quicks facts for history!! War Edition Flashcards
What were the divisions of the French government pre-wwi?
pacifist and revanche
What was Turkey considered in 1900?
The ‘sick man of Europe’
How many Dreadnoughts did Britain order the construction of in 1909?
8
How big was Serbia’s army in 1913?
it had 200 000 men
How much did Serbia grow as a result of the two Balkan wars?
it doubled in size
What were the right wing war-pressure groups in France and Germany?
The Pan German League and Action Francaise
How much did military spending increase by between 1870 and 1914?
300%
What were the major war plans created by the European Powers?
The Schlieffen plan (Germany) Plan 17 (France) Plan R and Plan B (Austria-Hungary)
When did Austria-Hungary send Serbia the ultimatum?
July 23, 48 hours to respond
Where were Germany’s war aims written?
In the September Memorandum
What battle was chemical warfare first used?
Second Battle of Ypres
How long was the Western Front?
320km
When did the Allies reach the HIndenberg line?
On ‘the Black day’, 8 August, 1918
What percent of casualties did artillery inflict?
80%
How many rounds could be fired with a machine gun?
600
How successful was Germany in unrestricted sub warfare?
Britain was down to six weeks of corn in February 1917
How many casualties did the Gotha cause in London?
nearly 3000
How many aircrafts were there on either side by 1918?
more than 8000
At what rate did US troops arrive in August 1918?
300 000 a month
How much of expenditure did Germany and Britain spend on the civilian sector during the war
Britain spent 16% and Germany only spent 2%
How was German agriculture affect by the war?
production dropped 70%
How much money did America lend to the Allies?
$7.7 Billion
What was the daily calorie input of a German adult during the winter of 1916-17
less than 1000 calories
In 1917 what was the ration of women to men workers in Britain
1 in 4 workers were women
How many soldiers were killed in WWI?
Nine million (15% of all combatants)
What percentage of people between 20 and 40 were killed in France?
20%
How much did the war cost Britain?
34 billion pounds
How much of British merchant shipping had U-Boats sunk?
40%
How many demands did Japan present China during WWI?
21
How many points did Woodrow Wilson have?
14
Which clause of the Treaty of Versailles was the War Guilt clause?
Clause 231
What were the military restrictions made on Germany in the Treaty of Versailles?
only 6 battleships and an army of 100 000 men
What was the Reparations sum for Germany?
6.6 Billion Pounds
How much did the Treaty of St. Germain reduced Austria Hungary?
25% of its area and 20% of its population left
What was the impact of the Great Depression on Britain?
iron and steel production feel by 50%
How much did US national income fall during the Great Depressions?
50%
How many people were unemployed in Germany following the Great Depressions?
12 million
What percentage of Spanish officers took Azana’s early retirement offer?
50%
How many families benefitted from Azana’s land reform?
7000 families only
How many people were killed in May Days?
25
How many volunteers from the International Brigade fought in Spain?
35 000
What two political groups did Franco merge?
the Falangists and the Carlists (over 1 million supporters)
How many planes were sent by the Germans to Franco?
800 planes (condor legion)
How many troops did Italy send to Franco?
70 000
What did the Soviet Union send the Republic?
no troops, 1000 aircrafts, 750 tanks
How many people were killed in the Spanish civil war?
170 000 Republicans and Nationalists in addition to those lost in the White Terror
What percentage of Spain’s wealth was destroyed by the Civil war?
10-15 percent
Which Nationalist law persecuted Republican sympathisers?
the law of political responsibility
What were the economic and political effects of De Rivera’s regime?
He increased production three times but left the country in massive debt after the velvet revolution
What were the political effects of the church in Spain on landholders?
Landholders were offered support from the Catholic Agrarian Foundation in return for rejecting socialism
Give an example of violence that occurred just prior to the Spanish Civil War?
There was open fighting between FAI and CEDA and the CNT called for a general strike
What sealed the end of Azaña’s time as president?
Assault Guard set fire to houses in Casas Viejas killing 25 people.
What’s a statistic explaining stalemate in WWI?
attackers suffered two times the casualties of the defenders.
How much did the USA help the allies in WWI?
The USA sent 2 million soldiers, none of whom had ‘war weariness.’ They also lent 7.7 billion dollars.
What is an example of Germany’s total war aims and neglect of their citizens during WWI?
They spent 83% of their expenditure on the military but only 2% on their civilians
How did different countries raise money for WWI?
UK raised 20% via taxes but Germany only raised 6% via taxes, leading defeat to be much more painful than it could’ve been.
What are three examples of the growth of government during WWI?
The DORA act gave Great Britain government the right to restrict pub hours, use of binoculars and size of bonfires.
France went into a ‘State of Siege’ allowing 33 departments to be put under direct governmental control.
The Tsar used the war as an excuse to ignore the Duma and reassert his authority.
