], in order to open a supply route to Russia. Unfortunately, he made his plans based of bad intelligence.
A preliminary attack was launched in February of 1915, bombarding artillery of the Ottoman Empire. However, in March, a fleet of British and French warships attempted to navigate the Dardanelles and ran into mines at its narrowest point (which is only a mile wide).
The British and Churchill, not wanting to admit defeat, diverted British, Australian, New Zealander and French troops from training in [[Egypt]] to their campaign in Turkey. Putting together an amphibious Allied force, a plan was put together to land on the Turkish peninsula of Gallipoli on April 25. Although the Allies greatly outnumbered the Turks, poor counter-intelligence efforts by the Allies allowed the Ottoman Empire to resupply and reinforce the Gallipoli peninsula. Additionally, the Allies did not understand the terrain adequately and suffered from limited knowledge of their enemy. The Turkish soldiers were also very tenacious and very able fighters.
However, the bloody-mindedness of the British commanders led to nine months wasted on the peninsula, with 44,000 deaths among over 100,000 casualties before their successful withdrawal, which was completed by January 9th, 1916.

'''[[Battle of Verdun]]'''

In 1916, the Battle of Verdun between the French and Germans may have been the most demanding battle in world history. The struggle started when the Germans attacked [[Verdun]], France, a city surrounded by a ring of underground forts. At least 220,000 soldiers died, and at least 480,000 were wounded in this 10-month struggle that accomplished nothing. At the end the front lines were in nearly the same locations as at the beginning.

''' Brusilov Offensive '''

The Brusilov Offensive began on 4 June 1916 in spectacular fashion, demolishing the Austrian Fourth and Seventh Armies. The Austrians lost a staggering 1.5 million men (including 400,000 taken prisoner) and ceded some 25,000 square kilometres of ground. <ref>http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/brusilov.htm</ref>

With the launch of the Brusilov Offensive any hopes the Austrians harboured of bringing about victory in the east were extinguished. Austrian attacks in Italy ceased; and Romania finally entered the war with the Allies.

'''[[Battle of the Somme]]'''

Also in 1916, and also in France, the British and French armies met at the Somme River and began a massive attack on the Germans in order to distract them from [[Verdun]]. This became the Battle of the Somme, and the fighting was even heard across the British channel in England. First the Allies shelled the Germans to weaken them, and then 100,000 British soldiers charged the enemy. But the shelling did not have its intended effect, as the Germans were dug in too deeply to be affected by it. On July 1, 1916, the Germans killed 20,000 of the British soldiers and wounded over 40,000, making it the single worst day in British military history. This battle, which did not succeed in moving trench lines, eventually involved over 2 million men along a 30-mile front. The British and French lost nearly 750,000 men.

'''[[Third Battle of Ypres]]'''

For 18 months the British hid 19 huge land mines underneath the German lines southeast of Ypres, Belgium, a location that had already seen battles in 1914 and 1915. The British then detonated those massive mines, and charged the German positions in July 1917. At first the strategy worked, as the Germans were confused and disorganized. But the British did not pursue the Germans as quickly as they should have. Rain began to drench the area in one of the wettest fall seasons there in years. Soon the British forces were stuck in a mountain of mud, and this Allied plan was yet another failure.

=== The United States Joins the War ===
----
For the first three years of World War I, the [[United States]] attempted to stay out of the war, but try to act as a mediator. Mediation failed. When the Germans used a [[U-boat]] to sink the British ocean liner ''[[Lusitania]]'' in 1915, killing over one thousand civlians including some prominent Americans, the Americans were outraged. Badly hurt by the British naval blockade of Germany, which cut off food supplies, the germans wanted to retailiate. In early 1917 they decided they could defeat Britain and France by cutting off all supplies. They could only do this by sinking merchant ships without warning, which violated international law and theur repeated promises to the U.S. Berlin knew it meant war with the U.S. but moved anyway. At the same time Berlin invited Mexico to form a military allaince and fight the U.S. Publication of the [[Zimmerman Telegram]] was a ''casus bellum" (cause of war). The Mexicans wisely ignored the proposal but American pubic opinion was outraged.

German U-boats now began sinking American ships on sight. On April 2, 1917, President [[Woodrow Wilson]] spoke in favor of declaring war on Germany in an address to the joint houses of Congress. Congress then formally declared war on April 6, 1917, with opposition votes coming mostly from areas with large German ethnic populations.<ref>http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/usofficialawardeclaration.htm</ref>

The Army was expanded by a factor of 100 to 4 million soldiers (all men), and a major expeditionary force was sent to Europe called the [[American Expeditionary Forces]], under command of General [[John J. Pershing]]. Officially the U.S. did not join the Allies and there was no treaty or formal agreement with Britain or France, so Perhaps was practically independent. He was also largely independent of Washington, and allowed to make his own strategic and command decisions.

=== Russia ===
In 1917 Russia suffered two successive internal Revolutions which would later caused it to withdraw from the side of the Allies and leave the war altogether. The [[February Revolution]] overthrew the centuries-old monarchy of the Tsar; the [[October Revolution]] installed the [[communist]] [[Bolshevik Party]] under [[V.I. Lenin]]. The lack of success against the German and Austrian Empires, and the hyperinflation caused by unsustainable military spending by the Russian government led to much internal discontent and economic chaos.

Losses and hardship of the war had weakened Russian [[Czar Nicholas II]]. He abdicated the throne in March 1917 in favor of a provisional government headed by [[Alexander Kerensky]]. Hopes for a democratic revolution still existed at this time. But in October 1917, [[Vladimir Ilyich Lenin]], and the [[Communist Party]], which was never strong enough to challenge the Czar, overthrew the fledgling provisional government. The Communists later executed every member of the Czar's family including the children.

Lenin became the founder of the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] state. He was both a writer and a revolutionary, a rare combination. He was the brother of the "bomb thrower" [[Alexander Ulyanov]] who was hanged for his involvement in terrorist activity and an assassination attempt on Czar Alexander III in 1887. An atheist, he became a [[Marxism|Marxist]] in 1889. He obtained a law degree shortly afterwards, and by 1895 was a subversive who was arrested and sent to the Tsarist gulag along the Lena River in frigid [[Siberia]] where he adopted the name Lenin after the place of his internment. Once he served his time he left for [[Zurich]], where he developed his ideas further and became a leader of the [[Bolsheviks]]. He was returned to Russia by the Germans in the wake of chaos during the [[Kerensky]] regime with the hope to led the Bolsheviks to power and negotiate a peace settlement with the Germans. After the [[Treaty of Versailles]] failed to recognize the settlement between Germany and the Soviet Union in the [[Treaty of Brest-Litovsk]], he then ruled the Soviet Union and imposed a system of [[Marxism-Leninism]] (communism) that remained in force there until [[Stalin]]'s rise to power.

=== The Western Front ===
----
The exit of Russia allowed Germany to shift a majority of their troops from the [[Eastern Front (World War I)|eastern front]] to the [[Western Front (World War I)|western front]]. This gave them a final chance to try and break the Allies before the Americans arrived. Known as [[Operation Michael]], the German offensive began in March of 1918.

The Germans launched five major campaigns in a four month period in 1918 on the [[Western Front]]. The Germans had technology and lots of energy. They had elite storm-troopers with [[automatic rifle]]s, light [[machine gun]]s, [[flame-thrower]]s and [[artillery]] fire. They used poisonous [[mustard gas]] lavishly. They easily defeated the vastly outnumbered British Fifth Army. The Germans were advancing and taking property.

But a combination of fresh American troops arriving on the scene, and a failure in German supply lines was soon to halt the Micheaal offensive. In the [[Second Battle of the Marne]] in July 1918, the Allies started winning. Nine American divisions fought in this battle about 75 miles northeast of [[Paris]]. The Germans started this battle on another one of their offensives, but the Americans valiantly turned the tables and enabled the Allies to win it. Casualties were enormous for everyone, including the Americans. Former President [[Teddy Roosevelt]]’s son Quentin was killed in this battle.

American Capt. [[Jesse Woolridge]], 38th Inf., 3rd Division described the battle as follows: “It’s [[God]]’s truth that one Company of American soldiers beat and routed a full regiment of picked shock troops of the German Army ... At ten o’clock ... the Germans were carrying back wounded and dead [from] the river bank and we in our exhaustion let them do it - they carried back all but six hundred which we counted later and fifty-two machine guns... We had started with 251 men and 5 lieutenants...I had left 51 men and 2 second lieutenants."

=== The War Ends ===
In January 1918, Wilson proclained the [[Fourteen Points]], which an idealistic vision of world peace that strengthened the peace movement inside germany and Austria and promised ana alternative to the increasingly despised monarchies.

As the Americans and the Allies advanced toward Germany, the [[Ottoman Turks]] and [[Bulgarian]]s surrendered. There was a [[revolution]] in Austria-Hungary that overthrew its government, and Germany would not recognize that new government. [[Kaiser Wilhelm II]] abdicated his throne in Germany on November 1918, and the Germans formed a new republic. Members of the German republic signed an [[Armistice]] (agreement to stop fighting), which was tantamount to surrender. The Armistice took effect at 11:00 AM on November 11, 1918. The "war to end all wars", was over.

=== Aftermath ===
----
Austria-Hungary was dismantled, mostly along ethnic lines. The Ottoman Empire was also dismantled. For the first time in over 1000 years [[Palestine]] was not under Muslim control, as Britain assumed control of the area as a colony. Germany was forced to sign the [[Treaty of Versailles]] accepting full responsibility for the war and had to pay for the entire cost of the war. This led Germany into economic collapse and sowed the seeds for anyone who could get them out of this collapse and restore their pride to be view as almost a savior. Italy felt they were shortchanged in their portion of the spoils and led to a bitterness that would cause them to side with Germany in the years ahead. The initial causes of the war, alliances and imperialism, were not dealt with. Only 20 years after the Treaty of Versailles, [[World War II]] would start.
====Cultural effects====
On the cultural level, World War I represented the end of the Enlightenment movement in Europe, opening the doorway for cultural movements such as avante-garde, absurdism, and other artistic forms questioning moral absolutes. These movements justified their relativistic stance by pointing out the horrors of war, which caused them to question the concepts of human goodness within the world. The currents set in motion by this continue to the present day.

== Chronology of World War I ==

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
|+
|-
== '''1914''' ==
|-
| June 28 || In [[Sarajevo]], [[Serbia]], [[Austria]]-[[Hungary]] Archduke [[Franz Ferdinand]] is murdered, and somebody is responsible.
|-
| July 28 || War is declared on [[Serbia]] by [[Austria]]-[[Hungary]]
|-
| August 1 || War is declared on [[Russia]] by [[Germany]]
|-
| August 3 || War on [[France]] is declared by [[Germany]]; [[Italy]] remains neutral
|-
| August 4 || [[Belgium]] is invaded by [[Germany]]; War is declared on [[Germany]] by [[Britain]]
|-
| August 5-6 || War is declared on [[Russia]] by [[Austria]]-[[Hungary]]; War is declared on [[Germany]] by [[Serbia]]
|-
| August 12 || [[Serbia]] is invaded by [[Austria]]-[[Hungary]]
|-
| August 17 || [[East Prussia]] is invaded by [[Russia]]
|-
| August 23 || War is declared on [[Germany]] by [[Japan]]
|-
| August 26-29 || [[Russia]] is defeated by [[Germany]] at [[Tannenburg]], [[East Prussia]]
|-
| September 6-10 || Battle of the [[Marne]], [[France]]- [[Germany]] is defeated by [[France]]
|-
| October 19-November 22 || First Battle of [[Ypres]], [[Belgium]]; [[Germany]] is stopped by [[Britain]]
|-
| October 29 || Attacking the [[Russian Black Sea Fleet]], [[Turkey]] enters the war.
|-
| November 5 || War is declared on [[Turkey]] by [[Britain]] and [[France]]
|-
| November 11-25 || [[Russia]] is defeated by [[Germany]] in [[Lodz]], [[Poland]]
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
|+
|-

== '''1915''' ==
|-
| February 23 || Off coast of [[Britain]], first [[German]] [[submarine]] attacks occur
|-
| April 22-May 25 || [[Britain]] holds [[Germany]] at [[Second Battle of Ypres]]; [[poison]] [[gas]] is first used by [[Germany|Germans]]
|-
| April 25 || [[Allies]] land at Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey
|-
| May 7 || [[''Lusitania'']] is sunk by [[German]] [[U-boat]]
|-
| May 23 || The [[Allies]] are joined by [[Italy]]
|-
| August 5 || [[Warsaw]], [[Poland]] is captured by [[Germany|Germans]]
|-
| August 6 || [[British]] land at [[Suvla Bay]], [[Gallipoli Peninsula]]
|-
| August 20 || War is declared on [[Turkey]] by [[Italy]]
|-
| September 25 || Western Front ([[Artois]], [[Champagne]], and [[Loos]] in France) is attacked by [[Allies]]
|-
| December 8 || [[Evacuation]] of [[Gallipoli]] is begun by [[Allies]]
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
|+
|-

== '''1916''' ==
|-
| February 21 || In [[France]], the Battle of [[Verdun]] begins by [[Germany]] attacking [[France]]
|-
| March 9 || War is declared on [[Portugal]] by [[Germany]]
|-
| May 31 || [[North Sea]], [[Battle of Jutland]]
|-
| June 4 || [[Russia]], The Brusilov Offensive begins
|-
| July 1 || Battle of [[Somme]], [[France]] begins
|-
| August 28 || War is declared on [[Romania]] by [[Germany]]
|-
| September 2-3 || [[Britain]] shoots down first [[Zeppelin]] [[German]] [[airships]]
|-
| September 15 || [[Tanks]] used for the first time in war by [[Britain]]
|-
| November 18 || Battle of [[Somme]] ends- [[Britain]] and [[France]] hold the [[Somme River]]
|-
| December 18 || [[France]] defeats [[Germany]], Battle of [[Verdun]] ends
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
|+
|-

== '''1917''' ==
|-
| January || [[Palestine]] is entered by [[Britain]]
|-
| February || [[Germany]] declares unrestricted [[U-boat]] warfare and sinks five [[American]] ships
|-
| March 12 || [[Russian Revolution]] begins
|-
| April 6 || War is declared on [[Germany]] by the [[United States]]
|-
| April 9 || Battle of [[Arras]], [[France]]
|-
| April 10 || [[Vimy Ridge]], [[France]] is captured by [[Canadians]]
|-
| April 16-May 9 || [[French]] attack on Second Battle of [[Aisne River]], [[France]]
|-
| May 25 || In [[Britain]], daylight [[bombing]] raids begin
|-
| June 7 || [[Messines Ridge]], [[Belgium]] is attacked by [[British]]
|-
| July 31-November 6 || [[British]] against [[Germans]]- third Battle of [[Ypres]]
|-
| November 6-7 || [[Passchendaele]] is captured by [[Canadians]], ending Battle of [[Ypres]]; [[Bolshevik revolution]] begins in [[Russia]]
|-
| November 20 || [[British]] use large number of [[tanks]] to win Battle of [[Cambrai]]
|-
| December 9 || [[Jerusalem]] in [[Middle East]] is captured by [[British]]; [[Romania]] and [[Central Powers]] make [[Armistice]] (a cease-fire before signing a peace treaty)
|-
| December 15 || [[Armistice]] between [[Russia]] and [[Central Powers]]
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
|+
|-

== '''1918''' ==
|-
| January 18 || [[Fourteen-point Peace Plan]] is proposed by [[Woodrow Wilson|President Woodrow Wilson]]
|-
| April 9 || [[Germans]] begin attack in northern [[France]]
|-
| May 27-30 || [[Allies|Allied]] line on the [[Marne River]] is broken by [[Germans]]
|-
| August 8 || [[Germans]] are routed by [[Allies]] at Battle of [[Amiens]]
|-
| September 26 || Final [[Allies|Allied]] attack begins
|-
| October 1 || [[Damascus]], [[Syria]] is captured by [[British]]
|-
| October 30 || [[Italy]] defeats [[Austria]]-[[Hungary]] at Battle of [[Vittorio Veneto]]; [[Armistice]] is signed by [[Turkey]]
|-
| November 3 || [[Armistice]] is signed by [[Austria]]-[[Hungary]]
|-
| November 9 || Revolution in [[Berlin]], [[Germany]]; throne is given up by [[Kaiser Wilhelm II]], [[Germany]] becomes a republic
|-
| November 11 || [[Armistice]] is signed by [[Germany]]; War on [[Western Front]] ends
|}

==Further reading ==
===Short popular histories===
* ''American Heritage History of WWI''. (1964). heavily illustrated
* Barnett, Correlli. ''The Great War,'' (2003), 224pp, illustrated
* Carver, Michael, Field Marshal Sir. ''War Lords''. (1976) Includes brief bios of Hamilton, Foch, Haig, von Falkenhayn
* Cawood, Ian, and David Mckinnon-Bell. ''The First World War.'' (2001), 174pp [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=109316843 online edition]
* Cruttwell, C. R. M. F. ''A History of the Great War, 1914-1918'' (1934), general military history
* Esposito, Vincent J. ''The West Point Atlas of American Wars: 1900-1918'' (1997) despite the title covers entire war; [http://www.dean.usma.edu/history/web03/atlases/great%20war/great%20war%20index.htm online maps from this atlas]
* Evans, David. ''Teach yourself— the First World War''. (2004)
* Falls, Cyril. ''The Great War'' (1960), general military history
* Gilbert, Martin. ''Atlas of World War I'' (1995), very clear schematic maps
* Gilbert, Martin. ''The Routledge Atlas of the First World War: The Complete History'' (2002)
* Henig, Ruth ''The Origins of the First World War'' (2002) 76pp [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=103326769 online edition]
* Hurley, Alfred F. ''Billy Mitchell, Crusader for Air Power'' (1975)
* Jeffers, H. Paul. ''Ace of Aces: The Life of Captain Eddie Rickenbacker'' (2003). 352 pgs.
* Keegan, John. ''An Illustrated History of the First World War'' (1999). by a leading British scholar [http://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-History-First-World-War/dp/B0001FZGNU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205528338&sr=1-2 excerpt and text search]
* Livesey, Anthony, and H. P. Willmott. ''The Historical Atlas of World War I'' (1994)
* Lyons, Michael J. ''World War I: A Short History'' (2nd Edition), 1999.
* Neiberg, Michael S. ''Fighting the Great War: A Global History.'' (2005). 416 pp. [http://www.amazon.com/Fighting-Great-War-Global-History/dp/0674022513/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201531862&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
* Pope, Stephen and Wheal, Elizabeth-Anne, eds. ''The Macmillan Dictionary of the First World War'' (1995)
* Robbins, Keith. ''The First World War'' (1993), very short overview [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=14754381 online edition]
* Stevenson, David L. ''1914 - 1918: The History of the First World War'', 2004
* Stone, Norman. ''World War One: A Short History'' (2008), 208pp
* Stokesbury, James L. '' A Short History of World War I'' (1981) [http://www.amazon.com/Short-History-World-War-I/dp/0688001297/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205527619&sr=1-11 excerpt and text search]
* Strachan, Hew, ed. ''The Oxford Illustrated History of the First World War'' (2001) [http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-Illustrated-History-First-World/dp/0192893254/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205528053&sr=1-12 excerpt and text search]
* Strachan, Hew. ''The First World War'' (2004): a 385pp version of his multivolume history [http://www.amazon.com/First-World-War-Hew-Strachan/dp/B000F4LMQC/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205528053&sr=1-2 excerpt and text search]
* Taylor, A. J. P. ''The First World War: An Illustrated History'', (1963) [http://www.amazon.com/First-World-War-J-P-Taylor/dp/0399502602/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205537432&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
* Toland, John. ''No Man's Land. 1918 - The Last Year of the Great War'' (1980)
* Tuchman, Barbara. ''The Guns of August'', best-seller and Pulitzer Prize book tells of the opening diplomatic and military manoeuvres in August 1914 [http://www.amazon.com/Guns-August-Barbara-W-Tuchman/dp/0345476093/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205537159&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
* Tucker, Spencer. ''The Great War 1914-18'' (1998) [http://www.amazon.com/Great-War-1914-18-Spencer-Tucker/dp/0253211719/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205528478&sr=1-7 excerpt and text search]
* Willmott, H. P. ''World War I'' (2007) 296pp
* Winter, J. M. ''The Experience of World War I'' (2nd ed 2005), topical essays; well illustrated; strongest on behind-the-lines

===Advanded books===
* Bakeless, John Edwin. ''The Economic Causes of Modern War: A Study of the Period: 1878-1918'' (1919) [http://books.google.com/books?id=5wgAAAAAYAAJ&printsec=toc&dq=intitle:war+date:1919-1921&num=30&as_brr=1&sig=LZcIMpEGmzqwkIldzuhfH5Muveg#PPR3,M1 online edition]
* Fay, Sidney. ''The Origins of the World War'' (1930); classic scholarly study; argues every nation shared guilt for starting the war [http://yamaguchy.netfirms.com/7897401/fay/origin_index.html online edition]
* Ferguson, Niall ''The Pity of War'' (1999), 563pp; much on death and casualties [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=100769957 online edition]
* Gray, Edwyn A. ''The U-Boat War, 1914-1918'' (1994)
* Halpern, Paul G. ''A Naval History of World War I''(1995)
* Herwig, Holger H. ''The First World War: Germany and Austria-Hungary 1914-1918'' (1996)
* [http://www.stratnet.ucalgary.ca/publications/pdf/herwig_operation-michael_nov2001.pdf Herwig, Holger H. ''Operation Michael: The “Last Card”'' 2001], German spring offensive in 1918
* Haber, L. F. ''The Poisonous Cloud: Chemical Warfare in the First World War'' (1986); the standard history
* Higham, Robin and Dennis E. Showalter, eds. ''Researching World War I: A Handbook'' (2003), 475pp; highly detailed historiography, stressing military themes; annotates over 1000 books; [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=107066504 online edition]
* Horne, Alistair. ''The Price of Glory: Verdun 1916'' (2nd ed 1994), very well written narrative
* Joll, James. ''The Origins of the First World War''. (3rd ed 2006).
* Kennett, Lee. ''First Air War, 1914-1918'' (1999). 288 pp. [http://www.amazon.com/First-Air-War-1914-1918/dp/0684871203/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205528300&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
* Miller, Steven E. (ed.) ''Military Strategy and the Origins of the First World War: an International Security Reader'', (1985)
* Passingham, Ian. ''All the Kaiser's Men: The Life & Death of the German Army on the Western Front 1914-1918,'' (2nd ed 2006) 288pp
* Sheldon, Jack. ''German Army on the Somme, 1914-1916,'' (2005) 352pp
* Showalter, Dennis. ''Tannenberg: Clash of Empires,'' 1991
* Stevenson, David. ''The First World War and International Politics'' (2005)
* Stone, Norman. ''The Eastern Front, 1914–1917.'' 1975.
* Strachan, Hew. ''The First World War: Volume I: To Arms'' (2004): the major scholarly synthesis. Thorough coverage of 1914 in 1248 pp [http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0199261911/ref=sib_dp_bod_ex/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&p=S00M#reader-link excerpt online]
* Tooley, Hunt. ''The Western Front: Battle Ground and Home Front in the First World War.'' (2003), 305pp, social history, does not emphasize battles
* Travers, Tim. ''How the War Was Won: Command and Technology in the British Army on the Western Front, 1917-1918,''. London:Routledge (1992) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=103449849 online edition]
* Tuchman, Barbara W. ''The Zimmermann Telegram'' (1966)
* Tucker, Spencer, ed. ''The Encyclopedia of World War I: A Political, Social, and Military History'' (5 vol 2005); the most detailed reference source; articles by specialists cover all aspects of the war
* Tucker, Spencer, ed. ''European Powers in the First World War: An Encyclopedia'' (1999)
* Tucker, Spencer C. ''Tanks: An Illustrated History of Their Impact.'' ABC-CLIO, 2004. 379 pp.
===USA and Canada===
* Bassett, John Spencer. ''Our War with Germany: A History'' (1919) [http://books.google.com/books?id=76UTAAAAIAAJ&printsec=toc&dq=intitle:war+date:1919-1921&num=30&as_brr=1&sig=4Vx3GGygya6F24ozaNJyLzMI694#PPP10,M1 online edition]
* Chambers, John W., II. ''To Raise an Army: The Draft Comes to Modern America'' (1987)
* Coffman, Edward M. ''The War to End All Wars: The American Military Experience in World War I'' (1998) [http://books.google.com/books?id=px_1JGtbeIAC&printsec=frontcover&dq=COFFMAN+The+War+to+End+All+Wars:&lr=&num=30&as_brr=0&ei=0RdYSJKmKJyMjAG04JWFDA&sig=s-w6Np6drA_a-MzUxR0UnsQcORc excerpt and text search]
* Kennedy, David M. ''Over Here: The First World War and American Society'' (1979) [http://www.amazon.com/Over-Here-First-American-Society/dp/0195173996 excerpt and text search]
* May, Ernest R. ''The World War and American isolation, 1914-1917'' (1959[http://hdl.handle.net.proxy.cc.uic.edu/2027/heb.00283 online at ACLS e-books]
* Morton, Desmond, and Jack Granatstein. ''Marching to Armageddon: Canadians and the Great War 1914-1919'' (1989)
* Scott, Emmett Jay. ''Scott's Official History of the American Negro in the World War'' (1919) 511 pages [http://books.google.com/books?id=obUHAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA10&dq=intitle:world+intitle:war+date:1919-2007&num=30&as_brr=1 online edition]
[http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=24640205 online edition]
* Venzon, Anne ed. ''The United States in the First World War: An Encyclopedia'' (1995)
* Wilson, Dale E. ''Treat'Em Rough!: The Birth of American Armor, 1917-20'' (1989)
* Zieger, Robert H. ''America's Great War: World War I and the American Experience.'' 2000. 272 pp.

