Unit 4 Lesson 4 European War

Question 1

What is nationalism?

Answer 1

Pride in one’s nation

Question 2

What does European nationalists demand?

Answer 2

In the 1870s, European nationalists demanded freedom and self-government. They believed that people with a common language and culture should throw off foreign rule and form their own countries.

Question 3

How did nationalism encourage unity?

Answer 3

While nationalism encouraged unity, it also created mistrust and bitter rivalry between nations. For example, France and Germany had gone to war in 1870. When France lost the war, it had to give Germany the iron-rich territory of Alsace-Lorraine. The French never forgot this blow to their national pride. They hoped for an opportunity to regain their lost territory.

Question 4

How did nationalism deepen hostilltiy between Austria-Hungary and Russia?

Answer 4

In Eastern Europe, nationalism deepened hostility between Austria-Hungary and Russia. Russia encouraged Serbs and other minorities in Austria-Hungary to rise up against their rulers.

Question 5

How does imperalism cause problems?

Answer 5

Often, several nations competed for power in the same region. This competition sometimes led to wars in places far from Europe.

Question 6

How was militarism a source of tension?

Answer 6

Militarism was a third source of tension. Militarism is the policy of building up strong armed forces to prepare for war. European nations expanded their armies and navies, creating new stresses. For example, Germany built up its navy. Britain responded by adding more ships to its fleet. This race for naval dominance strained relations between the two nations.

Question 7

What was the Triple aliance?

Answer 7

Germany organized the Triple Alliance with Austria-Hungary and Italy.

Question 8

What was the Triple Entente?

Answer 8

France responded by linking itself to Russia and Britain in the Triple Entente

Question 9

Explain the The Archduke’s Assassination

Answer 9

In June 1914, a crisis that would have a devastating effect struck the region. Archduke Francis Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, was visiting Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia. At the time, Bosnia was part of the Eastern European empire ruled by Austria-Hungary. Francis Ferdinand’s visit angered members of the Black Hand, a Serbian terrorist group. A terrorist uses threats and violence to promote a cause. The Black Hand wanted Bosnia to break away from Austria-Hungary and join Serbia.

On June 28, the archduke and his wife, Sophie, rode through Sarajevo in an open car. Suddenly, a young terrorist named Gavrilo Princip stepped from the curb, waving a pistol. Taking aim, he fatally shot Francis Ferdinand and Sophie.

In the days that followed, Austria-Hungary accused the Serbian government of organizing the archduke’s assassination. When Austria-Hungary threatened war, Russia moved to protect Serbia.

Question 10

Who declared war on who

Answer 10

On July 28, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia.

The very next day, Russia ordered its forces to mobilize, or prepare for war. Austria-Hungary’s ally, Germany, called on Russia to cancel the mobilization order. When it received no reply, Germany declared war on Russia on August first.

On August 3, Germany declared war on Russia’s ally France.

The next day, when German armies sliced through neutral Belgium on their march to France, Britain declared war on Germany. Long before, Britain had promised to defend Belgium if it were attacked.

Austria-Hungary declared war on Russia on August 6.

Question 11

How long did Europeans think the war would take?

Answer 11

Europeans on both sides of the conflict thought the war would end soon. They were mistaken. The war dragged on for four blood-soaked years, from 1914 to 1918. At the time, the conflict was called the Great War. Later, it became known as the First World War or World War I.

Question 12

what period was 1914-1918?

Answer 12

World War I

Question 13

Who were the central powers in the war?

Answer 13

Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman, or Turkish, Empire

Question 14

Who were the alied powers in the war (in the very beginnign)?

Answer 14

France, Britain, and Russia.

Question 15

What is a stalemate?

Answer 15

A stalemate is a deadlock in which neither side is strong enough to defeat the other. For three years, the two armies fought huge battles but with little to show for them.

Question 16

What was trench warfare like?

Answer 16

n trench warfare, soldiers spent day after day shelling the enemy trenches. An attack would begin with hours of heavy artillery fire. Then, on orders from an officer, the troops charged “over the top” of the trenches. Armed with their rifles, soldiers raced across “no man’s land” to attack the enemy. With luck, they might overrun a few trenches. Before long, the enemy would launch a counterattack, with similar results. In this way, the struggle went on, back and forth, over a few hundred yards of territory.

A new weapon used on both sides was gas—chlorine and mustard were two types. The clouds of gas floated into the trenches, choking and blinding the soldiers.

Because of the nature of trench warfare, most offensives were long and deadly. The Battle of Verdun lasted for 10 months in 1916. The Germans lost some 400,000 men trying to overrun French lines. The French lost even more lives defending their positions.