THE GREAT WAR ... WWI Barbara Zisk U.S. History
THE GREAT WAR ... WWI "THE WAR TO END ALL WARS"
Note: Before proceeding please get the worksheet for this project. This is a two day project It is important that the work done is your own. This project is to expand your knowledge of the Great War beyond class lecture and text book readings. Have fun with learning!
Since the 1880s the Western world had been increasingly engaged in four actions that led to world war: Imperialism, Militarism, Nationalism and the creation of Alliances. The United States was no different than the Western European powers except that it avoided foreign entangling alliances. The country heeded George Washington's parting words of warning when it came to Europe and its ever shifting diplomatic alliances. With two large oceans buffering the country from the rest of the world, the United States with a few exceptions seldom ventured out of its cloak of isolationism.
It was no surprise then that Archduke Franz Ferdinand's assassination at the hand of a terrorist on June 28th 1914 raised little concern in the U.S. When war began in Europe, President Woodrow Wilson vowed, "The United States must be neutral in thought as well as in action." The country had economic, cultural, and traditional ties to the belligerents therefore neutrality seemed the best course of action.
The fighting in this war brought carnage and destruction never before imagine due to new technology and inventions. Both sides planned "what if" war strategies for years and quickly put them into action. On the four land fronts (2nd choice) it can only be described as a slugfest with little gain in territory as the anticipated three month war continued with no end in sight as the armies dug in.
Bibliography Sites
The Department of History at the United States Military Academy
Introduction to First World War poetry
World War I - Trenches on the Web