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First World War (1914-1918)

European nations colonised territories in Africa and Asia throughout the 19th century. Alliances and rivalries were created between imperialist European nations trying to gain control over these new territories. 

Immediate cause

On June 28th 1914, Serbian fanatic, Gavrilo Princip, assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Background causes

Militarism

Alliances

Imperialism

Nationalism

The beginning of the war

On June 28th 1914 began the outbreak of the First World War. 

A hundred years might seem like a very long time ago, but it isn’t really. Your great-great grandparents were around then, and they would have lived through, and maybe even taken part in, this terrible conflict if you were british. But Spain remained neutral in this war. 

Lots of history books have been written on World War I facts and why it started. But it all boils down to the fact that Europe had split into two large families of countries. The Allies — the British Empire, France, Belgium, Russia and later, the USA — were in one family. And the Central Powers of Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey were in the other. On 4 August 1914, Germany invaded Belgium, and so, standing by its promise to stick up for Belgium, Britain declared war on Germany. The world was at war!

When the First World War began that summer, most people thought it would be over by Christmas. Many believed that Britain was so powerful it could win very quickly. In fact, the First World War lasted four terrible years, not four months.

By the winter of 1915, the opposing sides had both dug long ditches called trenches which faced each other, in some places just 30m apart! These lines of narrow trenches stretched from the Belgian coast to Switzerland, and were known as the Western Front. Over five million British soldiers spent time living in these muddy, miserable ditches, taking it in turns to be on the Front Line — the trench closest to the enemy.

Day-to-day life there was smelly and grim. There were millions of giant rats, overflowing latrines (loos) and terrible lice infestations. Not to mention the dead bodies. Every so often, soldiers on the Front Line would be instructed to leave their trench and venture into dangerous No Man’s Land (the area between the sides) to try to push back the enemy.

This war was very different from conflicts of the past. For the first time, powerful new weapons and vehicles were used – at sea, on land and in the air – resulting in many people being killed or wounded. In Britain, you could sometimes hear what sounded like thunder coming across the English Channel from Europe. In fact, it was the huge boom of big guns, called artillery, being fired on the Western Front. 75% of all men who died in World War I were killed by artillery.

The largest battle of the World War I – the Battle of the Somme – is known as one of the bloodiest battles in history. It was fought by the French and British against the Germans on both sides of the River Somme in France, and lasted for more than five months. Over a million men were killed or wounded, and it was the first time that a tank was used in combat.

Soldiers in the trenches in the Battle of Somme

The animals at war

Both on the battlefield and back at home, some incredible creatures helped to transport soldiers and goods and save lives.

Almost a million horses were involved in the war. Soldiers on horseback were known as the Cavalry and horses also pulled some of the gigantic guns, ambulances and supply wagons. Gas from horse droppings could even be used to power lamps!

British families gave their pet dogs to the army so they could carry messages in special tubes on their collars (see above). Dogs were fast, difficult to shoot at, and they also caught rats! Pet pigeons were drafted in to carry messages over long distances, often carrying news from the Front Line back to Britain — Germans trained hawks to kill any carrier pigeons they saw. Goldfish did their bit too — after gas attacks, the gas masks were washed and rinsed. And if the rinsing water killed a goldfish that was placed in it, that meant the masks still had poison on them!

Just because you weren’t in the battle fields didn’t mean you weren’t in the danger zone. Back on the Home Front, Britain was under attack from all sides.

It was the first time in history that Britain had come under threat from the sky. Gigantic German airships, known as Zeppelins, carried out 52 bombing raids on Britain during the war, killing more than 500. People were terrified of them! To avoid Zeppelin attacks, no lights could be used after sunset and loud noises were banned, too. Large scale bombing raids on British cities were carried out during the day by German biplanes called Gothas.

There were threats from the sea, too. Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby were the first seaside towns to be shelled by the German navy. Battlecruisers, ships with huge guns, launched a surprise attack on 16 December 1914, 137 people were killed and 592 injured that night alone.

But all these attacks on ordinary people only stirred up hatred against the enemy, encouraging more British men to volunteer and fight for their country against “The Beast”.  At the start of the war there were just 350,000 men in the British army. But by 1917, there were 3.5 million! Mind you, in 1916, conscription came in – a rule that said ALL healthy men aged 18 – 41 had to fight.

Women during world war I

Women weren’t allowed to join the army, but the war still completely changed their lives in some ways, for the better!

Before the war, a woman’s role was in the home. But with the men away at war, help was needed in the workplace and so millions of women went to work in offices, factories, shops, transport and on farms. Many men were horrified by the idea of females working and, even worse, wearing trousers! But the women proved that they could do the work of men, and do it just as well. Without the women of Britain growing food and making weapons, the war could not have been won.

Women during the war

When the war was over and the soldiers came home, women were made to leave their new jobs and go back into the home. But not all of them wanted to do that anymore! Their experiences during the war eventually led to women getting more freedoms and rights including the right to vote!

