Foundations - Ch 29 - WWI Flashcards
what is the acronym to remembering the underlying causes of WWI
M.A.I.N.
what were the underlying causes of the war
Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism
what is militarism
a policy of glorifying military power and keeping a standing army always prepared for war
what was the spark of the revolution
the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary
what was the Triple Alliance
a military alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy in the years preceding WWI
who originally formed the triple alliance and why did he do it
Otto Von Bismark of Germany bc he believed france posed the greatest threat to peace in Europe so he wanted to isolate it and take allies away from it
what was the Triple Entente
a military alliance between France, GB, and Russia in the years preceding WWI
what was the Black Hand
a secret society committed to ridding Bosnia of Austrian rule
who assassinated Ferdinand
Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian member of the Black Hand
what was the schielffen plan
Germany’s military plan at the outbreak of WWI, according to which German troops would rapidly defeat France and then move east to attack Russia so they wouldn’t have to fight a war on two fronts
did the Schlieffen plan work
no
why didn’t the schlieffen plan work
no because France defeated Germany at the first battle of the marne, and by the time that battle ended, Russian forces had already invaded Germany on the eastern front
why was it significant that the schlieffen plan didn’t work
Germany/the central powers had to fight a long war on two fronts
who were part of the central powers
germany, A-H, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire
who were part of the allied powers
Russia, France, Italy, Serbia, GB, Belgium, Japan, Romania, Portugal, and Greece
why did GB enter the war
germany attacked Belgium (a neutral nation) in order to go thru the schlieffen plan and GB had a treaty with Belgium to protect them
what was the western front
the region of northern france where the forces of allies and the central powers battled each other
what was the eastern front
the region along the German-Russian border where Russians and Serbs battled Germans, Austrians, and Turks
what is trench warfare
a form of warfare in which opposing armies fight each other from trenches dug in the battlefield
what was the worst part about trench warfare
it led to stalemates, which caused a huge loss in human life but hardly any land gain
was life in the trenches nice
no it was pure misery
what is “no man’s lan”
the space between the opposing trenches
a bombed out landscape basically
what new weapons were used in WWI
poison gas
machine guns
tanks
submarines
what did poison gas do
caused blindness, sever blisters, and death by choking
what did the machine gun do
could wipe out waves of attackers and made it difficult for forces to advance
what was a tank/what could it do
an armored combat vehicle that could cross many types of terrains
what was the submarines primary weapon
the torpedo, an underwater missile
what did all the new technology do
kill greater numbers of people more effectively but it did not make the war more fast moving
why was Russia’s involvement in the war so important to the other Allies
its huge population allowed it to tie up hundreds of thousands of German troops in the east so Germany could not hurl its full fighting force at the west
what is total war
a conflict in which the participating countries donate all of their resources to the war effort
what is unrestricted submarine warfare
the use of submarines to sink without warning any ship (including neutral ships and unarmed passenger liners) found in an enemy’s waters
why did America become involved in the War
because of Germany’s use of unrestricted submarine warfare in sinking american ships
they intercepted the Zimmermann Note
what was the Zimmermann Note
a telegram from Germany to Mexico stating that Germany would help M regain the land they lost to the US if M would ally with G
which side did America join
the Allies
why did America join the allies
bc they shared a common history, language, and gov with GB & it had stronger economic ties w the allies than w the central
what happened in total war
gov controls the economy food is rationed draft for the war women were put into the workforce information and opinion were controlled (censorship and propaganda)
what is propaganda
information or material spread to advance a cause or to damage an opponents cause
what is the difference between propaganda and advertising
P is more government driven/issued; more political
what are the types of propaganda
appeal to fear
appeal to prejudice
demonizing the enemy
bandwagon - “everyone else is going it”
flag waving - this will make you a patriot
glittering generalities - emotionally appealing words w no evidence
virtue words - peace, security, freedom
what were the expectations of the war vs the reality of it
expectations: quick “home by christmas”, new weapons would speed up the war, it was romanticized and patriotic and heroic
reality: stalemate, trench warfare, new weapons only increased death and destruction and not land gain or speed of the war
Which front was in more of a stalemate
Western
Which front was in more of a stalemate
Western
Where was the Balkan Peninsula
The little countries (Greece, Montenegro, Serbia) near/in the Ottoman Empire
Why was it referred to as the Balkan “powder keg”
Nationalism was spreading among the nations bc they wanted to gain independent and there were many ethnic clashes
what are 3 examples of militarism leading to WWI
the naval rivalry between GB and Germany
lots of $ spent on arms
grudge between France and Germany
who was in the 3 emperor’s league
Germany, Austria Hungary, and Russia
what are 3 examples of imperialism that led to WWI
GB and France fighting over Egypt
German railroad vs the GB and Russian railroads in Africa
Germany and France fighting over Morocco
what are 3 examples of nationalism that led to WWI
Pan-slavism
Germ vs France over Alsace-Loraine
Balkan Powder Keg
how did WWI truly become a World War
they wanted to take each others colonial possessions
Japan joined the allies, Ottoman empire joined the central powers
USA joined on the side of the Allies
what chain of events led to the end of the war
Russia withdrew by signing a treaty with Germany
Fresh troops from the US on the side of the allies greatly helped the allies by boosting morale and giving more soldiers
German Kaiser stepped down
November 11, the armistice was signed
