History, Chapter 4 WW1 Flashcards
Causes of WW1
Through Militarism
– Militarism is a belief that a strong military force should be maintained and used aggressively to defend or promote national interest.
– In the 19th century, an arms race begun, with Germany having the greatest increase in military build up.
– Great Britain and Germany built new super battleships called dreadnoughts. The military in Germany and Russia also began to have more influence on the public policy.
Through Imperialism
– Imperialism is when a country increases their power and wealth by bringing additional territories under their control.
– Before World War 1, Africa and parts of Asia were points of contention among the European countries, due to the raw materials these areas could provide.
Why was there high casualty rates in WW1?
Modern weapons used
– Heavy artillery gun were used, these guns could fire large shells over a long distance and hence could attack enemy soldiers even though they are very far away.
– Poisonous gas such as chlorine, mustard and tear gas also killed
Trench Warfare
– Soldiers were often commanded to run down enemy trenches in order to destroy enemy fortifications. This exposed them to machine gun fire and chemical gas attacks.
deadliest battle was the battle of Somme in 1916 on the Western Front which claimed 620,000 Allied soldiers and 500,000 German soldiers
Should the Great War really be called the great war
It was global and involved many countries and their colonies.
– The British and French empires spanned much of the globe, including almost all of Africa and Australasia
– The Japan went to war on the side of the Allies in 1914, invading German colonial territory, Qingdao, in China.
Ethnicities and nations involved in the war.
– The British mobilised more than a million Indian men for the war which made up a third of the British army on the Western front in 1914.
– The French, meanwhile, brought men to Europe from overseas, including Indochina, Madagascar, Senegal, Alegria and Tunisia.
