Unit C Flashcards
Policy:
A proposed plan of action for how to deal with certain situations.
Domestic policy:
Guides decisions about what to do within the country.
Foreign policy:
Guides decisions about official relations with other countries
Who were the central powers in WWI?
Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria.
Who were the allied powers in WWI?
France, Britain, Russia, Italy and Japan.
Because of WWI, ________ of people died and the financial costs were in the hundreds of ________.
millions, billions
The First World War was fought in…
Europe, Asia and the Middle East
The causes of the First World War can be summarized by the acronym MAIN:
Militarism, alliances, imperialism, and nationalism.
Militarism:
The practice of maintaining a large military, including army, navy and air force. Ultranationalists tend to favour military preparedness for expansion of the nation or defence against external enemies.
Militarism includes the practice of…
building stockpiles of weapons.
When nations compete to build up their military and weapons reserve, this is called an “____ ____”.
arms race
Examples of new weapons introduced in WWI include:
Poison gas (mustard gas), hand grenades, flame throwers, machine guns, airplanes, tanks, and submarines.
_______ and _______ were competing in a naval arms race prior to the First World War.
Britain, Germany
When Britain and Germany started competing to build naval arms, what happened to other nations?
Fear of the other nations growing navy fueled the desire to build their own navy. As a result, Germany, France, Russia and Britain all increased their military spending prior to First World War.
The increase in militarism prior to the First World War was caused by:
Many European countries had colonies all over the world and needed large militaries to control them. Countries such as Germany felt vulnerable when nearby countries like Britain had larger militaries than they did. An increase in nationalism in many countries inspired governments to increase the size of their militaries to demonstrate the greatness of their nation.
Alliance:
An alliance is when a group of people, organizations or countries join together to support one another to achieve a common purpose.
Why did many countries form alliances prior to WWI?
Many countries started to form military alliances as the fear of militarism and foreign threats grew.
What was the effect of alliances between countries when viewed by other nations?
The formation of alliances led to distrust and hostility between certain nations.
Were Spain and Switzerland involved in WWI? If so, how?
No, they were not.
The Triple Alliance:
In 1882, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy created an alliance called the Triple Alliance.
What happened to the Triple Alliance once WWI began?
In the First World War, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria joined them and they became the Central Powers. Italy had a secret deal with France and dropped out of the Triple Alliance when the war started.
Triple Entente:
In 1907, France, Britain and Russia joined to unite against Germany in an alliance called the Triple Entente.
What happened to the Triple Entente once WWI began?
In the First World War, Japan, USA and Italy joined and they became the Allied Powers. Russia dropped out in 1917 after the revolution in their country.
Balance of Power:
Balance of power refers to the formation of alliances so one group of nations could not become more powerful than another group. The buildup of military and alliances was seen as a way to prevent war. Peace would be kept because the two main groups of allies would be deterred from acting against each other.
Imperialism:
Imperialism was the policy and practice of controlling a series of colonies all over the world. European competition over control of their colonies is seen as one of the causes of the First World War.
Give two examples of imperialism in the First World War:
Great Britain resented Germany’s acquisition of East Africa because it blocked plans for a Cape-to-Cairo railway. Germany tried to prevent the establishment of a French protectorate in Morocco.
The Balkans were referred to as the “powder keg of Europe” because…
the political climate was very volatile.
What happened in 1912 with the Balkan Crisis?
In 1912, Serbia, backed by Russia, attacked Turkey and gained independence and access to the sea. Austria countered by establishing the country of Albania to block Serbia’s outlet to the sea. As a result, Russia and Serbia were drawn closer in opposition to Austria.
What did nationalism do to many countries?
Nationalism and the pursuit of national interests led many countries to attempt to expand their borders in order to incorporate members of their nation living in other countries. Also, nations within countries began fighting for independence.
What to do with nationalism happened to Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire?
Ethnic groups in Austria-Hungary and Ottoman Empire struggled for independence.
What to do with nationalism happened to France and Germany?
Tension between France and Germany (France lost Alsace-Lorraine regions in the Franco-Prussian war in 1871) grew over borders.
What to do with nationalism happened to Italy and Austria-Hungary?
Italy wanted ethnic Italian areas in Austria-Hungary to be reunited with Italy.
The Empire of Austria-Hungary was formed by the combination of several distinct nations:
Austrian Empire, the kingdom of Hungary, the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The Empire of Austria-Hungary:
These nations shared some organization together, however, they remained mostly independent from each other.