Children during World War I

Did you know that Boy Scouts and Girl Guides had a vital role on the Home Front? Girl Guides would make basic medical equipment for wounded soldiers, like bandages, swabs and slings. They also worked growing vegetables and delivering milk. Boy Scouts collected eggs for injured troops, protected roads and railway lines, and delivered messages.

Children were even paid to collect conkers which could be turned into explosives! They also wrote letters to soldiers and helped to knit socks and scarves for the troops in the winter months. Some boys lied about their age and went off to fight. The youngest of these, Sidney Lewis, was just 12 years old when he joined the army. He was sent home at the age of 13 after fighting in the Battle of the Somme, one of the war’s bloodiest battles.

Children were also used to carry messages for MI5, the British Secret Service. The Boy Scouts, who were MI5’s first choice for this work, apparently found it hard to keep sensitive secrets, so Britain’s agents turned to the Girl Guides, instead!

Armistice Day

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, World War I officially ended when an agreement (known as an armistice) was signed by Germany and the Allies. This date is known as Armistice Day, and is still commemorated each year when people wear paper poppies to remember those who fought and died in conflicts around the world, the pretty red flowers were the only things that grew on the bloody battlefields of Western Europe.

Sadly, by the time World War I was over, more than 18 million people had been killed worldwide. It was hoped it would be the war to end all wars. But this wasn’t to be the case. Just 21 years later, World War II broke out.

The Great Depression

The Great Depression was a time of great economic crisis during the 1930s. It began in the United States, but quickly spread throughout much of the world. During this time, many people were out of work, hungry, and homeless. In the city, people would stand in long lines at soup kitchens to get a bite to eat. In the country, farmers struggled in the Midwest where a great drought turned the soil into dust causing huge dust storms. 

People had no money

How did it start? 

The Great Depression began with the crash of the stock market in October of 1929. Historians and economists give various causes for the Great Depression including drought, overproduction of goods, bank failures, stock speculation, and consumer debt. 

 World War II (1939-1945)

The countries involved in world war II considered the Germans responsible for starting it, so they forced Germany to pay for the disasters caused by the war. These costs were too great for the country’s economy and social discontent led to the triumph of the Nazy Party, led by Adolf Hitler. 

The leader of the Nazy Party convinced the Germans to support him in his plans in restoring Germany to its former glory. Breaking international agreements, Hitler assembled a powerful army and eventually invaded most of Europe. 

Hitler and the Nazy Party

World War II was fought between the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, Japan) and the Allied Powers (Britain, United States, Soviet Union, France). Most of the countries in the world were involved in some way. It was the deadliest war in all of human history with around 70 million people killed. 

Hiroshima

When was it? 

World War II started in 1939 when Germany invaded Poland. Great Britain and France responded by declaring war on Germany. The war in Europe ended with Germany's surrender on May 7, 1945. The war in the Pacific ended when Japan surrendered on September 2, 1945. The first atomic bomb was dropped on August 6th, 1945, at Hiroshima. The bomb, called 'Little Boy', released more energy than all the bombs dropped in the rest of World War II combined. Anywhere from 100,000 to 150,000 people died in the explosion, as well as from the radiation that came with the explosion.

Where was it? 

World War II started in Europe, but spread throughout the world. Much of the fighting took place in Europe and in Southeast Asia (Pacific). 

The worst of the Nazi’s state’s policies was its persecution of Jews and other minorities. Millions od people were exterminated. This was called the Holocaust. 

Learn More: Check out these pages to learn about the events, battles, and people of World War II: https://www.ducksters.com

The cold war

During World War II, the United States of America and the Soviet Union fought together as allies but as the war came to an end, the relationship between these two nations fell apart. The international political scene was dominated by these two rival superpowers with very different political ideologies. 

Communism versus Capitalism

USA was a capitalist democracy.

The Soviet Union followed a totalitarian communism.

In 1961, the Soviets divided the city of Berlin with a wall. The division of the German capital symbolised the separation between the two sides of the Cold War. 

Although they never directly fought one another, each of these superpowers exercised their influence over other countries and threatened each other with nuclear attacks.

The period of cold war lasted until the Soviet Union ended in 1991. 

Vietnam war

Dates: 1955 - 1975 

The Vietnam War was fought between communist North Vietnam and the government of Southern Vietnam. The North was supported by communist countries such as the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union. The South was supported by anti-communist countries, primarily the United States. 

The United States lost the Vietnam War. It lasted for twenty years, something the US never expected when it joined in the fight. Not only did the US lose the war and the country of Vietnam to the communists, the US lost prestige in the eyes of the world. 

Apollo 11

“One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”.

Apollo 11 was the first mission organised to send people to the moon. It was done by NASA, an American space agency. It launched on July 16, 1969, carrying astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. On July 20, 1969, Armstrong and Aldrin became the first humans to land on the moon successfully in the Apollo CSM (Command and Service Module) , while Collins stayed in orbit around the Moon.

Apollo 11

The mission was part of the Space Race. It fulfilled the challenge John F. Kennedy made in 1961 to "land a man on the moon, and return him safely to the Earth", before the 1960s ended.

Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins and Neil Armstrong

I hope you enjoy this unit!