History Unit 1: 1914-1945 Flashcards
List the 3 main countries in the Triple Alliance.
Germany, Austria Hungary & Italy
List the 3 main countries in the Triple Entente.
France, Russia & Britain
What were the 4 main causes of WW1?
Militarism - military building, arms race
- Germany competing with UK, navy
Alliance System - form close relations, Triple Entente vs
Triple Alliance
Nationalism - assert their power & independence
Imperialism - wanted colonies for: land, power &
resources
- Germany to expand & Britain/France
controlled most of the world’s
resources/land
When did WW1 begin & end?
July 28, 1914 to Nov. 11, 1918
5Ws for Vimy Ridge.
Who - Germans, Canadians, French & English
What - French & English couldn’t secure it
- 11,000 Canadians died
When - spring 1917
Where - Vimy, France
Why - Vimy Ridge was key to German lines, capturing it
would be advantageous
5Ws for Battle of Somme.
Who - Entente, Canada & Germans
What - machine gun was introduced
When - July - Nov. 1916
Where - Somme, France
Why - Entente under command of British General Haig,
lead massive offensive against Germans
5Ws for Passchendale.
Who - Germans & Canadians
What - Disaster, sea of mud, gained land but lost it very
quickly
When - July 31 - Nov, 1917
Where - Passchendale, Belgium
Why - 15,000 Canadians died
- 9 Canadians got Victoria Cross
5Ws for Ypres.
Who - Canadians & Germans
What - Canadians went to Ypres to stop Germans from
breaking through the English Channel
- Germans used chlorine gas
When - April 22-24, 1915
Where - Ypres, Belgium
Why - they were not prepared for gas & used cotton
pads in urine as masks
- Canadians proved that they are strong
- 52,000 Canadians died
5Ws for Halifax explosion.
Who - Canada
What - French cargo ship with high explosives, collided
with the Norwegian vessel
When - Dec. 6, 1917
Where - Halifax, Nova Scotia
Why - 2000 people killed, largest artificial non-nuclear
explosion
- 9000 injured
Conditions & dangers of trench warfare.
- 2 hour shifts to watch out No Man’s Land
- not enough food
- bad hygiene
- rats, water, mud they got trench foot
- people got shell shock
- gun jammed when used in the mud
Conditions & dangers of war in the air.
- dogfights
- Canadians were inexperienced
- no parachutes because people would bail
- live up to 3 weeks
Conditions & dangers for war at sea.
- mainly for transportation of goods
- but Britain would block off goods going to Germany,
Germany would do the same to England - starvation, sinking of passenger ships
- convoy system
Define No Man’s Land.
the unoccupied area between the enemy trenches where it is very dangerous to be in
Define trenches.
- failure of Schlieffen plan
- built for protection
- 6 feet deep
- protected by sand bags & barbed wires to keep
enemy from entering
Define trench foot.
- painful condition on feet caused by water or mud
immersion - damage skin, blood vessels & nerves in feet
Define conscription.
Government policy that forces citizens to enlist for military service.
Define Ace.
Fighter who has shot down at least 5 enemy planes
Red Baron from Germany had 80 victories
Why did the French-Canadians oppose conscription?
- French Canadians who did not see themselves as part
of either France/British Empire, saw themselves as
Canadians (feel no loyalty to France/Britain) - They don’t want to fight for British Empire
- French Canadian man married much younger age
than English Canadian man, so had more family
responsibilities - Government didn’t make French Canadian regiments,
so new soldiers had to train in English that they didn’t
know how to speak
List 5 ways women contributed to the war effort (at the warfront & on the homefront).
- 30,000 women worked in munitions factories &
other war industries (airplanes, engines, ships) - as soon as war began, women volunteered to work
on front lines as nurses - women took jobs in government (federal & provincial)
- volunteer time to sew clothes, blankets & making
first-aid kits - worked in farms to grow food for soldiers
