The Beginning of WWI Flashcards
The four MAIN causes of World War I:
Militarism, Alliance Systems, Imperialism, Nationalism
Alliance system between Britain, France, and Russia signed before WWI:
Triple Entente
Alliance system between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy before WWI:
Triple Alliance
Country in an alliance with Belgium that would only get into the war if Belgium was attacked:
Britain
European region formerly controlled by the Ottoman Empire, filled with Slavic nationalism shortly before WWI:
The Balkan Penninsula
Pre-WWI nickname for the Balkan Peninsula due to the tense political nature of the region:
The Powder Keg of Europe
Serbia’s “big brother” or protector in WWI:
Russia
What Serbs and other Slavs in the Balkan Peninsula wanted for themselves:
A pan-slavic state
Country that did not support Slavic nationalism taking place in Serbia and wanted control in the Balkan Peninsula:
Austria-Hungary
Austro-Hungarian heir to the throne:
Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Triggering event that led to the domino effect and the start of WWI:
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Glorifying military culture, building up of militaries and weapons, possibly moving troops to other borders:
Militarism
Agreements to have each other’s backs if either is attacked:
Alliances
Taking over other lands to build an empire:
Imperialism
Extreme pride in your country, nation, culture, or ethnic group:
Nationalism
Germany’s plan to avoid fighting a two-front war:
The Schlieffen Plan
Basis of the Schlieffen Plan:
Take out France in 4-6 weeks by sweeping through Belgium; then go fight Russia
Assumptions of the Schlieffen Plan:
Belgium would not resist;
Britain would not honor their treaty to defend Belgium;
France could be defeated in 4-6 weeks;
Russia would take 6 weeks to mobilize.
Reality of the Schlieffen Plan:
Belgium resisted;
Britain came in to defend Belgium, and stopped the German advance;
Germany had to change plan to not taking Paris and re-route their advance;
Russia took only 3 weeks to mobilize.
How trench warfare began:
Due to Germany’s re-routing, fighting moved along the border (Western Front) and extended south.
What trench warfare caused:
A very non-mobile war
How long the war on the Western Front lasted:
4 years
The main difference between the fighting on the Western and Eastern Fronts
The Eastern Front was a much more mobile war.
What happened to the Russian army:
It was on the brink of collapse.
Why WWI was a global war:
There was fighting in several places in the world.
Many countries joined in the fight.