How many civilians did it take to support one soldier in Britain during WWI?
3
How did German civilians suffer during WWI?
Average daily caloric intake dropped from 1500 to less than 1000
What was an example of genocide during WWI?
Between 300 thousand and 1.3 million Armenians were killed when the Turks deported them to the Syrian desert
What are some statistic suggesting the economic weakness of the Republicans during the Spanish Civil War?
production fell by 2/3 in Catalan and inflation increased by 300%
What are some examples of the military weakness of the Republican army during the Spanish Civil War?
They only introduced a unified popular army in 1936. Even they then had no unified command, the anarchists and Basques ignored all commands.
What is an example of the popularity of the Communists during the Spanish Civil War?
Their popularity increase ten fold over the course of the war, largely because they were the only part that the USSR supported. They used terror eg in May Days
What is a difference between the socialists and anarchists during the Spanish Civil War?
The anarchists wanted a ‘revolution from below’ but the socialists wanted to wait until after the war to hold a revolution
What was the effect of the International Brigade on the Spanish Civil War?
The international Brigade had 35 thousand volunteers that played a role in the recapture of Madrid, but overall, they had very little effect
Why were Franco’s troops obedient?
Franco ignored risky advice from Hitler and Mussolini and displayed compassion for the troops safety.
What were some of the economic effects of the Spanish Civil War on Spain?
10-15% of all wealth was destroyed, per capita income dropped 28% and 70% of machinery needed replacing. There was no modernisation for 36 years leading Spain to be ‘frozen in time’
How did Franco control workers?
Wages were cute, the CNT and UGT were abolished and a Civil Guard was created to maintain inequality in rural areas
What revolutionary event led to the Warlord Era in China?
The Double tenth
How many people were killed in the KMT’s ‘white terror’ after the first united front?
250 Thousand. The CCP fled to the Jiansi mountains
What conditions did the peasants live in prior to the Chinese civil war?
They faced famine and had to pay 80% of their harvest to landlords.
List three demonstrations of Mao as a good leader during the Chinese Civil War?
The Long March was a very effective propaganda campaign.
Guerrilla tactics helped the CCP survive in Ya’nan
Mao was flexible in his ideology ie allowing the bourgeois to be part of the class revolution.
What are two examples of CCP intelligence in the Chinese civil war?
Many KMT commanders were actually working for the CCP. Jiang’s assistant chief of staff was a CCP spy
What are three statistics that demonstrate the GMD’s ineffectiveness?
Jiang Jeishi only addressed rampant inflation in 1948, but this was too late to stop the 1949 economic crash.
JIang Jieshi poured resources into Manchuria despite its distance from his basis of support and participated in the Xuzhou battle which was a horrible defeat.
The USA gave the GMD 3 billion dollars but they still didn’t win.
How did Stalin and Mao relate during the Chinese civil war?
Stalin told Mao to consolidate his gains. Mao ignored his advice. This paid off.
What were the political effects of the Chinese civil war?
China became communist
Mao was elevated by the war as a God-like figure
Society became very militarised
There was a ‘hot war’ in Korea
Communist inspired insurgencies erupted in Indonesia, Malaya, Indochina and Thailand
What was the eastern version of the iron curtain called?
The bamboo curtain
What were Chinese-US relations like during the 1960’s?
They were fairly good. ‘ping pong diplomacy’
How did the US display their discontent with the CCP victory?
They gave Taiwan the PRC’s seat in the UN
What was Japan’s ‘mutilated victory’ at the Versailles conference?
They wanted Germany’s Chinese territories and a racial equality clause for the League of Nations
What was the outcome of the Washington naval conference?
This limited the USA:Japan navy to 5:3. This actually favoured Japan because Japan couldn’t expand their navy further anyway but the USA could
How did the USA express their alarm at the ‘Dark Valley’
They only condemned the Sino-Japanese war and accepted an apology for the sinking of their USS Panay.
Relations chilled later when the USA gave aid to China and ended the Commerce and Navigation Treaty with Japan.
What are some facts that suggest that the Emperor of Japan should’ve be tried for War Crimes after WWII?
He was accused of being ‘too preoccupied’ with the war and not focused enough on his citizens. He also decorated his brother heavily after he returned form the war despite the fact that he had committed genocide.
What two facts demonstrate the militarisation of Japan’s government in the 1930’s?
The ‘Dark Valley’ and the fact that even before only generals or admirals could become ministers.
How was Japan affected by Germany in WWII?
The Nazi Soviet pact isolated Japan because it violated the Anti-Cominterm Pact together. Japan was also invested in Hitler’s success due to the Tripartite Pact.
What is an example of the USA attempting to improve relations with Japan after WWI?
They recognised Japanese gains in the Lansig Ishii agreement, though this made China feel betrayed.
