History topic 1 Flashcards
What is militarism?
when countries race to build up their armies, navies, weapons and strategies to defend against attack or to attack others
What are alliances?
The agreements countries make to support each other
What is imperialism?
When countries try to build large empires by aggressively conquering other countries
What is nationalism?
When one country thinks it is better than others and feels very patriotic to their countries
How did alliances cause war to break out in 1914 (WW1)?
-Tensions in Europe worsened and countries began to feel threatened, they decided to form alliances with other countries to protect themselves in case of attack
-These alliances meant that if one country was involved in a dispute with another country, all of the allies would get involved.
-In July 1914, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne was murdered by a Serbian terrorist group, allies from both sides were dragged into war
How did imperialism cause war to break out in 1914 (WW1)?
-Germany was jealous of the size of other countries’ empires. Kaiser Wilhelm II (the ruler) wanted a big empire to rival other countries
- the Kaiser set out to take land. This annoyed & scared other countries
-Germany tried to take over Morocco which was ruled by the French. This annoyed the French so they formed an alliance with Britain against Germany
How did militarism cause war to break out in 1914 (WW1)?
-Many countries around 1900 believed it was important to have a strong army and navy (such as Britain and Germany)
-Germany felt threatened by Russia’s powerful army
- Germany started to build a navy although it was landlocked which worried the British
-Naval race (1906-1914)- competition between Britain and Germany to see who could build the most ships
- Countries were worried about germany’s militarism and started to build up their armies and protect borders
How did nationalism cause war to break out in 1914 (WW1)?
Before war broke out, there was a lot of nationalism sentiment in Eastern Europe. Many countries taken over by Austria-Hungary and made part of the Austro-Hungarian empire wanted independence
- The Bosnian Crisis-1908-
Bosnia tried to break away from Austria-Hungary to become part of Serbia however Austria-Hungary was too powerful and annexed Bosnia
- Nationalist groups began to be set up in Bosnia and near Serbia. One famous group was the Black Hand Gang, a Serbian terrorist organisation who wanted indepandance for Bosnia and for it to be part of Serbia
What 2 alliances were formed in Europe for WW1?
The Triple Entente- France, Britain and Russia
Triple alliance- Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy
Who was Archduke Franz Ferdinand?
-heir to Austria-Hungary throne
-Believed Austria-Hungary must remain a great power but also argued for greater freedom for different ethnic groups in the empire
How was the Archduke assassinated?
-Archduke Franz Ferdinand took a trip to Bosnia in 1914. He was going on a tour of Sarajevo (Bosnia) in an open top car (open to attack)
- After 2 failed attempts, the Archduke and his wife Sophie were shot, Archduke in the neck and Sophie in the stomach
What happened after the Archduke was assassinated?
-Austro-Hungarians were angry at Serbia which caused the allies of both sides to become involved, Germany came to support Austria-Hungary and France, Russia and Britain supported one another. This was the trigger cause of WWI
When did WWI start and end?
1914-1918
What is trench warfare
type of warfare using trenches
What was no man’s land?
land in between the 2 sides, dangerous entering because of risk of getting shot
What was Cavalry?
a fighting method were soldiers fought on horseback with swords
What is the Somme?
A French river were a lot of fighting occurred in WWI
What is bombardment
continuous attack with artillery shells
What was the battle of the Somme?
A battle of the French and British against the German which started on 1 July 1916 (7.30). The Germans already knew the British were going to attack which caused it to be a failure and caused Britain to lose 1/3 of their army. In total, by November, 620,000 Allied and 450,000 German soldiers had been killed or badly wounded
When was the British West Indies Regiment formed?
- It composed of volunteers from the West Indies that served in WWI
What is the home front?
term used to describe activities of people living at home during the war
what are munitions
weapons, bullets and bombs
What did David Lloyd George do
in may 1915, he was appointed the new minister in charge of munitions. He knew there weren’t enough workers to produce what the troops needed. He mobilised a new workforce, the women of Britain. Women began to do jobs only men had done. Weapons that had taken a year to manifacture now took 3 weeks, most drmatic transformation of production country had ever seen.
What did women do in WW1?
worked at royal gunpowder mills-
- in 1915 this was one of the most dangerous places in Britain
-the workers, many of them women, mixed nitro gylcerine or made cordite which provided the bang that powered shells and bullets
-known as munitionettes
-casualties, breathing problems, blood poisoning, brain damage
-nurses
-encouraged men to sign up for army
-bus conductors/drivers
-delivering coal
-postal workers
-road layers
-grave diggers
-munition factories
-Women’s land army
What was the women’s land army
set up in February 1917, recruited women to work on farms and help produce food for use at home and at the front. By end of war over 260,000 women had joined
Who was Edith Cavell?
1865-1915
-Enlisted as a nurse in WW1
-helped both sides as she felt as a nurse she had to help all injured
-helped them escape to neutral countries
-executed in 1915
-remembered as a martyr and hero