===Online secondary and primary sources===
* [http://tigger.uic.edu/~rjensen/military.html#J. ''Web Sources for Military History'' by Richard Jensen]
* [http://net.lib.byu.edu/~rdh7/wwi/ WWI Document Archive], valuable collection
* [http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/ww1.htm diplomatic primary documents, from Mt. Holyoke College]

====notes====
<references/>

[[Category:Wars]]
[[Category:World War I| ]]

== External links ==
* [http://tigger.uic.edu/~rjensen/military.html#J. Guide to web resources by RJJensen]
* [http://www.firstworldwar.com/index.htm Excellent British site]
* [http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/ The Great War, from PBS]
* [http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/historian/index.html interviews with historians]
* [http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/docs/books/gutenberg/etext04/shogw10.txt ''A Short History of the Great War,'' by A.F. Pollard (1920), British perspective]
* [http://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/Main_Page Primary documents], very thorough collection from all countries
** [http://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/WWI_Biographical_Dictionary short biographies]
** [http://www.vlib.us/wwi/resources/archives/imarchive.html Photographs]
** [http://www.vlib.us/medical/ medical history]
* [http://www.worldwar1.com/maproom.htm maps]
* [http://www.worldwar1.com/reflib.htm Trenches on the Web]
===Origins and political impact===
* [http://net.lib.byu.edu/~rdh7/wwi/comment/WarFacts/wfactsTC.htm ''Handbook of War Facts and Peace Problems'' (1919) sophisticated American pamphlet; anti-German; good summary of effects of war on each country involved]
* [http://yamaguchy.netfirms.com/7897401/fay/origin_index.html Sidney Fay, ''The Origins of the World War'' (1930) classic scholarly study; argues many nations shared guilt for starting the war]
* [http://www.onpower.org/history_wwi.html/ World War I]
* [http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=1345 "American Foreign Policy: The Turning Point, 1898–1919," by Ralph Raico]
* [http://www.independent.org/publications/working_papers/article.asp?id=1499 "Government and the Economy: The World Wars," by Robert Higgs]
* [http://www.lewrockwell.com/rothbard/rothbard91.html "War Collectivism in World War I," by Murray N. Rothbard]
* [http://www.independent.org/publications/tir/article.asp?issueID=40&articleID=506 "The Great War Retold," by Ralph Raico]

Talk:World War I

2010-01-07T14:52:14Z

JasonN: /* American casualties */

Talk:World War I

2010-01-07T14:49:36Z

JasonN: /* American casualties */

==Improve?==

Are we still doing the article improvement drive? This article says nothing about the events that led up to the war, or Wilson's 14 points plan. [[User:DanH|DanH]] 18:34, 25 April 2007 (EDT)

==Russian Revolution==

"the [[October Revolution]] ended any hopes for democracy within the former Tsarist territories for another two generations" - I would suggest it ended hopes until 1923 and the death of Lenin, when Russia seems to be on the verge of becoming a social democracy. Then, alas, Stalin won control. - Stevendavy
:Hope wasn't lost until Trotsky was kicked out. [[User:GodlessLiberal|GodlessLiberal]] 14:54, 29 April 2007 (EDT)

==Global war?==

"It was the first global war in history." It wasn't a global war. It was a European war. [[User:Blaise|Blaise]] 18:07, 8 May 2007 (EDT)

Blaise; there were engagements in the Middle East, West Africa, the Pacific. The only continent not to be involved was South America. and I am not too sure about that. The last full-scale mass cavalry charge in history took place at Beersheba in the Holy Land in October 1917...by Australians would you believe! It was bloody global, mate![[User:AlanE|AlanE]] 22:19, 15 May 2007 (EDT)

: All continents except Antarctica were involved

: Here is the full list

'''Australia''' 
Entered war together with Britain on 4 August 1914

'''Austria-Hungary''' 
Declared war with Serbia on 28 July 1914 
Declared war with Russia on 6 August 1914 
Declared war with Belgium on 28 August 1914 
Declared war with Portugal on 15 March 1916 

'''Belgium''' 
Invaded by Germany on 3 August 1914 

'''Bolivia''' 
Severed relations with Germany on 13 April 1917 

'''Brazil''' 
Severed relations with Germany on 11 April 1917 
Declared war with Germany on 26 October 1917 

'''Bulgaria''' 
Declared war with Serbia on 14 October 1915 
Declared war with Romania on 1 September 1916 

'''Canada''' 
Entered war together with Britain on 4 August 1914 

'''China''' 
Severed relations with Germany on 14 March 1917 
Declared war with Germany on 14 August 1917 
Declared war with Austria-Hungary on 14 August 1917 

'''Costa Rica''' 
Severed relations with Germany on 21 September 1917 
Declared war with Germany on 23 May 1918 

'''Cuba''' 
Declared war with Germany on 7 April 1917 

'''Ecuador''' 
Severed relations with Germany on 8 December 1917 

'''France''' 
Invaded by Germany on 2 August 1914 
Declared war with Austria-Hungary on 12 August 1914 
Declared war with Turkey on 5 November 1914 
Declared war with Bulgaria on 16 October 1915 

'''Germany''' 
Declared war with Russia on 1 August 1914 
Declared war with France on 3 August 1914 
Declared war with Belgium on 4 August 1914 
Declared war with Portugal on 9 March 1916 

'''Greece''' 
Declared war with Austria-Hungary on 27 June 1917 
Declared war with Bulgaria on 27 June 1917 
Declared war with Germany on 27 June 1917 
Declared war with Turkey on 27 June 1917 

'''Guatemala''' 
Declared war with Germany on 23 April 1918 

'''Haiti''' 
Declared war with Germany on 12 July 1918 

'''Honduras''' 
Declared war with Germany on 19 July 1918 

'''Italy''' 
Declared war with Austria-Hungary on 23 May 1915 
Declared war with Turkey on 21 August 1915 
Declared war with Germany on 28 August 1915 
Declared war with Bulgaria on 19 October 1915 

'''Japan''' 
Declared war with Germany on 23 August 1914 
Declared war with Austria-Hungary on 25 August 1914 

'''Liberia''' 
Declared war with Germany on 4 August 1914 

'''Montenegro''' 
Declared war with Austria-Hungary on 5 August 1914 
Declared war with Germany on 8 August 1914 
Declared war with Bulgaria on 15 October 1915 

'''New Zealand''' 
Entered war together with Britain on 4 August 1914 

'''Nicaragua''' 
Declared war with Austria-Hungary on 8 May 1918 
Declared war with Germany on 8 May 1918 

'''Panama''' 
Declared war with Germany on 7 April 1917 
Declared war with Austria-Hungary on 10 December 1917 

'''Peru''' 
Severed relations with Germany on 6 October 1917 

'''Portugal''' 
Entered war against Germany on 9 March 1916 
Entered war against Austria-Hungary on 15 March 1916 

'''Romania''' 
Declared war with Austria-Hungary on 27 August 1916 
Exited war with Treaty of Bucharest on 7 May 1918 
Re-entered the war on 10 November 1918 

'''Russia''' 
Declared war with Turkey on 2 November 1914 
Declared war with Bulgaria on 19 October 1915 

'''San Marino''' 
Declared war with Austria-Hungary on 3 June 1915 

'''Serbia''' 
Declared war with Germany on 6 August 1914 
Declared war with Turkey on 2 November 1914 

'''Siam''' 
Declared war with Austria-Hungary on 22 July 1917 
Declared war with Germany on 22 July 1917 

'''Turkey''' 
Declared war with Romania on 30 August 1916 
Severed relations with United States on 23 April 1917 

'''United Kingdom''' 
Declared war with Germany on 4 August 1914 
Declared war with Austria-Hungary on 12 August 1914 
Declared war with Turkey on 5 November 1914 
Declared war with Bulgaria on 15 October 1915 

'''United States of America''' 
Declared war with Germany on 6 April 1917 
Declared war with Austria-Hungary on 7 December 1917 

'''Uruguay''' 
Severed relations with Germany on 7 October 1917 

: This was a global war [[User:Samlake|Samlake]] 20:25, 9 March 2009 (EDT)

::The first global war was the [[Seven Year's War]], according to [[Winston Churchill]]. I am inclined to believe him.--[[User:JWeatherman|JWeatherman]] 10:01, 30 March 2009 (EDT)

==American casualties==
I would like to note the reasons behind the American troops having such a high mortality rate compared to other nations soldiers, but I'm not sure how to add it, partially due to it being rather unflattering on the parts of their commanders. Any thoughts? --[[User:JasonN|JasonN]] 00:03, 23 December 2009 (EST)

::if in doubt you can test it out on the talk page [[User:RJJensen|RJJensen]] 00:47, 23 December 2009 (EST)

::(In that case...) Unfortunately, the American soldiers lost far more men during their time in the war than they should have compared to their allies. This was due in part to their skeptical view of the way the war was being conducted, inexperience, and an overzealousness to get to grips with the enemy. As a result, they fought in 1918 the way the European troops had fought in 1914. Also, many American officers ordered attacks to take place all the way up to the very minute of the November 11th armistice.
It's rough, but you get the idea. --[[User:JasonN|JasonN]] 09:21, 5 January 2010 (EST)
::how many battle deaths were there? [[User:RJJensen|RJJensen]] 09:58, 5 January 2010 (EST)
:::There were 117,000 killed, and 207,000 wounded. The first time Americans participated on the front lines was in October of 1917, giving the AEF a total of a little over a year in the trenches. Additionally, the AEF didn't fight in many pitched battles against the German army that were comparable to Ypres, Verdun, or the Somme, due mostly to only arriving in large numbers near the end of the Micheal offensive. The battles the US troops fought in were almost (if not entirely) successes, they took more casualties than what would be expected when compared to nations that had been fighting since 1914-15. To their credit though, nobody could fault the US armies bravery in combat. Although, the allies casualty numbers for every nation are inflated by the Spanish influenza.--[[User:JasonN|JasonN]] 09:57, 6 January 2010 (EST)
:::less than half the deaths were in combat; most were flu. The Allies had rather higher rates. [[User:RJJensen|RJJensen]] 10:45, 6 January 2010 (EST)
::::I agree that the Spanish flu of 1918 killed something over half of the US troops that died overseas, but it still doesn't diminish the fact that that America lost over 50,000 killed in action post-Michael offensive. Their biggest engagements were in the second half of the second Marne, Saint-Mihiel, and the Meuse-Argonne offensive of which only the last of which was an attack upon a well entrenched and armed force, and that day being the bloodiest battle in American history. Lastly, to the commonwealth forces credit, they refrained from intentionally sending troops into battle during the days when the armistice of 1918 was being discussed, while French and American troops, seeking revenge and glory respectively, were still sending troops over the top.--[[User:JasonN|JasonN]] 09:49, 7 January 2010 (EST)

Talk:Holocaust

2010-01-06T15:21:27Z

JasonN: /* Where is Darwin? */

The "Criticism" section could be a major black eye if it's not carefully watched. --[[User:John|John]] 22:52, 7 March 2007 (EST)

==Where is Darwin?==
I think we should add a section on evolution and how it caused the holocaust. A picture of Darwin should also be added.
--[[User:All4Him|All4Him]] 11:26, 16 September 2008 (EDT)

Not evolution per se, eugenics as that was more relevent at the time. [[User:KatanaGeldar|KatanaGeldar]] 21:22, 4 October 2008 (EDT)

: Learn how to spell "relevant", and then admit that eugenics was based on the theory of evolution.--[[User:Aschlafly|Aschlafly]] 21:24, 4 October 2008 (EDT)
:: Hate to say it, but the works of Darwin and Haeckel were blacklisted and banned in Germany. Here's the link. http://www.library.arizona.edu/exhibits/burnedbooks/documents.htm (sorry I don't know how to make the link a simple reference number) --[[User:JasonN|JasonN]] 10:20, 6 January 2010 (EST)

== Reverts ==

You can revert back to the biased version if you insist, but you could at least have kept the correct spelling of "occurrence". [[User:AppliedFaith|AppliedFaith]] 16:13, 13 April 2007 (EDT)

:Why were some of the following Conservative facts [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Holocaust&curid=3340&diff=357620&oldid=357619 removed]? Surely no one is of the opinion they are not true?

::Jews stood virtually alone against the Nazi war machine and those who collaborated with them, receiving no aid or assistance from outside, as well as having no access to arms with which to defend themselves because the Nazis first disarmed their victims through use of [[gun control]] they were left defenseless. "Genocide would be impossible, or nearly impossible, against an armed group of millions of victims". [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Gun_control&diff=357551&oldid=357545].

:[[User:CillaHunt|CillaHunt]] 14:48, 24 December 2007 (EST)
::It was reverted because you're inserting today's subject of gun control into a period of time and place where that wasn't an issue. It's also speculation; it is fine for the talk and debate pages, but not for the main article. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 14:54, 24 December 2007 (EST)

:::Andy is adamant that it is true, and certainly not speculation. Surely you're not saying he got it wrong? [[User:CillaHunt|CillaHunt]] 15:32, 24 December 2007 (EST)

== Evidence ==
I think (from a pedantic view of English grammar) that there is a small contradiction between the wording that the number of those killed is an estimate because incomplete records have been recovered and the fact the holocaust denial is unjustified because the Germans kept accurate records. Perhaps someone could reword this. [[User:Erasmus|Erasmus]] 16:44, 2 May 2007 (EDT)

== Total Dead ==

I've changed the upward value for loss of life from 12 million to 14 million, the value provided by the Encyclopedia of Military History. I thought I better state this in case someone gets upset, as this whole subject can have a tendency to be more touchy than most. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 19:30, 8 May 2007 (EDT)
:We need to decide if we are going to apply the term "Holocaust" to non-Jewish vicitms. [[User:RobS|RobS]] 20:58, 8 May 2007 (EDT)

::Traditionally it has been that way. It's only over time that the non-Jewish dead started to be, for lack of a better word, forgotten. I would say keep it to include everyone who died under Hitler for no reason other than their inconveniance to him. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 21:15, 8 May 2007 (EDT)

:::This may need some research on what various respected historians on the Holocaust have said. Simply because it's so-called "common usage" is no reason for us to repeat. [[User:RobS|RobS]] 21:17, 8 May 2007 (EDT)

==Expanding the article==
As you can see, I've begun expanding it today, and will be done by tomorrow. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 19:02, 24 May 2007 (EDT)
::Very nice. But why does it only mention Gypsies, Jehovas witness and homosexuals? More Slavs were victims than all these groups combined.[[User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] [[User talk:Bohdan|Talk]] 19:04, 24 May 2007 (EDT)
::It isn't done yet, but it should list the groups of people who were targeted for slavery as well as those targeted for extermination. But as a rule, ''holocaust'' as a term should be restricted to the persecution of the Jews in Europe by the Nazis. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 19:22, 24 May 2007 (EDT)
::::No argument there.[[User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] [[User talk:Bohdan|Talk]] 19:25, 24 May 2007 (EDT)
::::::Glad my suggested article improvement drive is working! [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 19:31, 24 May 2007 (EDT)
:::::::Yer welcome! Now for the rest of the articles on the list... [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 19:41, 24 May 2007 (EDT)

==Dawidowicz==
Here is the citation moved from the Adolf Hilter page. This link is from the [[Simon Wiesenthal Center]] and reads,
{{Cquote|Postwar historians of the Holocaust, especially those asserting the exclusivist view that the Holocaust was a historical experience unique to the Jewish people, have taken a similar position. Thus [[Lucy S. Dawidowicz]], a leading exclusivist, has dismissed as '''not worthy of mention''' the '''"prostitutes, homosexuals, perverts, and common criminals"''' incarcerated by the Nazi.2 }}

with the footnote

{{Cquote|Lucy S. Dawidowicz, The Holocaust and the Historians (Cambridge, MA, 1981), p. 8. Ironically, this stance echoes the alibi voiced in crypto-Nazi writings of the postwar period that the inmates of the concentration camps were mainly black marketeers and other criminals who later posed as innocent victims of the regime; for example, Brigitte Pohl, Fastnacht der Damonen: Erlebnisse einer Wienerin (Leoni am Stamberger See, 1963), p. 45 [published by the Druffel-Verlag]. Pohl is a frequent contributor to the farright monthly Nation Europa, published in Coburg. }}

http://web.archive.org/web/20010121143900/http://motlc.wiesenthal.com/resources/books/annual7/chap12.html

Dawidowicz is the Author of ''A Holocaust Reader'', and ''The War Against the Jews'', two definitive works we certainly will be citing in this article. Dawidowicz's credentials are impecable. [[User:RobS|RobS]] 21:49, 24 May 2007 (EDT)
:Use that as a reference, and add material as appropriate. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 15:38, 25 May 2007 (EDT)

So far I have touched the beginnings of World War II. As it stands, what I have put in is merely an article in general terms; detail can be added as needed. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 15:41, 25 May 2007 (EDT)

==Done==
The structure is pretty basic, but ready for new material. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 11:35, 30 May 2007 (EDT)

== Bombing the railroad ==

Many historians have debated the question of why the Allies did not attempt to stop the operations at Auschwitz by bombing the railroad into the camp - or whether they could or should have. Is that relevant to this article? [[User:Sevenstring|Sevenstring]] 12:24, 30 May 2007 (EDT)
:Yes it is. Perhaps a new subsection called "Allied responses" or something similar, in which it is described what the Allies did, could have done, or didn't do during the war. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 12:41, 30 May 2007 (EDT)

Your edit of the word Nurnberg is fine, however it's spelled. What I wanted to do is to get as close as possible to the German spelling, but the mark above the letter "U" in the word is a bit of a trouble to insert. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 15:49, 30 May 2007 (EDT)
:Found the German version of the word, with the inflection. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 15:54, 30 May 2007 (EDT)

==This is an excellent article==

This is a very well done and researched article. [[User:DanH|DanH]] 13:33, 8 July 2007 (EDT)

Someone has posted a photograph on top of the statistics in the Aftermath section of the article. Can this be removed?[[User:Needleman|Needleman]] 12:01, 17 August 2007 (EDT)

I see once again someone has pasted a photograph on top of the statistics in the Aftermath section of the article. Can this be removed?[[User:Needleman|Needleman]] 21:08, 26 August 2007 (EDT)

I don't understand; I don't see a photograph there. [[User:DanH|DanH]] 21:14, 26 August 2007 (EDT)

It's 12:35 PM on August 31, 2007. Take a look again at the statistics box. It's partially blocked by a photograph.[[User:Needleman|Needleman]] 12:37, 31 August 2007 (EDT)

==Two changes I would like to offer==
I'd like to second the comment by DanH on the quality of this article. Well done, editors!

That said, I'd like to make two comments:

1) Purpose of article
The article begins with "The Holocaust is a word...". This suggests that the article is one discussing the word itself, rather than the event related to the victims of Nazi Germany, which is actually the main thing being discussed.

A decision seems necessary on whether the article discusses the word (under which the definition and etymology is important) or the historical event. I think the more likely reason people visit this page is the later.

I believe the etymology should be moved to its own section farther down in the article. I also think there should be a deliberate reference to the [[Genocide]] article, rather than just having a category.

2) Displaced gravity of the article
The end of the definition contains the following language: "when Jews were ... and ultimately targeted for extermination". My problem is only with the use of the word "targeted", which suggests that extermination may not have actually occurred. The actual subject should be front and center, and not left as an item to be discussed in the body of the article.

[[User:NepotisMonachus|NepotisMonachus]] 13:43, 30 November 2007 (EST)

== Nanking ==

let's be historically specific: The Holocaust was about the elimination of European Jews. Nanking/Nanjing was an atrocity, but besides a broad temporal association, it had nothing to do with the Holocaust.[[User:BillyR|BillyR]] 13:23, 1 October 2008 (EDT)
::textbooks often group together the Holocaust and other wartime atrocities, and students should know about both. [[User:RJJensen|RJJensen]] 15:45, 1 October 2008 (EDT)
:::That is true, but the Holocaust is specific to European Jewry. What would be appropriate here would be separate articles connected by the "see also" subtopic, including the Sudan genocide, the rape of Nanking, Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge, etc. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 16:02, 1 October 2008 (EDT)

::{{template|Part of this article was copied from [[Conservapedia]] and [[Wikipedia]] but the copied text was originally written by me, RJJensen (under the name Richard Jensen and rjensen) and does not include alterations made by others on that site.||category=Copied Articles}} [[User:RJJensen|RJJensen]] 13:42, 10 November 2008 (EST)

I am a new member, but a very big WWII/Holocaust history buff and was wondering if I could add some information on Operation Reinhard, an expansion of the Einsatzgruppen section, an introduction and explanation of the Sonderkommando and a brief overview of the different camps, especially the differences between labor/transit/extermination camps. This article is well written, but I believe there is a variety of information available that could improve it. I took a number of classes in college on the Holocaust and WWII even though it wasn't my major. The war between Germany and the Soviet Union has always fascinated me and I would like the opportunity to add more about that conflict as it is covered briefly in the WWII article on here. Thank you!
::Yes, go ahead (but please sign your name here). [[User:RJJensen|RJJensen]] 21:59, 12 March 2009 (EDT)

== Two More Things ==
I find the last line of the "Vatican" subheading to be very biased, I would like to see a link to a reference there, and if not, it should be removed or reworded. Perhaps "many argue that" would be appropriate somewhere.

I find it fascinating Anne Frank is mentioned nowhere... maybe we should add her? --[[User:Humph|Humph]] 19:26, 1 June 2009 (EDT)Humph

Talk:Holocaust

2010-01-06T15:20:21Z

JasonN: /* Where is Darwin? */

The "Criticism" section could be a major black eye if it's not carefully watched. --[[User:John|John]] 22:52, 7 March 2007 (EST)

==Where is Darwin?==
I think we should add a section on evolution and how it caused the holocaust. A picture of Darwin should also be added.
--[[User:All4Him|All4Him]] 11:26, 16 September 2008 (EDT)

Not evolution per se, eugenics as that was more relevent at the time. [[User:KatanaGeldar|KatanaGeldar]] 21:22, 4 October 2008 (EDT)

: Learn how to spell "relevant", and then admit that eugenics was based on the theory of evolution.--[[User:Aschlafly|Aschlafly]] 21:24, 4 October 2008 (EDT)
:: Hate to say it, but the works of Darwin and Haeckel were blacklisted and banned in Germany. Here's the link. <ref>http://www.library.arizona.edu/exhibits/burnedbooks/documents.htm</ref> --[[User:JasonN|JasonN]] 10:20, 6 January 2010 (EST)

== Reverts ==

You can revert back to the biased version if you insist, but you could at least have kept the correct spelling of "occurrence". [[User:AppliedFaith|AppliedFaith]] 16:13, 13 April 2007 (EDT)

:Why were some of the following Conservative facts [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Holocaust&curid=3340&diff=357620&oldid=357619 removed]? Surely no one is of the opinion they are not true?

::Jews stood virtually alone against the Nazi war machine and those who collaborated with them, receiving no aid or assistance from outside, as well as having no access to arms with which to defend themselves because the Nazis first disarmed their victims through use of [[gun control]] they were left defenseless. "Genocide would be impossible, or nearly impossible, against an armed group of millions of victims". [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Gun_control&diff=357551&oldid=357545].

:[[User:CillaHunt|CillaHunt]] 14:48, 24 December 2007 (EST)
::It was reverted because you're inserting today's subject of gun control into a period of time and place where that wasn't an issue. It's also speculation; it is fine for the talk and debate pages, but not for the main article. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 14:54, 24 December 2007 (EST)

:::Andy is adamant that it is true, and certainly not speculation. Surely you're not saying he got it wrong? [[User:CillaHunt|CillaHunt]] 15:32, 24 December 2007 (EST)

== Evidence ==
I think (from a pedantic view of English grammar) that there is a small contradiction between the wording that the number of those killed is an estimate because incomplete records have been recovered and the fact the holocaust denial is unjustified because the Germans kept accurate records. Perhaps someone could reword this. [[User:Erasmus|Erasmus]] 16:44, 2 May 2007 (EDT)

== Total Dead ==

I've changed the upward value for loss of life from 12 million to 14 million, the value provided by the Encyclopedia of Military History. I thought I better state this in case someone gets upset, as this whole subject can have a tendency to be more touchy than most. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 19:30, 8 May 2007 (EDT)
:We need to decide if we are going to apply the term "Holocaust" to non-Jewish vicitms. [[User:RobS|RobS]] 20:58, 8 May 2007 (EDT)

::Traditionally it has been that way. It's only over time that the non-Jewish dead started to be, for lack of a better word, forgotten. I would say keep it to include everyone who died under Hitler for no reason other than their inconveniance to him. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 21:15, 8 May 2007 (EDT)

:::This may need some research on what various respected historians on the Holocaust have said. Simply because it's so-called "common usage" is no reason for us to repeat. [[User:RobS|RobS]] 21:17, 8 May 2007 (EDT)

==Expanding the article==
As you can see, I've begun expanding it today, and will be done by tomorrow. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 19:02, 24 May 2007 (EDT)
::Very nice. But why does it only mention Gypsies, Jehovas witness and homosexuals? More Slavs were victims than all these groups combined.[[User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] [[User talk:Bohdan|Talk]] 19:04, 24 May 2007 (EDT)
::It isn't done yet, but it should list the groups of people who were targeted for slavery as well as those targeted for extermination. But as a rule, ''holocaust'' as a term should be restricted to the persecution of the Jews in Europe by the Nazis. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 19:22, 24 May 2007 (EDT)
::::No argument there.[[User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] [[User talk:Bohdan|Talk]] 19:25, 24 May 2007 (EDT)
::::::Glad my suggested article improvement drive is working! [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 19:31, 24 May 2007 (EDT)
:::::::Yer welcome! Now for the rest of the articles on the list... [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 19:41, 24 May 2007 (EDT)

==Dawidowicz==
Here is the citation moved from the Adolf Hilter page. This link is from the [[Simon Wiesenthal Center]] and reads,
{{Cquote|Postwar historians of the Holocaust, especially those asserting the exclusivist view that the Holocaust was a historical experience unique to the Jewish people, have taken a similar position. Thus [[Lucy S. Dawidowicz]], a leading exclusivist, has dismissed as '''not worthy of mention''' the '''"prostitutes, homosexuals, perverts, and common criminals"''' incarcerated by the Nazi.2 }}

with the footnote

{{Cquote|Lucy S. Dawidowicz, The Holocaust and the Historians (Cambridge, MA, 1981), p. 8. Ironically, this stance echoes the alibi voiced in crypto-Nazi writings of the postwar period that the inmates of the concentration camps were mainly black marketeers and other criminals who later posed as innocent victims of the regime; for example, Brigitte Pohl, Fastnacht der Damonen: Erlebnisse einer Wienerin (Leoni am Stamberger See, 1963), p. 45 [published by the Druffel-Verlag]. Pohl is a frequent contributor to the farright monthly Nation Europa, published in Coburg. }}

http://web.archive.org/web/20010121143900/http://motlc.wiesenthal.com/resources/books/annual7/chap12.html

Dawidowicz is the Author of ''A Holocaust Reader'', and ''The War Against the Jews'', two definitive works we certainly will be citing in this article. Dawidowicz's credentials are impecable. [[User:RobS|RobS]] 21:49, 24 May 2007 (EDT)
:Use that as a reference, and add material as appropriate. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 15:38, 25 May 2007 (EDT)

So far I have touched the beginnings of World War II. As it stands, what I have put in is merely an article in general terms; detail can be added as needed. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 15:41, 25 May 2007 (EDT)

==Done==
The structure is pretty basic, but ready for new material. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 11:35, 30 May 2007 (EDT)

== Bombing the railroad ==

Many historians have debated the question of why the Allies did not attempt to stop the operations at Auschwitz by bombing the railroad into the camp - or whether they could or should have. Is that relevant to this article? [[User:Sevenstring|Sevenstring]] 12:24, 30 May 2007 (EDT)
:Yes it is. Perhaps a new subsection called "Allied responses" or something similar, in which it is described what the Allies did, could have done, or didn't do during the war. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 12:41, 30 May 2007 (EDT)

Your edit of the word Nurnberg is fine, however it's spelled. What I wanted to do is to get as close as possible to the German spelling, but the mark above the letter "U" in the word is a bit of a trouble to insert. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 15:49, 30 May 2007 (EDT)
:Found the German version of the word, with the inflection. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 15:54, 30 May 2007 (EDT)

==This is an excellent article==

This is a very well done and researched article. [[User:DanH|DanH]] 13:33, 8 July 2007 (EDT)

Someone has posted a photograph on top of the statistics in the Aftermath section of the article. Can this be removed?[[User:Needleman|Needleman]] 12:01, 17 August 2007 (EDT)

I see once again someone has pasted a photograph on top of the statistics in the Aftermath section of the article. Can this be removed?[[User:Needleman|Needleman]] 21:08, 26 August 2007 (EDT)

I don't understand; I don't see a photograph there. [[User:DanH|DanH]] 21:14, 26 August 2007 (EDT)

It's 12:35 PM on August 31, 2007. Take a look again at the statistics box. It's partially blocked by a photograph.[[User:Needleman|Needleman]] 12:37, 31 August 2007 (EDT)

==Two changes I would like to offer==
I'd like to second the comment by DanH on the quality of this article. Well done, editors!

