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3 Things Learned
-Much of the art created during World War I was done in the cubist style that was being developed at the time
-The Spanish Flu claimed 675,000 lives in the United States alone, more than ten times the amount of American lives lost in World War I
-Germany had a valid reason to sink the Lusitania, even though the loss of life was incredibly tragic and ultimately cost Germany the war.
2 Interesting Facts
-Gas weapons were first used by the French in 1914, although they consisted of nonlethal tear gas
-Many early applications of poison gas ended up harming the troops that had used them
1 Remaining Question
-What caused the Spanish Influenza to be so lethal to healthy, young people instead of the very old and very young?
Works Cited
Answers.com. “Honus Wagner: Biography.” Answers.com. Answers Corporation, 2010. Web. 3 Apr. 2010. .
Billings, Molly. “The Influenza Pandemic of 1918.” Stanford.edu. Stanford University, June 2005. Web. 4 Apr. 2010. .
PBS. “Charlie Chaplin.” American Masters. The Educational Broadcasting Corporation, 28 Aug. 2006. Web. 3 Apr. 2010. .
- - -. “Timeline of Houdini’s Life.” The American Experience. PBS Online, 1999. Web. 3 Apr. 2010. .
“Poison Gas and World War I.” The History Learning Site. The History Learning Site, 2010. Web. 4 Apr. 2010. .
“Sinking of the Lusitania.” EyeWitness to History. EyeWitness to History, 2000. Web. 4 Apr. 2010. .
Although World War I saw the first use of many new military inventions few were as feared or gruesome as the poison gas introduced by Germany in 1915. Previously in 1914, several non-lethal gas weapons had been employed by both the Allies and Germany, including the use of tear gas grenades by the French and a gas intended to cause violent fits of sneezing created by the Germans. The first recorded use of poison gas with lethal intent was recorded at the battle of Ypres in 1915, when the German military fired artillery shells containing chlorine gas into the French lines. French troops mistook this gas as a smokescreen and proceeded to man their stations, resulting in a huge number of soldiers dying of suffocation. This attack provided the Allied Powers with justification to begin the manufacture of gas weapons of their own. This race to produce new, more potent poison gases lead to the development of mustard gas and phosgene, both of which were colorless and induced painful blisters both internally and externally and, if left untreated, lead to internal bleeding and organ failure. In total World War I saw 1,250,000 casualties caused by poison gas, 91,000 of which lead to fatalities.
The Sinking of the Lusitania (1915)
In response to an increasingly strict blockade enforced by Great Britain, Germany began the controversial practice of unrestricted submarine warfare in an attempt to disrupt the Allied Force's supply chain. By enacting this policy, German U-boats were permitted to attack and sink any Allied ship suspected to be carrying war supplies. While this did prove to be effective, it also resulted in the sinking of a passenger ship the Lusitania, a costly mistake for the Central Powers. In May of 1915 the Lusitania left New York City carrying passengers as well as a load of munitions intended for the British War effort. Several days later she was torpedoed by a German U-boat off the coast of Ireland, and sunk almost immediately. A total of 1924 passengers would die, including 114 Americans. This would provoke tremendous public outrage in the United States and push the nation ever closer to entering World War I on the Allied side.
Connection Across Time
Similar to the sinking of the Lusitania, the loss of life brought on by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 brought on tremendous outrage in America, prompting President George Bush to push for action to be taken to eliminate terrorist threats around the world in the War on Terror. This would culminate to the United States entering Afghanistan later that year to combat the native Taliban and Al-Queda Terrorist Networks.
The Spanish Influenza (1918)
During World War I, shortly after the United States became involved in the war, a new, particularly virulent strain of influenza struck the United States and Europe. This new strain proved to be incredibly lethal, particularly to people ages 20 to 40, as compared to common influenza which severely affects the very young and very elderly. The Spanish Flu was so infectious that 28% of the American population would contract it, killing an estimated 675,000 people. This would have a dramatic effect on America, shortening the average lifespan in the United States by ten years during this period. After the pandemic had passed it was determined that the Spanish Flu would kill ten times the amount of Americans killed in World War I.
