Childrens Illustrated Encyclopedia

childrens_illustrated_encyclopedia_template_US_layer_v1

world war i

574

U-boats

German submarines called underwater

boats, or U-boats, sank many cargo

ships in the atlantic, causing food

shortages in britain.

Germans

Until 1918 it looked

as if Germany and its

allies might win. but

they were outnumbered,

and when the british navy

blocked the ports and cut

off supplies of food and

vital war materials, the

German people rioted.

they demanded food

and peace, and the

Kaiser—the German

emperor—gave up his

throne. Germany then

made a peace treaty, called

the treaty of Versailles,

with the allied forces. the

Germans lost much land

and took the blame for

starting the war.

death toll

Germany and russia each lost

nearly two million soldiers in the

war. britain lost nearly one million.

In all, 10 million died.

ProPaGanda

Wartime posters and newspapers

aimed to persuade people that the

enemy was evil and that war must

go on. the message of this

propaganda, or government-

controlled news, was that everyone

should help by fighting, working,

raising money, and making

sacrifices. the poster (left) shows

a frightening image of Germany

with its hands on europe.

CommUnICatIon

People at home had little

idea of the real conditions

of the war. officers read

mail from soldiers and

censored, or cut out,

information that told

the true story. troops

returning home were

often too sickened by life

in the trenches to explain

what it was really like or to

tell how many soldiers had

been killed or wounded.

Women WorKers

as thousands of men went off to war, women took over their jobs in the

factories. most women worked long hours, and many had dangerous

jobs, such as making ammunition. their efforts disproved the old idea

that women were inferior to men and eventually led to women gaining

the right to vote. but when the troops returned after the war, there

was massive unemployment, and women lost their jobs.

Lusitania

on may 7, 1915, a German U-boat torpedoed the british passenger

liner Lusitania. more than 100 american passengers drowned, some

of whom were very rich and famous. this angered many americans

and turned them against Germany. the sinking helped bring the

United states into the war on the allied side.

June 1914 assassination of

archduke Franz Ferdinand.

July 1914 austria-hungary

declares war on serbia.

August 1914 Germany

declares war on russia and

France and invades belgium.

britain declares war on

Germany and austria-hungary.

May 1915 Italy joins allies.

July 1916 allies use tanks for

the first time in France.

April 1917 United states

enters the war.

March 1918 russia signs treaty

with Germany. Germany’s final

huge attack fails.

September 1918 allies begin

their final attack.

November 1918 Germany

signs armistice, ending the war.

world wAr I

Find out more

depression of the 1930s

Women’s rights

World war ii

US_574_World_War_I_2.indd 574 27/01/16 2:40 pm