In the Trenches
History 104 / March 29, 2013

I. August 1914: a joyous moment?
II. The military stalemate
          A. The failure of the Schlieffen Plan
          B. The dominance of the defensive
                   1. The trench system
                   2. Bleed-‘em-dry tactics at Verdun and the Somme
          C. Grasping for potential breakthroughs
                   1. Bigger guns
                   2. Enter the WMDs: mustard gas
                   3. Bidding for allies
                   4. Fomenting revolution
                   5. Attacking supply ships
III. Mobilizing society
          A. Proclaiming a common cause
          B. “Winners” and “losers” within each society
          C. Failures
                   1. Russia’s February revolution
                   2. France’s close call
                   3. Austria-Hungary’s disintegration
IV. The last year of war
          A. Germany’s desperate plight
                   1. Britain's blockade and submarine warfare
                   2. Victory in the East
                   3. Gamble in the West: the Ludendorff Offensive
          B.  America enters the war
                   1. Fresh soldiers
                   2. Wilson’s Fourteen Points