World War I: Today

The effects of World War One are definitely still felt today. One of the ways that the war is still felt is through the events that happened at the Congress of Versailles. At the congress Ho Chi Minh was ignored when he asked about Vietnamese freedom. This action led to the split of Vietnam and the Vietnam War whose affects can still be felt today also. The Vietnam War was a catastrophe for the United States and created an uncertainty among the American people that is still around today. I believe that the world can learn the most form the Congress at Versailles. At the Congress at Versailles the drafters of the peace treaty did not really negotiate and this did not fix problems but ended up creating problems. They ended up sowing the seeds for World War II. I believe that leaders today should use the Congress at Versailles as a template for how not to negotiate a treaty. They should also use foresight to predict what their new treaty will create unlike the men who created the Treaty of Versailles.

The Big Four at the Congress of Versailles

A scene from the Vietnam War

What was Going on Across the Pond

United States Occupation of Veracruz

In response to the Tampico Affair the US Navy decided to invade the port of Veracruz in Mexico. The public reason for the invasion was because of a misunderstanding between American and Mexican soldiers. However the real reason was that the US Navy wanted to intercept a shipment of arms that Germany had sent to Victoriano Huerto in Mexico. On April 21, 1914 the United States Atlantic Fleet invaded the port. The townspeople were given weapons to defend themselves however they were untrained in the use of their weapons. The US soldiers remained in Veracruz until November 23.

This event connects to what was going on in Europe in a few ways. For one the Germans may have been sending arms to Mexico to better their relationship so that when Germany asked France to join them in World War I, Mexico would say yes. Another connection is that this event created a lot of tension between The United States and Mexico. Germany may have tried to use this tension to get Mexico to attack the US like they wanted in the Zimmerman note.

Henry Ford Creates the First Assembly Line

Henry Ford developed the most efficient assembly line ever scene in 1913. He used this assembly line to mass produce his car, the Model T. The assembly line reduced the overall cost of the car by reducing the time needed to produced the car. It was said that a car could be built on the assembly line in ninety-three minutes. The assembly line helped Henry Ford sell over fifteen million models of the Model T.

The creation of the assembly line greatly affected what was going on in Europe. Henry Ford's assembly line made automobiles more accesible to the average European family. The assembly line idea was also applied to other industries and helped lead to mass produced goods and booming economies in Europe.

Spotlight On: The Battle of Jutland

 

The Battle of Jutland occurred on May 31-June 1 1916 in the North Sea and was fought between the British Grand Fleet and the German High Seas Fleet. The battle was the only Naval battle of the whole war. During the Battle of Jutland carrier based aircraft were used for the first time. The British encountered the Germans sooner than the Germans expected which caused submarines not to be present for the beginning of the battle.Overall there were about two-hundred and fifty ships in the battle. The British lost fourteen ships in the battle and the Germans lost eleven. Both sides claimed victory after the battle. The Battle of Jutland caused Germany to focus on submarine warfare because of the large amount of ships they lost in the battle.



The Art of War

This is a painting of German trench warfare by Felix Schwormstaedt. This picture demonstrates the workings of trench warfare. At one part of the painting there is a group of soldiers digging a trench showing how the mazes of trenches were always being made during World War one. Another part of the painting shows a German soldier waiting to shoot any enemy soldier that exits the opposing trench. Which demonstrates the hopeless of trench warfare. I think this painting is actually supposed to be propaganda showing that Germany was doing well in the war. Felix did not include any dead German soldiers in his painting and he also showed the enemy trench being bombarded. Felix was a German so this may be correct.

This is a painting of German Soldiers by Otto Dix. This painting pertains to World War One because it shows the soldiers wearing gas masks which were used to prevent death from the poisonous gasses used in the war. Something I noticed in this painting is that the soldiers look almost non-human. This may be representing the senseless death that occurred during the war which made soldiers seem expendable.Another thing that I noticed is that the soldiers also just look like skeletons which may mean that they are bringing death to the other soldiers.

This painting depicts two American soldiers, one of which is wounded and is painted by Fortunino Matania. This painting shows the two soldiers laying in the battlefield while the one comforts the other before death. I believe this painting is meant to show the horrors of World War I. The soldiers are probably both friends and now one of them is dieing. He is probably telling the unharmed soldier his last wishes. The scene depicts the unnecessary death that trench warfare created. 



T.E. Lawrence

T.E. Lawrence was a British Army officer who is famous for his role in the aiding of the Arab revolts against the Ottoman Empire. Lawrence used guerrilla warfare with the Arab irregular troops to attack the Ottoman Empire. He lead attacks on the railways of the Ottoman Empire to weaken their armies.  Lawrence was also an integral part in the capture of Aqaba and Damascus. Lawrence's work helped distract the Ottoman Empire from the other fronts of the war and also weakened the Empire altogether.

Georges Clemenceau

Georges Clemenceau was the premier of France during WWI but the part of this era where he had the most influence was during the drafting of the Treaty of Versailles. During the drafting of the treaty Clemenceau expressed his disdain for the Germans. He believed that Germany should be punished for the suffering they caused and made to pay for the war. Also he believed that the German military should be stripped down to a very weak state as to protect France. It can be said Clemenceau had a very large effect on what actually was put into the Treaty of Versailles. For one the treaty does actually balme Germany for the war and make Germay pay for it which no doubtibly was influenced by Clemenceau's ideas. Also Germany lost the right to have a navy, air force, and was only allowed to have one hundred thousand standing soldiers. This idea was obviously also affected by Clemenceau.

Kaiser Wilhelm II

Kaiser Wilhelm II was the emperor of Germany during WWI. He is responsible for Germany's entrance in the war. Wilhelm II was very interested in expanding Germany and increasing its power, so he saw this war as a way to do just that. Wilhelm II however was not very effective in ruling Germany during this war and so Germany subsequently lost. Also Wilhelm's ineffectiveness in managing the German economy drove many Germans to rise up and call for Wilhelm II to leave.Therefore Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated his throne in Germany and went to live in the Netherlands.