The Great War Flashcards
What are the four M.A.I.N. causes of World War I?
Militarism, Alliance System, Imperialism, and Nationalism
What is militarism?
Countries’ focus on having giant, powerful militaries
What were the complex web of alliances in Europe supposed to stop?
wars from happening in Europe
Which countries were in the Central Powers?
Germany, Austria-Hungry, Ottoman Empire
which Countries were in the Allied Powers
France, Great Britain, Russia, Italy, U.s
How did imperialism contribute to the start of WWI?
Germany wanted to get colonies, and England and France wanted to keep theirs. The winner would get control of all of them
What is nationalism?
Intense pride in your country
How did nationalism contribute to the start of WWI? (two ways)
-Made countries feel superior and were sure they would win a war -Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in an attempt to free Bosnia from Austria-Hungary
What was the name of the terrorist organization that killed Franz Ferdinand?
The Black Hand
Why did Gavrilo Princip assassinate Ferdinand?
He was trying to free Bosnia from Austria-Hungary, and thought they would join with his native Serbia
How did Austria-Hungary respond to the killing of their prince?
Declared war on Serbia
Which were the first two countries to go to war?
Austria-Hungry and Serbia
How did the fighting in WWI differ from previous wars in Europe?
more defensive now, new technologies caused more deaths and trench. more people are fighting.
Why were machine guns important?
They were so good at defending, they forced soldiers to dig trenches to keep from getting shot.
What was artillery used for?
To destroy trenches and kill the people in them
What was the original purpose for tanks?
To transport troops across no man’s land without getting shot
What was the purpose of aircraft originally in the war?
To gather information about the enemy (reconnaissance)
How effective was gas in the war?
not very effective. killed less 1% of total deaths
What was the other effect gas had on soldiers?
caused blistering of the skin, long-lasting effects/scars on the body
What did Germany use submarines for?
Sinking supply ships
What are ways that you could be killed in a trench? (5)
Sniper fire, machine guns, artillery attacks, cave-ins, poison gas, disease, shell shock
Where were the trenches (which front, and describe the area of the world)?
Western front/ in France
What is “no man’s land”?
The land between the trenches
What is Trench foot?
A disease that happens when feet are too moist and get infected and rot
Why did the Russians get out of the war early?
They were undersupplied in weapons since they are not industrialized and their citizens revolted and wanted to stop fighting in the war.
How did unrestricted submarine warfare help to draw the US into the war?
Germans changed from targeting supply ships, to targeting passenger ships and trying to kill civilians, which turned Americans against them
How many troops died overall? Which side had more killed?
8.5 million, the Allies
Besides the death rate, what are two other effects of WWI?
Governments were destroyed, towns are destroyed, farms destroyed, anything else we talked about.
What treaty brought the war to a close?
Treaty of Versailles
Who was involved in making the treaty to end the war?
United States, Italy, Great Britain, France
Who was NOT involved in making the treaty?
Germany and Russia
What was the War Guilt Clause?
It made Germany admit they were fully responsible for WWI
What was the effect of the War Guilt Clause on Germany?
It made Germany admit they were fully responsible for WWI, and therefore had to pay to fix everything
What happened to Germany’s colonies?
They were split between the winning allied countries
What happened to Germany’s military?
It was reduced to 100,000 troops with no air force, navy or tanks
