World War I Chapter Notes | Social Studies for Grade 5 PDF Download

Introduction

The Road to War

• Countries in Europe made groups called alliances to protect each other, like teams picking sides.
• The two main groups were the Allies (including Britain, France, and Russia) and the Central Powers (including Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire).
• Countries were building big armies and weapons, which made everyone nervous.
• Some countries wanted more land or power, which caused arguments.
• A big event called the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand happened in June 1914 in a place called Sarajevo.
• Archduke Franz Ferdinand was a prince from Austria-Hungary, and his death made Austria-Hungary very angry.
• Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia for the assassination and declared war on them.
• Because of alliances, other countries joined in, and soon many countries were fighting.
• The war started because of these alliances, arguments over land, and the assassination.

The War Begins

• Germany supported Austria-Hungary, and Russia supported Serbia, so they joined the fight.
• Soon, Britain and France also joined the war to help their allies, Russia.
• The war spread quickly because countries had promised to help each other.
• Germany made a plan called the Schlieffen Plan to attack France quickly by going through Belgium.
• Belgium was a small country that didn’t want to fight, but Germany invaded it, which made Britain join the war.
• Soldiers fought in trenches, which were long ditches dug in the ground to stay safe from enemy attacks.
• The fighting was very hard, and soldiers lived in muddy and dangerous trenches.
• Many battles happened in Europe, especially in countries like France and Belgium.
• The United States did not join the war at first but stayed neutral, which means they didn’t pick a side.

Events of the War

• Soldiers fought in trenches, and battles were very long and dangerous.
• Big battles included the Battle of the Somme and the Battle of Verdun, where many soldiers were hurt or lost their lives.
• New weapons were used, like machine guns, tanks, airplanes, and poison gas, which made the war very scary.
• Ships were also used to fight at sea, and Germany used submarines called U-boats to attack ships.
• In 1915, a ship called the Lusitania was sunk by a German U-boat, and many people, including Americans, died.
• The sinking of the Lusitania made the United States very upset with Germany.
• In 1917, the United States joined the war on the side of the Allies because of the U-boat attacks and a secret message called the Zimmermann Telegram.
• The Zimmermann Telegram was a message from Germany asking Mexico to fight against the United States.
• American soldiers, called doughboys, went to Europe to help the Allies fight.
• By 1918, the Allies were winning because they had more soldiers and supplies, and the Central Powers were getting tired.

The Road to Peace

• Germany and its allies were running out of soldiers, food, and supplies.
• On November 11, 1918, an agreement called an armistice was signed to stop the fighting.
• The armistice meant all countries agreed to stop fighting at 11 a.m. on that day.
• In 1919, a meeting called the Paris Peace Conference was held to make a plan for peace.
• Leaders from the winning countries, like Britain, France, and the United States, met to decide what to do next.
• A treaty called the Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919 to officially end the war.
• The Treaty of Versailles made Germany give up land, pay a lot of money, and promise not to build a big army again.
• The treaty was very hard on Germany, and many people were not happy with it.
• A group called the League of Nations was created to help countries work together and prevent future wars.
• The United States did not join the League of Nations, but it still helped make peace.
• World War I changed the world, and many people worked hard to make sure there would be peace afterward.