This document provides an overview comparison of World War I and World War II. It discusses the causes, warfare, and results of each war. For causes, it describes the alliances, nationalism, militarism, and imperialism that led to WWI, as well as the resentment over the Treaty of Versailles and global economic depression that contributed to WWII. The warfare of each war included new weapons and tactics. Results of both wars involved massive destruction, deaths, and redrawn maps, as well as long term impacts such as new governments, international organizations, and an emerging Cold War.

1. World Wars Compared
What do you know?

2. The Great War / World War I /
The War to end all wars

3. World War II – “Theaters” in
Europe, the Pacific, N. Africa,
etc.

4. What do you know about
World War I and World War II?
In your notebooks, brainstorm
what you know about
• Causes:
• Sides of the war:
• Who won:
• Why the winners won:
• Results:
• You have 5 minutes . . .GO!

5. Remember :
Wars cause economic &
social changes

6. Remember:
Wars have political
results.
(For example . . . )
British soldiers from India in
WWI= Indian Independence?
African-American tank corps in WWII=
Civil Rights Movement?
Some governments gained
power as they controlled the
war effort. Some governments
fell at the end of the war.

7. Remember: War has
a significant
impact on civilians,
economies, and
governments.

8. World Wars Compared
An overview

9. The Great War / World War I
1914-1918
U.S. was directly
involved: 1917-1918

10. World War II
1937 to 1945 in Asia
1939 to 1945 in
Europe and Africa
U.S. was directly
involved: 1941-1945

11. World War I - overview
• Global conflict between the “Central
Powers” and the “Allies.”
• The first global modern war.

12. World War I - overview
• Central Powers:
Germany, Austria-
Hungary, and the
Ottoman Empire
• Allies: France,
Russia, Great Britain,
Japan, Italy, Belgium
(and later the U.S.)
and others The Western Front

13. World War II - overview
• Global conflict between the “Axis Powers”
and the “Allies.” Most extensive of all wars.

14. World War II - overview
• Axis Powers: Germany, Japan, and Italy
• Allies: France, Great Britain, Soviet Union,
the U.S. and others

15. World Wars Compared
CAUSES

16. Causes of World War I
(interpretations anyone?)

17. The Environment for the Great
War was created by
• ALLIANCES
In order to balance power and “protect”
themselves, the nations of Europe had
joined in military alliances with other
nations.

19. • NATIONALISM
Patriotism and loyalty were on the rise
among many groups in Europe.
War was in the air?

20. • MILITARISM
Industrialized
nations were
building up
their militaries.
(Germany was especially
aggressive.)

21. • INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
Nations now had the technology to
mass produce war material in mass
quantities.

22. • IMPERIALISM caused tension, too.

23. There were of course many other
contributing factors to the outbreak of
WWI, for example:
List of Events:
 1870-1871: Franco-Prussian War
 1899-1900: Boer War
 1900: German Navy Law
 1905-6:First Moroccan Crisis
 1908: Daily Telegraph article
 1908-9:Bosnian Crisis
 1911:Agadir Affair (Second Moroccan Crisis)
 1912: First Balkan War
 1913: Second Balkan War
 These are examples of conflicts and increased tensions
between major European powers prior to the outbreak of
the First World War.

24. Game on!
• Assassination
of Archduke of
Austria-
Hungary by a
Serbian
nationalist –
the incident
that sparked
the conflict?

26. • Austria moves to punish Serbia, Russia comes to the aid of
Serbia, and then all those alliances engage as everybody
declares war on everyone else in a tragic domino effect.

27. Game on!
• Germany assured Austria-Hungary of
full assistance in a war.
• Austria-Hungary declared war on
Serbia.
• Russia declared war on Austria-
Hungary.
• Germany declared war on Russia and
France.

28. • The Ottoman Empire declared war on
Russia and the other Allies in hopes of
regaining land it had lost.
• Germany moved troops into Belgium to
invade France. Belgians resisted.

29. • Belgium and Great Britain declared war
on Germany and the other Central
Powers.
• AUGUST, 1914 – The Great War began!

30. WWI - “A Family Feud”
Central Powers:
• Wilhelm II - the
Kaiser of Germany
• Franz Joseph - the
Emperor of Austria-
Hungary
Allies:
• Nicholas II - the Tsar
of Russia
• George V - King of
England
• Albert - King of
Belgium
• Wilhelm II, Nicholas
II, and George V were
COUSINS
• Albert was their
SECOND COUSIN
• Franz Joseph was their
GREAT UNCLE
ALSO:
• Alexandra, Nicholas
II’s wife, was a cousin
of Wilhelm II, George
V, and her husband
Nicholas II.
• She was a German
princess.

32. “The War (WWI) was decided in the
first twenty days of fighting, and all
that happened afterwards consisted
in battles which, however formidable
and devastating, were but desperate
and vain appeals against the decision
of Fate.”
Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965), British
statesman, writer. Preface to E. L. Spears,
Liaison 1914 (1930).

33. • In 1917, Russia withdrew because of
revolution/civil war in Russia
• The U.S. joined the Allies because of
the “Rape of Belgium,” German
unrestricted submarine warfare, & the
Zimmerman telegram.

