The Great World War Venn Diagram

Mechanized Warfare Map

What countries were created after WWI?

• Due to the Treaty of Versailles, Germany gave up most of their territory to Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, France, and Poland. Austria-Hungary existed no more, so the land was given to Romania and Yugoslavia.

What do you think are their strengths and weaknesses politically and economically?

Strengths: They can learn from the other countries mistakes. They will be more prepared for how to govern their country and what not to do.

Weaknesses: The countries governments will be weak. The government will still be developing so it won't be strong. Their military will be weak also. These countries will take some time to develop fully.

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Trench Warfare


It's amazing to see men or women sacrifice their life for their country. The First World War, also known as the Great War, was a global war that centered in Europe and began on July 28th, 1914, and lasted until November 11, 1918. More than 9 million soldiers and 7 million civilians died during this horrifying war(1). The war was one of the deadliest conflicts in history and paved the way for major political changes. The Great World War brought people many of new inventions, weapons had to improve so the countries could prosper in these hard times. If improvement was not made during this war, the side would suffer badly. The First World War initiated an unprecedented production of weapons and technology to advance each sides chances and strive through the bloodiest war of all time. Here is a journal of one French man's great bravery and courage as he lived in the mud-filled trenches of WWI.


December 31, 1915

Believe me, life in the trenches here in Germany is rough. We are always on look out for incoming grenades, artillery, gas cartilages, and enemies that try to creep up on us. There are nearly 6,250 miles of trenches dug up along the western fronts where the French army and I are located(2). Trench warfare is very dangerous. I have gotten used to sleeping in here. When I first arrived to this front I was constantly nervous of everything happening outside of the trench. I guess I have gotten used to the loud noises and rapid gunfire throughout the night after being here for a few months now. There are rumors going around that the German trenches have living quarters 50 feet below the surface (3). They have electricity, toilets, and other necessities that make them well more off than we are. Well, got to go. Until next time...


February 14th, 1916

We have learned the hard way that crossing no mans land into enemy territory is not a good strategy. Think of it this way, we played this game back at army camp called dodge ball.  There are 5 people on a team and there are 5 balls on the line in between the teams. When the gun is shot the men run to the balls and if you throw a ball at the other team's man, the man is out. Well no mans land is like running up to the line without a ball when the other team has 5 guys with balls in their hand ready to fire. You aren't going to succeed and win. We have had to adapt and make new strategies to attack these dirty Germans. There are also layers of barbed wire out there in no mans land so crossing that even without enemy fire would even be hard. New artillery has made defense almost invincible and attack almost impossible(4). We have been working non-stop on making pill boxes for our soldiers to get in safely without being shot at, and fire artillery at the Germans. This has became an effective way of attacking safely and efficiently. Hopefully this will give us an edge on the Germans here in the trenches. 



April 16, 1916

I am lucky and blessed to see another day here on earth. Everyday I witness men in my army die. Every hour of the day I hear gunshots fired, explosives going off, the cry of a man that has just been shot in the chest. Life here is not fun, but we have to win this war for our country. Attacks tended to take place before dawn or right at dawn here in the trenches. The other night some Germans managed to sneak up on our trench and shoot flamethrowers into our base. Luckily, I had gone to the doctor that night to see about a cut on my leg. He said it was septic poisoning and I was sent to the hospital for a few days. When I came back I had heard about the news. Improvements in our weapons and trenches have been about for a few months now. We have been able to connect our trenches so this allows us to transport messages, supplies, and men among the trenches. Infantry rifles, rifled artillery, hydraulic recoil mechanisms, and machine guns(5) have all been used commonly in these trenches as well. Life here is not safe but this is our job to defend our country and I love doing it no matter what it takes. 

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Aircraft:

“John! Get back in here are you stupid!”

“I’m alright David I’m just catching some rays, I’ll be in in a sec’.”

“It’s not safe out there get back here in the trench!”

“Oh David, stop living life out here in the battlefield so scared. Nobody’s out h….”
BOOOOOOM!!!****

“JOHN GET IN COVER! THE GERMANS ARE BOMBING US FROM ABOVE!

……….JOHN, JOHN…..WHERE ARE YOU!?”


John Alexander was my bestfriend. We both joined the war effort when France called for soldiers to help the country. John and I grew up together, we were brothers. September 17th, 1916, was the last time I ever talked to my buddy. It was just a normal day out in the trenches. It was a hot sunny day and all John wanted to do was lay out in sun. We hadn’t had any action for a little over a day so the thought of an aircraft coming up out of nowhere didn’t cross anyone’s mind at the time. One thing’s forsure, those planes really do come out of nowhere. I found out later the man that was flying the plane was Manfred Von Richthofen. Manfred is known as the “Red Baron,” and was the top ace during WWI. He had over 80 recorded kills in the war(16). Thanks to Manfred, I had lost my bestfriend in the world in a blink of an eye.


Improvements with aircraft was one of the many improvements established during the war. Early air spotters were unarmed and then soon started firing at each other with hand-help weapons. Quickly aircrafts were equipped with machine guns that could fire along the planes path. Planes used in the war were used to gather intelligence on enemy positions, bomb their supplies, and of course bomb their soldiers. Because these planes at the time were large and slow, they made easy targets for enemy fighter planes. As a result, both sides used fighter aircraft to both attack and observe enemy planes and protect their own. Planes emerged as a vital weapon in WWI and the importance of planes in war from WWI on has been tremendously important.(17)

Gas