That said, I'd like to make two comments:

1) Purpose of article
The article begins with "The Holocaust is a word...". This suggests that the article is one discussing the word itself, rather than the event related to the victims of Nazi Germany, which is actually the main thing being discussed.

A decision seems necessary on whether the article discusses the word (under which the definition and etymology is important) or the historical event. I think the more likely reason people visit this page is the later.

I believe the etymology should be moved to its own section farther down in the article. I also think there should be a deliberate reference to the [[Genocide]] article, rather than just having a category.

2) Displaced gravity of the article
The end of the definition contains the following language: "when Jews were ... and ultimately targeted for extermination". My problem is only with the use of the word "targeted", which suggests that extermination may not have actually occurred. The actual subject should be front and center, and not left as an item to be discussed in the body of the article.

[[User:NepotisMonachus|NepotisMonachus]] 13:43, 30 November 2007 (EST)

== Nanking ==

let's be historically specific: The Holocaust was about the elimination of European Jews. Nanking/Nanjing was an atrocity, but besides a broad temporal association, it had nothing to do with the Holocaust.[[User:BillyR|BillyR]] 13:23, 1 October 2008 (EDT)
::textbooks often group together the Holocaust and other wartime atrocities, and students should know about both. [[User:RJJensen|RJJensen]] 15:45, 1 October 2008 (EDT)
:::That is true, but the Holocaust is specific to European Jewry. What would be appropriate here would be separate articles connected by the "see also" subtopic, including the Sudan genocide, the rape of Nanking, Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge, etc. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 16:02, 1 October 2008 (EDT)

::{{template|Part of this article was copied from [[Conservapedia]] and [[Wikipedia]] but the copied text was originally written by me, RJJensen (under the name Richard Jensen and rjensen) and does not include alterations made by others on that site.||category=Copied Articles}} [[User:RJJensen|RJJensen]] 13:42, 10 November 2008 (EST)

I am a new member, but a very big WWII/Holocaust history buff and was wondering if I could add some information on Operation Reinhard, an expansion of the Einsatzgruppen section, an introduction and explanation of the Sonderkommando and a brief overview of the different camps, especially the differences between labor/transit/extermination camps. This article is well written, but I believe there is a variety of information available that could improve it. I took a number of classes in college on the Holocaust and WWII even though it wasn't my major. The war between Germany and the Soviet Union has always fascinated me and I would like the opportunity to add more about that conflict as it is covered briefly in the WWII article on here. Thank you!
::Yes, go ahead (but please sign your name here). [[User:RJJensen|RJJensen]] 21:59, 12 March 2009 (EDT)

== Two More Things ==
I find the last line of the "Vatican" subheading to be very biased, I would like to see a link to a reference there, and if not, it should be removed or reworded. Perhaps "many argue that" would be appropriate somewhere.

I find it fascinating Anne Frank is mentioned nowhere... maybe we should add her? --[[User:Humph|Humph]] 19:26, 1 June 2009 (EDT)Humph

World War II

2010-01-06T15:02:58Z

JasonN: /* War in the West */ He is a Canadian soldier.

{{World War 2
| image =WWII collage.JPG
| conflict =
| date =1931-1945
| location =Europe North and eastern Africa Eastern Asia
| combatant1 ='''Allies''' [[Great Britain]] [[France]] [[Soviet Union]] [[China]] [[United States]]
| combatant2 ='''Axis''' [[Nazi Germany]] [[Italy]] [[Japan]]
| commander1 =
| commander2 =
| strength1 =
| strength2 =
| casualties1 =
| casualties2 =
}}
'''World War II''' was a global set of conflicts, beginning in 1931 in Asia, 1935 in Africa, and 1939 in Europe, all lasting until 1945, in which the [[Allies|Allied powers]] (led after 1941 by the [[United States]] and including the [[British Commonwealth]], the [[Soviet Union]], the [[Republic of China]], and many other nations), totally defeated the [[Axis Powers]] (led by [[Third Reich|Nazi Germany]], and including [[Italy]], and [[Japan]]). Although Japan's war against China began in 1937, the main conflict started in September 1939 when Germany invaded [[Poland]] (with support from the Soviets); [[Britain]] and [[French Third Republic|France]] then declared war on Germany.

The conflict was the deadliest in human history with estimated deaths ranging from 50 million to over 70 million soldiers and civilians.<ref>http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/warstat1.htm#Second</ref> It ended with the Soviet Union dominant in Eastern Europe, and the U.S. and its allies dominant in Western Europe, setting the stage for the [[Cold War]].
==Causes==
see [[Causes of World War II]]

==War Begins in Europe==
[[Image:Communazi Peace Pact.jpg|thumb|300px|right|By terms of a secret protocol to the [[Nazi-Soviet pact]], Poland was partitioned with Germany and the USSR each occupying 200,000 square kilometers.]]
:''See also: [[Molotov-Ribbentrop pact]]''

In the immediate run up to WWII, there were frequent reports of trespassing Polish troops. On August 31, 1939 German covert operatives staged a fake attack by Polish troops on a German radio station. WWII started on September 1, 1939, when German troops invaded Poland. Hitler justified this as a defensive act, pointing to the frequent border incidents, and said famously that from this moment on Germany would strike back.

The major tactical innovation of the war was the use of combined arms warfare, typified by the German doctrine of [[blitzkrieg]]. In this style of warfare armor, infantry, artillery and air power (see [[Luftwaffe]]) all coordinate to achieve overwhelming superiority at point on the enemy lines. Armor and fast-moving infantry units then exploit the gap and penetrate deep behind enemy lines. The objective is to cause a widespread collapse of the enemy's ability to fight. It was particularly effective during the early stages of the war, before the Allies developed effective countermeasures.
On September 17, 1939, Poland was invaded from the east by Hitler’s ally, Josef Stalin.

In 1939-1940, eastern Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Bessarabia were invaded and annexed into the Soviet Union proper.

==War in the West==
[[Image:Caen_sniper.jpg|left|thumb|200px|A Canadian soldier in the ruins of Caen, 9 July 1944]]
Following the completion of the invasion of Poland, German forces regrouped and Allied forces remained defensive, leading US commentators to dub it the [[Sitskreig|Phoney War]]. May 10 1940 marked the end of any accusation of a phony war, with the invasion of France by Germany, via the [[Netherlands]], [[Luxembourg]] and [[Belgium]]. Resistance by the British armies and French armies proved weak and the occupation of France began. British and French troops were routed and evacuated mainland Europe at [[Dunkirk]]. France was divided into the northern [[Occupied France]] and the collaborationist [[Vichy regime]] in the south of France, including [[Corsica]].

The collapse and occupation of France, together with Germany's non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union,<ref>[http://nobsopus.blogspot.com/2007/01/celebrations-marking-60-years-since-end.html Celebrations Marking 60 Years Since the End of World War II], Pavel Vitek, ''Russkii vopros - Studies'', No. 1 2005. Translation from Russian.</ref>, their alliances with fascist Italy, and an expansionist Japan, benevolent neutrality of fascist Spain, with little of Europe outside of Axis hands led many to assume that Britain had been defeated. Indeed it would appear that the, seemingly foolish, decision of the relatively weak Britain to continue the war took the Axis powers off guard. This decision ensured the remaining British Empire was still involved in the war, with Japan threatening many British possessions in Asia.

In 1940 [[Denmark]] and [[Norway]] were invaded by German forces, to preempt a British occupation of Norway and acquire Norway's coastline and ports for the German Navy. Norway also contained a source of [[Heavy water]], potentially crucial in the construction of an atomic weapon. The operation was successful, but losses were heavy, especially to the [[Kriegsmarine]]. This was soon followed by the British troops invited by [[Iceland]] and American occupation of [[Greenland]]. (The need to prevent any increase in the range of German air activity, brought about the occupation of these lands - and of the Azores at the request of the Portuguese Government.)

With Britain the sole opposing European nation, the [[Battle of Britain]] commenced. The [[Luftwaffe]] attempted to achieve aerial dominance over the south of Britain, in order to allow a sea based invasion of Britain to proceed. From 10th July to the end of October the [[Royal Air Force]] and Luftwaffe fought for dominance, with the resilience of the RAF, with British, Canadian and London Polish exile pilots, and the use of [[radar]] and its associated early warning system had forced a rethink of German tactics. It was the first significant setback for the Germans in the War. They now concentrated on the great population centers, especially London, hoping that huge civilian casualties would weaken morale and lead to a lessening of the war effort by the populace. The period that followed, popularly known as [[the Blitz]], lasted into May 1941. Around 40,000 civilians and civil defense workers died; but it failed in its objective and Hitler began concentrating on the impending invasion of Russia

With the pressure off their airbases the RAF was now able to increase its nightly raids on industrial sites in Germany and occupied lands. Because of the inability to correctly target these sites, the raids soon turned into “area bombing”, and German civilian casualties rose. These raids were to reach further into Germany as the war progressed and were greatly increased when American bombers began their sorties.

==Finnish Wars==

The Soviet Union invaded [[Finland]], a neutral, on November 30 1939. This conflict came to be known as the "Winter War". Despite the overwhelming numbers of the Red Army, the Finnish resistance was strong and the battle was hard fought before the Soviet army took control. Outside powers (including the U.S.) considered intervention to help Finland; only a little aid trickled in and Finland was forced to sue for peace. The peace treaty signed in March 1940 favored the Soviets, but they paid heavily for their victory with 200,000 dead. Finland lost 25,000 dead, and had to absorb 400,000 refugees from areas turned over to the Soviets. In 1941 Finland joined Germany in attacking the Soviets, in the "Continuation War" (1941-44), but lost again. An armistice in Sept. 1944 stabilized the border, using March 1940 lines; in addition Finland had to pay heavy reparations and had to remain neutral in the [[Cold War]].<ref> Roger R. Reese, "Lessons of the Winter War: a Study in the Military Effectiveness of the Red Army, 1939-1940," ''Journal of Military History'' 2008 72(3): 825-852 </ref>

==Soviet-German War==
1941 marked the major turning point in the war in Europe, when the Germans undertook [[Operation Barbarossa]] - the invasion of the Soviet Union. Stalin was repeatedly informed by his own spies and anti-German countries that Germany was about to attack; he rejected the accurate reports and paid dearly for the blunder.

In June--behind schedule because of diversions in the Balkans--the Germans launched their massive war against the Soviet Union (known as the "Great Patriotic War" in Russia). It was by far the largest, bloodiest, and most decisive phase of World War II. Outside observers in the first few months figured that Germany would win easily. But the Nazi armies were split three ways, logistics became worse and worse as distances grew, and none met their objective by the time the extreme Russian winter of 1941-42 set in. Blitzkrieg had failed against the Soviets, and the Germans lacked the resources to fight a long war against a country with such vast areas and so many more people. The Luftwaffe, which promised to overcome the slowness of ground travel, failed to provide adequate support and was soon matched and outnumbered by the Soviet air force.<ref> The best studies of this theater are by [http://books.google.com/books?as_q=&num=30&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&as_brr=0&as_pt=ALLTYPES&lr=&as_vt=&as_auth=glantz+david&as_pub=&as_sub=&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&as_isbn=&as_issn= David Glantz]</ref>

==United States enters the War==

American naval escort of British convoys carrying [[Lend-Lease]] aid lead to a shooting war with Germany. On October 17, 1941, the U.S. destroyer Kearney was torpedoed; two weeks later, the destroyer Reuben James was blown to pieces with the loss of 115 lives.<ref>Oxford Guide to World War II, ed. by I.C.B. Dear, Oxford University Press, 1995</ref> On November 10, an American escort of 11 vessels picked up a convoy of six vessels including America's three largest ocean liners with 20,000 British troops and guarded them from Halifax to India and Singapore. Many of the activities of the American Navy in the summer of 1941 were not known at all to the American public. In September, Roosevelt sought to repeal the [[Neutrality Act]] forbidding the arming of merchant vessels which was done on October 17. Two weeks later, all the essential points
of the Neutrality Act were repealed. <ref>Carroll Quigley, ''Tragedy and Hope: A History of the World in Our Time'', Collier-Macmillan, 1966, pg. 720. ISBN 0-945001-10-X</ref>

The [[Attack on Pearl Harbor|attack on Pearl Harbor]] officially brought the United States into World War Two. Admiral [[Isoroku Yamamoto]] of the Japanese Imperial Navy was against engaging with the United States, due to fear of "waking a sleeping giant". The United States recovered from the shell shock of the initial attack and plunged into the war with the slogan "Remember Pearl Harbor!".

==Eastern Europe 1944-45==
By the spring of 1944, Soviet forces had reclaimed their own country almost wholly and were pushing into the Balkans and Poland. After two and one-half years of siege, Leningrad was relieved in January, 1944. A series of probes against the German forces in the Dnieper bend, south and southeast of Kiev, beginning in December 1943 and continuing into February, 1944, showed the Germans were weakening--they had lost most of their air support and were short on supplies and reinforcements. In early March 1944 Marshal Zhukov's First Ukrainian Front (army group) attacked along a front of 60 miles in order to sever the Odessa-Lvov railway, Germany's critical lifeline for supplies. In the first two days they advanced 50 miles and captured the a key railhead at Volochisk on the main line, then kept moving. Marshal Ivan S. Konev's Second Ukrainian Front, to the south of Zhukov, launched a general offensive at the same time, and captured the great German logistics base at Uman. The German front was now untenable, and the Germans fled in panic, despite Hitler's orders to never retreat. By March 15 Konev was within 30 miles of the Dniester River and the Romanian border.<ref> See David M. Glantz, ''When Titans Clashed: How the Red Army Stopped Hitler'' (2000) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst;jsessionid=LjLQtM5yvBTN3SfvN4kpNXzb1gpNh17lTPtH7ljVqh3QYhQbmptY!875247955?a=o&d=111924465 online edition]</ref>

Next, Zhukov turned south and advanced on Chernovtsy, aiming to cut the last rail line between the German armies based in Poland and the forces still remaining in Ukraine. By late March he had crossed the Dniester and occupied the city. By that time, Konev's right flank had crossed the Bug River and moved up to the Prut; German resistance had ended, and the remaining Germans south and west of Kiev were trying to escape to the south.

Zhukov and Konev had moved generally on a southwest axis. In so doing, they had isolated the German forces remaining in Ukraine. By April the liberation of Ukraine was complete. At the same time the Crimea was recaptured. North of Leningrad the Soviets attacked the Finns along the Karelian Isthmus, broke through the Mannerheim Line, and on June 20 captured Vyborg. Finland knew it was hopeless, and sued for peace a second time. The victories in Crimea and Finland freed up armies for the main attack against the Germans.

Coordinating with the Allied landing in Normandy in June, the Soviets launched a broad-scale offensive with 100 divisions attacking the Germans at the same time, thus preventing reinforcements from moving to France. The Soviets recaptured the Baltics, western Ukraine and central Poland.

To the south, Soviet encircling maneuvers in August, 1944, forced Romania to quit the war. A coup d'étatd'etat by King Michael unseated the dictator General Ion Antonescu; the king pledged support to the Allies. On August 26 Bulgaria announced its withdrawal from the war; German forces began to evacuate Greece. Having already seized the Romanian oilfields, in September Soviet forces occupied Sofia and prepared to mount a campaign up the Danube River for the purposes of conquering Hungary and Austria. The loss of Romanian oil was the final blow to the Luftwaffe, which was running out of aviation gasoline. The Germans no longer had an air force of importance, so they moved their airmen into infantry units. The arrival of hundreds of thousands of fresh, energetic ex-airman proved a tonic for the dispirited Wehrmacht. The eastern front was static after September, with the Soviets near the German border. The Soviets needed time to recoup their heavy losses and reorganize in time for a final thrust in January 1945 toward Berlin. The winter was brutal but Moscow realized the Germans were weak in manpower, and lacking any reserves in transport, armor, aviation, or fuel. Crippled by Hitler's no-retreat policy, the Germans were unable to maneuver. They fought to the death.

In mid-January, 1945. all four Soviet army groups attacked. In two weeks 15 German divisions were trapped in East Prussia; they held out until April. Desperate German civilians fled west on rail and on foot, as the Russians robbed, raped and killed any they caught. In Poland, Zhukov outflanked Warsaw to the southwest, and with their rear threatened the Germans abandoned the city on January 15, while Zhukov's forces swept forward to Lodz. To the south Konev's group, after overcoming a strong initial resistance around Kielce, moved rapidly on Kraków and on January 20 crossed into Germany north and south of Breslau, established bridgeheads across the Oder River. By February 15 Konev had taken Bunslau, 125 miles southeast of Berlin. By mid-March Zhukov's artillery could be heard in Berlin. Hitler ordered new armies to rush to defend Berlin, but the armies did not exist and there was no help. By the end of March the German position on the Danube River had collapsed, and Soviet forces had crossed into Austria. By mid-April Vienna was in Red hands.

The Germans--massively outnumbered--fought to the death for Berlin; Hitler committed suicide. On May 2 1945, Soviet forces finally took full control of the doomed capital. On May 7, 1945, General Alfred Jodl signed the unconditional German nation surrender document at Rheims, France.<ref> See Antony Beevor, ''The Fall of Berlin 1945'' (2002)</ref>

==Far East==

After Pearl Harbor, the Japanese juggernaut seemed unstoppable. In the south, they conquered the [[Philippines]], the oil-rich Dutch East Indies, Malaysia, and extended their reach as far as the Solomon Islands. In the west, they seized [[Burma]] and the vital port at [[Rangoon]], and even attacked British forces at [[Ceylon]]. The Japanese empire now reached as far as [[Wake Island]] in the east and the [[Aleutian Islands]] to the north. Attacks on Japanese targets, including the Doolittle raid, boasted American morale, but did little material damage. In May 1942, Japanese forces were finally halted at the [[Battle of the Coral Sea]], which cost the Americans a precious [[aircraft carrier]], but saved southern [[New Guinea]]. At the [[Battle of Midway]] a month later, the Japanese lost four of their best carriers, suffering a blow to their sea power from which they never recovered.

The Americans took the offensive in August with a landing on the island of [[Guadalcanal]]. The overall American offensive strategy was two-pronged. Forces in the south advanced up the Solomon island chain and New Guinea, while in the central Pacific, Marines took island after island, including [[Battle of Tarawa|Tarawa]], Eniwetok, [[Saipan]], and [[Guam]]. The two lines of attack came together at the Philippines.

Integral to the strategy was the policy of island hopping. Many Japanese strongholds were bypassed, allowing the American forces to concentrate on more strategically significant islands. For example, [[Truk]] and Rabaul were home to major Japanese air and naval bases, but once the bases were neutralized, there was no reason to take on the troops there. This policy not only saved thousands of American (and Japanese) lives, it shortened the war by at least several months.

The American invasion of the Philippines took place in late October of 1944 when Marines landed on Leyte Island. A few days later, the US Navy shattered what was left of Japanese naval power in the [[Battle of Leyte Gulf]]. The Japanese fought hard, however, and Leyte took two months to secure. When the Americans landed on the other islands, they found the troops there equally unwilling to retreat, but with American superiority in almost every area, the outcome was never really in doubt. [[Manila]] was captured by March, and the American position had become solid enough that leaders could start preparing for the final stage: [[Operation Downfall|the invasion of Japan]]. The first step was taken when the island of [[Okinawa]] was captured in June after two months of heavy fighting. Operation Olympic, the invasion of [[Kyushu]], was scheduled for November 1945, followed by Operation Coronet, the invasion of [[Honshu]], in March of 1946.

The Japanese, soldiers and civilians alike, were expected to put up a fierce defense. Army Chief of Staff [[George C. Marshall]] believed that Japan would fight to the last man, and insisted on preparing for a land invasion of Japan with an army of 2,000,000 men anticipating a tremendous number of casualties. Some analysts estimated the number of projected casualties from Operation Olympic alone at 250,000 dead and wounded.<ref>Historical Atlas of the U.S. Navy, by Craig L. Symonds, the Naval Institute, 1995</ref> For this reason, Washington begged the Soviet to invade Japanese possessions on the mainland.

[[Image:Ww2-asia usma.edu pic.gif|thumb|300px|left|Time Line of Pacific War]]

==Japanese capitulation==
On August 6, 1945, a B-29 Superfortress, the Enola Gay piloted by Paul Tibbet, dropped an atomic bomb (now called a nuclear weapon) on [[Hiroshima]]. Japan did not respons, so on August 9, Bocks Car, a B-29 piloted by Frederick C. Bock dropped the second atomic bomb.

The Soviet Union declared war on Japan on August 8, 1945, in reponse to urgent American requests. It invaded Manchuria and Korea; the Japanese army disintegrated. It was no longer possible for the Imprial Army to defend the Emperor. On August 20 the Japanese government told Washington it was ready to accept the proposed terms, with the understanding the Emperor would remain on the throne and would not be hung as a war criminal. Washington agreed, saying the authority of the emperor would be "subject to the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers." On September 2, 1945, the Japanese Emperor formally surrendered all Japanese forces to the Allies in a famous ceremony aboard the battleship ''Missouri'' in Tokyo Bay. This was the ending of World War II, after six years almost to the day.

==Effects of war on empires==

*[[Iron Curtain]]
:The Red army conquered practically everything east of the "Iron Curtain," destroying independent national governments and making them all subservient to Moscow. The US grudging;y tolerated this imperialism until 1947, when it was Greece's turn. Then the US drew the line and adopted a policy of [[containment]]. Because of the geography of war, [[Yugoslavia]] and [[Albania]] escaped the Red Army. They fell under the control of independent Communists--Yugoslavia received American support, and Albania turned to Red China for help against the Soviets.

*[[British Empire]]
:The war effectively bankrupted Britain, which soon gave up India (as well as Pakistan, Ceylon and neighboring states).

* French Empire
:France saluted its overseas Empire as the savior of France, and wanted control back. That led to nasty large scale civil wars in Algeria and Vietnam, which France lost.

*the Netherlands and Indonesia
:The Dutch returned to the [[Dutch East Indies]] to face an insurrection they could not handle. Dutch acknowledged in 1949 the sovereignty of [[Indonesia]], a non-Communist state.

*Supremacy of the USA in the Western World
:The war left the U.S. with a vastly stronger economy than anyone else. To save on budget deficits the military was demobilized, but the long-term strategy was in confusion after Roosevelt's death.

==See also==
===Land war===
[[Image:Bradley.jpg|thumb|290px|''Time'' Dec. 4, 1944]]
* [[Battle of the Bulge]], Dec. 1944
* [[Battle of Okinawa]], spring 1945
* [[Second Sino-Japanese War]], 1937-45
* [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]], US general
* [[Omar Bradley]], US general
* [[George S. Patton, Jr.]], US general
===Air war===
* [[Luftwaffe]], German air force
* [[World War II in the Air]]
* [[Bombing of Japan]]
* [[Bombing of Germany]]
===Naval===
* [[Attack on Pearl Harbor]], Dec. 1941
* [[Battle of Midway]], June 1942
* [[Chester W. Nimitz]], US Admiral

===Homefronts===
* [[Holocaust]], killing the Jews

===leaders===
* [[Charles de Gaulle]], France
* [[Adolf Hitler]], Germany
* [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], US
* [[Winston Churchill]], Britain
* [[Joseph Stalin]], Russia
* [[Chiang Kai-shek]], China
* [[Benito Mussolini]], Italy
* [[William Lyon Mackenzie King]], Canada
* [[John Curtin]], Australia

==Further reading==
for more detailed guide see [[Bibliography of World War II]]

* Dear, I. C. B. and M. R. D. Foot, eds. ''Oxford Companion to World War II'' (in Britain titled ''Oxford Companion to the Second World War'' (2005; 2nd ed. 2009). the best reference book; [http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-Companion-World-War-II/dp/019280670X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236549909&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
* ''Times Atlas of the Second World War'' (1995)
* Weinberg, Gerhard L. ''A World at Arms: A Global History of World War II'', (1994) the best overall view of the war.
==References==
{{reflist|2}}

== External Links ==
* United States Department of the Navy/Navy Historical Center's [http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq36-4.htm Fleet Admiral Chester William Nimitz]
* [http://www.onpower.org/history_wwii.html/ World War II]
* [http://www.independent.org/publications/tir/article.asp?issueID=12&articleID=139 "On the Brink of World War II: Justus Doenecke’s ''Storm on the Horizon''," by Ralph Raico]
*[http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~epf/1997/padilla.html Kursk: The Turning Point on the Eastern Front in World War II], by Roberto R. Padilla II
* [http://encyc.org/WorldWarII World War II - Encyc]
* [http://www.independent.org/publications/working_papers/article.asp?id=1499 "Government and the Economy: The World Wars," by Robert Higgs]
* [http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=113 "How War Amplified Federal Power in the Twentieth Century," by Robert Higgs]
* [http://www.independent.org/store/book_detail.asp?bookID=65 ''Depression, War and Cold War'', by Robert Higgs]
* [http://www.independent.org/publications/article.asp?id=138 "Wartime Prosperity?", by Robert Higgs]
* [http://www.independent.org/issues/article.asp?id=1431 Pearl Harbor]
[[Category:World War II| ]]
[[Category:Wars]]

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'''World War I''', also known as the '''First World War''' and '''The Great War''', was waged primarily in [[Europe]] from 1914 to 1918, but spilled over into Africa, the Middle East, and the Atlantic Ocean.

On one side of the war were the [[Central Powers]]: [[Austria-Hungary]], [[Germany]], [[Bulgaria]], and the [[Ottoman Empire]]. The major [[Allies]] consisted of the [[Britain|British]] and [[France|French Empires]], the Tsarist [[Russian Empire]](until 1917), [[Italy]], [[Japan]], and after 1917 the [[United States]].

World War I saw the first use of [[poison gas]], large [[artillery]], armored [[tank|tanks]], and [[airplane]]s. It was a "total war" because the governments involved took control over the economy and factories, giving first priority to the goods needed for war. Wage and price controls were imposed, there was rationing of goods for civilians, and free speech was limited. The governments put out [[propaganda]] to maximize support for the war and dislike of the enemy. Many of the techniques of population manipulation and central government control which we see today were first pioneered by European powers during World War I.

