causes and effects of 20th century wars: first world war Flashcards
why did countries want an empire?
prestige
resources
trade
power
‘civilising mission’
~~~
who held colonies of Africa in 1914
Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Germany, Italy
when was the Moroccan crisis
1905-11
what was the moroccan crisis
britain and france had a deal where britain would stay away from french interests in morocco, in return for france keeping clear of british interests in Egypt.
in 1905 the German Kaiser promised the Moroccan sultan that he would help them against a french invasion or takeover.
when the french sent in troops against a moroccan uprising in 1911, and in reality, became part of the french empire, germany protested but was made to back down by britain and france.
who was the german kaiser in 1905
a series of agreements between france and england, almost against germany and it’s plans for territory.
who was Carl Philipp Gottfried von Clausewitz
a prussian general and philosopher of war
what was the triple entente
an informal alliance between russia, britain, ireland and france
what were the main european empires before WW1
the austro-hungarian empire british empire french empire german empire russian empire ottoman empire
why was this a global war and not a european war
each country had an empire which stretched across the world (e.g. britain controlled australia) which made it easy for them to have access to troops and mobolise them in other countries.
when did germany take alsace-lorraine from france
in 1871
what did japan and russia clash over in 1904
manchuria and teritory in northern china
when was the scramble for africa
1870s
what mainly led to the Boer War
britain wanting to control the wealth of south africa, and led to a conflcit in 1899 with the independent dutch speaking states in the region
how did the french feel about the loss of alsace lorraine
it had valuable natural resources and they felt humiliated by being ruled by germany
why did austria invade serbia and how did this act as a trigger for world war one
because austria felt serbia was a threat to its empire. economic growth in austrai had created more powerful weapons and armies, which led to heightened feelings of national power and pride
european powers after 1870
they increased: the size of their armies the sophistication of weapons technology used developed transportation more railways could carry greater numbers of troops every country had detailed war plans
what changed in european society after 1870
patriotism, nationalsim and imperialism
longer periods of conscription
praise for miltiary values in schools
military parades and naval days
press praised military virtues
~~~
what is mobilisation
putting armed forces on a war footing (calling up reserves and organising trains and transport to move troops to the battlefront). once this was underway, it was hard to stop and was seen as a declaration of war. politcal leaders were also aware that detailed war plans were of importance, and this made conflict a distinct option and risk worth taking. (desentisation etc)
factors that contributed to the build up of tensions
imperial rivalry
economic pressure
militarism
nationalism
what were the two sides that emerged in 1914
the triple alliance: austria, germany and italy
the triple entente: france, russia and britain
when did the first agreement between austria and germany come out and how
- germany wanted an alliance against france, which wanted revenge for its defeat in 1871. italy joined in 1992 because it was anti-french at that point.
alliances from 1879 to 1904/07
germany wanted an alliance against france, which wanted revenge for its defeat in 1871. . initally, germany had an alliance with russia, but was discared wwhen kaiser willhem II came to the throne in 1888. france then managed to get an alliance with russia in 1894, and both countries made agreements with britain over colonial possesions.
causes of the great war: imperialism
countries in direct competition for resources
patriotism building
mobilisation and empires lead to larger threats
defence against invasion
causes of the great war: alliances
empires vs empires
empires also controlled the countries within them
competitiveness between empires
causes of the great war: militarism
germany builds up navy which threatens britain’s two-navy rule/ideal. this meant britain consequently tried to increase theirs, and a rivalry developed.
detailed war plans normalized and desentised leaders to the idea of war
mobilisation threatened other leaders.
when was the breakup of the ottoman emprie
1908-1922
when were the balkan wars
1912-13
what is attrition
the process of wearing down the enemy by steady killing
when was the dual alliance
1879
when was the triple alliance
1882
what was the dual alliacne
germany and austria-hungary made an alliance to protect themselves from russia
when was the franco-russian alliance
1894
what was the triple alliance
germany and austria hungary made an alliance with italy to stop italy from taking sides with russia
what was the franco-russian alliance
russia formed an alliance with france to protect itself against germany and austria hungary. france also sought an alliance aginst germany
when was the entente cordiale
1904
when was the angol-russian entente
1907
what was the anglo-russian entente
this was an agreement between britain and russia about spheres of influence in asia
what was the triple entente (formation)
the entente cordiale adn the anglo russian entente made it seem that there was a friendship between france, russia and britain, the triple entente.
when was the triple entente
1914
what was the triple entente (reality)
britain, france and russia agreed not to sign for peace seperately.
