The Start Of WWI Flashcards
MANIA
increased MILITARISM, formation of ALLIANCES, rise of NATIONALISM, growth of IMPERIALISM, ASSASSINATION of archduke
1879 European Alliance
Germany and Austria-Hungary - dual alliance
1881 European Alliance
Austro-Serbian Alliance
1882 European Alliance
Triple Alliance- Italy, Austria-Hungary, Germany
1894 European Alliance
Franco-Russia dual alliance
1904 European Alliance
Britain and France Entente Cordiale
1907 European Alliance
Triple Entente - Russia, Britain, France
Von Schlieffen Plan
Attacking France through Belgium (neutral country) if Russia decides to attack Germany
Triple Alliance
Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy
Triple Entente
Britain, France, Russia (worsening relationships between Germany and Russia / Germany and Britain helped drive the Entente, plus France and Germany really did NOT get along during
Franco-Prussia war 1870)
Formal Alliance
Public alliances
Great Britain and France not giving Germany what they want equals what?
Rivalries!!
Bolt-Action Rifle
- main WWI weapon
- 15 rounds, 1400 meter range
Machine Gun
- needed 4-6 men to work
- firepower of 100 guns
- could cool 2 ways: water (didn’t last long) or air vents
Problems with artillery
Had a long range with huge blows firing shells that exploded directly on impact but needed 12 men to work.
Chlorine Gas
- introduced by Germany in 1915 during Battle of Ypres
- weather had to be right
Effects: burning sensation in throat and chest, suffocation
Mustard Gas
- most malignant weapon
- colorless and 12 hours to be in effect
- could be 5 weeks of hell until death, or you could survive (depending on intake)
Effects: blisters, vomiting, sore eyes, internal/external bleeding
The Zeppelin
- aka the blimp
- used in early parts of the war for bombing raids by the Germans
- carried bombs and machine guns
- abandoned because it was easily shot down (big target)
Tanks
- introduced in WWI
- “little willie”- needed a crew of 3
- max speed 3mph, couldn’t pass trenches
Modern Tanks
Weren’t developed till end of war, could carry 10 men, travelled 4mph and had a revolving turret
Planes
- introduced WWI
- used for delivery and spying originally but later became fighter aircrafts armed with machine guns, bombs, and sometimes cannons
- 2-plane fight = “dogfight”
Torpedoes
- used by submarines to blow up ships carrying supplies from America to Britain
- Lusitania- ship blown up by Germany causing the US to join the war 1917
Pigeons
Easy form of messenging, never aroused suspicions
Allies
Britain, Russia, France, Japan, Italy
Central Powers
Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire
Germany’s Plan
Defeat France quickly (west) and focus on Russia
- Belgium bought time so allies could prepare
- Germany was within 15 miles of Paris, high threat
Battle of the Marne
Allied Victory- saves Paris from invasion, last battle before fighting reaches a stalemate
3 kinds of trenches
- front line
- support
- reserve
Dugouts
Underground rooms used as officers quarters and command posts
Trench conditions
Soldiers lived on tea and dog biscuits
Trench foot, lice, many diseases
Soldiers lived with the smell of death, feces, and chemicals
Shell shock, amputated legs, PTSD
Shell Shock
Mental condition- ‘out of it’ soldiers lost their sanity and spaced out completely, hard to recover. Some seemed as if they were smiling
Army didn’t recognize it as a condition, so many shell shocked soldiers were deemed as ‘cowards’ and sacrificed or died to neglect/.
The spark of WWI
Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife assassinated in 1914 killed by a Serbian nationalist in Bosnia who was a member of the black hand, a Serbian nationalist group that craved independence from Austria-Hungary
The Domino Effect of the Assassinastion
AH blames Serbia for assassination, and Germany sends them a blank check in support. AH then sends harsh demands to Serbia which were refused because serbia knows they can rely on russias so AH declares war on Serbia in 1914. The European countries make promises and one by one plunge into the war. Russia places troops near Germany, Germany Declares war on Russia and France, its ally— so Frances ally Great Britain declares war on Germany.
US maintains what
US maintains neutrality although the Americans supported allies
Balkan crisis
Greece, Albania, Romania, and Bulgaria fought over territory
Slavic People of Austria Hungary desired independence
Imperialism
Extending a nations authority over other countries by economic, political, cultural, or military means
- scramble for Africa, Spanish-american war
- wanted colonies for raw materials and markets for manufactured goods
Militarism
Army and military forces given high profile by government
Development of armed forces and their use as a tool of diplomacy
The European divide had led to an arms race between the main countries
France and Germanys armies double in 40 years
In 1890 Germany was the strongest European country
British stepped up when their navy’s strength was threatened - introduced the dreadnought
The dreadnought
An effective battleship introduced in 1906 by Great Britain
Alliance
A formal alliance or union between nations to help if needed- alliance signed countries as allies
- For decades leading up to WWI alliances kept the balance of powers by providing a measure of international security
- by 1907 the two major alliances existed- triple alliance and triple entente
- Germany newly unified quickly gained lands
France revenge
Ever since the Franco-Prussia war in 1870 France was an archenemy of Germany and wanted revenge
When Russia was looking for friends France jumped
France and Russia surrounded Germany on different sides, keeping it in check
Germany introduced Schlieffen plan
Otto von Bismarck
German statesman and diplomat. Created and negotiated the Triple Alliance before resigning- had a secret negotiation on the side with Russia
Triple alliance steps
- Austria-Hungary and Germany alliances in 1879
- Italy joined alliance in 1882- triple alliance
- Germany allies with Ottoman Empire 1914
- All 4 but mostly Ottoman Empire and Austria-Hungary aid Bulgaria
Triple entente steps
- Russia and France allied in 1894
- Russia and Britain signed treaty settling colonial disputes in Persia, Afghanistan, and Tibet
- France and Britain signed treaty 1904 settling other colonial disputes over Egypt, Morocco, west + central Africa, Siam, New Hebrides, and Madagascar
- all three, mainly Russia, aids serbia