Historian Jacques Barzun observed how Darwinism caused the horrendous brutality of the wars leading up to this one: "Since in every European country between 1870 and 1914 there was a war party demanding armaments, an individualist party demanding ruthless competition, an imperialist party demanding a free hand over backward peoples, a socialist party demanding the conquest of power and a racialist party demanding internal purges against aliens — all of them, when appeals to greed and glory failed, invoked Spencer and Darwin, which was to say science incarnate."<ref>http://www.creators.com/conservative/pat-buchanan/making-a-monkey-out-of-darwin.html</ref>

=== A Spark Leads to a Fire ===
----
''Main article: [[Causes of World War I]]''

On June 28, 1914, a team of Serbian nationalist assassins killed the [[Austrian]] [[Archduke Franz Ferdinand]] and his wife Sophie in [[Sarajevo]]. This action led to Austria-Hungary giving an ultimatum <ref>http://teachers.sduhsd.k12.ca.us/mmontgomery/world_history/world_war1/ultimatum.htm</ref> to Serbia. Serbia agreed to comply with all of the demands, except the ones which violated their sovereignty, and, due to a number of military alliances throughout Europe, a full scale war was soon in progress. Serbia requested support from its ally, [[Russia]], which mobilized its military forces. This mobilization led to [[Germany]] invading both Russia and [[France]] (which had an existing alliance with Russia), which was a part of Germany's [[Schlieffen Plan]] of war on two fronts. En route to France, German forces passed through neutral [[Belgium]]. The violation of this [[neutrality]] led [[Britain]] to declare war on Germany. [[Italy]] had an alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary, but refused to join the war.

Alternative theories cite the building of the Berlin-Baghdad railway and the problems it would have created for England. <ref>http://stinet.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA138432</ref>

=== Great Battles of World War I ===
----
World War I consisted mostly of [[trench warfare]]. This method of waging war was very slow and messy. Soldiers might wait in their trenches for weeks, only to advance a few feet and wait in a new trench. Unfortunately, this became a necessity, as air forces were in their infancy, and the first combat tank only saw action by August of 1916. There were several important battles which were fought before America joined the war.

'''[[First Battle of the Marne]]'''

By the 5th of September, 1914, the German invasion of France was going so successfully, that French and British forces were in a general retreat towards Paris, with the German army hot on their heels. Just prior to the battle, the two main German forces, the 1st and 2nd German armies, had split up to attack the French 5th and 6th armies, respectively. The regiments of the British Expeditionary Force were pushed in between the two German armies, acting as a wedge, allowing the Germans to be outflanked. Following that, the French 5th army launched a surprise attack, eventually forcing the German army to retreat, stopping after having marched 40 miles. A number of unofficial cease fires took place, allowing both sides to dig their own trenches, setting the tone for the rest of the war. The Western allies took 234,000 casualties, while the Germans took just over 220,000. France still refers to this battle as "The miracle of the Marne" to this day.

'''Gallipoli Campaign'''

In 1915, [[Winston Churchill]], then First Lord of the Admiralty, proposed a daring plan to attack the [[Dardanelles]], a narrow section of ocean south of what is now [[Turkey]], in order to open a supply route to Russia. Unfortunately, he made his plans based of bad intelligence.
A preliminary attack was launched in February of 1915, bombarding artillery of the Ottoman Empire. However, in March, a fleet of British and French warships attempted to navigate the Dardanelles and ran into mines at its narrowest point (which is only a mile wide).
The British and Churchill, not wanting to admit defeat, diverted British, Australian, New Zealander and French troops from training in [[Egypt]] to their campaign in Turkey. Putting together an amphibious Allied force, a plan was put together to land on the Turkish peninsula of Gallipoli on April 25. Although the Allies greatly outnumbered the Turks, poor counter-intelligence efforts by the Allies allowed the Ottoman Empire to resupply and reinforce the Gallipoli peninsula. Additionally, the Allies did not understand the terrain adequately and suffered from limited knowledge of their enemy. The Turkish soldiers were also very tenacious and very able fighters.
However, the bloody-mindedness of the British commanders led to nine months wasted on the peninsula, with 44,000 deaths among over 100,000 casualties before their successful withdrawal, which was completed by January 9th, 1916.

'''[[Battle of Verdun]]'''

In 1916, the Battle of Verdun between the French and Germans may have been the most demanding battle in world history. The struggle started when the Germans attacked [[Verdun]], France, a city surrounded by a ring of underground forts. At least 220,000 soldiers died, and at least 480,000 were wounded in this 10-month struggle that accomplished nothing. At the end the front lines were in nearly the same locations as at the beginning.

''' Brusilov Offensive '''

The Brusilov Offensive began on 4 June 1916 in spectacular fashion, demolishing the Austrian Fourth and Seventh Armies. The Austrians lost a staggering 1.5 million men (including 400,000 taken prisoner) and ceded some 25,000 square kilometres of ground. <ref>http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/brusilov.htm</ref>

With the launch of the Brusilov Offensive any hopes the Austrians harboured of bringing about victory in the east were extinguished. Austrian attacks in Italy ceased; and Romania finally entered the war with the Allies.

'''[[Battle of the Somme]]'''

Also in 1916, and also in France, the British and French armies met at the Somme River and began a massive attack on the Germans in order to distract them from [[Verdun]]. This became the Battle of the Somme, and the fighting was even heard across the British channel in England. First the Allies shelled the Germans to weaken them, and then 100,000 British soldiers charged the enemy. But the shelling did not have its intended effect, as the Germans were dug in too deeply to be affected by it. On July 1, 1916, the Germans killed 20,000 of the British soldiers and wounded over 40,000, making it the single worst day in British military history. This battle, which did not succeed in moving trench lines, eventually involved over 2 million men along a 30-mile front. The British and French lost nearly 750,000 men.

'''[[Third Battle of Ypres]]'''

For 18 months the British hid 19 huge land mines underneath the German lines southeast of Ypres, Belgium, a location that had already seen battles in 1914 and 1915. The British then detonated those massive mines, and charged the German positions in July 1917. At first the strategy worked, as the Germans were confused and disorganized. But the British did not pursue the Germans as quickly as they should have. Rain began to drench the area in one of the wettest fall seasons there in years. Soon the British forces were stuck in a mountain of mud, and this Allied plan was yet another failure.

=== The United States Joins the War ===
----
For the first three years of World War I, the [[United States]] attempted to stay out of the war, but try to act as a mediator. Mediation failed. When the Germans used a [[U-boat]] to sink the British ocean liner ''[[Lusitania]]'' in 1915, killing over one thousand civlians including some prominent Americans, the Americans were outraged. Badly hurt by the British naval blockade of Germany, which cut off food supplies, the germans wanted to retailiate. In early 1917 they decided they could defeat Britain and France by cutting off all supplies. They could only do this by sinking merchant ships without warning, which violated international law and theur repeated promises to the U.S. Berlin knew it meant war with the U.S. but moved anyway. At the same time Berlin invited Mexico to form a military allaince and fight the U.S. Publication of the [[Zimmerman Telegram]] was a ''casus bellum" (cause of war). The Mexicans wisely ignored the proposal but American pubic opinion was outraged.

German U-boats now began sinking American ships on sight. On April 2, 1917, President [[Woodrow Wilson]] spoke in favor of declaring war on Germany in an address to the joint houses of Congress. Congress then formally declared war on April 6, 1917, with opposition votes coming mostly from areas with large German ethnic populations.<ref>http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/usofficialawardeclaration.htm</ref>

The Army was expanded by a factor of 100 to 4 million soldiers (all men), and a major expeditionary force was sent to Europe called the [[American Expeditionary Forces]], under command of General [[John J. Pershing]]. Officially the U.S. did not join the Allies and there was no treaty or formal agreement with Britain or France, so Perhaps was practically independent. He was also largely independent of Washington, and allowed to make his own strategic and command decisions.

=== Russia ===
In 1917 Russia suffered two successive internal Revolutions which would later caused it to withdraw from the side of the Allies and leave the war altogether. The [[February Revolution]] overthrew the centuries-old monarchy of the Tsar; the [[October Revolution]] installed the [[communist]] [[Bolshevik Party]] under [[V.I. Lenin]]. The lack of success against the German and Austrian Empires, and the hyperinflation caused by unsustainable military spending by the Russian government led to much internal discontent and economic chaos.

Losses and hardship of the war had weakened Russian [[Czar Nicholas II]]. He abdicated the throne in March 1917 in favor of a provisional government headed by [[Alexander Kerensky]]. Hopes for a democratic revolution still existed at this time. But in October 1917, [[Vladimir Ilyich Lenin]], and the [[Communist Party]], which was never strong enough to challenge the Czar, overthrew the fledgling provisional government. The Communists later executed every member of the Czar's family including the children.

Lenin became the founder of the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] state. He was both a writer and a revolutionary, a rare combination. He was the brother of the "bomb thrower" [[Alexander Ulyanov]] who was hanged for his involvement in terrorist activity and an assassination attempt on Czar Alexander III in 1887. An atheist, he became a [[Marxism|Marxist]] in 1889. He obtained a law degree shortly afterwards, and by 1895 was a subversive who was arrested and sent to the Tsarist gulag along the Lena River in frigid [[Siberia]] where he adopted the name Lenin after the place of his internment. Once he served his time he left for [[Zurich]], where he developed his ideas further and became a leader of the [[Bolsheviks]]. He was returned to Russia by the Germans in the wake of chaos during the [[Kerensky]] regime with the hope to led the Bolsheviks to power and negotiate a peace settlement with the Germans. After the [[Treaty of Versailles]] failed to recognize the settlement between Germany and the Soviet Union in the [[Treaty of Brest-Litovsk]], he then ruled the Soviet Union and imposed a system of [[Marxism-Leninism]] (communism) that remained in force there until [[Stalin]]'s rise to power.

=== The Western Front ===
----
The exit of Russia allowed Germany to shift a majority of their troops from the [[Eastern Front (World War I)|eastern front]] to the [[Western Front (World War I)|western front]]. This gave them a final chance to try and break the Allies before the Americans arrived. Known as [[Operation Michael]], the German offensive began in March of 1918.

The Germans launched five major campaigns in a four month period in 1918 on the [[Western Front]]. The Germans had technology and lots of energy. They had elite storm-troopers with [[automatic rifle]]s, light [[machine gun]]s, [[flame-thrower]]s and [[artillery]] fire. They used poisonous [[mustard gas]] lavishly. They easily defeated the vastly outnumbered British Fifth Army. The Germans were advancing and taking property.

But a combination of fresh American troops arriving on the scene, and a failure in German supply lines was soon to halt the Micheaal offensive. In the [[Second Battle of the Marne]] in July 1918, the Allies started winning. Nine American divisions fought in this battle about 75 miles northeast of [[Paris]]. The Germans started this battle on another one of their offensives, but the Americans valiantly turned the tables and enabled the Allies to win it. Casualties were enormous for everyone, including the Americans. Former President [[Teddy Roosevelt]]’s son Quentin was killed in this battle.

American Capt. [[Jesse Woolridge]], 38th Inf., 3rd Division described the battle as follows: “It’s [[God]]’s truth that one Company of American soldiers beat and routed a full regiment of picked shock troops of the German Army ... At ten o’clock ... the Germans were carrying back wounded and dead [from] the river bank and we in our exhaustion let them do it - they carried back all but six hundred which we counted later and fifty-two machine guns... We had started with 251 men and 5 lieutenants...I had left 51 men and 2 second lieutenants."

=== The War Ends ===
In January 1918, Wilson proclained the [[Fourteen Points]], which an idealistic vision of world peace that strengthened the peace movement inside germany and Austria and promised ana alternative to the increasingly despised monarchies.

As the Americans and the Allies advanced toward Germany, the [[Ottoman Turks]] and [[Bulgarian]]s surrendered. There was a [[revolution]] in Austria-Hungary that overthrew its government, and Germany would not recognize that new government. [[Kaiser Wilhelm II]] abdicated his throne in Germany on November 1918, and the Germans formed a new republic. Members of the German republic signed an [[Armistice]] (agreement to stop fighting), which was tantamount to surrender. The Armistice took effect at 11:11 on November 11, 1918. The "war to end all wars", was over.

=== Aftermath ===
----
Austria-Hungary was dismantled, mostly along ethnic lines. The Ottoman Empire was also dismantled. For the first time in over 1000 years [[Palestine]] was not under Muslim control, as Britain assumed control of the area as a colony. Germany was forced to sign the [[Treaty of Versailles]] accepting full responsibility for the war and had to pay for the entire cost of the war. This led Germany into economic collapse and sowed the seeds for anyone who could get them out of this collapse and restore their pride to be view as almost a savior. Italy felt they were shortchanged in their portion of the spoils and led to a bitterness that would cause them to side with Germany in the years ahead. The initial causes of the war, alliances and imperialism, were not dealt with. Only 20 years after the Treaty of Versailles, [[World War II]] would start.
====Cultural effects====
On the cultural level, World War I represented the end of the Enlightenment movement in Europe, opening the doorway for cultural movements such as avante-garde, absurdism, and other artistic forms questioning moral absolutes. These movements justified their relativistic stance by pointing out the horrors of war, which caused them to question the concepts of human goodness within the world. The currents set in motion by this continue to the present day.

== Chronology of World War I ==

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
|+
|-
== '''1914''' ==
|-
| June 28 || In [[Sarajevo]], [[Serbia]], [[Austria]]-[[Hungary]] Archduke [[Franz Ferdinand]] is murdered, and somebody is responsible.
|-
| July 28 || War is declared on [[Serbia]] by [[Austria]]-[[Hungary]]
|-
| August 1 || War is declared on [[Russia]] by [[Germany]]
|-
| August 3 || War on [[France]] is declared by [[Germany]]; [[Italy]] remains neutral
|-
| August 4 || [[Belgium]] is invaded by [[Germany]]; War is declared on [[Germany]] by [[Britain]]
|-
| August 5-6 || War is declared on [[Russia]] by [[Austria]]-[[Hungary]]; War is declared on [[Germany]] by [[Serbia]]
|-
| August 12 || [[Serbia]] is invaded by [[Austria]]-[[Hungary]]
|-
| August 17 || [[East Prussia]] is invaded by [[Russia]]
|-
| August 23 || War is declared on [[Germany]] by [[Japan]]
|-
| August 26-29 || [[Russia]] is defeated by [[Germany]] at [[Tannenburg]], [[East Prussia]]
|-
| September 6-10 || Battle of the [[Marne]], [[France]]- [[Germany]] is defeated by [[France]]
|-
| October 19-November 22 || First Battle of [[Ypres]], [[Belgium]]; [[Germany]] is stopped by [[Britain]]
|-
| October 29 || Attacking the [[Russian Black Sea Fleet]], [[Turkey]] enters the war.
|-
| November 5 || War is declared on [[Turkey]] by [[Britain]] and [[France]]
|-
| November 11-25 || [[Russia]] is defeated by [[Germany]] in [[Lodz]], [[Poland]]
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
|+
|-

== '''1915''' ==
|-
| February 23 || Off coast of [[Britain]], first [[German]] [[submarine]] attacks occur
|-
| April 22-May 25 || [[Britain]] holds [[Germany]] at [[Second Battle of Ypres]]; [[poison]] [[gas]] is first used by [[Germany|Germans]]
|-
| April 25 || [[Allies]] land at Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey
|-
| May 7 || [[''Lusitania'']] is sunk by [[German]] [[U-boat]]
|-
| May 23 || The [[Allies]] are joined by [[Italy]]
|-
| August 5 || [[Warsaw]], [[Poland]] is captured by [[Germany|Germans]]
|-
| August 6 || [[British]] land at [[Suvla Bay]], [[Gallipoli Peninsula]]
|-
| August 20 || War is declared on [[Turkey]] by [[Italy]]
|-
| September 25 || Western Front ([[Artois]], [[Champagne]], and [[Loos]] in France) is attacked by [[Allies]]
|-
| December 8 || [[Evacuation]] of [[Gallipoli]] is begun by [[Allies]]
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
|+
|-

== '''1916''' ==
|-
| February 21 || In [[France]], the Battle of [[Verdun]] begins by [[Germany]] attacking [[France]]
|-
| March 9 || War is declared on [[Portugal]] by [[Germany]]
|-
| May 31 || [[North Sea]], [[Battle of Jutland]]
|-
| June 4 || [[Russia]], The Brusilov Offensive begins
|-
| July 1 || Battle of [[Somme]], [[France]] begins
|-
| August 28 || War is declared on [[Romania]] by [[Germany]]
|-
| September 2-3 || [[Britain]] shoots down first [[Zeppelin]] [[German]] [[airships]]
|-
| September 15 || [[Tanks]] used for the first time in war by [[Britain]]
|-
| November 18 || Battle of [[Somme]] ends- [[Britain]] and [[France]] hold the [[Somme River]]
|-
| December 18 || [[France]] defeats [[Germany]], Battle of [[Verdun]] ends
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
|+
|-

== '''1917''' ==
|-
| January || [[Palestine]] is entered by [[Britain]]
|-
| February || [[Germany]] declares unrestricted [[U-boat]] warfare and sinks five [[American]] ships
|-
| March 12 || [[Russian Revolution]] begins
|-
| April 6 || War is declared on [[Germany]] by the [[United States]]
|-
| April 9 || Battle of [[Arras]], [[France]]
|-
| April 10 || [[Vimy Ridge]], [[France]] is captured by [[Canadians]]
|-
| April 16-May 9 || [[French]] attack on Second Battle of [[Aisne River]], [[France]]
|-
| May 25 || In [[Britain]], daylight [[bombing]] raids begin
|-
| June 7 || [[Messines Ridge]], [[Belgium]] is attacked by [[British]]
|-
| July 31-November 6 || [[British]] against [[Germans]]- third Battle of [[Ypres]]
|-
| November 6-7 || [[Passchendaele]] is captured by [[Canadians]], ending Battle of [[Ypres]]; [[Bolshevik revolution]] begins in [[Russia]]
|-
| November 20 || [[British]] use large number of [[tanks]] to win Battle of [[Cambrai]]
|-
| December 9 || [[Jerusalem]] in [[Middle East]] is captured by [[British]]; [[Romania]] and [[Central Powers]] make [[Armistice]] (a cease-fire before signing a peace treaty)
|-
| December 15 || [[Armistice]] between [[Russia]] and [[Central Powers]]
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
|+
|-

== '''1918''' ==
|-
| January 18 || [[Fourteen-point Peace Plan]] is proposed by [[Woodrow Wilson|President Woodrow Wilson]]
|-
| April 9 || [[Germans]] begin attack in northern [[France]]
|-
| May 27-30 || [[Allies|Allied]] line on the [[Marne River]] is broken by [[Germans]]
|-
| August 8 || [[Germans]] are routed by [[Allies]] at Battle of [[Amiens]]
|-
| September 26 || Final [[Allies|Allied]] attack begins
|-
| October 1 || [[Damascus]], [[Syria]] is captured by [[British]]
|-
| October 30 || [[Italy]] defeats [[Austria]]-[[Hungary]] at Battle of [[Vittorio Veneto]]; [[Armistice]] is signed by [[Turkey]]
|-
| November 3 || [[Armistice]] is signed by [[Austria]]-[[Hungary]]
|-
| November 9 || Revolution in [[Berlin]], [[Germany]]; throne is given up by [[Kaiser Wilhelm II]], [[Germany]] becomes a republic
|-
| November 11 || [[Armistice]] is signed by [[Germany]]; War on [[Western Front]] ends
|}

==Further reading ==
===Short popular histories===
* ''American Heritage History of WWI''. (1964). heavily illustrated
* Barnett, Correlli. ''The Great War,'' (2003), 224pp, illustrated
* Carver, Michael, Field Marshal Sir. ''War Lords''. (1976) Includes brief bios of Hamilton, Foch, Haig, von Falkenhayn
* Cawood, Ian, and David Mckinnon-Bell. ''The First World War.'' (2001), 174pp [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=109316843 online edition]
* Cruttwell, C. R. M. F. ''A History of the Great War, 1914-1918'' (1934), general military history
* Esposito, Vincent J. ''The West Point Atlas of American Wars: 1900-1918'' (1997) despite the title covers entire war; [http://www.dean.usma.edu/history/web03/atlases/great%20war/great%20war%20index.htm online maps from this atlas]
* Evans, David. ''Teach yourself— the First World War''. (2004)
* Falls, Cyril. ''The Great War'' (1960), general military history
* Gilbert, Martin. ''Atlas of World War I'' (1995), very clear schematic maps
* Gilbert, Martin. ''The Routledge Atlas of the First World War: The Complete History'' (2002)
* Henig, Ruth ''The Origins of the First World War'' (2002) 76pp [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=103326769 online edition]
* Hurley, Alfred F. ''Billy Mitchell, Crusader for Air Power'' (1975)
* Jeffers, H. Paul. ''Ace of Aces: The Life of Captain Eddie Rickenbacker'' (2003). 352 pgs.
* Keegan, John. ''An Illustrated History of the First World War'' (1999). by a leading British scholar [http://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-History-First-World-War/dp/B0001FZGNU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205528338&sr=1-2 excerpt and text search]
* Livesey, Anthony, and H. P. Willmott. ''The Historical Atlas of World War I'' (1994)
* Lyons, Michael J. ''World War I: A Short History'' (2nd Edition), 1999.
* Neiberg, Michael S. ''Fighting the Great War: A Global History.'' (2005). 416 pp. [http://www.amazon.com/Fighting-Great-War-Global-History/dp/0674022513/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201531862&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
* Pope, Stephen and Wheal, Elizabeth-Anne, eds. ''The Macmillan Dictionary of the First World War'' (1995)
* Robbins, Keith. ''The First World War'' (1993), very short overview [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=14754381 online edition]
* Stevenson, David L. ''1914 - 1918: The History of the First World War'', 2004
* Stone, Norman. ''World War One: A Short History'' (2008), 208pp
* Stokesbury, James L. '' A Short History of World War I'' (1981) [http://www.amazon.com/Short-History-World-War-I/dp/0688001297/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205527619&sr=1-11 excerpt and text search]
* Strachan, Hew, ed. ''The Oxford Illustrated History of the First World War'' (2001) [http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-Illustrated-History-First-World/dp/0192893254/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205528053&sr=1-12 excerpt and text search]
* Strachan, Hew. ''The First World War'' (2004): a 385pp version of his multivolume history [http://www.amazon.com/First-World-War-Hew-Strachan/dp/B000F4LMQC/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205528053&sr=1-2 excerpt and text search]
* Taylor, A. J. P. ''The First World War: An Illustrated History'', (1963) [http://www.amazon.com/First-World-War-J-P-Taylor/dp/0399502602/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205537432&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
* Toland, John. ''No Man's Land. 1918 - The Last Year of the Great War'' (1980)
* Tuchman, Barbara. ''The Guns of August'', best-seller and Pulitzer Prize book tells of the opening diplomatic and military manoeuvres in August 1914 [http://www.amazon.com/Guns-August-Barbara-W-Tuchman/dp/0345476093/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205537159&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
* Tucker, Spencer. ''The Great War 1914-18'' (1998) [http://www.amazon.com/Great-War-1914-18-Spencer-Tucker/dp/0253211719/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205528478&sr=1-7 excerpt and text search]
* Willmott, H. P. ''World War I'' (2007) 296pp
* Winter, J. M. ''The Experience of World War I'' (2nd ed 2005), topical essays; well illustrated; strongest on behind-the-lines

===Advanded books===
* Bakeless, John Edwin. ''The Economic Causes of Modern War: A Study of the Period: 1878-1918'' (1919) [http://books.google.com/books?id=5wgAAAAAYAAJ&printsec=toc&dq=intitle:war+date:1919-1921&num=30&as_brr=1&sig=LZcIMpEGmzqwkIldzuhfH5Muveg#PPR3,M1 online edition]
* Fay, Sidney. ''The Origins of the World War'' (1930); classic scholarly study; argues every nation shared guilt for starting the war [http://yamaguchy.netfirms.com/7897401/fay/origin_index.html online edition]
* Ferguson, Niall ''The Pity of War'' (1999), 563pp; much on death and casualties [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=100769957 online edition]
* Gray, Edwyn A. ''The U-Boat War, 1914-1918'' (1994)
* Halpern, Paul G. ''A Naval History of World War I''(1995)
* Herwig, Holger H. ''The First World War: Germany and Austria-Hungary 1914-1918'' (1996)
* [http://www.stratnet.ucalgary.ca/publications/pdf/herwig_operation-michael_nov2001.pdf Herwig, Holger H. ''Operation Michael: The “Last Card”'' 2001], German spring offensive in 1918
* Haber, L. F. ''The Poisonous Cloud: Chemical Warfare in the First World War'' (1986); the standard history
* Higham, Robin and Dennis E. Showalter, eds. ''Researching World War I: A Handbook'' (2003), 475pp; highly detailed historiography, stressing military themes; annotates over 1000 books; [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=107066504 online edition]
* Horne, Alistair. ''The Price of Glory: Verdun 1916'' (2nd ed 1994), very well written narrative
* Joll, James. ''The Origins of the First World War''. (3rd ed 2006).
* Kennett, Lee. ''First Air War, 1914-1918'' (1999). 288 pp. [http://www.amazon.com/First-Air-War-1914-1918/dp/0684871203/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205528300&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
* Miller, Steven E. (ed.) ''Military Strategy and the Origins of the First World War: an International Security Reader'', (1985)
* Passingham, Ian. ''All the Kaiser's Men: The Life & Death of the German Army on the Western Front 1914-1918,'' (2nd ed 2006) 288pp
* Sheldon, Jack. ''German Army on the Somme, 1914-1916,'' (2005) 352pp
* Showalter, Dennis. ''Tannenberg: Clash of Empires,'' 1991
* Stevenson, David. ''The First World War and International Politics'' (2005)
* Stone, Norman. ''The Eastern Front, 1914–1917.'' 1975.
* Strachan, Hew. ''The First World War: Volume I: To Arms'' (2004): the major scholarly synthesis. Thorough coverage of 1914 in 1248 pp [http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0199261911/ref=sib_dp_bod_ex/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&p=S00M#reader-link excerpt online]
* Tooley, Hunt. ''The Western Front: Battle Ground and Home Front in the First World War.'' (2003), 305pp, social history, does not emphasize battles
* Travers, Tim. ''How the War Was Won: Command and Technology in the British Army on the Western Front, 1917-1918,''. London:Routledge (1992) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=103449849 online edition]
* Tuchman, Barbara W. ''The Zimmermann Telegram'' (1966)
* Tucker, Spencer, ed. ''The Encyclopedia of World War I: A Political, Social, and Military History'' (5 vol 2005); the most detailed reference source; articles by specialists cover all aspects of the war
* Tucker, Spencer, ed. ''European Powers in the First World War: An Encyclopedia'' (1999)
* Tucker, Spencer C. ''Tanks: An Illustrated History of Their Impact.'' ABC-CLIO, 2004. 379 pp.
===USA and Canada===
* Bassett, John Spencer. ''Our War with Germany: A History'' (1919) [http://books.google.com/books?id=76UTAAAAIAAJ&printsec=toc&dq=intitle:war+date:1919-1921&num=30&as_brr=1&sig=4Vx3GGygya6F24ozaNJyLzMI694#PPP10,M1 online edition]
* Chambers, John W., II. ''To Raise an Army: The Draft Comes to Modern America'' (1987)
* Coffman, Edward M. ''The War to End All Wars: The American Military Experience in World War I'' (1998) [http://books.google.com/books?id=px_1JGtbeIAC&printsec=frontcover&dq=COFFMAN+The+War+to+End+All+Wars:&lr=&num=30&as_brr=0&ei=0RdYSJKmKJyMjAG04JWFDA&sig=s-w6Np6drA_a-MzUxR0UnsQcORc excerpt and text search]
* Kennedy, David M. ''Over Here: The First World War and American Society'' (1979) [http://www.amazon.com/Over-Here-First-American-Society/dp/0195173996 excerpt and text search]
* May, Ernest R. ''The World War and American isolation, 1914-1917'' (1959[http://hdl.handle.net.proxy.cc.uic.edu/2027/heb.00283 online at ACLS e-books]
* Morton, Desmond, and Jack Granatstein. ''Marching to Armageddon: Canadians and the Great War 1914-1919'' (1989)
* Scott, Emmett Jay. ''Scott's Official History of the American Negro in the World War'' (1919) 511 pages [http://books.google.com/books?id=obUHAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA10&dq=intitle:world+intitle:war+date:1919-2007&num=30&as_brr=1 online edition]
[http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=24640205 online edition]
* Venzon, Anne ed. ''The United States in the First World War: An Encyclopedia'' (1995)
* Wilson, Dale E. ''Treat'Em Rough!: The Birth of American Armor, 1917-20'' (1989)
* Zieger, Robert H. ''America's Great War: World War I and the American Experience.'' 2000. 272 pp.