35. First war to be fought on 3 continents.
First industrialized conflict.
First use of chlorine & mustard gas.
First use of the flame thrower.
First tank battle.
First use of mass airplanes.
First use of x-ray in the military.
First use of a blood bank.
First use of guide dogs by blinded soldiers.
First four-star general, General John J. Pershing
First use of trillion in estimating war costs.
First commissioning of war art for propaganda.
First use of the IQ Test given to Doughboys of 1917.
First U.S. president to visit a European country while in office was Woodrow
Wilson on 12/04/18.

36. 
Over the Top, Trench Coat, Ace, Buddy, Pushing
up the Daisies, Red Tape, Zoom, Sniper, Washout,
Cootie,
Tune Up, Zero Hour, Busted, Ticked Off,
Put a Sock in it, Hit the Deck, Washout, Rookie,
Coffin nail, Fed Up, Rise & Shine, Pipe down, Mess
up, Get knocked off, Hike, Gadget,
Kick the Bucket, Rank & File, Chow Down, Cushy,
Scrounge, Humdinger, Basket Case

37. World War II
(same song, second verse?)

40. The Environment for
World War II was created by:
• Resentment
about the Treaty
of Versailles – in
the peace treaty that
ended WWI, Germany
was severely
punished, and Italy &
Japan didn’t gain the
territory they thought
they deserved.

41. Environment for WAR:
• Global Economic Depression – the
most severe and widespread economic
crisis of history took place in the 1930s.

42. Environment for WAR:
• Economic problems allowed leaders with
radical ideas to gain a following in Germany,
Italy, Japan, Spain, and elsewhere.

43. Environment for WAR:
• German, Japanese, Italian, (& Soviet Russia)
militarism, nationalism, and desire for
territory.

44. Aggressors March!
• Germans moved
into the Rhineland,
annexed Austria,
and part of
Czechoslovakia.

46. The Italians
invaded
Ethiopia

47. The Japanese invaded China from
Manchuria and then French Indochina

49. Britain, France, and the U.S. did NOT
want war again (for economic, political,
social reasons).

50. World leaders and World Opinion
included ideas that . . .
• Germany was wronged in the Treaty of
Versailles. Germans should be united.
• Hitler was better than Stalin. Maybe
they’ll destroy each other?
• Some thought, “It’s a European
problem / Asian problem”.
• War is being pushed by capitalists who
want to make money.

51. And then war came to them . . .
• Japan invaded China in
force in 1937.
• Nazi Germany invaded
Poland in 1939.
• Nazi Germany and Italy
invaded France and
everywhere else they
could.
• Japan attacked Pearl
Harbor in 1941 and
everywhere else they
could.

54. In BOTH WARS,
Propaganda was used
by all governments to
secure support for the
wars.

57. World Wars Compared
WARFARE

58. Both WARS
• Global conflicts with huge costs
• Mass production of mass destruction!
• New weapons and technology
• More men and more material meant
more victories.
• TOTAL WAR – attacks on civilians, use
of media and propaganda, government
control of economy for war

59. World War I - Warfare
• Trench warfare
• Stalemate along the Western Front
• War of attrition – neither side gaining
ground but war casualties very high.
• Tactics were old-school.

63. World War I - Warfare
• Chemical Weapons – mustard gas and
chlorine gas
• New weapons of war – machine guns,
airplanes, tanks, submarines,
flamethrowers, l o n g range artillery

66. World War II Warfare
• Fast moving air, sea, and land tactics –
new school
• Surprise attack and covert
communications & operations

70. World War II Warfare
• Truly global approach to offensive
operations

73. World War II Warfare
• Amphibious warfare (D-Day and Island
Hopping)

75. World War II Warfare
• More new “weapons”

78. World War II Warfare
• No surrender?

79. World War II Warfare
• The Holocaust

80. World Wars Compared
RESULTS

81. RESULTS of both WARS
• Chaos and destruction – lives,
property, economies, & governments

82. • “Losers”
lost
territory
and
colonies
• Maps
redrawn
1914

83. 1946

84. • Changed political
structures
– New governments
took power
– Expanded power of
government
• Christianity lost its
influence in Western
Europe.

85. • Changed societies
– Women and minorities pushed for changes

86. • International organizations – League of
Nations, UN
• New powers emerged – the U.S. in both wars,
Japan after WWI, Soviet Union after WWII
• WAR! World War II and the Cold War?

87. • New technology
and inventions

88. Western European superiority
was questioned
• Nationalism and Independence
movements grew in European colonies
– India, SE Asia, and Africa

90. Results of WWI
• 1918 Influenza Pandemic
• Chemical Weapons were
outlawed.

91. Results of WWI
• Russian Revolution and Civil War

92. Results of WWI
• Germany punished severely
(reparations)
• Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian, Russian,
and German Empire fell.
• The Great Depression?

93. Results of WWII
• Trials for War
Crimes
• Migration of
people

94. Results of WWII
• U.S. prosperity . . . that lasted

95. Results of WWII – The Cold War
Division
of the
world
into U.S.
and its
allies
against
the
U.S.S.R.
and its
allies.

96. Results of WWII
• Tension
remained
between Japan
and China
• Continued Arms
race – nuclear
weapons