Dear Betty,
War has been distancing our hearts, our souls and our lifes. War has made me a different man, not stronger but I'm afraid colder. I pray everyday that god would let me return home to my beloved wife and children. I've seen my men die like stars falling off the sky. Their feet rot and fall apart like decayed bread. Everyday we hold on to our fate. Our soldiers unshackled from life's bonds by a bomb, blown from earth straight to heaven to be free. I've seen demons slaughtering our men within trenches. God has long left this place, angels have been defeated and death is coming closer with every breath I take.
Yours forever,
John
Friday, January 17, 2014
WWI Causes
M.A.I.N.
Militarism - the belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests.
Alliances - a union or association formed for mutual benefit, esp. between countries or organizations.
Imperialism - a policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force.
Nationalism - a desire by a large group of people (such as people who share the same culture, history, language, etc.) to form a separate and independent nation of their own.
1) Militarism: It is the preparation for war. At the time, Britain had the most powerful navy and Germany was trying to expand theirs. This established strong navies and prepared them for war.
2) Alliances: It is the formal agreement of support among countries in the event of an attack. This caused WWI because the conflict originally involved between two countries were likely to involve many more countries due to the alliance. Germany was an ally of Austria Hungary, if they were at war, then Germany would be automatically at war.
3) Imperialism: The building of power by controlling over colonies. Countries were arguing over colonies and this caused them to war. Every country wanted to expand their power.
4) Nationalism: It is a deep loyalty to one's nation. Gavrilo Princip from Serbia was the person who triggered WWI by killing Archuduke from Austria-Hungary, because he Austria-Hungary controlled Serbia at the time. This is an example of nationalism because he was showing loyalty to his own country.
The spark that started World War I was the assassination of Austria's Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie. His death triggered Austria's declaration of war against Serbia.
RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner, holder of the Blue Riband and briefly the world's biggest ship. She was launched by the Cunard Line in 1907, at a time of fierce competition for the North Atlantic trade. In 1915 she was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat, causing the deaths of 1,198 passengers and crew.
The Sussex Pledge was a promise made in 1916 during World War I by Germany to the United States prior to the latter's entry into the war.
Unrestricted submarine warfare is a type of naval warfare in which submarines sink vessels such as freighters and tankers without warning, as opposed to attacks per prize rules. This had a huge impact on WWI and was announced by Germany on January 9th, 1917.
The Zimmermann Note was a 1917 diplomatic proposal from the German Empire for Mexico to join the Central Powers, in the event of the United States entering World War I on the side of the Entente Powers.
Militarism - the belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests.
Alliances - a union or association formed for mutual benefit, esp. between countries or organizations.
Imperialism - a policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force.
Nationalism - a desire by a large group of people (such as people who share the same culture, history, language, etc.) to form a separate and independent nation of their own.
1) Militarism: It is the preparation for war. At the time, Britain had the most powerful navy and Germany was trying to expand theirs. This established strong navies and prepared them for war.
2) Alliances: It is the formal agreement of support among countries in the event of an attack. This caused WWI because the conflict originally involved between two countries were likely to involve many more countries due to the alliance. Germany was an ally of Austria Hungary, if they were at war, then Germany would be automatically at war.
3) Imperialism: The building of power by controlling over colonies. Countries were arguing over colonies and this caused them to war. Every country wanted to expand their power.
4) Nationalism: It is a deep loyalty to one's nation. Gavrilo Princip from Serbia was the person who triggered WWI by killing Archuduke from Austria-Hungary, because he Austria-Hungary controlled Serbia at the time. This is an example of nationalism because he was showing loyalty to his own country.
The spark that started World War I was the assassination of Austria's Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie. His death triggered Austria's declaration of war against Serbia.
RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner, holder of the Blue Riband and briefly the world's biggest ship. She was launched by the Cunard Line in 1907, at a time of fierce competition for the North Atlantic trade. In 1915 she was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat, causing the deaths of 1,198 passengers and crew.
The Sussex Pledge was a promise made in 1916 during World War I by Germany to the United States prior to the latter's entry into the war.
Unrestricted submarine warfare is a type of naval warfare in which submarines sink vessels such as freighters and tankers without warning, as opposed to attacks per prize rules. This had a huge impact on WWI and was announced by Germany on January 9th, 1917.
The Zimmermann Note was a 1917 diplomatic proposal from the German Empire for Mexico to join the Central Powers, in the event of the United States entering World War I on the side of the Entente Powers.
Thursday, January 9, 2014
WWI - The Draft/Conscription
To raise a national army for the American entry into World War I, the Selective Draft Act of 1917 authorized the federal government to raise an army through conscription. The Act itself was drafted by Hugh Johnson after the United States entered World War I by declaring war on Germany. The Act was canceled with the end of the war on November, 1918.
At the time of World War I, the U.S. Army lacked in size compared with the mobilized armies of the powers of Europe. As late as 1914, the federal army was under 100,000, while the National Guard numbered around 115,000. The National Defense Act of 1916 authorized the growth of the army to 165,000 and the National Guard to 450,000 by 1921. By 1917 the federal army had only expanded to around 121,000, with the National Guard numbering 181,000. Six weeks after war was declared, 73,000 had volunteered for service.
All males aged 21 to 30 were required to register for military service by the guidelines of the Selective Service Act. Later congress made the law in August 1918 to expand the age range to include all men 18 to 45, and to expand volunteering. By the end of World War I, around 2 million men volunteered for the armed services, and about 2.8 million had been drafted. More than half of the almost 4.8 million Americans who served in the armed forces were drafted. There were 3 national registration days.
The World War I draft had a high success rate due to the patriotic attitude with fewer than 350,000 men dodging the draft.Sources: http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/usconscription_wilson.htm
https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1968530
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