First World War Flashcards
What were the different long-term causes of the First World War?
- Nationalism.
- Militarism.
- Imperialism.
- Alliances.
Who started the First World War and how?
Gavrilo Princip of the ‘Black Hand’ was responsible for starting WWI because he was responsible for shooting Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife on the 28 June, 1914.
What country was blamed for starting the war and by who?
Serbia was blamed for starting WW1 because Gavrilo Princip was part of the terrorist group, the ‘Black Hand’ which was based in Serbia and he shot both the Archduke and his wife. The Archduke and his wife were both Austria-Hungarian so Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia for killing the Archduke.
Where was the Archduke and his wife killed?
In their car outside a café.
How did the government get people to join up?
- Producing propaganda posters.
- The government only allowed news of victories in battle to be printed while defeats are hardly mentioned.
- British soldiers were made to look like heroes, while any Germans were made to look like cruel savages.
- The government hoped that if people loved Britain (and despised Germany and it’s people), then they would help fight in the war.
What was another major method the government used to get people to sign up to the war?
They had the idea of getting soldiers to fight alongside friends and neighbours rather than strangers because they thought it would help encourage people to sign up.
What were conscientious objectors or ‘conchies’?
Conchies were people who refused to fight in the war due to reasons like political or religious beliefs, but decided to work in the war doing non-violent jobs.
Around how long did the trenches reach?
Around 640 kilometres, (the Western Front was the longest).
What were the ‘infantry’?
Foot soldiers who spent their days in the trenches they had built in the earth to protect themselves.
What were the trenches protected and defended with?
The trenches were protected with sandbags and barbed wire. The trenches were defended with men with rifles, bayonets, machine guns and hand grenades.
What was ‘no man’s land’?
A dead world full of bomb craters and rotting human remains.
What is ‘stalemate’?
A complete inability to move forward and a solid determination not to be pushed back.
What was food like in the trenches?
They ate things like stew, bread and hard biscuits, bacon cheese and jam were treats but the water tasted of chlorine.
What is ‘trench foot’.
When the foot swells up and develops open sores. Soldiers would usually get it when they were spending days knee deep in water.
What were the different weapons of war?
- The rifle.
- The machine gun.
- Poison gas, (chlorine gas and mustard gas).
- Grenade.
- Tank.
- Flame thrower.
- Artillery.
- Fighter and bomber planes.