Archduke Ferdinand:
Prior to World War I Archduke Franz Ferdinand was next in line to rule Austria-Hungary. In 1914, while visiting the city of Sarajevo in Bosnia, Archduke Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated by Gavrilo Princip. Princip was a member of the “Black Hand”, a secret military society that wanted to unify all territories with a Slavic majority.
What event is considered to have started WW1?
The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand is considered to be the event that started the First World War.
How was WWI declared?
Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Russia mobilized the next day to support Serbia. Germany declared war on Russia as a result.
How did nations react to the beginning of WWI?
France wanted revenge for previous defeats and wanted to reclaim Alsace-Lorraine so they agreed to support Russia. Germany then declared war on France. Britain eventually declared war on Germany.
The First World War came to an end in ____.
1918
Who won in the First World War?
The Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire) were defeated by the Allied Powers (Britain, France, USA, Italy, Japan).
In the years leading up to the end of the war and the years that followed, the Allied Powers negotiated agreements and treaties to establish peace. What was the bias?
The negotiations were in the interest of the allied powers.
Where was destruction focused in World War One?
Several of the Allied Powers, especially France, experienced widespread destruction and loss of life during the war.
The Treaty of Versailles:
The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty that ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on June 28, 1919. The other Central Powers each signed separate peace treaties. The Treaty of Versailles contained provisions that were meant to punish Germany and prevent the nation from becoming aggressive in the future.
What were the issues with the Treaty of Versailles?
Germany was not involved in the negotiation of the treaty. The Allies all had separate national interests and had different ideas for what should be done with Germany. The United States was mainly interested in a strong global economy and did not favour punishing Germany economically. France and Britain were interested in punishing Germany for the damage it caused during the war. Ultimately, the national interests of Britain and France had the most impact on the Treaty of Versailles.
What was the war guilt clause in the Treaty of Versailles?
Clause 231 of the treaty stated Germany must accept the blame for causing all the loss and damage of the war. Many Germans saw this clause as unfair because the citizens of Germany felt they should not be held responsible.
Reparations from the Treaty of Versailles
Germany had to pay for all the damage of the war in installments. These payments were called reparations. To make these payments, the German government printed extra money, which created a condition of hyperinflation. Extreme economic hardship resulted in Germany.
How did the Treaty of Versailles limit German armed forces?
Only 100,000 men were allowed in the army. Soldiers had to be volunteers as conscription was banned. No submarines or aeroplanes were allowed. Only six battleships could be made. The Rhineland region had to be demilitarized.
How did the Treaty of Versailles limit German territories?
Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France. The Saar coal fields were given to France for 15 years. Malmedy was given to Belgium. North Schleswig was given to Denmark (after a plebiscite). West Prussia (including the Polish corridor) and Upper Silesia were given to Poland. Memel was given to Lithuania. German colonies were made ‘mandates’ of the League of Nations.
Weimar Republic:
The Allies established a new government in Germany in 1919 called the Weimar Republic. The Weimar Republic had to follow all of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. The result was prolonged economic hardships that would have lasting social and political implications for Germany.
Wilson’s Fourteen Points:
The President of the United States, Woodrow Wilson, gave a speech to the American Congress in January of 1918. The speech included fourteen points that Wilson believed would establish international peace and stability. Wilson was pursuing the main national interest of the United States, which was the establishment of a strong international economy. He wanted to create stable conditions that would lead to more trade between nations. Wilson’s Fourteen Points were not universally adopted, but they had an impact on international affairs.
The League of Nations:
The League of Nations was the world’s first international organization with the goal of preventing wars through collective security. The League of Nations was created as part of the Treaty of Versailles. The League of Nations attempted to facilitate countries working together to solve many international issues. Each of the 58 member countries had its own national interests that they were pursuing.
Often, the pursuit of their own national interests prevented countries from joining collective efforts to prevent conflict.
Detail Arab Nationalism:
Arabs in the Ottoman Empire faced oppressive and discriminatory treatment from the ruling Turkish government. Arab ethnic nationalism was growing and many Arabs desired self-determination. The Arabs supported and fought with the Allies against Germany and the Ottoman Empire during WWI. The allies promised the Arabs an independent nation-state after the war in exchange for their support.
The Sykes-Picot Agreement:
Britain and France signed a secretive treaty in 1916 called the Sykes-Picot Agreement. This treaty divided the Ottoman Empire into countries that would be controlled by the British and French.
Promises of self-determination to the Arabs were ignored and never fulfilled.
How did nations begin to control the Middle East?
France granted itself control over the people and territory of Syria and Lebanon.
Britain granted itself control over the people and territory of Cyprus, Iraq and Palestine. France and Britain wanted to gain economically from the vast oil reserves in the Middle East. The British government also declared the formation of a Jewish nation-state in Palestine.