when was britains alliance with japan
1902 treaty, promising mutual assistance if either were attacked by russia
when did austria invade serbia
1914 and the serbian defence lasted until 1918
what was the bosnian crisis
austria had occupied bosnia and herzegovina since 1878. in sept 1908, russia and austria agreed that at some point in the future, austria might offically absorb these provinces into austrian empire. in return, austria would support russias demand to move warships from the black sea into the meditteranean through the turkish straits. russia had been banned from this since 1841. in october 1908, austria annexed bosnia and herzegovina. many serbs lived in this area and were angered. austria had not kept to its side of the agreement, and russia gave support to the serbian protests. but germany backed asutria and forced russia to back down. russia was humiliated and serbia was resentful. austria were encouraged.
when was the bosnian crisis
1908
who formed the balkan league
serbia, bulgaria, greece and montenegro
when was the balkan league foremd
1912
what did the balkan league aim to do
drive the turks from europe
describe the state of the ottoman empire when the balkan league attacked it
they were distracted by an internal revolution and a war with italy over control of north africa
when were the balkan wars
1912-1913
who was unhappy after the treaty of london tried to slow down the rapid success of the league
bulgaria
what did bulgaria do after feeling cheated out of the treaty of london
declare war on greece and serbia, but they were defeated by serbia, greece, turkey and romania.
territoral changes that happened as an effect of the league
serbia expanded into kosovo and northern and central macedonia.
turkey was expelled from europe
turkeys navy was defeated by greece
austria insisted on an independent albania to restrict serbia’s access to the sea
bulgaria had been badly defeated and sought an ally in austria nd russia
major consequences of the balkan wars
austria saw serbia as a threat
russia had not directly backed serbia, but now had to in order to have good relations in the balkans
serbia resented austria and there were high nationalist feelings (due to land loss and albanian independence)
austria had approached germany for support against serbia and maybe russia.
what was the immediate trigger for the war
the assassination of Franz Ferdinand and his pregnant wife
why did russia mobilise forces
national feeling for fellow slavs
military power and preservation
success in war would unite the country under the tsar
wanted supply route to sea through serbia
what was Franz Ferdinand relevance
heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire
where did the assassination of Franz Ferdinand take place
on a state visit to the capital of Bosnia, Sarajevo
why did bosnian serbs resent Austria
the annexation of the region in 1908
which group assisanted Franz Ferdinand
the Black Hand Secret Society
why did france mobilise
concerned by germanys nationalsit pride and power
builidng up military power
felt they had strong alliances
strong nationalism after alscace lorriane in 1871
russia wouldnt stop mobilising
how did austria respond to the assassination
with a series of demands that serbia percieved as compromisin g its independence
what happened when serbia refused austrias demands
austria called on germany, its ally, and serbia relied on russia. both sides mobilised and because germany had other war plans agaisnt russia, which involved defeating its ally france, france began to mobolise.
when and why did german declare war
when russia refused to demobolise. following that, france declared war on germany. brtian feared isolation, but its only formal alliance was belgium, which germany planned to invade, so britain declared war on germany,
when did austria issue an ultimateum to serbia
23rd july
when did austria declare war ons erbia after serbia only accepts 8 of its demands
28th july
when do germany mobolise and insist that russia dembolise
30th july
when does germany declare war
1st August, as russia refuses to demobolise and france starts to mobolise
when does russia declare war
2nd August
when does germany declare war on france
3rd august
when do german forces invade belgium and then britain issues an ultimateum to remove troops by midnight before declaring war on germany
4th August
when do austria hungary declare war on russia
6th august
when do britain and france declare war on the austro-hungarian empire
10th august
why did austria declare war on serbia
preservation of the austro-hungarian empire
reliance on triple alliance
desire to prevent serb nationalism growing
why did russia mobilise forces
national feeling for fellow slavs
military power and preservation
success in war would unite the country under the tsar
why did germany support austria
prevent russian domiantion of the balklans
germany did not think britain would join, but rather it would be a short decisive win
response to russian mobilisation (already had war plans with russia)
fear of encirclement adn desire to encircle
why did austria issue an ultimateum to serbia
angry about franz ferdinand
concerned about serbias rapid growth
reassured by their alliance with germany
why did austria declare war on serbia
serbia refused the ultimateum
wants to keep control of bosnia
short and decisive war
why did germany mobilise and order russia to stand down
russia and germany have war plans
prevent russia dominating balkans
fear of encirclement and desire to encircle
why did france mobilise
concerned by germanys nationalsit pride and power
builidng up military power
felt they had strong alliances
strong nationalism after alscace lorriane in 1871
what does main stand for
militarism
alliances
imperialism
nationalism
why did russia declare war
national feelings for slavs
need to untie russia under tsar
confident with military power and expansion
why did germany ask belgium for a right of passage
they had a naval plan for expansion.
