The situation in 1914 Flashcards
what was Europe split up into?
Central Powers
Triple Entente
who were the Central Powers?
Germany
AH
who were the Triple Entente?
Britain
Russia
France
what was Britain’s position before the war?
British foreign policy was incredibly vague and uncertain
it was not clear exactly which side Britain stood on
what is largely blamed for the increasing in tensions in Europe?
the meticulous work of German diplomats in the late 19th Century who had forced Russia and France together and had made an enemy out of Britain by expanding the Imperial Navy
when was Archduke Ferdinand assassinated?
28 June 1914
who assassinated the Archduke?
Gavrilo Princip
when did AH declare war on Serbia?
28 July 1914
when did Russia and France begin to mobilise their troops?
30 July 1914
why did the mobilisation of Russian troops alarm Germany?
they hoped that the Schlieffen Plan could be fully implemented by first defeating France before moving to Russia
what was the Schlieffen Plan?
military plan designed to handle Germany’s continental war on two fronts
Germany would immediately defeat France through Belgium and just hold up the, slow to mobilise, Russians
by the time Germany had defeated France, she could attack and defeat Russia
when did Germany declare war on Russia?
1 August 1914
when did Germany declare war on France?
3 August 1914
when had Belgium neutrality been agreed by the British?
1839
when did Britain declare war on Germany?
4 August 1914
who was not consulted over Britain’s declaration to go to war?
the self governing dominions of the British Empire
how many British troops were available upon mobilisation?
711,000
how many French troops were available upon mobilisation?
3,500,000
how many German troops were available upon mobilisation?
8,500,000
what was the size of the BA on 4 August?
250,000
what was still a major feature of the officers in the BA?
still mostly from the landed gentry
who made up the regular soldiers?
largely poor urban people
when did Kitchener become Secretary of State for War?
5 August 1914
what were Britain’s war plans heavily reliant upon?
the war being a short one
no thought into the importance of supplies and troops over an expanded period of time
how did the public view Kitchener in 1914?
they saw him as a national hero and a symbol for national unity
was not seen as a politician
what was a major contribution that Kitchener had made?
he had predicted that the war would last 3-4 years and thus decided to plan for a longer war
what was the government’s attitude to conscription?
they believed it would divide the British people
what did Kitchener had to resort to instead of conscription?
volunteer service
how many divisions did Kitchener believe was needed for the BA?
50
why did Kitchener not look to the Territorial Army for support?
he did not rate them
how many men had volunteered to join the BA by September 1914?
800,000
what seemed to be the main reasons for men volunteering?
- pure patriotism
- the adventure
- pressure from peers and employers
- pressure from women
- creation of local loyalties with pals battalions
what issue was created by such a large number of volunteers?
severe shortage of weapons and kit
what did the War Office introduce to deal with the shortage of equipment?
they introduced deferred enlistment where men would be kept aside until needed
what were Pals regiments?
men were encouraged to enlist with their friends and colleagues and were promised to be in the same regiment
where were Pals regiments most popular?
in the north
how many Pals regiments by 1 October 1914?
50
how did volunteering change the composition of the BA?
more variety in terms of social composition
why was the composition of the BA uneven?
more men from the north volunteered from the south
more men from the finance and entertainment industries volunteered than factory workers and farmers
how many new officers did Kitchener look to enlist in 1914?
30,000
how did Kitchener look to raise the number of officers?
- courses at Sandhurst and Woolwich were shorterned
- age limit for candidates was raised to 25
- retired officers were brought back into service
- men from the cadet corps were pushed forward for officer training
who commanded the BEF in 1914?
Sir John French
what was the GHQ?
General Headquarters
contained the military staff and administrators who advised on military policy
what had the Russo-Japan War in 1905 perhaps taught the wrong lessons?
the Japanese had won a bloody victory with too many casualties
they were incredibly aggressive and utilised charges against a poorly organised Russian Army
what did senior British Army staff believe would win the war for Britain?
discipline
mobility
moral force
being aggressive from the get go
how was the British Army deficient in terms of munitions?
- each battalion had only 2 machine guns
- entire BA had only 80 motor vehicles
- all guns were drawn by horses
- lack of telephones and wireless equipment
how many rifles were being produced by August 1914 in Britain?
6000
how many shells were being produced by August 1914 in Britain?
30000
what had led to a shortage in munitions output?
- the govt only gave contracts to long standing firms and factories instead of all organisation (like in total war)
- skilled workers who were recruited were not replaced