===Online secondary and primary sources===
* [http://tigger.uic.edu/~rjensen/military.html#J. ''Web Sources for Military History'' by Richard Jensen]
* [http://net.lib.byu.edu/~rdh7/wwi/ WWI Document Archive], valuable collection
* [http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/ww1.htm diplomatic primary documents, from Mt. Holyoke College]

====notes====
<references/>

[[Category:Wars]]
[[Category:World War I| ]]

== External links ==
* [http://tigger.uic.edu/~rjensen/military.html#J. Guide to web resources by RJJensen]
* [http://www.firstworldwar.com/index.htm Excellent British site]
* [http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/ The Great War, from PBS]
* [http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/historian/index.html interviews with historians]
* [http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/docs/books/gutenberg/etext04/shogw10.txt ''A Short History of the Great War,'' by A.F. Pollard (1920), British perspective]
* [http://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/Main_Page Primary documents], very thorough collection from all countries
** [http://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/WWI_Biographical_Dictionary short biographies]
** [http://www.vlib.us/wwi/resources/archives/imarchive.html Photographs]
** [http://www.vlib.us/medical/ medical history]
* [http://www.worldwar1.com/maproom.htm maps]
* [http://www.worldwar1.com/reflib.htm Trenches on the Web]
===Origins and political impact===
* [http://net.lib.byu.edu/~rdh7/wwi/comment/WarFacts/wfactsTC.htm ''Handbook of War Facts and Peace Problems'' (1919) sophisticated American pamphlet; anti-German; good summary of effects of war on each country involved]
* [http://yamaguchy.netfirms.com/7897401/fay/origin_index.html Sidney Fay, ''The Origins of the World War'' (1930) classic scholarly study; argues many nations shared guilt for starting the war]
* [http://www.onpower.org/history_wwi.html/ World War I]
* [http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=1345 "American Foreign Policy: The Turning Point, 1898–1919," by Ralph Raico]
* [http://www.independent.org/publications/working_papers/article.asp?id=1499 "Government and the Economy: The World Wars," by Robert Higgs]
* [http://www.lewrockwell.com/rothbard/rothbard91.html "War Collectivism in World War I," by Murray N. Rothbard]
* [http://www.independent.org/publications/tir/article.asp?issueID=40&articleID=506 "The Great War Retold," by Ralph Raico]

Talk:Manfred von Richthofen

2009-12-20T23:51:27Z

JasonN:

This article is an insult to the red baron

Definitely a candidate for a rewrite.--[[User:Frey|Frey]] 14:21, 21 August 2008 (EDT)

Done. --[[User:JasonN|JasonN]] 18:51, 20 December 2009 (EST)

Manfred von Richthofen

2009-12-17T05:02:23Z

JasonN: Added more information to the article.

[[Image:redbaron.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]'''Manfred von Richthofen''' (2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918) was a German [[Flying ace|ace]] fighter pilot in [[World War I]]. He was also called the "[[Red Baron]]," the "Bloody Red Baron," the "Jolly Red Baron," the "Red Falcon," the "Red Devil," and "Le Diable Rouge."<ref>http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0151771723&id=XB0HAAAAMAAJ&q=%22bloody+red+baron%22&dq=%22bloody+red+baron%22&[[Image:redbaron.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]pgis=1</ref> (2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918) was a German fighter pilot known as the "Red Baron", due to the bright red colour scheme on his planes. He was the most successful [[flying ace]] during World War I, being officially credited with 80 confirmed air combat victories. He served in the Imperial German Army Air Service (Luftstreitkräfte).

==Early Life and Outbreak of War==
Richthofen was born into an aristocratic Prussian family in Kleinburg, Silesia. He had two brothers, one of which being [[Lothar von Richthofen]], who would later join his brother's squadron, and one sister, His father, Phillip, was a cavalry Major in the German army. This was to form a basis for much of Richthofen's life. He joined a military cadet unit when he was 11, and completed his cadet training in 1911. Soon afterwards, his father got him accepted into a [[cavalry]] regiment.

Following the outbreak of [[World War One]], he served as a cavalry recon officer on both the Western and Eastern fronts. However, upon the bogging down of fighting on the Western front into [[trench warfare]], the cavalry became increasingly disused, and Richthofen was not satisfied with being used in a role that eventually became that of an infantry messenger. Leaving his cavalry regiment behind him, Richthofen applied, and was accepted into, the Imperial German Army Air Service (later Luftstreitkräfte).

==Piloting Career==
Richthofen began as an observer in a recon plane over the Eastern front between June and August 1915 with No. 69 Flying Squadron, before his unit was transferred to the Western front. Between October 1915 and March 1916, he completed his training as a pilot, and joined a bomber squadron. During his time as an observer and bomber pilot, he claimed to have downed two French aircraft, although he was unable to produce enough evidence to be given official credit for the victories.

During another stint flying bombers over the Eastern front, he was approached by [[Oswald Boelcke]], who was searching for promising pilots for the new fighter squadron, Jasta 2. After joining the unit, he won his first confirmed victory on September 17th, 1916.

Manfred was taught how to be an effective fighter pilot by his squadron commander, Oswald Boelcke. At the time, Boelcke was the German Ace-of Aces (the highest scoring German ace), and the first to write down the basic tactics for being a good fighter pilot, many of which he pioneered, and most are still used today. These were known as the [[Dicta Boelcke]]. Boelcke was killed in a flying accident after colliding with a member of his own jasta on October 28th, 1916, shortly after his 40th victory.

In January 1917, he was awarded the Pour le Mérite, the highest award for bravery that could be awarded to a member of the German army. Shortly afterwards, he was given command of Jasta 11, his now-famous "flying circus". Around this time, one of his pilots awoke one morning to see Manfred painting his plane red. When asked why, he responded with: "No reason in particular". This red colour scheme would eventually be shared by all the members of Jasta 11, with each plane having distinct personal markings for identification while airborne. Richthofen's however, was the only one to be painted almost purely red.

The most famous time period of his victories is April, 1917, called "bloody April" by the allied air services. During bloody April, Richthofen won 22 additional victories. On the 6th of July, he received a near-fatal head wound after being forced into an emergency landing by several British planes.

==Death==

Manfred von Richthofen was killed on April 21, 1918. At the time of his death, he was in pursuit of a rookie Canadian pilot, Wilfrid "Wop" May. Fellow Canadian, and May's squadron commander, saw the pursuit and went to attempt to save May from the attacking triplane.

At this point, there is much contest between historians as to who fired the fatal shot at Richthofen, with some claiming that he was shot down by Roy Brown, and others claiming that the shot was fired by Australian anti-aircraft gunner, Cedric Popkin, who was also shooting at Richthofen during the same engagement.

Regardless, his plane crashed near an Australian trench, where he was buried with full military honours by the nearby No.3 squadron Australian Flying Corps. His last word, as reported by the Australians from the trench line, was simply "kaputt" (broken).

==In Popular Culture==

Contrary to popular belief, he did not fly exclusively in his Fokker dr.1 triplane, although he did use that aircraft for 20 of his victories. Many of the others were gained using a wide variety of planes at his disposal, most notably the Albatros D.III.

[[James Thurber]] wrote a famous story entitled ''The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,'' in which a mild-mannered man has heroic daydreams while running shopping errands for his wife. In one of them, he imagines himself a World War I pilot in the RAF fighting Von Richthofen's Flying Circus.

In [[Charles M. Schulz]]'s Peanuts cartoons, the beagle Snoopy, in a reference to Walter Mitty, is constantly daydreaming of being a World War I flying ace and fighting the Red Baron.

Then, in 1966, The Royal Guardsmen recorded a hit song entitled "Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron" which retells Schulz's story in song lyric form:

[[Image:snoppy.jpg]]

:Now, Snoopy had sworn that he'd get that man 
:So he asked the Great Pumpkin for a new battle plan 
:He challenged the German to a real dogfight 
:While the Baron was laughing, he got him in his sight.... 

*A videogame was made based on the song

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richthofen, Manfred von}}
[[Category:Military Commanders]]
[[Category:World War I]]
[[category:Air Power]]

World War I

2009-12-17T03:46:47Z

JasonN: /* Great Battles of World War I */

'''World War I''', also known as the '''First World War''' and '''The Great War''', was waged primarily in [[Europe]] from 1914 to 1918, but spilled over into Africa, the Middle East, and the Atlantic Ocean.

On one side of the war were the [[Central Powers]]: [[Austria-Hungary]], [[Germany]], [[Bulgaria]], and the [[Ottoman Empire]]. The major [[Allies]] consisted of the [[Britain|British]] and [[France|French Empires]], the Tsarist [[Russian Empire]](until 1917), [[Italy]], [[Japan]], and after 1917 the [[United States]].

World War I saw the first use of [[poison gas]], large [[artillery]], armored [[tank|tanks]], and [[airplane]]s. It was a "total war" because the governments involved took control over the economy and factories, giving first priority to the goods needed for war. Wage and price controls were imposed, there was rationing of goods for civilians, and free speech was limited. The governments put out [[propaganda]] to maximize support for the war and dislike of the enemy. Many of the techniques of population manipulation and central government control which we see today were first pioneered by European powers during World War I.

Historian Jacques Barzun observed how Darwinism caused the horrendous brutality of the wars leading up to this one: "Since in every European country between 1870 and 1914 there was a war party demanding armaments, an individualist party demanding ruthless competition, an imperialist party demanding a free hand over backward peoples, a socialist party demanding the conquest of power and a racialist party demanding internal purges against aliens — all of them, when appeals to greed and glory failed, invoked Spencer and Darwin, which was to say science incarnate."<ref>http://www.creators.com/conservative/pat-buchanan/making-a-monkey-out-of-darwin.html</ref>

=== A Spark Leads to a Fire ===
----
''Main article: [[Causes of World War I]]''

On June 28, 1914, a team of Serbian nationalist assassins killed the [[Austrian]] [[Archduke Franz Ferdinand]] and his wife Sophie in [[Sarajevo]]. This action led to Austria-Hungary giving an ultimatum <ref>http://teachers.sduhsd.k12.ca.us/mmontgomery/world_history/world_war1/ultimatum.htm</ref> to Serbia. Serbia agreed to comply with all of the demands, except the ones which violated their sovereignty, and, due to a number of military alliances throughout Europe, a full scale war was soon in progress. Serbia requested support from its ally, [[Russia]], which mobilized its military forces. This mobilization led to [[Germany]] invading both Russia and [[France]] (which had an existing alliance with Russia), which was a part of Germany's [[Schlieffen Plan]] of war on two fronts. En route to France, German forces passed through neutral [[Belgium]]. The violation of this [[neutrality]] led [[Britain]] to declare war on Germany. [[Italy]] had an alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary, but refused to join the war.

Alternative theories cite the building of the Berlin-Baghdad railway and the problems it would have created for England. <ref>http://stinet.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA138432</ref>

=== Great Battles of World War I ===
----
World War I consisted mostly of [[trench warfare]]. This method of waging war was very slow and messy. Soldiers might wait in their trenches for weeks, only to advance a few feet and wait in a new trench. Unfortunately, this became a necessity, as air forces were in their infancy, and the first combat tank only saw action by August of 1916. There were several important battles which were fought before America joined the war.

'''[[First Battle of the Marne]]'''

By the 5th of September, 1914, the German invasion of France was going so successfully, that French and British forces were in a general retreat towards Paris, with the German army hot on their heels. Just prior to the battle, the two main German forces, the 1st and 2nd German armies, had split up to attack the French 5th and 6th armies, respectively. The regiments of the British Expeditionary Force were pushed in between the two German armies, acting as a wedge, allowing the Germans to be outflanked. Following that, the French 5th army launched a surprise attack, eventually forcing the German army to retreat, stopping after having marched 40 miles. A number of unofficial cease fires took place, allowing both sides to dig their own trenches, setting the tone for the rest of the war. The Western allies took 234,000 casualties, while the Germans took just over 220,000. France still refers to this battle as "The miracle of the Marne" to this day.

'''Gallipoli Campaign'''

In 1915, [[Winston Churchill]], then First Lord of the Admiralty, proposed a daring plan to attack the [[Dardanelles]], a narrow section of ocean south of what is now [[Turkey]], in order to open a supply route to Russia. Unfortunately, he made his plans based of bad intelligence.
A preliminary attack was launched in February of 1915, bombarding artillery of the Ottoman Empire. However, in March, a fleet of British and French warships attempted to navigate the Dardanelles and ran into mines at its narrowest point (which is only a mile wide).
The British and Churchill, not wanting to admit defeat, diverted British, Australian, New Zealander and French troops from training in [[Egypt]] to their campaign in Turkey. Putting together an amphibious Allied force, a plan was put together to land on the Turkish peninsula of Gallipoli on April 25. Although the Allies greatly outnumbered the Turks, poor counter-intelligence efforts by the Allies allowed the Ottoman Empire to resupply and reinforce the Gallipoli peninsula. Additionally, the Allies did not understand the terrain adequately and suffered from limited knowledge of their enemy. The Turkish soldiers were also very tenacious and very able fighters.
However, the bloody-mindedness of the British commanders led to nine months wasted on the peninsula, with 44,000 deaths among over 100,000 casualties before their successful withdrawal, which was completed by January 9th, 1916.

'''[[Battle of Verdun]]'''

In 1916, the Battle of Verdun between the French and Germans may have been the most demanding battle in world history. The struggle started when the Germans attacked [[Verdun]], France, a city surrounded by a ring of underground forts. At least 220,000 soldiers died, and at least 480,000 were wounded in this 10-month struggle that accomplished nothing. At the end the front lines were in nearly the same locations as at the beginning.

''' Brusilov Offensive '''

The Brusilov Offensive began on 4 June 1916 in spectacular fashion, demolishing the Austrian Fourth and Seventh Armies. The Austrians lost a staggering 1.5 million men (including 400,000 taken prisoner) and ceded some 25,000 square kilometres of ground. <ref>http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/brusilov.htm</ref>

With the launch of the Brusilov Offensive any hopes the Austrians harboured of bringing about victory in the east were extinguished. Austrian attacks in Italy ceased; and Romania finally entered the war with the Allies.

'''[[Battle of the Somme]]'''

Also in 1916, and also in France, the British and French armies met at the Somme River and began a massive attack on the Germans in order to distract them from [[Verdun]]. This became the Battle of the Somme, and the fighting was even heard across the British channel in England. First the Allies shelled the Germans to weaken them, and then 100,000 British soldiers charged the enemy. But the shelling did not have its intended effect, as the Germans were dug in too deeply to be affected by it. On July 1, 1916, the Germans killed 20,000 of the British soldiers and wounded over 40,000, making it the single worst day in British military history. This battle, which did not succeed in moving trench lines, eventually involved over 2 million men along a 30-mile front. The British and French lost nearly 750,000 men.

'''[[Third Battle of Ypres]]'''

For 18 months the British hid 19 huge land mines underneath the German lines southeast of Ypres, Belgium, a location that had already seen battles in 1914 and 1915. The British then detonated those massive mines, and charged the German positions in July 1917. At first the strategy worked, as the Germans were confused and disorganized. But the British did not pursue the Germans as quickly as they should have. Rain began to drench the area in one of the wettest fall seasons there in years. Soon the British forces were stuck in a mountain of mud, and this Allied plan was yet another failure.

=== The United States Joins the War ===
----
For the first three years of World War I, the [[United States]] attempted to stay out of the war, but try to act as a mediator. Mediation failed. When the Germans used a [[U-boat]] to sink the British ocean liner ''[[Lusitania]]'' in 1915, killing over one thousand civlians including some prominent Americans, the Americans were outraged. Badly hurt by the British naval blockade of Germany, which cut off food supplies, the germans wanted to retailiate. In early 1917 they decided they could defeat Britain and France by cutting off all supplies. They could only do this by sinking merchant ships without warning, which violated international law and theur repeated promises to the U.S. Berlin knew it meant war with the U.S. but moved anyway. At the same time Berlin invited Mexico to form a military allaince and fight the U.S. Publication of the [[Zimmerman Telegram]] was a ''casus bellum" (cause of war). The Mexicans wisely ignored the proposal but American pubic opinion was outraged.

German U-boats now began sinking American ships on sight. On April 2, 1917, President [[Woodrow Wilson]] spoke in favor of declaring war on Germany in an address to the joint houses of Congress. Congress then formally declared war on April 6, 1917, with opposition votes coming mostly from areas with large German ethnic populations.<ref>http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/usofficialawardeclaration.htm</ref>

The Army was expanded by a factor of 100 to 4 million soldiers (all men), and a major expeditionary force was sent to Europe called the [[American Expeditionary Forces]], under command of General [[John J. Pershing]]. Officially the U.S. did not join the Allies and there was no treaty or formal agreement with Britain or France, so Perhaps was practically independent. He was also largely independent of Washington, and allowed to make his own strategic and command decisions.

=== Russia ===
In 1917 Russia suffered two successive internal Revolutions which would later caused it to withdraw from the side of the Allies and leave the war altogether. The [[February Revolution]] overthrew the centuries-old monarchy of the Tsar; the [[October Revolution]] installed the [[communist]] [[Bolshevik Party]] under [[V.I. Lenin]]. The lack of success against the German and Austrian Empires, and the hyperinflation caused by unsustainable military spending by the Russian government led to much internal discontent and economic chaos.

Losses and hardship of the war had weakened Russian [[Czar Nicholas II]]. He abdicated the throne in March 1917 in favor of a provisional government headed by [[Alexander Kerensky]]. Hopes for a democratic revolution still existed at this time. But in October 1917, [[Vladimir Ilyich Lenin]], and the [[Communist Party]], which was never strong enough to challenge the Czar, overthrew the fledgling provisional government. The Communists later executed every member of the Czar's family including the children.

Lenin became the founder of the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] state. He was both a writer and a revolutionary, a rare combination. He was the brother of the "bomb thrower" [[Alexander Ulyanov]] who was hanged for his involvement in terrorist activity and an assassination attempt on Czar Alexander III in 1887. An atheist, he became a [[Marxism|Marxist]] in 1889. He obtained a law degree shortly afterwards, and by 1895 was a subversive who was arrested and sent to the Tsarist gulag along the Lena River in frigid [[Siberia]] where he adopted the name Lenin after the place of his internment. Once he served his time he left for [[Zurich]], where he developed his ideas further and became a leader of the [[Bolsheviks]]. He was returned to Russia by the Germans in the wake of chaos during the [[Kerensky]] regime with the hope to led the Bolsheviks to power and negotiate a peace settlement with the Germans. After the [[Treaty of Versailles]] failed to recognize the settlement between Germany and the Soviet Union in the [[Treaty of Brest-Litovsk]], he then ruled the Soviet Union and imposed a system of [[Marxism-Leninism]] (communism) that remained in force there until [[Stalin]]'s rise to power.

=== The Western Front ===
----
The exit of Russia allowed Germany to shift a majority of their troops from the [[Eastern Front (World War I)|eastern front]] to the [[Western Front (World War I)|western front]]. This gave them a final chance to try and break the Allies before the Americans arrived. Known as [[Operation Michael]], the German offensive began in March of 1918.

The Germans launched five major campaigns in a four month period in 1918 on the [[Western Front]]. The Germans had technology and lots of energy. They had elite storm-troopers with [[automatic rifle]]s, light [[machine gun]]s, [[flame-thrower]]s and [[artillery]] fire. They used poisonous [[mustard gas]] lavishly. They easily defeated the British Fifth Army. The Germans were advancing and taking property.

But fresh American troops entered the scene. In the [[Second Battle of the Marne]] in July 1918, the Allies started winning. Nine American divisions fought in this battle about 75 miles northeast of [[Paris]]. The Germans started this battle on another one of their offensives, but the Americans valiantly turned the tables and enabled the Allies to win it. Casualties were enormous for everyone, including the Americans. Former President [[Teddy Roosevelt]]’s son Quentin was killed in this battle.

American Capt. [[Jesse Woolridge]], 38th Inf., 3rd Division described the battle as follows: “It’s [[God]]’s truth that one Company of American soldiers beat and routed a full regiment of picked shock troops of the German Army ... At ten o’clock ... the Germans were carrying back wounded and dead [from] the river bank and we in our exhaustion let them do it - they carried back all but six hundred which we counted later and fifty-two machine guns... We had started with 251 men and 5 lieutenants...I had left 51 men and 2 second lieutenants."

=== The War Ends ===
In January 1918, Wilson proclained the [[Fourteen Points]], which an idealistic vision of world peace that strengthened the peace movement inside germany and Austria and promised ana alternative to the increasingly despised monarchies.

As the Americans and the Allies advanced toward Germany, the [[Ottoman Turks]] and [[Bulgarian]]s surrendered. There was a [[revolution]] in Austria-Hungary that overthrew its government, and Germany would not recognize that new government. [[Kaiser Wilhelm II]] abdicated his throne in Germany on November 1918, and the Germans formed a new republic. Members of the German republic signed an [[Armistice]] (agreement to stop fighting), which was tantamount to surrender. The Armistice took effect at 11:11 on November 11, 1918. The "war to end all wars", was over.

=== Aftermath ===
----
Austria-Hungary was dismantled, mostly along ethnic lines. The Ottoman Empire was also dismantled. For the first time in over 1000 years [[Palestine]] was not under Muslim control, as Britain assumed control of the area as a colony. Germany was forced to sign the [[Treaty of Versailles]] accepting full responsibility for the war and had to pay for the entire cost of the war. This led Germany into economic collapse and sowed the seeds for anyone who could get them out of this collapse and restore their pride to be view as almost a savior. Italy felt they were shortchanged in their portion of the spoils and led to a bitterness that would cause them to side with Germany in the years ahead. The initial causes of the war, alliances and imperialism, were not dealt with. Only 20 years after the Treaty of Versailles, [[World War II]] would start.
====Cultural effects====
On the cultural level, World War I represented the end of the Enlightenment movement in Europe, opening the doorway for cultural movements such as avante-garde, absurdism, and other artistic forms questioning moral absolutes. These movements justified their relativistic stance by pointing out the horrors of war, which caused them to question the concepts of human goodness within the world. The currents set in motion by this continue to the present day.