the schlieffen plan consisting of invading france through belgium.
why did germany declare war on france
keep russia from dominating balkans
response to russian mobilisation
military necessity to meet russian threat
did not expect britain to join
(why did germany invade belgium and) britain declare war on germany
treaty obligations
national feeling
military power and acceptable risk with navy
belgium was neutral!
why did austria hungary declare war on russia
encouraged by germany
response to russian mobilisation
thought britain wouldnt join
why did britian and france declare war on austria hunfgary
belgium was neutral! nationalism balance of pwoer military power acceptable risk
where was the western front
english channel to swiss frontier
where was the eastern front
baltic sea to black sea
how was a first world war different to other wars
much larger higher casulties whole population involved state controlled the people and the resources of every country more destructive weapons
when was the industrial revolution in britain
18th century
consequeces of the industrial revolution
new forms of power, steam and electricity
development of steel for new weapons and battleships
technological growth led to new transport and aeroplanes
growth of railways
what did germany want to avoid (–> stalemate)
a long war on two fronts, given its lack of natural frontier defences
why did russia take time to mobolise (–> stalemate)
inefficent military organisation, poor railway system and large distances for troops to reach the front
why did germany need to defeat france (–> stalemate)
so they could then fight russia. they felt confident after 1870
key points of the schlieffen plan
the german attack on france would take place in the north, in alsace lorraine.
a massive drive by the german right wing would encircle paris.
german forces would hold the french attacks until the right wing had taken paris and were attacking the french from the rear.
the railways would carry german troops to the east where they would defeat russia.
problems as the schlieffen plan began to be put into place
russian forces were available far sooner than thought
railways could concenrate forces in one area but troops had to marc to battle. further from their bases and supplies, they lost the advantage to the defenders.
belgian resistance
it did not take into account frances use of aircraft observation.
underestimated the impact of modern weaponry
what did germany decide to do instead of the schlieffen plan
instead of encircling paris as orginally planned, they would attack paris from the east.
consequences of the change to the schlieffen plan
this caused confusion on the gorund and the french were able to monitor german movements from their reconnaisance aircraft. seeing the germans exposed, the french rallied their forces for a counterattak and defended paris. the germans were forced ont he defensive and withdrew.
when was the battle of passchendale
Belgian town of Ypres in West Flanders.
when was the battle of passchendaele fought
July 31 –November 6, 1917
how many casulties did the battle of passchendaele have
857, 100
who fought in the battle of passchendaele
the western front vs the german empire
aims of the british in the battle of passchendaele
the offensive was launched to try and expand the salient land where they were located, and the railways beyond. they could then carry out an assult along the belgium coast.
major battles in the battle of passchendaele
battle of pilckehem ridge battle of langemarck battle of menin road battle of polygon wood battle of broodseinde
new tactics and technology used in the battle of passchendaele
bite and hold technique bringing in foreign troops who were well organsied and ready to fight prepatory artillery bombardment 'going over the top' gas attacks
the outcome of the battle of passchendaele
haig was unrepentant and considered it a success.
however troops left a year later.
the allie made conditions muddier and may have gotten further without the artillery bombardment.
battle of the marne date
september 1916
what was the battle of the marne
the british and french forces combined were able to stop the advancing german army before they reached paris, as france was able to redeploy their troops from the french german border. the germans had been weakened by the removal of 11 divisions on the eastern front.
the germans withdrew from the marne to the lower aisne river. the allies shattered any german attack. proper trench warefare begun. this sparked the race to the sea.
in saving paris, the battle of the marne was a strategic victory. but the germans captured a large part of north eastern france and led to tactical deadlock.
what was the race to the sea in the battle of the marne
where the western front and germans began digging long trench networks to outflank the other.
when was the battle of the somme
july - november 1916
what was the battle of the somme
massive prepatroy bombardment from the allies to the germans, so british forces could break through.
this failed because the british bombardment failed to destroy german trenches. they were too well constructed nad deep, and a third of shells did not work properly.
tactics and technology in battle of the somme
attrition
over a million casulties, 300 000 killed between the two sides.
badly used tanks.