Connection Across Time
Following the devastation of the Spanish Influenza there has been a constant fear of another pandemic of similar proportion. A recent example of this can be found in the H1N1 scare, when a previously unknown strain of influenza, transmitted by swine, made its way into the United States resulting in a large number of fatalities.
Harry Houdini
Image courtesy of http://www.detnews.com
During the early 20th Century, magician, illusionist and escape artist Harry Houdini captivated audiences with his feats of magic and daring escapes from precarious situations. During World War I, Houdini made several "Cheer Up" performances in New York city as a means of boosting public morale during wartime. In 1917, Houdini first performs his death defying "Buried Alive" stunt, nearly suffocating, losing consciousness just after breaking the surface.
Honus Wagner
Image courtesy of http://uploads.wikimedia.org
By the time World War I began, Honus Wagner had become one of the most renowned names in American Baseball, as well as one of the oldest players in the game. In 1914, Wagner became the second player to have 3000 successful hits in his career and in 1915 became the first player to hit 100 home runs during his career. Later, also in 1915, Wagner would become the oldest player to hit a grand slam, a record that he would hold for 70 years.
Charlie Chaplin
Image courtesy of http://www.cornellcollege.edu
At the dawn of World War I, up-and-coming actor Charlie Chaplin was beginning to make his way into the film industry that he would eventually take by storm. In 1914 Chaplin stared in his debut film "Making a Living" before going on to wear the "tramp" costume that would become so closely associated with his early works. Before the end of World War I Chaplin would establish himself as one of the forefathers of comedic acting, pioneering the style of slapstick.
During the first World War many artist across Europe chose to depict the war in their art, showing both the glorious and tragic aspects through their unique styles. The works that follow are examples of this.
Der Kriegsausbruch (Declaration of War) painted by Max Beckmann
Image courtesy of http://www.art-ww1.com
In the painting Der Kriegsausbruch painter Max Beckmann portrays a crowd that he witnessed on the streets of Berlin following Germany's declaration of war on France. The people of the crowd are just learning of the declaration of war, and each has a different reaction painted on their face, from eagerness to horror and shock.
Machine-gun painted by C. R. W. Nevinson
Image courtesy of http://www.art-ww1.com
Throughout World War I painter C. W. R. Nevinson is known for his paintings depicting soldiers on the battlefield using the style of Cubism that was being developed at the time. In his painting Machine-gun Nevinson depicts the relatively new invention, the machine gun, that had a tremendous impact on the way World War I was fought due to its ability to rapidly eliminate advancing enemy troops.
The Filling Factory painted by Charles Ginner
Image courtesy of http://www.art-ww1.com
In the painting The Filling Factory artist Charles Ginner provides an image of the concept of total war that was practiced during World War I. The painting depicts women working in a factory filling artillery shells to be used in battle. This was common during both World Wars, as men were required to serve in the military, which made it necessary for women to fill the open positions at factories and manufacturing plants.
A Street in Arras painted by John Singer Sargent
Image courtesy of http://www.art-ww1.com
Painter John Singer Sargent traveled through war-stricken France after the conclusion of World War I, which prompted him to produce many paintings of the ruins created by the constant artillery fire of battle. A Street in Arras is one such example of this. The painting depicts a wall destroyed presumably by artillery fire, giving a view into the destroyed interior of what used to be a home. Outside a group of soldiers rest up against the wall casually, as they have become accustomed to this kind of destruction.
This blog, titled Chapter 13: The Great War, will cover the aforementioned chapter of the Modern World History: Patterns of Interaction textbook. This chapter covers World War I, as well as the factors that began the war, and the aftermath that followed it.
Through this blog I hope to further my understanding of the first World War, as well as the time period it took place in and the events that transpired while the war was being waged, something often overlooked in history. I also hope to further my knowledge of the blogging process as a means of presenting and sharing information across a new medium, the internet.
