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
Veterinarian
a person qualified to treat animals
What was the armistice
agreement signed to stop fighting in WW1
What were the central powers
Countries who fought against the allies (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria..)
What were the allies
countries who fought against Germany and it’s allies (Britain, France, Russia, USA..)
Mutiny
rebellion by soldiers against their officers
Western Front
zone of fighting in western Europe during WW1
When was the armistice signed
November 11 1918
When did the USA enter the war
April 1917. Joined following unrestricted submarine warfare by the Germans. The US troops were fresher and less war-weary than German troops. Invaluable in defeating Germans and forcing their retreat along the Western Front
What caused Germany to sign the armistice
USA entering war, German casualties(Germany had more casualties than British Empire-7.1 million- and was running out of men to fight allies), Technological improvements (Britain produced large scale tanks and aeroplanes due to improvements which led to them being able to defeat Germany easier), naval blockade (German ships couldn’t access supplies like food or fuel, Germany suffered from food shortages and people began to starve)
George Clemenceau
France, wanted revenge, reparations and a wealthy army. Wanted assurance it wouldn’t happen again
David Lloyd George
Britain, wanted Germany to have a stable government, better economy and repaired infrastructure
Woodrow Wilson
USA, wanted no more secret diplomacy, demilitarisation and international peace
What was the treaty of versailles
-signed in June 1919 and marked the end of WWI
- The treaty forced Germany to accept all responsibility for starting the war
-Germany had to pay £6.6 billion in reparations to other countries for all damage caused
-took away German land
-Germany lost it’s colonies
-Rhineland became demilitarised to protect France
-German army limited to 100,000 men and wasn’t allowed an air force, submarines or tanks
-Created by 3 leaders of the major powers (France, Britain and USA)
-Set up League of Nations (international organisation to keep peace and avoid another war)
-Germans thought the treaty was unfair
What was appeasement
the policy of giving into Hitler in the hope that he would stop
What was the Anschluss
When Nazi Germany joined with Austria- 1938 (It was not allowed in the treaty of versailles)
What is a trigger cause
final event that leads to something larger, like a war.
What was the trigger cause for WWI
the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinard
What was the trigger cause for WW2
the invasion of Poland
What was the wall street crash
-October 1929
-Share prices on Wall Street, New York collapsed which meant people lost money
-people lost all their savings
-firms went bankrupt, so employees had no job, stopped buying things
-by 1932, over 12 million people in America were out of work (24% of the working population)
-Called the Depression
-1929- nearly 700 banks collapsed
-tried to get money back by calling in loans but they couldn’t pay it back
-1929-1933- more than 100,000 businesses shut down
What was Germany and the Depression
-From 1924, situation in Germany had improved
-Germany had borrowed money from America, who asked for it back when the crash hit
-lots of countries affected because of economy and the links they had with America
-In Germany, unemployment rose to 6 million by 1932, millions became homeless, government didn’t know how to deal with it
-government made it worse by raising taxes which caused problems for businesses being taxed
-Germans started to listen to the extremist parties (like the Nazis)
-Nazis promised jobs for the unemployed and that Germany would be a great country again (imperialism)
-Well organised and disciplined which appealed to middle class in time of chaos
How did WW2 begin
impact of treaty of versailles and great depression, Nazis gained power, Nazis and rearmament, appeasment, anschluss with Austria, invasion of Poland (TRIGGER)
How did the treaty of versailles lead to WW2
It left Germany feeling hopeless and incredibly against the allies. It made Germany want to regain its lost glory and seek revenge
How did the anschluss lead to WW2
Gave Germany a key ally for the potential war. Added territory supplied Germany with resources
How did Germany and the depression lead to WW2
Because so many Germans were suffering, more extremist political parties (such as the Nazis) began to appeal to people as they promised change
Blitzkrieg
an intense military campaign intended to bring about a swift victory. Means ‘lightning war’
-main principle is to win by not fighting
-identify weak point, quickly break through, disrupt enemy rear
-dislocation not destruction
-speed of movement, speed of decision making and overconfident army
Timeline WW1
-1914- WW1 breaks out
-1915- British West Indies Regiment begins
-1916- Battle of the Somme
-1918- The Armistice
-1919- Treaty of Versailles
-1939-WW2 breaks out
tech from WW2
-V-2 rocket:
-world’s first ballistic missile
-designed by Nazi party
-purpose to cause mass destruction to Allied cities in revenge for Allied bombing
-led to development of Saturn V rocket which took Neil Armstrong to the moon in 1969
-Radar and the microwave
-radar invented to find enemy planes
-percy spencer experimented and built a metal box with an opening on one side and the microwave gun pointing in, this developed into microwave
-The computer
-Nazis used enigma code in WW2
-Alan Turing had idea of using a machine with coded instructions stored in memory, which cracked Nazi code and later developed into computer
-Penicillin
-discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928
- mass produced in WW2 when the American government realised it was needed for soldiers
-used and still used by doctors to heal infections and diseases
-saved millions of lives
Jobs women had in WW2
auxiliary territorial service (ATS), women’s auxiliary air force (WAAF), women’s royal naval service, factory workers, secret agents, code breakers, women’s land army, air transport auxiliary, grew own food, entertainers, looking after evacuees, rationed food and clothes, women’s voluntary service (firefighters, police officers..), women’s Timber Corps (lumberjacks-supply from Norway of timber was controlled by the Nazis)
What did the WAAF (women’s auxiliary air force do?
served with Royal Air Force (RAF) in war. They cooked, were meteorologists, administrative duties. 48 different nationalities were represented in the force by 1943
What did factory workers do in WW2
made ammunitions, uniforms and aeroplanes. They increased weapon production.
What did codebreakers do
administrators, card index compliers, dispatch riders, code breaking specialists. Operated the code breaking computers. Able to break Nazi code. They also broke gender stereotypes
What were the axis powers
countries allied with Germany
What were the allied powers
countries allied with Britain
when was the end of WW2
1945
India in WWII
India was part of the British Empire, Britain needed soldiers. Over 25 million citizens volunteered and Indian land served as a training base. They provided food and supplies for Britain. Over 36,000 soldiers were killed or went missing and India was left with a shortage of food which led to the Bengul Famine in 1943
British Africa in WWII
Part of British Empire, many were conscripted. They were needed for manpower and fought against Italy in East Africa Campaign. They provided labour and resources. They fought against Japan. Only paid 1/3 of the wage of the white soldiers and were deprived of resources. More than 600,000 Africans fought. Provided food, raw materials and military material.
what was D-day
Turning point of WWII. On 6th of June 1944. Allied forces launched an assault on Nazi- occupied France. They landed on the beaches of Normandy.
What were factors that led to the end of WWII
-Women in allied nations working and helping the war effort in Britain
- Germany’s poor leadership
-Allied war production
-Battle of Stalingrad