when was the battle of verdun
21st feb 1916 to 18th december 1916
where was the battle of verdun
verdun
who was involved in the battle of verdun
french and germans
what did the (germans) aim to do in battle of verdun
wanted to defeat france before other allies gained strength by british troops being sent in. as verdun was a fortress city, they thought france would crumble because of it
technology and tactics in the battle of verdun
heavy artillery guns with rapid fire
german tactic of shelling and scouting
french tactics of general mangrin
outcome of the battle of verdun
french victory
over 700 000 casulties
300 000 killed
9 villages destroyed eg beaumont
aviation
airplanes became able to fly with artillery, and could fight from the sky. fire support machine guns high heights added another dimension of war attrition was stronger brought conflict to home front
chemical weapons
(tearing and blistering agents and asphyxiants)
caused casulties, death
change in warfare
demobilising
communications
trench runners flags heliographs and lamps carrier pigeons telephones led to pressure on soldiers but faster communication
automatic weapons/ development during ww1
all armies had a form of the maxim machine gun. 600 shots a minute --> 1200 more casulties indiviual troops had more power advanced infantry assults
tanks
defence and attack
led to breakthroughs
armoured shelter
coordianted attacks with artillery and air support
submarines
introduced ethical dilemmas
helped to develop sonar
countermeasures like conveys and depth charges
war restrictions
how was germany’s home front affected by the war
food shortages
government control of economic life to cater for war
propaganda
shortages of men and losses
naval blockade by britain increased food shortages even more
citizens losing morale
how was russias homefront affected by the war
adapted to the needs of warfare to win 1916 summer offensive but could not continue to total war.
womens battalion
how was usa’s homefront affected by the wr
huge debt of $17 million
small volunteer proffessional armies
highly valued fresh, new troops to help allies
conscriptiona after only 1/8 of men signed up
propaganda
how was britain’s home affected by the war
land army
propaganda
battle of the somme reel lead to censorship
defence of the realm act
small volunteer professional armies
1.5 million women in non-traditional jobs
encouraged joint enistment which made losses greater within communities
strong alliances by importing troops
government control of economic life (factories forced to make munition)
new governemnt factories
rationing food
political effect of WW1 on the USA
congressional elections went against Deomocrat president Woodrow Wilson.
economic effects of WW1 on the USA
west USA and East Japan gained an economic advantage by taking advantage of war to increase profits and gain a greater share of world markets (for example USA products were liked by Europeans).
became financier of allied powers.
US dollars became widely used as opposed to the British sterling
spent $14 billions
social effects
during war, black workers from south moved into northern factories.
desire for social change –> prohibition and anarchism. eventually gave way to the roaring 20s and a lot more freedom.
political effects of ww1 on france
support for war falls
france could not continue intense fighting so political divide between right and left wing
world leaders went to paris to discuss territory and the map
economic effects of ww1 on france
spent $9.3 billion
significant areas left destroyed after war which required years to reover.
social effects of ww1 on france
high unemployment post-demobilisation
women were temporarily encouraged to go for typically male jobs.
americanization
political effects of ww1 on russia
poor management of the war by tsar
abdication of tsar
factor of revolution in 1917
lenin withdrew from war making him more popular
some parts of russia were regained (but not baltic lands for example)
outcast from allies
new bolshevik state
economic effects of ww1 on russia
food and fuel shortages
troops didnt follow orders
increased gender equality for economic gain
social effects of ww1 on russia
during war there was a large influx of peasants moving to cities
radical and socalist ideas
high unemployment post-demobilisation
women were temporarily encouraged to go for typically male jobs.
economic effects of ww1 on germany
food shortages led to discontent and widespread dislike of a virtual military dictatorship
large reparations in treaty of versailles
political effects of ww1 on germany
abdication of the kaiser in november 1918, now an exile in holland.
lost considerable land in the east, and in alsace lorraine, to denmark, belgium and all overseas colonies.
socalist democratic party biggest
rise of faschism until nazi party emerged in 1933
social effects of ww1 on germany
high unemployment post de-mobilisation
women were temporarily encouraged to go for typically male jobs.
political effects of ww1 on britian
prime minister herbert asquith forced to resign in 1916 for david lloyd george
growing nationalism in its colonies and social unrest at home
david lloyd george forced from power in 1922, liberals never formed another government.
economic effects of ww1 on britain
GB sterling no longer such a largely used currency
spent $23 billion
social effects of ww1 on britain
difficult to escape war involvement
some women gained the vote
trade unionship doubled to 8 million
large scale strikes leading to 1st general strike
high unemployment post demobilisation
women were temporarily encouraged to go for typically male jobs.