== Chronology of World War I ==

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
|+
|-
== '''1914''' ==
|-
| June 28 || In [[Sarajevo]], [[Serbia]], [[Austria]]-[[Hungary]] Archduke [[Franz Ferdinand]] is murdered, and somebody is responsible.
|-
| July 28 || War is declared on [[Serbia]] by [[Austria]]-[[Hungary]]
|-
| August 1 || War is declared on [[Russia]] by [[Germany]]
|-
| August 3 || War on [[France]] is declared by [[Germany]]; [[Italy]] remains neutral
|-
| August 4 || [[Belgium]] is invaded by [[Germany]]; War is declared on [[Germany]] by [[Britain]]
|-
| August 5-6 || War is declared on [[Russia]] by [[Austria]]-[[Hungary]]; War is declared on [[Germany]] by [[Serbia]]
|-
| August 12 || [[Serbia]] is invaded by [[Austria]]-[[Hungary]]
|-
| August 17 || [[East Prussia]] is invaded by [[Russia]]
|-
| August 23 || War is declared on [[Germany]] by [[Japan]]
|-
| August 26-29 || [[Russia]] is defeated by [[Germany]] at [[Tannenburg]], [[East Prussia]]
|-
| September 6-10 || Battle of the [[Marne]], [[France]]- [[Germany]] is defeated by [[France]]
|-
| October 19-November 22 || First Battle of [[Ypres]], [[Belgium]]; [[Germany]] is stopped by [[Britain]]
|-
| October 29 || Attacking the [[Russian Black Sea Fleet]], [[Turkey]] enters the war.
|-
| November 5 || War is declared on [[Turkey]] by [[Britain]] and [[France]]
|-
| November 11-25 || [[Russia]] is defeated by [[Germany]] in [[Lodz]], [[Poland]]
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
|+
|-

== '''1915''' ==
|-
| February 23 || Off coast of [[Britain]], first [[German]] [[submarine]] attacks occur
|-
| April 22-May 25 || [[Britain]] holds [[Germany]] at [[Second Battle of Ypres]]; [[poison]] [[gas]] is first used by [[Germany|Germans]]
|-
| April 25 || [[Allies]] land at Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey
|-
| May 7 || [[''Lusitania'']] is sunk by [[German]] [[U-boat]]
|-
| May 23 || The [[Allies]] are joined by [[Italy]]
|-
| August 5 || [[Warsaw]], [[Poland]] is captured by [[Germany|Germans]]
|-
| August 6 || [[British]] land at [[Suvla Bay]], [[Gallipoli Peninsula]]
|-
| August 20 || War is declared on [[Turkey]] by [[Italy]]
|-
| September 25 || Western Front ([[Artois]], [[Champagne]], and [[Loos]] in France) is attacked by [[Allies]]
|-
| December 8 || [[Evacuation]] of [[Gallipoli]] is begun by [[Allies]]
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
|+
|-

== '''1916''' ==
|-
| February 21 || In [[France]], the Battle of [[Verdun]] begins by [[Germany]] attacking [[France]]
|-
| March 9 || War is declared on [[Portugal]] by [[Germany]]
|-
| May 31 || [[North Sea]], [[Battle of Jutland]]
|-
| June 4 || [[Russia]], The Brusilov Offensive begins
|-
| July 1 || Battle of [[Somme]], [[France]] begins
|-
| August 28 || War is declared on [[Romania]] by [[Germany]]
|-
| September 2-3 || [[Britain]] shoots down first [[Zeppelin]] [[German]] [[airships]]
|-
| September 15 || [[Tanks]] used for the first time in war by [[Britain]]
|-
| November 18 || Battle of [[Somme]] ends- [[Britain]] and [[France]] hold the [[Somme River]]
|-
| December 18 || [[France]] defeats [[Germany]], Battle of [[Verdun]] ends
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
|+
|-

== '''1917''' ==
|-
| January || [[Palestine]] is entered by [[Britain]]
|-
| February || [[Germany]] declares unrestricted [[U-boat]] warfare and sinks five [[American]] ships
|-
| March 12 || [[Russian Revolution]] begins
|-
| April 6 || War is declared on [[Germany]] by the [[United States]]
|-
| April 9 || Battle of [[Arras]], [[France]]
|-
| April 10 || [[Vimy Ridge]], [[France]] is captured by [[Canadians]]
|-
| April 16-May 9 || [[French]] attack on Second Battle of [[Aisne River]], [[France]]
|-
| May 25 || In [[Britain]], daylight [[bombing]] raids begin
|-
| June 7 || [[Messines Ridge]], [[Belgium]] is attacked by [[British]]
|-
| July 31-November 6 || [[British]] against [[Germans]]- third Battle of [[Ypres]]
|-
| November 6-7 || [[Passchendaele]] is captured by [[Canadians]], ending Battle of [[Ypres]]; [[Bolshevik revolution]] begins in [[Russia]]
|-
| November 20 || [[British]] use large number of [[tanks]] to win Battle of [[Cambrai]]
|-
| December 9 || [[Jerusalem]] in [[Middle East]] is captured by [[British]]; [[Romania]] and [[Central Powers]] make [[Armistice]] (a cease-fire before signing a peace treaty)
|-
| December 15 || [[Armistice]] between [[Russia]] and [[Central Powers]]
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
|+
|-

== '''1918''' ==
|-
| January 18 || [[Fourteen-point Peace Plan]] is proposed by [[Woodrow Wilson|President Woodrow Wilson]]
|-
| April 9 || [[Germans]] begin attack in northern [[France]]
|-
| May 27-30 || [[Allies|Allied]] line on the [[Marne River]] is broken by [[Germans]]
|-
| August 8 || [[Germans]] are routed by [[Allies]] at Battle of [[Amiens]]
|-
| September 26 || Final [[Allies|Allied]] attack begins
|-
| October 1 || [[Damascus]], [[Syria]] is captured by [[British]]
|-
| October 30 || [[Italy]] defeats [[Austria]]-[[Hungary]] at Battle of [[Vittorio Veneto]]; [[Armistice]] is signed by [[Turkey]]
|-
| November 3 || [[Armistice]] is signed by [[Austria]]-[[Hungary]]
|-
| November 9 || Revolution in [[Berlin]], [[Germany]]; throne is given up by [[Kaiser Wilhelm II]], [[Germany]] becomes a republic
|-
| November 11 || [[Armistice]] is signed by [[Germany]]; War on [[Western Front]] ends
|}

==Further reading ==
===Short popular histories===
* ''American Heritage History of WWI''. (1964). heavily illustrated
* Barnett, Correlli. ''The Great War,'' (2003), 224pp, illustrated
* Carver, Michael, Field Marshal Sir. ''War Lords''. (1976) Includes brief bios of Hamilton, Foch, Haig, von Falkenhayn
* Cawood, Ian, and David Mckinnon-Bell. ''The First World War.'' (2001), 174pp [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=109316843 online edition]
* Cruttwell, C. R. M. F. ''A History of the Great War, 1914-1918'' (1934), general military history
* Esposito, Vincent J. ''The West Point Atlas of American Wars: 1900-1918'' (1997) despite the title covers entire war; [http://www.dean.usma.edu/history/web03/atlases/great%20war/great%20war%20index.htm online maps from this atlas]
* Evans, David. ''Teach yourself— the First World War''. (2004)
* Falls, Cyril. ''The Great War'' (1960), general military history
* Gilbert, Martin. ''Atlas of World War I'' (1995), very clear schematic maps
* Gilbert, Martin. ''The Routledge Atlas of the First World War: The Complete History'' (2002)
* Henig, Ruth ''The Origins of the First World War'' (2002) 76pp [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=103326769 online edition]
* Hurley, Alfred F. ''Billy Mitchell, Crusader for Air Power'' (1975)
* Jeffers, H. Paul. ''Ace of Aces: The Life of Captain Eddie Rickenbacker'' (2003). 352 pgs.
* Keegan, John. ''An Illustrated History of the First World War'' (1999). by a leading British scholar [http://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-History-First-World-War/dp/B0001FZGNU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205528338&sr=1-2 excerpt and text search]
* Livesey, Anthony, and H. P. Willmott. ''The Historical Atlas of World War I'' (1994)
* Lyons, Michael J. ''World War I: A Short History'' (2nd Edition), 1999.
* Neiberg, Michael S. ''Fighting the Great War: A Global History.'' (2005). 416 pp. [http://www.amazon.com/Fighting-Great-War-Global-History/dp/0674022513/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201531862&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
* Pope, Stephen and Wheal, Elizabeth-Anne, eds. ''The Macmillan Dictionary of the First World War'' (1995)
* Robbins, Keith. ''The First World War'' (1993), very short overview [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=14754381 online edition]
* Stevenson, David L. ''1914 - 1918: The History of the First World War'', 2004
* Stone, Norman. ''World War One: A Short History'' (2008), 208pp
* Stokesbury, James L. '' A Short History of World War I'' (1981) [http://www.amazon.com/Short-History-World-War-I/dp/0688001297/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205527619&sr=1-11 excerpt and text search]
* Strachan, Hew, ed. ''The Oxford Illustrated History of the First World War'' (2001) [http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-Illustrated-History-First-World/dp/0192893254/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205528053&sr=1-12 excerpt and text search]
* Strachan, Hew. ''The First World War'' (2004): a 385pp version of his multivolume history [http://www.amazon.com/First-World-War-Hew-Strachan/dp/B000F4LMQC/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205528053&sr=1-2 excerpt and text search]
* Taylor, A. J. P. ''The First World War: An Illustrated History'', (1963) [http://www.amazon.com/First-World-War-J-P-Taylor/dp/0399502602/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205537432&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
* Toland, John. ''No Man's Land. 1918 - The Last Year of the Great War'' (1980)
* Tuchman, Barbara. ''The Guns of August'', best-seller and Pulitzer Prize book tells of the opening diplomatic and military manoeuvres in August 1914 [http://www.amazon.com/Guns-August-Barbara-W-Tuchman/dp/0345476093/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205537159&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
* Tucker, Spencer. ''The Great War 1914-18'' (1998) [http://www.amazon.com/Great-War-1914-18-Spencer-Tucker/dp/0253211719/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205528478&sr=1-7 excerpt and text search]
* Willmott, H. P. ''World War I'' (2007) 296pp
* Winter, J. M. ''The Experience of World War I'' (2nd ed 2005), topical essays; well illustrated; strongest on behind-the-lines

===Advanded books===
* Bakeless, John Edwin. ''The Economic Causes of Modern War: A Study of the Period: 1878-1918'' (1919) [http://books.google.com/books?id=5wgAAAAAYAAJ&printsec=toc&dq=intitle:war+date:1919-1921&num=30&as_brr=1&sig=LZcIMpEGmzqwkIldzuhfH5Muveg#PPR3,M1 online edition]
* Fay, Sidney. ''The Origins of the World War'' (1930); classic scholarly study; argues every nation shared guilt for starting the war [http://yamaguchy.netfirms.com/7897401/fay/origin_index.html online edition]
* Ferguson, Niall ''The Pity of War'' (1999), 563pp; much on death and casualties [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=100769957 online edition]
* Gray, Edwyn A. ''The U-Boat War, 1914-1918'' (1994)
* Halpern, Paul G. ''A Naval History of World War I''(1995)
* Herwig, Holger H. ''The First World War: Germany and Austria-Hungary 1914-1918'' (1996)
* [http://www.stratnet.ucalgary.ca/publications/pdf/herwig_operation-michael_nov2001.pdf Herwig, Holger H. ''Operation Michael: The “Last Card”'' 2001], German spring offensive in 1918
* Haber, L. F. ''The Poisonous Cloud: Chemical Warfare in the First World War'' (1986); the standard history
* Higham, Robin and Dennis E. Showalter, eds. ''Researching World War I: A Handbook'' (2003), 475pp; highly detailed historiography, stressing military themes; annotates over 1000 books; [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=107066504 online edition]
* Horne, Alistair. ''The Price of Glory: Verdun 1916'' (2nd ed 1994), very well written narrative
* Joll, James. ''The Origins of the First World War''. (3rd ed 2006).
* Kennett, Lee. ''First Air War, 1914-1918'' (1999). 288 pp. [http://www.amazon.com/First-Air-War-1914-1918/dp/0684871203/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205528300&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
* Miller, Steven E. (ed.) ''Military Strategy and the Origins of the First World War: an International Security Reader'', (1985)
* Passingham, Ian. ''All the Kaiser's Men: The Life & Death of the German Army on the Western Front 1914-1918,'' (2nd ed 2006) 288pp
* Sheldon, Jack. ''German Army on the Somme, 1914-1916,'' (2005) 352pp
* Showalter, Dennis. ''Tannenberg: Clash of Empires,'' 1991
* Stevenson, David. ''The First World War and International Politics'' (2005)
* Stone, Norman. ''The Eastern Front, 1914–1917.'' 1975.
* Strachan, Hew. ''The First World War: Volume I: To Arms'' (2004): the major scholarly synthesis. Thorough coverage of 1914 in 1248 pp [http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0199261911/ref=sib_dp_bod_ex/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&p=S00M#reader-link excerpt online]
* Tooley, Hunt. ''The Western Front: Battle Ground and Home Front in the First World War.'' (2003), 305pp, social history, does not emphasize battles
* Travers, Tim. ''How the War Was Won: Command and Technology in the British Army on the Western Front, 1917-1918,''. London:Routledge (1992) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=103449849 online edition]
* Tuchman, Barbara W. ''The Zimmermann Telegram'' (1966)
* Tucker, Spencer, ed. ''The Encyclopedia of World War I: A Political, Social, and Military History'' (5 vol 2005); the most detailed reference source; articles by specialists cover all aspects of the war
* Tucker, Spencer, ed. ''European Powers in the First World War: An Encyclopedia'' (1999)
* Tucker, Spencer C. ''Tanks: An Illustrated History of Their Impact.'' ABC-CLIO, 2004. 379 pp.
===USA and Canada===
* Bassett, John Spencer. ''Our War with Germany: A History'' (1919) [http://books.google.com/books?id=76UTAAAAIAAJ&printsec=toc&dq=intitle:war+date:1919-1921&num=30&as_brr=1&sig=4Vx3GGygya6F24ozaNJyLzMI694#PPP10,M1 online edition]
* Chambers, John W., II. ''To Raise an Army: The Draft Comes to Modern America'' (1987)
* Coffman, Edward M. ''The War to End All Wars: The American Military Experience in World War I'' (1998) [http://books.google.com/books?id=px_1JGtbeIAC&printsec=frontcover&dq=COFFMAN+The+War+to+End+All+Wars:&lr=&num=30&as_brr=0&ei=0RdYSJKmKJyMjAG04JWFDA&sig=s-w6Np6drA_a-MzUxR0UnsQcORc excerpt and text search]
* Kennedy, David M. ''Over Here: The First World War and American Society'' (1979) [http://www.amazon.com/Over-Here-First-American-Society/dp/0195173996 excerpt and text search]
* May, Ernest R. ''The World War and American isolation, 1914-1917'' (1959[http://hdl.handle.net.proxy.cc.uic.edu/2027/heb.00283 online at ACLS e-books]
* Morton, Desmond, and Jack Granatstein. ''Marching to Armageddon: Canadians and the Great War 1914-1919'' (1989)
* Scott, Emmett Jay. ''Scott's Official History of the American Negro in the World War'' (1919) 511 pages [http://books.google.com/books?id=obUHAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA10&dq=intitle:world+intitle:war+date:1919-2007&num=30&as_brr=1 online edition]
[http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=24640205 online edition]
* Venzon, Anne ed. ''The United States in the First World War: An Encyclopedia'' (1995)
* Wilson, Dale E. ''Treat'Em Rough!: The Birth of American Armor, 1917-20'' (1989)
* Zieger, Robert H. ''America's Great War: World War I and the American Experience.'' 2000. 272 pp.

===Online secondary and primary sources===
* [http://tigger.uic.edu/~rjensen/military.html#J. ''Web Sources for Military History'' by Richard Jensen]
* [http://net.lib.byu.edu/~rdh7/wwi/ WWI Document Archive], valuable collection
* [http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/ww1.htm diplomatic primary documents, from Mt. Holyoke College]

====notes====
<references/>

[[Category:Wars]]
[[Category:World War I| ]]

== External links ==
* [http://tigger.uic.edu/~rjensen/military.html#J. Guide to web resources by RJJensen]
* [http://www.firstworldwar.com/index.htm Excellent British site]
* [http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/ The Great War, from PBS]
* [http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/historian/index.html interviews with historians]
* [http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/docs/books/gutenberg/etext04/shogw10.txt ''A Short History of the Great War,'' by A.F. Pollard (1920), British perspective]
* [http://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/Main_Page Primary documents], very thorough collection from all countries
** [http://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/WWI_Biographical_Dictionary short biographies]
** [http://www.vlib.us/wwi/resources/archives/imarchive.html Photographs]
** [http://www.vlib.us/medical/ medical history]
* [http://www.worldwar1.com/maproom.htm maps]
* [http://www.worldwar1.com/reflib.htm Trenches on the Web]
===Origins and political impact===
* [http://net.lib.byu.edu/~rdh7/wwi/comment/WarFacts/wfactsTC.htm ''Handbook of War Facts and Peace Problems'' (1919) sophisticated American pamphlet; anti-German; good summary of effects of war on each country involved]
* [http://yamaguchy.netfirms.com/7897401/fay/origin_index.html Sidney Fay, ''The Origins of the World War'' (1930) classic scholarly study; argues many nations shared guilt for starting the war]
* [http://www.onpower.org/history_wwi.html/ World War I]
* [http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=1345 "American Foreign Policy: The Turning Point, 1898–1919," by Ralph Raico]
* [http://www.independent.org/publications/working_papers/article.asp?id=1499 "Government and the Economy: The World Wars," by Robert Higgs]
* [http://www.lewrockwell.com/rothbard/rothbard91.html "War Collectivism in World War I," by Murray N. Rothbard]
* [http://www.independent.org/publications/tir/article.asp?issueID=40&articleID=506 "The Great War Retold," by Ralph Raico]

World War I

2009-12-17T03:43:58Z

JasonN: /* Great Battles of World War I */ -Added first battle of the Marne, gave a reason for trench warfares existence.

'''World War I''', also known as the '''First World War''' and '''The Great War''', was waged primarily in [[Europe]] from 1914 to 1918, but spilled over into Africa, the Middle East, and the Atlantic Ocean.

On one side of the war were the [[Central Powers]]: [[Austria-Hungary]], [[Germany]], [[Bulgaria]], and the [[Ottoman Empire]]. The major [[Allies]] consisted of the [[Britain|British]] and [[France|French Empires]], the Tsarist [[Russian Empire]](until 1917), [[Italy]], [[Japan]], and after 1917 the [[United States]].

World War I saw the first use of [[poison gas]], large [[artillery]], armored [[tank|tanks]], and [[airplane]]s. It was a "total war" because the governments involved took control over the economy and factories, giving first priority to the goods needed for war. Wage and price controls were imposed, there was rationing of goods for civilians, and free speech was limited. The governments put out [[propaganda]] to maximize support for the war and dislike of the enemy. Many of the techniques of population manipulation and central government control which we see today were first pioneered by European powers during World War I.

Historian Jacques Barzun observed how Darwinism caused the horrendous brutality of the wars leading up to this one: "Since in every European country between 1870 and 1914 there was a war party demanding armaments, an individualist party demanding ruthless competition, an imperialist party demanding a free hand over backward peoples, a socialist party demanding the conquest of power and a racialist party demanding internal purges against aliens — all of them, when appeals to greed and glory failed, invoked Spencer and Darwin, which was to say science incarnate."<ref>http://www.creators.com/conservative/pat-buchanan/making-a-monkey-out-of-darwin.html</ref>

=== A Spark Leads to a Fire ===
----
''Main article: [[Causes of World War I]]''

On June 28, 1914, a team of Serbian nationalist assassins killed the [[Austrian]] [[Archduke Franz Ferdinand]] and his wife Sophie in [[Sarajevo]]. This action led to Austria-Hungary giving an ultimatum <ref>http://teachers.sduhsd.k12.ca.us/mmontgomery/world_history/world_war1/ultimatum.htm</ref> to Serbia. Serbia agreed to comply with all of the demands, except the ones which violated their sovereignty, and, due to a number of military alliances throughout Europe, a full scale war was soon in progress. Serbia requested support from its ally, [[Russia]], which mobilized its military forces. This mobilization led to [[Germany]] invading both Russia and [[France]] (which had an existing alliance with Russia), which was a part of Germany's [[Schlieffen Plan]] of war on two fronts. En route to France, German forces passed through neutral [[Belgium]]. The violation of this [[neutrality]] led [[Britain]] to declare war on Germany. [[Italy]] had an alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary, but refused to join the war.

Alternative theories cite the building of the Berlin-Baghdad railway and the problems it would have created for England. <ref>http://stinet.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA138432</ref>

=== Great Battles of World War I ===
----
World War I consisted mostly of [[trench warfare]]. This method of waging war was very slow and messy. Soldiers might wait in their trenches for weeks, only to advance a few feet and wait in a new trench. Unfortunately, this became a necessity, as air forces were in their infancy, and the first combat tank only say combat in August of 1916. There were several important battles which were fought before America joined the war.

'''[[First Battle of the Marne]]'''

By the 5th of September, 1914, the German invasion of France was going so successfully, that French and British forces were in a general retreat towards Paris, with the German army hot on their heels. Just prior to the battle, the two main German forces, the 1st and 2nd German armies, had split up to attack the French 5th and 6th armies, respectively. The regiments of the British Expeditionary Force were pushed in between the two German armies, acting as a wedge, allowing the Germans to be outflanked. Following that, the French 5th army launched a surprise attack, eventually forcing the German army to retreat, stopping after having marched 40 miles. A number of unofficial cease fires took place, allowing both sides to dig their own trenches, setting the tone for the rest of the war. The Western allies took 234,000 casualties, while the Germans took just over 220,000. France still refers to this battle as "The miracle of the Marne" to this day.

'''Gallipoli Campaign'''

In 1915, [[Winston Churchill]], then First Lord of the Admiralty, proposed a daring plan to attack the [[Dardanelles]], a narrow section of ocean south of what is now [[Turkey]], in order to open a supply route to Russia. Unfortunately, he made his plans based of bad intelligence.
A preliminary attack was launched in February of 1915, bombarding artillery of the Ottoman Empire. However, in March, a fleet of British and French warships attempted to navigate the Dardanelles and ran into mines at its narrowest point (which is only a mile wide).
The British and Churchill, not wanting to admit defeat, diverted British, Australian, New Zealander and French troops from training in [[Egypt]] to their campaign in Turkey. Putting together an amphibious Allied force, a plan was put together to land on the Turkish peninsula of Gallipoli on April 25. Although the Allies greatly outnumbered the Turks, poor counter-intelligence efforts by the Allies allowed the Ottoman Empire to resupply and reinforce the Gallipoli peninsula. Additionally, the Allies did not understand the terrain adequately and suffered from limited knowledge of their enemy. The Turkish soldiers were also very tenacious and very able fighters.
However, the bloody-mindedness of the British commanders led to nine months wasted on the peninsula, with 44,000 deaths among over 100,000 casualties before their successful withdrawal, which was completed by January 9th, 1916.

'''[[Battle of Verdun]]'''

In 1916, the Battle of Verdun between the French and Germans may have been the most demanding battle in world history. The struggle started when the Germans attacked [[Verdun]], France, a city surrounded by a ring of underground forts. At least 220,000 soldiers died, and at least 480,000 were wounded in this 10-month struggle that accomplished nothing. At the end the front lines were in nearly the same locations as at the beginning.

''' Brusilov Offensive '''

The Brusilov Offensive began on 4 June 1916 in spectacular fashion, demolishing the Austrian Fourth and Seventh Armies. The Austrians lost a staggering 1.5 million men (including 400,000 taken prisoner) and ceded some 25,000 square kilometres of ground. <ref>http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/brusilov.htm</ref>

With the launch of the Brusilov Offensive any hopes the Austrians harboured of bringing about victory in the east were extinguished. Austrian attacks in Italy ceased; and Romania finally entered the war with the Allies.

'''[[Battle of the Somme]]'''

Also in 1916, and also in France, the British and French armies met at the Somme River and began a massive attack on the Germans in order to distract them from [[Verdun]]. This became the Battle of the Somme, and the fighting was even heard across the British channel in England. First the Allies shelled the Germans to weaken them, and then 100,000 British soldiers charged the enemy. But the shelling did not have its intended effect, as the Germans were dug in too deeply to be affected by it. On July 1, 1916, the Germans killed 20,000 of the British soldiers and wounded over 40,000, making it the single worst day in British military history. This battle, which did not succeed in moving trench lines, eventually involved over 2 million men along a 30-mile front. The British and French lost nearly 750,000 men.

'''[[Third Battle of Ypres]]'''

For 18 months the British hid 19 huge land mines underneath the German lines southeast of Ypres, Belgium, a location that had already seen battles in 1914 and 1915. The British then detonated those massive mines, and charged the German positions in July 1917. At first the strategy worked, as the Germans were confused and disorganized. But the British did not pursue the Germans as quickly as they should have. Rain began to drench the area in one of the wettest fall seasons there in years. Soon the British forces were stuck in a mountain of mud, and this Allied plan was yet another failure.

=== The United States Joins the War ===
----
For the first three years of World War I, the [[United States]] attempted to stay out of the war, but try to act as a mediator. Mediation failed. When the Germans used a [[U-boat]] to sink the British ocean liner ''[[Lusitania]]'' in 1915, killing over one thousand civlians including some prominent Americans, the Americans were outraged. Badly hurt by the British naval blockade of Germany, which cut off food supplies, the germans wanted to retailiate. In early 1917 they decided they could defeat Britain and France by cutting off all supplies. They could only do this by sinking merchant ships without warning, which violated international law and theur repeated promises to the U.S. Berlin knew it meant war with the U.S. but moved anyway. At the same time Berlin invited Mexico to form a military allaince and fight the U.S. Publication of the [[Zimmerman Telegram]] was a ''casus bellum" (cause of war). The Mexicans wisely ignored the proposal but American pubic opinion was outraged.

German U-boats now began sinking American ships on sight. On April 2, 1917, President [[Woodrow Wilson]] spoke in favor of declaring war on Germany in an address to the joint houses of Congress. Congress then formally declared war on April 6, 1917, with opposition votes coming mostly from areas with large German ethnic populations.<ref>http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/usofficialawardeclaration.htm</ref>

The Army was expanded by a factor of 100 to 4 million soldiers (all men), and a major expeditionary force was sent to Europe called the [[American Expeditionary Forces]], under command of General [[John J. Pershing]]. Officially the U.S. did not join the Allies and there was no treaty or formal agreement with Britain or France, so Perhaps was practically independent. He was also largely independent of Washington, and allowed to make his own strategic and command decisions.

=== Russia ===
In 1917 Russia suffered two successive internal Revolutions which would later caused it to withdraw from the side of the Allies and leave the war altogether. The [[February Revolution]] overthrew the centuries-old monarchy of the Tsar; the [[October Revolution]] installed the [[communist]] [[Bolshevik Party]] under [[V.I. Lenin]]. The lack of success against the German and Austrian Empires, and the hyperinflation caused by unsustainable military spending by the Russian government led to much internal discontent and economic chaos.

Losses and hardship of the war had weakened Russian [[Czar Nicholas II]]. He abdicated the throne in March 1917 in favor of a provisional government headed by [[Alexander Kerensky]]. Hopes for a democratic revolution still existed at this time. But in October 1917, [[Vladimir Ilyich Lenin]], and the [[Communist Party]], which was never strong enough to challenge the Czar, overthrew the fledgling provisional government. The Communists later executed every member of the Czar's family including the children.

Lenin became the founder of the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] state. He was both a writer and a revolutionary, a rare combination. He was the brother of the "bomb thrower" [[Alexander Ulyanov]] who was hanged for his involvement in terrorist activity and an assassination attempt on Czar Alexander III in 1887. An atheist, he became a [[Marxism|Marxist]] in 1889. He obtained a law degree shortly afterwards, and by 1895 was a subversive who was arrested and sent to the Tsarist gulag along the Lena River in frigid [[Siberia]] where he adopted the name Lenin after the place of his internment. Once he served his time he left for [[Zurich]], where he developed his ideas further and became a leader of the [[Bolsheviks]]. He was returned to Russia by the Germans in the wake of chaos during the [[Kerensky]] regime with the hope to led the Bolsheviks to power and negotiate a peace settlement with the Germans. After the [[Treaty of Versailles]] failed to recognize the settlement between Germany and the Soviet Union in the [[Treaty of Brest-Litovsk]], he then ruled the Soviet Union and imposed a system of [[Marxism-Leninism]] (communism) that remained in force there until [[Stalin]]'s rise to power.

=== The Western Front ===
----
The exit of Russia allowed Germany to shift a majority of their troops from the [[Eastern Front (World War I)|eastern front]] to the [[Western Front (World War I)|western front]]. This gave them a final chance to try and break the Allies before the Americans arrived. Known as [[Operation Michael]], the German offensive began in March of 1918.

The Germans launched five major campaigns in a four month period in 1918 on the [[Western Front]]. The Germans had technology and lots of energy. They had elite storm-troopers with [[automatic rifle]]s, light [[machine gun]]s, [[flame-thrower]]s and [[artillery]] fire. They used poisonous [[mustard gas]] lavishly. They easily defeated the British Fifth Army. The Germans were advancing and taking property.

But fresh American troops entered the scene. In the [[Second Battle of the Marne]] in July 1918, the Allies started winning. Nine American divisions fought in this battle about 75 miles northeast of [[Paris]]. The Germans started this battle on another one of their offensives, but the Americans valiantly turned the tables and enabled the Allies to win it. Casualties were enormous for everyone, including the Americans. Former President [[Teddy Roosevelt]]’s son Quentin was killed in this battle.

American Capt. [[Jesse Woolridge]], 38th Inf., 3rd Division described the battle as follows: “It’s [[God]]’s truth that one Company of American soldiers beat and routed a full regiment of picked shock troops of the German Army ... At ten o’clock ... the Germans were carrying back wounded and dead [from] the river bank and we in our exhaustion let them do it - they carried back all but six hundred which we counted later and fifty-two machine guns... We had started with 251 men and 5 lieutenants...I had left 51 men and 2 second lieutenants."

=== The War Ends ===
In January 1918, Wilson proclained the [[Fourteen Points]], which an idealistic vision of world peace that strengthened the peace movement inside germany and Austria and promised ana alternative to the increasingly despised monarchies.

