US History after 1877, I have a two page double spaced paper 500 words minimum due at 11:59pm eastern time tonight. The paper is about a video from youtube “Shell Shock, 1914-1919”. The first page should consist of a summary of the overall video. The second page needs to consist of answering two questions -  After watching the video linked on D2L answer the “analysis” portion of this writing assignment by answering the questions below:

1, Explain two causes of the World War I

2. Comment on the concept of total war.  How was World War I different from earlier wars?  How important was the home front?. 

 

Shell Shock

The story begins on May 1st, 1915, at Pier 54 in New York City, when 2000 passengers board a magnificent ship (the Lusitania). Among the passengers was Eda Stanley and her family, who were returning to England amid World War I. Due to German submarines, the journey was perilous, but the passengers disregarded this because they believe the Lusitania was a passenger ship and wasn’t a target for the Germans. Despite this assumptions, a German submarine fired a torpedo at the Lusitania as she approached the Irish coast, causing massive damage that the crew were able to launch 6 lifeboats before she sank. More than 1200 hundred people drowned among them 128 Americans.

The First World War began in June 1914, when Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated by a Serbian nationalist. This lead to a declaration of war between Serbia and Austria with Germans supporting Austria. The hostility of the Germans was matched by their allies Austria and their adversaries Serbia, France, England, and Russia. By the conclusion of the first year, the number of men killed in France had surpassed one million. The United States was formally neutral and did not anticipate the war affecting them. Movies in theaters were credited with bringing the plight of the war in Europe to the attention of regular Americans.

The United States reaped enormous benefits from the war by lending money to European countries to purchase weapons. For a time, a stalemate persisted, until the allied generals determined that the only way to end it was to blast the adversaries out of their trenches. This however did not work out as planned and lead to the death of more than 20,000 allied soldiers. Weapons evolution resulted in so much death and damage, with inventions such as the machine gun, tanks, poisoned gas, and heavy armament resulting in the deaths of countless soldiers. Many survivors who had witnessed the horrors of the war suffered mental damaged as a result. The battle's repercussions were felt at home, as proven by a Russian food riot in 1917 as a result of starvation. The riot turned into a full-fledged revolution, which toppled the reigning family that was headed by Tsar Nicholas.

The Germans assisted Vladmir Lenon in returning home, where he began the process of establishing the world's first communist state. Russia soon withdrew from the war after Lenon's triumph, but Germans were still itching for a war with America, whom they saw as their adversary. Despite the United States' president, Woodrow Wilson, standing down, the Germans increased their attacks on American ships while encouraging Mexico to attack the United States, forcing Woodrow to declare war against Germany on February 2, 1917.  The Germans would later plan a huge attack on the takeover of Paris, France's capital, which came close to happening but was thwarted by a combined forces of American and French forces.

On November 10th of that year, the war on the Western Front came to an end, and the German Kaiser would be later forced into exile. On November 11th, 1918, the Germans surrendered. The war, which took the lives of 9 million men, wrought havoc on Europe's economy. Following the war, the Versailles Treaty was drafted, which saw Britain and France gain control of the Middle East as a colony, while Germany was humiliated and forced to accept conditions that would impoverish them.

The Origins of World War One

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serbian Gavrilo Princip was one of the causes of World War I. He was killed because he was about to assume control of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He was murdered while visiting Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, to review the armed forces that Austria-Hungary had conquered in 1914. The annexation caused friction between the Austrians and the Serbians because the Serbians believed the lands were theirs (Royde-Smith, n.d.). Following the killing, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, which was then backed by Russia.

Germans, on the other hand, backed Austria against Russia's and the allied armies (Britain and France), sparking the First World War. The dispute over affiliations was a second reason of the war. Countries in Europe had signed treaties promising mutual support if war broke out between them and other states. The triple entente of 1907, which included Russia, Britain, and France, caused a lot of friction, especially with Germany, which felt threatened by how the allies strategically surrounded her. Alliance conflicts spawned the allied and central powers, which fought in World War 1.

During World War I, a slew of new and more lethal weapons were developed, resulting in a large number of deaths and property loss. Before it, few governments saw the need to spend so much money on new weapons. Because of the tremendous investment in weaponry, most countries that took part in the conflict saw their fortunes rapidly deteriorate, resulting in economic recession. This conflict was particularly distinct from others due to the large number of countries and individuals participating as well as the carnage it left behind. In Germany alone, more than 9 million people died. There had never been such a large number of casualties in a war before. The home front experienced a shift in roles during the war, with the majority of women left to fend for themselves while their husbands were away at war or dead, famines and rationing, as well as bombardments (Royde-Smith, n.d.). A stronger home front meant better and more supplies for the troops, which meant higher performance and morale. The army required food and ammunition to continue fighting, therefore the home front had to keep active.