Lecure notes on WW1

• 70,000,000 troops mobilised
• 20,000,000 died
• Trigger of the war – Archduke Ferdinand was shot by a student –heir to the Austria-Hungry throne.
• Build up to war – arms race, tension in Europe, two separate groups – Brit, France, Russia, against Germany, Austria-Hungry.
• 1914 – was started – celebrated
• Women in war- Victorian feel to them- long dress and headwear
• Britain was full of WASP’s – White, Anglo Saxon, Protestants. – very patriotic – owned the world – empire- British troops were also from empire from India, Africa.
• Most British people were working class – uneducated, in poverty, e.g no running water in house. – MASSIVE IMBALANCE IN SOCIETY – Upper class very small and owned everything
• Age expectance – men 50 and women 54
• Industrial revolution – rural communities became more rare
• Women very restricted- no vote, no work
• Homosexuality illegal – imprisoned or labour
• Cinema was black and white – accessible to all
• Train was transport and used in war
• Austria-hungry invaded Serbia and Belgium got invaded so Brit went to protect = WW1 BEGAN
• Western front in stalemate – Russian invade Germany-  Turkey join war
• Russian empire starving. – revolution – killed Zar- set up socialist republic
• 1917 – America join war – lead to win – VICTORY FOR ALLIES
• Empires die – brit, france, germany,, turkey, Russian
• League of Nations created
• WW1 lead to fascism and WW2 and humiliation of Germany
• Horses and bikes were used in war
• Military techniques wasn’t gaining but technology was
• British used colonial wars as technique – used to fight people with bad weaponry- not ready for people with modern technology – machine guns, barbed wire ect.
• 1916 – walk over the somme valley – walked into death as Germany covered it with machine guns and killed the Brits- Brits did not learn and 80,000 were killed in very few hours
• Used untested weaponry – flam throwers, bombs- thapnol, tanks, machine guns à killed masses
• Shell shock – PTSD – psychological àhypnotised, electrocuted, imprisoned as a result – seen as coward- didn’t understand the illness. à Symptoms- shakes, flashbacks, insanity, trench warfare à relationships were destroyed.
• Trench warfare- brutality of war – overwhelming, disturbing, living in constant fear and distrustàout of mind with fear and distrust – living in mud –scummy/ fear, rats, no sleep. 
• Deadly gas- chemical war fare – outlawed since 1920’s. à mustard gas – 1915- blistered, blinded, corroded lungs- filled with blood –drowned in own fluid.
• Poem – Wilfred Owen – knocked knees, clumsy/fumbling, white eyes, trudge, limped, choking, hanging, fatigue, drowning
• “old lie” – sweet to die for victory
• Women forced to work – ran country, new opportunities, vote in 1920
• Russian revolution -1917 socialist
• USA super power
• Art changed – surrealism – more realistic with T.S.Elliot- none linier
• Labour movement and empire dead