As the Americans and the Allies advanced toward Germany, the [[Ottoman Turks]] and [[Bulgarian]]s surrendered. There was a [[revolution]] in Austria-Hungary that overthrew its government, and Germany would not recognize that new government. [[Kaiser Wilhelm II]] abdicated his throne in Germany on November 1918, and the Germans formed a new republic. Members of the German republic signed an [[Armistice]] (agreement to stop fighting), which was tantamount to surrender. The Armistice took effect at 11:11 on November 11, 1918. The "war to end all wars", was over.

=== Aftermath ===
----
Austria-Hungary was dismantled, mostly along ethnic lines. The Ottoman Empire was also dismantled. For the first time in over 1000 years [[Palestine]] was not under Muslim control, as Britain assumed control of the area as a colony. Germany was forced to sign the [[Treaty of Versailles]] accepting full responsibility for the war and had to pay for the entire cost of the war. This led Germany into economic collapse and sowed the seeds for anyone who could get them out of this collapse and restore their pride to be view as almost a savior. Italy felt they were shortchanged in their portion of the spoils and led to a bitterness that would cause them to side with Germany in the years ahead. The initial causes of the war, alliances and imperialism, were not dealt with. Only 20 years after the Treaty of Versailles, [[World War II]] would start.
====Cultural effects====
On the cultural level, World War I represented the end of the Enlightenment movement in Europe, opening the doorway for cultural movements such as avante-garde, absurdism, and other artistic forms questioning moral absolutes. These movements justified their relativistic stance by pointing out the horrors of war, which caused them to question the concepts of human goodness within the world. The currents set in motion by this continue to the present day.

== Chronology of World War I ==

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
|+
|-
== '''1914''' ==
|-
| June 28 || In [[Sarajevo]], [[Serbia]], [[Austria]]-[[Hungary]] Archduke [[Franz Ferdinand]] is murdered, and somebody is responsible.
|-
| July 28 || War is declared on [[Serbia]] by [[Austria]]-[[Hungary]]
|-
| August 1 || War is declared on [[Russia]] by [[Germany]]
|-
| August 3 || War on [[France]] is declared by [[Germany]]; [[Italy]] remains neutral
|-
| August 4 || [[Belgium]] is invaded by [[Germany]]; War is declared on [[Germany]] by [[Britain]]
|-
| August 5-6 || War is declared on [[Russia]] by [[Austria]]-[[Hungary]]; War is declared on [[Germany]] by [[Serbia]]
|-
| August 12 || [[Serbia]] is invaded by [[Austria]]-[[Hungary]]
|-
| August 17 || [[East Prussia]] is invaded by [[Russia]]
|-
| August 23 || War is declared on [[Germany]] by [[Japan]]
|-
| August 26-29 || [[Russia]] is defeated by [[Germany]] at [[Tannenburg]], [[East Prussia]]
|-
| September 6-10 || Battle of the [[Marne]], [[France]]- [[Germany]] is defeated by [[France]]
|-
| October 19-November 22 || First Battle of [[Ypres]], [[Belgium]]; [[Germany]] is stopped by [[Britain]]
|-
| October 29 || Attacking the [[Russian Black Sea Fleet]], [[Turkey]] enters the war.
|-
| November 5 || War is declared on [[Turkey]] by [[Britain]] and [[France]]
|-
| November 11-25 || [[Russia]] is defeated by [[Germany]] in [[Lodz]], [[Poland]]
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
|+
|-

== '''1915''' ==
|-
| February 23 || Off coast of [[Britain]], first [[German]] [[submarine]] attacks occur
|-
| April 22-May 25 || [[Britain]] holds [[Germany]] at [[Second Battle of Ypres]]; [[poison]] [[gas]] is first used by [[Germany|Germans]]
|-
| April 25 || [[Allies]] land at Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey
|-
| May 7 || [[''Lusitania'']] is sunk by [[German]] [[U-boat]]
|-
| May 23 || The [[Allies]] are joined by [[Italy]]
|-
| August 5 || [[Warsaw]], [[Poland]] is captured by [[Germany|Germans]]
|-
| August 6 || [[British]] land at [[Suvla Bay]], [[Gallipoli Peninsula]]
|-
| August 20 || War is declared on [[Turkey]] by [[Italy]]
|-
| September 25 || Western Front ([[Artois]], [[Champagne]], and [[Loos]] in France) is attacked by [[Allies]]
|-
| December 8 || [[Evacuation]] of [[Gallipoli]] is begun by [[Allies]]
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
|+
|-

== '''1916''' ==
|-
| February 21 || In [[France]], the Battle of [[Verdun]] begins by [[Germany]] attacking [[France]]
|-
| March 9 || War is declared on [[Portugal]] by [[Germany]]
|-
| May 31 || [[North Sea]], [[Battle of Jutland]]
|-
| June 4 || [[Russia]], The Brusilov Offensive begins
|-
| July 1 || Battle of [[Somme]], [[France]] begins
|-
| August 28 || War is declared on [[Romania]] by [[Germany]]
|-
| September 2-3 || [[Britain]] shoots down first [[Zeppelin]] [[German]] [[airships]]
|-
| September 15 || [[Tanks]] used for the first time in war by [[Britain]]
|-
| November 18 || Battle of [[Somme]] ends- [[Britain]] and [[France]] hold the [[Somme River]]
|-
| December 18 || [[France]] defeats [[Germany]], Battle of [[Verdun]] ends
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
|+
|-

== '''1917''' ==
|-
| January || [[Palestine]] is entered by [[Britain]]
|-
| February || [[Germany]] declares unrestricted [[U-boat]] warfare and sinks five [[American]] ships
|-
| March 12 || [[Russian Revolution]] begins
|-
| April 6 || War is declared on [[Germany]] by the [[United States]]
|-
| April 9 || Battle of [[Arras]], [[France]]
|-
| April 10 || [[Vimy Ridge]], [[France]] is captured by [[Canadians]]
|-
| April 16-May 9 || [[French]] attack on Second Battle of [[Aisne River]], [[France]]
|-
| May 25 || In [[Britain]], daylight [[bombing]] raids begin
|-
| June 7 || [[Messines Ridge]], [[Belgium]] is attacked by [[British]]
|-
| July 31-November 6 || [[British]] against [[Germans]]- third Battle of [[Ypres]]
|-
| November 6-7 || [[Passchendaele]] is captured by [[Canadians]], ending Battle of [[Ypres]]; [[Bolshevik revolution]] begins in [[Russia]]
|-
| November 20 || [[British]] use large number of [[tanks]] to win Battle of [[Cambrai]]
|-
| December 9 || [[Jerusalem]] in [[Middle East]] is captured by [[British]]; [[Romania]] and [[Central Powers]] make [[Armistice]] (a cease-fire before signing a peace treaty)
|-
| December 15 || [[Armistice]] between [[Russia]] and [[Central Powers]]
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
|+
|-

== '''1918''' ==
|-
| January 18 || [[Fourteen-point Peace Plan]] is proposed by [[Woodrow Wilson|President Woodrow Wilson]]
|-
| April 9 || [[Germans]] begin attack in northern [[France]]
|-
| May 27-30 || [[Allies|Allied]] line on the [[Marne River]] is broken by [[Germans]]
|-
| August 8 || [[Germans]] are routed by [[Allies]] at Battle of [[Amiens]]
|-
| September 26 || Final [[Allies|Allied]] attack begins
|-
| October 1 || [[Damascus]], [[Syria]] is captured by [[British]]
|-
| October 30 || [[Italy]] defeats [[Austria]]-[[Hungary]] at Battle of [[Vittorio Veneto]]; [[Armistice]] is signed by [[Turkey]]
|-
| November 3 || [[Armistice]] is signed by [[Austria]]-[[Hungary]]
|-
| November 9 || Revolution in [[Berlin]], [[Germany]]; throne is given up by [[Kaiser Wilhelm II]], [[Germany]] becomes a republic
|-
| November 11 || [[Armistice]] is signed by [[Germany]]; War on [[Western Front]] ends
|}

==Further reading ==
===Short popular histories===
* ''American Heritage History of WWI''. (1964). heavily illustrated
* Barnett, Correlli. ''The Great War,'' (2003), 224pp, illustrated
* Carver, Michael, Field Marshal Sir. ''War Lords''. (1976) Includes brief bios of Hamilton, Foch, Haig, von Falkenhayn
* Cawood, Ian, and David Mckinnon-Bell. ''The First World War.'' (2001), 174pp [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=109316843 online edition]
* Cruttwell, C. R. M. F. ''A History of the Great War, 1914-1918'' (1934), general military history
* Esposito, Vincent J. ''The West Point Atlas of American Wars: 1900-1918'' (1997) despite the title covers entire war; [http://www.dean.usma.edu/history/web03/atlases/great%20war/great%20war%20index.htm online maps from this atlas]
* Evans, David. ''Teach yourself— the First World War''. (2004)
* Falls, Cyril. ''The Great War'' (1960), general military history
* Gilbert, Martin. ''Atlas of World War I'' (1995), very clear schematic maps
* Gilbert, Martin. ''The Routledge Atlas of the First World War: The Complete History'' (2002)
* Henig, Ruth ''The Origins of the First World War'' (2002) 76pp [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=103326769 online edition]
* Hurley, Alfred F. ''Billy Mitchell, Crusader for Air Power'' (1975)
* Jeffers, H. Paul. ''Ace of Aces: The Life of Captain Eddie Rickenbacker'' (2003). 352 pgs.
* Keegan, John. ''An Illustrated History of the First World War'' (1999). by a leading British scholar [http://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-History-First-World-War/dp/B0001FZGNU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205528338&sr=1-2 excerpt and text search]
* Livesey, Anthony, and H. P. Willmott. ''The Historical Atlas of World War I'' (1994)
* Lyons, Michael J. ''World War I: A Short History'' (2nd Edition), 1999.
* Neiberg, Michael S. ''Fighting the Great War: A Global History.'' (2005). 416 pp. [http://www.amazon.com/Fighting-Great-War-Global-History/dp/0674022513/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201531862&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
* Pope, Stephen and Wheal, Elizabeth-Anne, eds. ''The Macmillan Dictionary of the First World War'' (1995)
* Robbins, Keith. ''The First World War'' (1993), very short overview [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=14754381 online edition]
* Stevenson, David L. ''1914 - 1918: The History of the First World War'', 2004
* Stone, Norman. ''World War One: A Short History'' (2008), 208pp
* Stokesbury, James L. '' A Short History of World War I'' (1981) [http://www.amazon.com/Short-History-World-War-I/dp/0688001297/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205527619&sr=1-11 excerpt and text search]
* Strachan, Hew, ed. ''The Oxford Illustrated History of the First World War'' (2001) [http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-Illustrated-History-First-World/dp/0192893254/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205528053&sr=1-12 excerpt and text search]
* Strachan, Hew. ''The First World War'' (2004): a 385pp version of his multivolume history [http://www.amazon.com/First-World-War-Hew-Strachan/dp/B000F4LMQC/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205528053&sr=1-2 excerpt and text search]
* Taylor, A. J. P. ''The First World War: An Illustrated History'', (1963) [http://www.amazon.com/First-World-War-J-P-Taylor/dp/0399502602/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205537432&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
* Toland, John. ''No Man's Land. 1918 - The Last Year of the Great War'' (1980)
* Tuchman, Barbara. ''The Guns of August'', best-seller and Pulitzer Prize book tells of the opening diplomatic and military manoeuvres in August 1914 [http://www.amazon.com/Guns-August-Barbara-W-Tuchman/dp/0345476093/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205537159&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
* Tucker, Spencer. ''The Great War 1914-18'' (1998) [http://www.amazon.com/Great-War-1914-18-Spencer-Tucker/dp/0253211719/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205528478&sr=1-7 excerpt and text search]
* Willmott, H. P. ''World War I'' (2007) 296pp
* Winter, J. M. ''The Experience of World War I'' (2nd ed 2005), topical essays; well illustrated; strongest on behind-the-lines

===Advanded books===
* Bakeless, John Edwin. ''The Economic Causes of Modern War: A Study of the Period: 1878-1918'' (1919) [http://books.google.com/books?id=5wgAAAAAYAAJ&printsec=toc&dq=intitle:war+date:1919-1921&num=30&as_brr=1&sig=LZcIMpEGmzqwkIldzuhfH5Muveg#PPR3,M1 online edition]
* Fay, Sidney. ''The Origins of the World War'' (1930); classic scholarly study; argues every nation shared guilt for starting the war [http://yamaguchy.netfirms.com/7897401/fay/origin_index.html online edition]
* Ferguson, Niall ''The Pity of War'' (1999), 563pp; much on death and casualties [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=100769957 online edition]
* Gray, Edwyn A. ''The U-Boat War, 1914-1918'' (1994)
* Halpern, Paul G. ''A Naval History of World War I''(1995)
* Herwig, Holger H. ''The First World War: Germany and Austria-Hungary 1914-1918'' (1996)
* [http://www.stratnet.ucalgary.ca/publications/pdf/herwig_operation-michael_nov2001.pdf Herwig, Holger H. ''Operation Michael: The “Last Card”'' 2001], German spring offensive in 1918
* Haber, L. F. ''The Poisonous Cloud: Chemical Warfare in the First World War'' (1986); the standard history
* Higham, Robin and Dennis E. Showalter, eds. ''Researching World War I: A Handbook'' (2003), 475pp; highly detailed historiography, stressing military themes; annotates over 1000 books; [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=107066504 online edition]
* Horne, Alistair. ''The Price of Glory: Verdun 1916'' (2nd ed 1994), very well written narrative
* Joll, James. ''The Origins of the First World War''. (3rd ed 2006).
* Kennett, Lee. ''First Air War, 1914-1918'' (1999). 288 pp. [http://www.amazon.com/First-Air-War-1914-1918/dp/0684871203/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205528300&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
* Miller, Steven E. (ed.) ''Military Strategy and the Origins of the First World War: an International Security Reader'', (1985)
* Passingham, Ian. ''All the Kaiser's Men: The Life & Death of the German Army on the Western Front 1914-1918,'' (2nd ed 2006) 288pp
* Sheldon, Jack. ''German Army on the Somme, 1914-1916,'' (2005) 352pp
* Showalter, Dennis. ''Tannenberg: Clash of Empires,'' 1991
* Stevenson, David. ''The First World War and International Politics'' (2005)
* Stone, Norman. ''The Eastern Front, 1914–1917.'' 1975.
* Strachan, Hew. ''The First World War: Volume I: To Arms'' (2004): the major scholarly synthesis. Thorough coverage of 1914 in 1248 pp [http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0199261911/ref=sib_dp_bod_ex/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&p=S00M#reader-link excerpt online]
* Tooley, Hunt. ''The Western Front: Battle Ground and Home Front in the First World War.'' (2003), 305pp, social history, does not emphasize battles
* Travers, Tim. ''How the War Was Won: Command and Technology in the British Army on the Western Front, 1917-1918,''. London:Routledge (1992) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=103449849 online edition]
* Tuchman, Barbara W. ''The Zimmermann Telegram'' (1966)
* Tucker, Spencer, ed. ''The Encyclopedia of World War I: A Political, Social, and Military History'' (5 vol 2005); the most detailed reference source; articles by specialists cover all aspects of the war
* Tucker, Spencer, ed. ''European Powers in the First World War: An Encyclopedia'' (1999)
* Tucker, Spencer C. ''Tanks: An Illustrated History of Their Impact.'' ABC-CLIO, 2004. 379 pp.
===USA and Canada===
* Bassett, John Spencer. ''Our War with Germany: A History'' (1919) [http://books.google.com/books?id=76UTAAAAIAAJ&printsec=toc&dq=intitle:war+date:1919-1921&num=30&as_brr=1&sig=4Vx3GGygya6F24ozaNJyLzMI694#PPP10,M1 online edition]
* Chambers, John W., II. ''To Raise an Army: The Draft Comes to Modern America'' (1987)
* Coffman, Edward M. ''The War to End All Wars: The American Military Experience in World War I'' (1998) [http://books.google.com/books?id=px_1JGtbeIAC&printsec=frontcover&dq=COFFMAN+The+War+to+End+All+Wars:&lr=&num=30&as_brr=0&ei=0RdYSJKmKJyMjAG04JWFDA&sig=s-w6Np6drA_a-MzUxR0UnsQcORc excerpt and text search]
* Kennedy, David M. ''Over Here: The First World War and American Society'' (1979) [http://www.amazon.com/Over-Here-First-American-Society/dp/0195173996 excerpt and text search]
* May, Ernest R. ''The World War and American isolation, 1914-1917'' (1959[http://hdl.handle.net.proxy.cc.uic.edu/2027/heb.00283 online at ACLS e-books]
* Morton, Desmond, and Jack Granatstein. ''Marching to Armageddon: Canadians and the Great War 1914-1919'' (1989)
* Scott, Emmett Jay. ''Scott's Official History of the American Negro in the World War'' (1919) 511 pages [http://books.google.com/books?id=obUHAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA10&dq=intitle:world+intitle:war+date:1919-2007&num=30&as_brr=1 online edition]
[http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=24640205 online edition]
* Venzon, Anne ed. ''The United States in the First World War: An Encyclopedia'' (1995)
* Wilson, Dale E. ''Treat'Em Rough!: The Birth of American Armor, 1917-20'' (1989)
* Zieger, Robert H. ''America's Great War: World War I and the American Experience.'' 2000. 272 pp.

===Online secondary and primary sources===
* [http://tigger.uic.edu/~rjensen/military.html#J. ''Web Sources for Military History'' by Richard Jensen]
* [http://net.lib.byu.edu/~rdh7/wwi/ WWI Document Archive], valuable collection
* [http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/ww1.htm diplomatic primary documents, from Mt. Holyoke College]

====notes====
<references/>

[[Category:Wars]]
[[Category:World War I| ]]

== External links ==
* [http://tigger.uic.edu/~rjensen/military.html#J. Guide to web resources by RJJensen]
* [http://www.firstworldwar.com/index.htm Excellent British site]
* [http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/ The Great War, from PBS]
* [http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/historian/index.html interviews with historians]
* [http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/docs/books/gutenberg/etext04/shogw10.txt ''A Short History of the Great War,'' by A.F. Pollard (1920), British perspective]
* [http://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/Main_Page Primary documents], very thorough collection from all countries
** [http://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/WWI_Biographical_Dictionary short biographies]
** [http://www.vlib.us/wwi/resources/archives/imarchive.html Photographs]
** [http://www.vlib.us/medical/ medical history]
* [http://www.worldwar1.com/maproom.htm maps]
* [http://www.worldwar1.com/reflib.htm Trenches on the Web]
===Origins and political impact===
* [http://net.lib.byu.edu/~rdh7/wwi/comment/WarFacts/wfactsTC.htm ''Handbook of War Facts and Peace Problems'' (1919) sophisticated American pamphlet; anti-German; good summary of effects of war on each country involved]
* [http://yamaguchy.netfirms.com/7897401/fay/origin_index.html Sidney Fay, ''The Origins of the World War'' (1930) classic scholarly study; argues many nations shared guilt for starting the war]
* [http://www.onpower.org/history_wwi.html/ World War I]
* [http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=1345 "American Foreign Policy: The Turning Point, 1898–1919," by Ralph Raico]
* [http://www.independent.org/publications/working_papers/article.asp?id=1499 "Government and the Economy: The World Wars," by Robert Higgs]
* [http://www.lewrockwell.com/rothbard/rothbard91.html "War Collectivism in World War I," by Murray N. Rothbard]
* [http://www.independent.org/publications/tir/article.asp?issueID=40&articleID=506 "The Great War Retold," by Ralph Raico]

Western Front

2009-12-16T22:15:34Z

JasonN:

The''' Western Front''' was a narrow strip of land between [[Belgium]] and [[France]] where the [[Allies]] on one side and the [[Germans]] on the other dug a complex network trenches running from the Belgian coast to [[Switzerland]] during [[World War I]]. At that point, the war ground to a bloody and protracted stalemate. After [[Russia]] withdrew from the War following the [[October revolution]], the [[Germans]] unleashed all of their troops on the western front, and it appeared they would win, before grinding to a halt after oustripping their supply lines. In December 1917, [[American]] troops came to the front, and in the [[Second Battle of the Marne]], the Allies started decisively winning ground. Soon afterward, the Great War ended.

[[category:World War I]]

Talk:Western Front

2009-12-16T22:09:37Z

JasonN:

I think it would be a mistake to say that the Western allies started winning only when the Americans arrived. Although, they certainly were a '''big''' final nail in Germany's coffin. --[[User:JasonN|JasonN]] 17:09, 16 December 2009 (EST)

Talk:Western Front

2009-12-16T22:08:55Z

JasonN: Created page with 'I think it would be a mistake to say that the Western allies started winning only when the Americans arrived. Although, they certainly were a '''big''' final nail in Germany's co...'

I think it would be a mistake to say that the Western allies started winning only when the Americans arrived. Although, they certainly were a '''big''' final nail in Germany's coffin.

Talk:Manfred Von Richthofen

2009-12-16T21:18:06Z

JasonN: /* Spelling-- */

== Spelling-- ==

Can somebody change the capitalization and add an "h"? It should be "Richthofen." [[User:AlexWD|AlexWD]] 22:29, 15 December 2009 (EST)

Done, although I think I would need an admin to fix the article title. --[[User:JasonN|JasonN]] 16:18, 16 December 2009 (EST)

Manfred Von Richthofen

2009-12-16T21:17:04Z

JasonN:

==NOTE: This is a work in progress. It has neither been finished, nor reviewed by myself as of yet.==
--[[User:JasonN|JasonN]] 22:26, 15 December 2009 (EST)

==Manfred Von Richthofen==
Manfred Albrecht von Richthofen (2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918) was a German fighter pilot known as the "Red Baron", due to the bright red colour scheme on his planes. He was the most successful [[flying ace]] during World War I, being officially credited with 80 confirmed air combat victories. He served in the Imperial German Army Air Service (Luftstreitkräfte).

==Early Life and Outbreak of War==
Richthofen was born into an aristocratic Prussian family in Kleinburg, Silesia. He had two brothers, one of which being [[Lothar von Richthofen]], who would later join his brother's squadron, and one sister, His father, Phillip, was a cavalry Major in the German army. This was to form a basis for much of Richthofen's life. He joined a military cadet unit when he was 11, and completed his cadet training in 1911. Soon afterwards, his father got him accepted into a [[cavalry]] regiment.

Following the outbreak of [[World War One]], he served as a cavalry recon officer on both the Western and Eastern fronts. However, upon the bogging down of fighting on the Western front into [[trench warfare]], the cavalry became increasingly disused, and Richthofen was not satisfied with being used in a role that eventually became that of an infantry messenger. Leaving his cavalry regiment behind him, Richthofen applied, and was accepted into, the Imperial German Army Air Service (later Luftstreitkräfte).

==Piloting Career==
Richthofen began as an observer in a recon plane over the Eastern front between June and August 1915 with No. 69 Flying Squadron, before his unit was transferred to the Western front. Between October 1915 and March 1916, he completed his training as a pilot, and joined a bomber squadron. During his time as an observer and bomber pilot, he claimed to have downed two French aircraft, although he was unable to produce enough evidence to be given official credit for the victories.

During another stint flying bombers over the Eastern front, he was approached by [[Oswald Boelcke]], who was searching for promising pilots for the new fighter squadron, Jasta 2. After joining the unit, he won his first confirmed victory on September 17th, 1916.

Manfred was taught how to be an effective fighter pilot by his squadron commander, Oswald Boelcke. At the time, Boelcke was the German Ace-of Aces (the highest scoring German ace), and the first to write down the basic tactics for being a good fighter pilot, many of which he pioneered, and most are still used today. These were known as the [[Dicta Boelcke]].

Manfred Von Richthofen

2009-12-16T03:26:27Z

JasonN: Created page with '==NOTE: This is a work in progress. It has neither been finished, nor reviewed by myself as of yet.== --~~~~ ==Manfred Von Richtofen== Manfred Albrecht von Richthofen (2 May 1...'

==NOTE: This is a work in progress. It has neither been finished, nor reviewed by myself as of yet.==
--[[User:JasonN|JasonN]] 22:26, 15 December 2009 (EST)

==Manfred Von Richtofen==
Manfred Albrecht von Richthofen (2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918) was a German fighter pilot known as the "Red Baron", due to the bright red colour scheme on his planes. He was the most successful [[flying ace]] during World War I, being officially credited with 80 confirmed air combat victories. He served in the Imperial German Army Air Service (Luftstreitkräfte).

==Early Life and Outbreak of War==
Richtofen was born into an aristocratic Prussian family in Kleinburg, Silesia. He had two brothers, one of which being [[Lothar von Richtofen]], who would later join his brother's squadron, and one sister, His father, Phillip, was a cavalry Major in the German army. This was to form a basis for much of Richtofen's life. He joined a military cadet unit when he was 11, and completed his cadet training in 1911. Soon afterwards, his father got him accepted into a [[cavalry]] regiment.

Following the outbreak of [[World War One]], he served as a cavalry recon officer on both the Western and Eastern fronts. However, upon the bogging down of fighting on the Western front into [[trench warfare]], the cavalry became increasingly disused, and Richtofen was not satisfied with being used in a role that eventually became that of an infantry messenger. Leaving his cavalry regiment behind him, Richtofen applied, and was accepted into, the Imperial German Army Air Service (later Luftstreitkräfte).

==Piloting Career==
Richtofen began as an observer in a recon plane over the Eastern front between June and August 1915 with No. 69 Flying Squadron, before his unit was transferred to the Western front. Between October 1915 and March 1916, he completed his training as a pilot, and joined a bomber squadron. During his time as an observer and bomber pilot, he claimed to have downed two French aircraft, although he was unable to produce enough evidence to be given official credit for the victories.

During another stint flying bombers over the Eastern front, he was approached by [[Oswald Boelcke]], who was searching for promising pilots for the new fighter squadron, Jasta 2. After joining the unit, he won his first confirmed victory on September 17th, 1916.

Manfred was taught how to be an effective fighter pilot by his squadron commander, Oswald Boelcke. At the time, Boelcke was the German Ace-of Aces (the highest scoring german ace), and the first to write down the basic tactics for being a good fighter pilot, many of which he pioneered, and most are still used today. These were known as the [[Dicta Boelcke]].

American entry into World War I

2009-12-16T00:58:58Z

JasonN: /* Submarine issue */ Fixed Kaiser Wilhelm's name.

American '''entry into World War I''' came in April 1917, after 2 1/2 years of efforts by President [[Woodrow Wilson]] to keep the United States neutral.

==Early Policy==
Americans had no inkling that a war was approaching in 1914. Over 100,000 were caught unawares when the war started, having traveled to Europe for tourism, business or to visit relatives. Their repatriation was handled by [[Herbert Hoover]], an American private citizen based in London. The U.S. government, under the firm control of President [[Woodrow Wilson]], called for neutrality "in thought and deed." Apart from an Anglophile element supporting Britain, public opinion went along at first. Wilson kept the economy on a peacetime basis, and made no preparations or plans for the war. He insisted on keeping the army and navy on its small peacetime bases. Indeed, Washington refused even to study the lessons of military or economic mobilization that had been learned so painfully across the sea.
==Submarine issue==
The most important indirect strategy used by the belligerents was the blockade: starve the enemy of food and the military machine will be crippled and perhaps the civilians will demand an end to the war. The Royal Navy successfully stopped the shipment of most war supplies and food to Germany. Neutral American ships that tried to trade with Germany (which international law clearly allowed), were seized or turned back. The strangulation came about very slowly, because Germany and its allies controlled extensive farmlands and raw materials, but it eventually worked because Germany and Austria took so many farmers into their armies. By 1918 the German cities were on the verge of starvation; the front-line soldiers were on short rations and were running out of essential supplies. The Allied blockade had done its job. The Germans also considered a blockade. "England wants to starve us," said Admiral [[Alfred von Tirpitz]], the man who built the German fleet and who remained a key advisor to the Kaiser. "We can play the same game. We can bottle her up and destroy every ship that endeavors to break the blockade."<ref> Ernest May, ''The World War and American Isolation, 1914-1917'' p.115 quote from Dec 1914</ref> Unable to challenge the more powerful Royal Navy on the surface, Tirpitz wanted to scare off merchant and passenger ships en route to Britain. He knew from his close reading of Captain [[Alfred Thayer Mahan]] that a blockade would not itself win the war. But he reasoned that since the island of Britain depended on imports of food, raw materials and manufactured goods, scaring off even half the ships would effectively undercut its long-term ability to maintain an army on the Western Front. While Germany only had nine long-range U-boats at the start of the war, it had ample shipyard capacity to build the hundreds that would be needed. The problem was that the U.S. demanded Germany respect international law, which protected neutral American ships on the high seas from seizure or sinking by either belligerent. (Other neutral nations made the same point; Berlin was probably more solicitous of Italy in than the US because Italy had an army.) Furthermore, Americans insisted that the drowning of innocent civilians was barbaric and grounds for a declaration of war. The British frequently violated America's neutral rights by seizing ships, but they did not drown anyone.<ref>Charles Cruttwell, '' A history of the great war, 1914-1918‎'' (1940) p 191 </ref> As Wilson's top advisor, [[Colonel House]] commented, "The British have gone as far as they possibly could in violating neutral rights, though they have done it in the most courteous way." When Wilson exploded in protest at British violations of American neutrality, the British backed down (or the American ambassador, notoriously biased toward Britain, softened his chief's angry words.) German submarines torpedoed ships without warning, and some sailors and passengers drowned. Berlin explained that submarines were so vulnerable that they dare not surface near merchant ships that might be carrying guns, and anyway the subs were so small they could not rescue crews. Military "necessity" again.

Britain armed most of its merchant ships with medium calibre guns that could sink a submarine, making an above-water attacks too risky. In February, 1915, the U.S. sharply warned Germany about misuse of submarines but on May 7, the British passenger liner ''[[Lusitania]]'' was torpedoed with the loss of 1,198 civilians, including 128 Americans. The American outcry was far more intense than would accompany the deliberate shooting down or sabotage of a civilian airliner in the 1980s or 1990s, but not as sharp as the response to the [[9-11 Attack]] in 2001. The ''Lusitania'' sinking was the event that decisively swung American opinion. Washington gave Berlin an ultimatum--never do that again! Berlin acquiesced, ordering its submarines to avoid passenger ships. But by January 1917 Generals [[Hindenburg]] and [[Ludendorff]] decided that unrestricted submarine blockade was the only way to break the stalemate on the Western Front. They demanded that Kaiser [[Wilhelm II]] order unrestricted submarine warfare be resumed. Berlin knew that meant war with the United States, but they gambled that they could win before America's potential strength could be mobilized. They vastly exaggerated how many ships they could sink and how much that would weaken Britain; they did not figure out that convoys would defeat their efforts. They were correct in seeing that the United States was so weak militarily that it could not be a factor on the Western Front for more than a year. The civilian government in Berlin objected, but the Kaiser sided with the military (proving that Germany was indeed an undemocratic militaristic state.)<ref> Ernest May, ''The World War and American Isolation, 1914-1917'' p 414</ref>

Wilson believed that peace would never come to a world that contained aggressive, powerful, non-democratic militaristic states. Peace required a world based on free democracies. There was never a possibility for compromise between these polar situations. America had to fight for democracy, or it would be fighting perpetually against ever-stronger evil enemies (stronger because they would gobble up weak neighbors whenever they could.) Was the American dedication to neutral rights and opposition to submarines sincere? In the 1920s and 1930s the world repeatedly condemned unrestricted submarine warfare. After [[Pearl Harbor]] in 1941, however, President [[Franklin Roosevelt]], who held the key role as Assistant Secretary of the Navy throughout the first war, did not recognize any neutrality. He ordered his submarines to sink on sight all ships in Japanese waters, with no regard to passengers. (Indeed, thousands of American prisoners of war were drowned.) Despite this later reversal, in 1915-1917 Washington and the American people were dead serious about their opposition to unrestricted submarine attacks on neutral ships. They clearly told Germany they would fight for the principle.

==Development of Public Opinion==
A surprising factor in the development of American public opinion was how little the political parties became involved. They seemed fearful that discussion of war-related issues would distract the electorate from their tried-and-true platforms focused on economic issues. The Socialist party, which won 2% of the 1916 vote for [[Eugene V. Debs]], blamed the war on capitalism and pledged total opposition. "A bayonet," it said, "was a weapon with a worker at each end." When war began, however half the Socialists supported it; the rest, led by Debs, became die-hard opponents.<ref> Nick Salvatore, ''Eugene V. Debs: Citizen and Socialist'' (2007) ch 9</ref>

Nationwide at all times the dominant voice was held by old-stock white Americans. The largest old-stock Protestant denominations (Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Disciples of Christ, Congregational and some Lutheran groups) loudly denounced the war at first: it was God's punishment for sin. Their moralism was aggressively focused on banishing evils (like saloons) from the face of the earth through [[Prohibition]], and if they could be shown that German militarism was a similar evil, they would throw enormous weight. Wilson, the intensely religious son of a prominent theologian, knew exactly how to harness that moralism in his attacks on the "Huns" who threatened civilization, and his calls for an almost religious crusade on behalf of peace.<ref>John F. Piper, ''The American Churches in World War I'' (1985)</ref>

Upwards of four-fifths of America's social, political, and economic leaders were of English or Scottish descent (usually Episcopalian or Presbyterian); they clearly wanted Britain to win, though at first not to the point of American entry. Magazine editors, newspaper reporters, book publishers, college professors, intellectuals, artists, and writers were overwhelmingly pro- British. [[Samuel Insull]], one of Chicago's richest and most influential industrialists, had been born in England. He organized publicity, propaganda, and relief work, and assisted young men to join the Canadian army to go and fight.<ref> Forrest McDonald, ''Insull'' (2004)</ref> Chicago and the Midwest generally was isolationist and opposed to war, primarily because the large German and Scandinavian populations were strongly opposed to American entry. (Almost no one proposed the U.S. enter the war on Germany's side.)

The working class was relatively quiet, and tended to divide along ethnic lines; farmers generally ignored the war. A cosmopolitan group of upper and upper-middle class businessmen based in the largest cities took the lead in promoting military preparedness and in defining how far America could be pushed around before it would fight back.

==Opponents of American Entry==
American cities were polyglot concentrations of ethnic groups--in New York, Chicago, Detroit, and other great cities three-fourths or more of the voters were immigrants or sons of immigrants (women did not vote). Some British immigrants worked actively for intervention. London-born Samuel Insull, Chicago's leading industrialist, for example, enthusiastically provided money, propaganda, and means for volunteers to enter the British or Canadian armies. After US entry, Insull directed the Illinois State Council of Defense, with responsibility for organizing the state's mobilization. Immigrants from eastern Europe usually cared more about politics in their homeland than politics in the U.S. Slavic immigrants hoped that an Allied victory would bring independence for their homelands. The millions of German-Americans were ambiguous in their position. They called for neutrality, and spoke of the superiority of German culture. Increasingly, however, they spoke only to themselves, and by 1917 no one else listened.<ref> Frederick C. Luebke, ''Bonds of loyalty: German-Americans and World War I‎'' (1974)</ref>

The most effective opponents of the war were the Irish Catholics. They had little interest in the continent, but were adamant against helping the British Empire, because it continued to reject independence for Ireland. (The [[Easter Uprising]] in Dublin, 1916, was stamped out, its leaders hung.) The Irish-Americans dominated the Democratic party in most large cities, so Wilson had to take account of their views in his definition of the nation's goals. They did not prevent him from being hostile to Germany, but they did force him to keep his distance from Britain. Indeed, Irish pressure guaranteed that the US would not become a full-fledged ally of Britain, and would not be pledged to Britain's war aims, but would try to restructure the world in a liberal democratic fashion after the war was won.<ref>William M. Leary, Jr. "Woodrow Wilson, Irish Americans, and the Election of 1916." ''Journal of American History'' 1967 54(1): 57-72 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/1900319 in JSTOR]</ref>
==Preparedness Movement==
see [[Preparedness Movement]]

The United States military was not at all prepared for a major war. The Army in particular was small--Greece had a larger army--and there were no serious plans or training programs to deal with the possibility of American involvement.

Antiwar forces--including churches, Irish Catholics, Germans and pacifists--strongly opposed any military preparations.

Nevertheless most Americans demanded preparedness --led by ex-president [[Theodore Roosevelt]]. The result was a compromise, whereby the navy was dramatically built up, but the army was only slightly improved. Wilson feared that a strong America would weaken his negotiating position, an interpretation rejected by most historians and all conservatives.

==Decision for War==
By 1916 a new factor was emerging--a sense of national self interest and nationalism. The unbelievable casualty figures were sobering--two vast battles caused over one million casualties each. Clearly this war would be a decisive episode in the history of the world. Every American effort to find a peaceful solution was frustrated. [[Henry Ford]] managed to make pacifism look ridiculous by sponsoring a private peace mission that accomplished nothing. German agents added a comic opera touch. The agent in charge of propaganda left his briefcase on the train, where an alert Secret Service agent snatched it up. Wilson let the newspapers publish the contents, which indicated a systematic effort by Berlin to subsidize friendly newspapers and block British purchases of war materials. Berlin's top espionage agent, debonnaire Fanz Rintelen von Kleist was spending millions to finance sabotage in Canada, stir up trouble between the US and Mexico and to incite labor strikes. The British were engaged in propaganda too, though not illegal espionage. But they did not get caught; Germany took the blame as Americans grew ever more worried about the vulnerability of a free society to subversion. Indeed, one of the main fears Americans of all stations had in 1916-1919 was that spies and saboteurs were everywhere. This sentiment played a major role in arousing fear of Germany, and suspicions regarding everyone of German descent who could not "prove" 100% loyalty.<ref> Link 3:556ff </ref>Americans felt an increasing need for a military that could command respect; as one editor put it, "The best thing about a large army and a strong navy is that they make it so much easier to say just what we want to say in our diplomatic correspondence." Berlin thus far had backed down and apologized when Washington was angry, thus boosting American self- confidence. America's rights and America's honor increasingly came into focus. The slogan "Peace" gave way to "Peace with Honor." The Army remained unpopular, however. A recruiter in Indianapolis noted that, "The people here do not take the right attitude towards army life as a career, and if a man joins from here he often tries to go out on the quiet." The Preparedness movement used its easy access to the mass media to demonstrate that the War Department had no plans, no equipment, little training, no reserves, a laughable National Guard, and a wholly inadequate organization for war. Motion pictures like "The Birth of a Nation" (1915) and "The Battle Cry of Peace" (1915) depicted invasions of the American homeland that demanded action.

The press at the time reported that the only thing the military was ready for was an enemy fleet attempting to seize New York harbor--at a time when the German battle fleet was penned up by the Royal Navy. Navy Secretary [[Josephus Daniels]], a pacifistic journalist, had built up the educational resources of the Navy and made its War College in Newport an essential experience for would-be admirals. However, he alienated the officer corps with his moralistic reforms, (no wine in the officers' mess, no hazing at Annapolis, more chaplains and YMCAs). Ignoring the nation's strategic needs, and disdaining the advice of its experts, Daniels suspended meetings of the Joint Army and Navy Board for two years because it was giving unwelcome advice, chopped in half the General Board's recommendations for new ships, reduced the authority of officers in the Navy yards where ships were built and repaired, and ignored the administrative chaos in his department. [[Bradley Fiske]], one the most innovative admirals in American naval history, in 1914 was Daniels' top aide; he recommended a reorganization that would prepare for war, but Daniels refused. Instead he replaced Fiske in 1915 and brought in for the new post of Chief of Naval Operations an unknown captain, [[William Benson]]. Chosen for his compliance, Benson proved a wily bureaucrat who was more interested in preparing for an eventual showdown with Britain than an immediate one with Germany. Daniels and Benson rejected .. Love 1:458, 483-4 March 1917: Benson told Sims he "would as soon fight the British as the Germans" proposals to send observers to Europe, leaving the Navy in the dark about the success of the German submarine campaign. Admiral William Sims charged after the war that in April, 1917, only ten percent of the Navy's warships were fully manned; the rest lacked 43% of their seamen. Light antisubmarine ships were few in number, as if Daniels had been unaware of the German submarine menace that had been the focus of foreign policy for two years. The Navy's only warfighting plan, the "Black Plan" assumed the Royal Navy did not exist and that German battleships were moving freely about the Atlantic and the Caribbean and threatening the Panama Canal. Daniels' tenure would have been even less successful save for the energetic efforts of Assistant Secretary [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], who effectively ran the Department.<ref> Coletta in SEC NAVY 2:526-41 Am Sea Power 1947:312 after EE Morison</ref>

In early 1917 Berlin forced the issue. The decision to try to sink every ship on the high seas was the immediate cause of American entry into the war. Five American merchant ships went down in March. If further evidence were needed, the German foreign minister, Arthur Zimmerman, approached Mexico for an alliance; Mexico would join Germany in a war and be rewarded with the return of lost territories in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona (but not California). Outraged public opinion now overwhelmingly supported Wilson when he asked Congress for a declaration of war on April 2, 1917. The United States had a moral responsibility to enter the war, he proclaimed, to make the world safe for democracy. The future of the world was being determined on the battlefield, and American national interest demanded a voice. Wilson's definition of the situation won wide acclaim, and, indeed, has shaped America's role in world and military affairs ever since. Wilson saw that if Germany would win, the consequences would be bad for the United States. Germany would dominated the continent and perhaps would gain control of the seas as well. Latin America could well have fallen under Berlin's control. The dream of spreading democracy, liberalism and independence would have been shattered. On the other hand, if the Allies had won without help, there was a danger they would carve up the world without regard to American commercial interests. They were already planning to use government subsidies, tariff walls, and controlled markets to counter the competition posed by American businessmen. The solution was a third route, a "peace without victory" Wilson said. He meant a peace shaped, if not totally dictated, by the United States. George H.W. Bush's rhetoric against Saddam Hussein in 1990-91 closely echoed Wilson in 1917.

==Public Opinion, Moralism and National Interest==
The story of American entry into the war is a study in how public opinion changed radically in three years' time. In 1914 Americans thought the war was a dreadful mistake and were determined to stay out. By 1917 the same public felt just as strongly that going to war was both necessary and wise. Military leaders had little to say during this debate, and military considerations were seldom raised. The decisive questions dealt with morality and visions of the future. The prevailing attitude was that America possessed a superior moral position as the only great nation devoted to the principles of freedom and democracy. By staying aloof from the squabbles of reactionary empires, it could preserve those ideals-- sooner or later the rest of the world would come to appreciate and adopt them. In 1917 this very long-run program faced the severe danger that in the short run powerful forces adverse to democracy and freedom would triumph. Strong support for moralism came from religious leaders, women (led by [[Jane Addams]]), and from public figures like long-time Democratic leader [[William Jennings Bryan]], the Secretary of State from 1913 to 1916. The most important moralist of all was President Woodrow Wilson--the man who dominated decision making so totally that the war has been correctly labelled "Wilson's War." (The closest comparison is [[George W. Bush]] as the driving force behind the war with Iraq in 2003.)

In 1917 Wilson, a Democrat, proved his political genius by winning the support of most of the moralists by proclaiming "a war to make the world safe for democracy." If they truly believed in their ideals, he explained, now was the time to fight. The question then became whether Americans would fight for what they deeply believed in, and the answer turned out to be a resounding "YES".

Some observers at the time, and since, alleged that beneath the veneer of moralism and idealism there surely must have been some sordid forces at work. Some suggested a conspiracy on the part of New York City bankers holding $3 billion of war loans to the Allies, or steel and chemical firms selling munitions to the Allies. This conspiracy interpretation was based not on evidence but on an a priori theory that wars are always caused by greedy businessmen. However, the interpretation was popular among left-wing Progressives (led by Senator [[Robert LaFollete]] of Wisconsin) and among the "agrarian" wing of the Democratic party--including the chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee of the House. He strenuously opposed war, but when it came rewrote the tax laws to make sure the rich paid the most. (In the 1930s neutrality laws were passed to prevent financial entanglements from dragging the nation into a war.) In the 1930s some journalists pointed to the British propaganda that played on exaggerated tales of German barbarism and appealed to the basically British cultural roots of most Americans. In 1916 Bryan thought that pro-British sentiment had distorted Wilson's policies, so he became the first Secretary of State ever to resign in protest.

The problem with these explanations is that they ignore the depth of American disgust with what Germany actually did, and the threat it represented to American ideals. They tell the story of Hamlet while leaving out the King. Americans set a standard for German behavior in terms of human decency, political philosophy, international law, and American national interest, and Germany flunked all the tests badly. Germany failed the human decency test because it invaded Belgium, subjecting a neutral country to the ravages of warfare simply because its territory offered a convenient invasion route. Furthermore, when the Schlieffen plan failed, the Germans did not withdraw. Belgium kept the public's sympathy as the Germans executed civilians, and English nurse [[Edith Cavell]]; [[Herbert Hoover]] led a private relief effort that won wide support. Compounding the Belgium atrocities were new weapons that Americans found repugnant, like poison gas and the aerial bombardment of innocent civilians. (Zeppelins dropped bombs on London.)

Above all, American repulsion at the Germans focused on their submarines which sank the [[Lusitania]] in 1915 and other passenger ships without warning. That appeared to Americans as a unacceptable challenge to the America's rights as a neutral country, and as an unforgivable affront to humanity. After repeated diplomatic protests, Germany agreed to stop it. But in 1917 the Germany military leadership decided that "military necessity" (i.e. a chance to win) dictated the unrestricted use of their submarines. The Kaiser gave the order knowing full well it meant war with the United States--a country that his advisors felt was enormously powerful economically but too weak militarily to make a difference. The political philosophy Americans believed in was a combination of democracy and individualized freedom of the sort exemplified in Britain and France. The alternative to their entry into the war was a world dominated by German political values, including imperialism, militarism, and the suppression of minorities--a guaranteed formula for more wars in the future. Americans wanted a world of peace and democracy; In 1917 they realized that they must fight Germany to achieve it. One stumbling block was that Czarist Russia--which almost as politically repugnant as Germany--was one of the Allies. When a liberal revolution overthrew the Czar in March 1917, this obstacle suddenly vanished. War increasingly became the only choice left.

==Bibliography==
* Ambrosius, Lloyd E., “Woodrow Wilson and George W. Bush: Historical Comparisons of Ends and Means in Their Foreign Policies,” ''Diplomatic History'', 30 (June 2006), 509–43.
* Arnett, Alex Mathews. ''Claude Kitchin and the Wilson War Policies.'' 1937. Kitchen was an antiwar Democrat in the House
* Bassett, John Spencer. ''Our War with Germany: A History'' (1919) [http://books.google.com/books?id=76UTAAAAIAAJ&printsec=toc&dq=intitle:war+date:1919-1921&num=30&as_brr=1&sig=4Vx3GGygya6F24ozaNJyLzMI694#PPP10,M1 online edition]
* *Brands, H.W. ''Theodore Roosevelt'' (2001), full biography [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=98669157 online edition]
* Clements, Kendrick A. "Woodrow Wilson and World War I," ''Presidential Studies Quarterly'' 34:1 (2004). pp 62+. [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5006516101 online edition]
* Clifford, J. Garry. ''Citizen Soldiers: The Plattsburgh Training Camp Movement, 1913-1920'' (1972)
* Costrell, Edwin. ''How Maine viewed the war, 1914-1917,'' (1940)
* Crighton, John C. ''Missouri and the World War, 1914-1917: a study in public opinion'' (1947)
* Cruttwell, C. R. M. F. ''A History of the Great War, 1914-1918'' (1934), military history from British perspective
* Cummins, Cedric Clisten. ''Indiana public opinion and the World War, 1914-1917,'' (1945)
* Davis, Allen F. ''American Heroine: The Life and Legend of Jane Addams.'' 1973.
* Dodd, William Edward. ''Woodrow Wilson and His Work'' (1920) a pro-Wilson study by a leading scholar; written before the archives were opened and based on newspapers. [http://books.google.com/books?id=Fz0OAAAAIAAJ&printsec=toc&dq=intitle:woodrow+intitle:wilson&num=30&as_brr=1&sig=2PQOqfbgC9oZQtFPkJpYDeebMn4#PPR7,M1 online edition]
* Early, Frances H. ''A World without War: How U.S. Feminists and Pacifists Resisted World War I.'' 1997.
* Esposito, David M. ''The Legacy of Woodrow Wilson: American War Aims in World War I. '' (1996) 159pp [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=14266596# online edition]
* Finnegan, John P. ''Against the Specter of a Dragon: The Campaign for American Military Preparedness, 1914–1917.'' (1975).
* Gibbs, Christopher C. ''The Great Silent Majority: Missouri's Resistance to World War I'' (1988)
* Grubbs, Frank L. ''The Struggle for Labor Loyalty: Gompers, the A. F. of L., and the Pacifists, 1917-1920.'' 1968.
* Herman, Sondra. ''Eleven Against War: Studies in American Internationalist Thought, 1898-1921.'' 1969.
* Higham, Robin and Dennis E. Showalter, eds. ''Researching World War I: A Handbook'' (2003), 475pp; highly detailed historiography, [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=107066504 online edition]
* Hodgson, Godfrey. ''Woodrow Wilson's Right Hand: The Life of Colonel Edward M. House.'' (2006). 335pp, popular biography
* Kazal, Russell A. ''Becoming Old Stock: The Paradox of German-American Identity.'' (2004). 390 pp.
* Kennedy, David M. ''Over Here: The First World War and American Society'' (1982), covers politics & economics & society [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=106147343 online edition]
* Koistinen, Paul. ''Mobilizing for Modern War: The Political Economy of American Warfare, 1865-1919'' (1997)
* Knock, Thomas J. ''To End All Wars: Woodrow Wilson and the Quest for a New World Order'' (1995)
* Link, Arthur S. ''Woodrow Wilson and the Progressive Era, 1910-1917'' (1972) standard political history of the era
* Link, Arthur S. ''Wilson: The Struggle for Neutrality: 1914-1915'' (1960); ''Wilson: Confusions and Crises: 1915-1916'' (1964); ''Wilson: Campaigns for Progressivism and Peace: 1916-1917'' (1965), the last volume of standard biography [http://www.historyebook.org/ all 3 volumes are online at ACLS e-books]
* Link, Arthur S. ''Wilson the Diplomatist: A Look at His Major Foreign Policies'' (1957) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=9422144 online edition]
* Link, Arthur S. ''Woodrow Wilson and a Revolutionary World, 1913-1921'' (1982) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=104472422 online edition]
* Link, Arthur S. ''Woodrow Wilson: Revolution, War, and Peace'' (1979) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=111418063 online edition]
* Livermore, Seward W. ''Politics Is Adjourned: Woodrow Wilson and the War Congress, 1916-1918.'' 1966.
* Luebke, Frederick C. ''Bonds of Loyalty: German-Americans and World War I.'' 1974.
* McCallum, Jack. ''Leonard Wood: Rough Rider, Surgeon, Architect of American Imperialism'' (2005)
* McDonald, Forrest. ''Insull: The Rise and Fall of a Billionaire Utility Tycoon'' (2004)
* May, Ernest R. ''The World War and American Isolation, 1914-1917'' (1959) [http://www.historyebook.org/ online at ACLS e-books], highly influential study
* Nash, George H. ''Life of Herbert Hoover: The Humanitarian, 1914-1917'' (Life of Herbert Hoover, Vol. 2) (1988)
* O'Toole, Patricia. ''When Trumpets Call: Theodore Roosevelt after the White House.'' (2005). 494 pp.
* Perkins, Bradford. ''The Great Rapprochement: England and the United States, 1895-1914'' (1968)
* Peterson, H. C. ''Propaganda for War: The Campaign Against American Neutrality, 1914-1917.'' 1968.
* Rothwell, V. H. ''British War Aims and Peace Diplomacy, 1914-1918.'' (1971).
* Safford, Jeffrey J. ''Wilsonian Maritime Diplomacy, 1913-1921.'' (1978).
* Smith, Daniel. ''The Great Departure: The United States and World War I, 1914-1920'' (1965)
* Sterba, Christopher M. ''Good Americans: Italian and Jewish Immigrants during the First World War.'' 2003. 288 pp. [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=103564691 online edition]
* Tucker, Robert W. ''Woodrow Wilson and the Great War: Reconsidering America's Neutrality, 1914-1917,'' (2007). 272 pp. ISBN: 978-0-8139-2629-2
* Unger, Nancy C. ''Fighting Bob La Follette: The Righteous Reformer'' (2000)
* Venzon, Anne ed. ''The United States in the First World War: An Encyclopedia'' (1995)
* Ward, Robert D. "The Origin and Activities of the National Security League, 1914–1919." Mississippi Valley Historical Review 47 (1960): 51–65. [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0161-391X(196006)47%3A1%3C51%3ATOAAOT%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Q online at JSTOR]
* Witcover, Jules. ''Black Tom: Imperial Germany's Secret War in America'' (1989)
===Primary sources===
* [http://www.pupress.princeton.edu/catalogs/series/pw.html ''The Papers of Woodrow Wilson''] edited by [[Arthur S. Link]] complete in 69 vol, at major academic libraries. Annotated edition of all of WW's letters, speeches and writings plus many letters written to him
* [http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext04/whwar10h.htm Wilson, Woodrow. ''Why We Are at War'' (1917)] six war messages to Congress, Jan- April 1917
===External links===
* [http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0402.html#article NY Times main headline, April 2, 1917, ''President Calls for War Declaration, Stronger Navy, New Army of 500,000 Men, Full Cooperation With Germany's Foes'']
* [http://www.libertydollar.org/ld/federal-reserve]
* [http://www.millercenter.virginia.edu/index.php/academic/americanpresident/wilson Extensive essay on Woodrow Wilson and shorter essays on each member of his cabinet and First Lady from the Miller Center of Public Affairs]
* [http://sources.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_Wilson%27s_War_Address President Wilson's War Address]

====references====
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[[Category:Progressive Era]]
[[Category:World War I]]