World War 1 Flashcards
Causes/events leading to war? M
Militarism- the build up of men and arms of a country’s army.
Causes/events leading to war? A
Alliances- countries have alliances with one another and are dragged into war to obtain loyalty.
Causes/events leading to war? N
Nationalism- love of your country, need support of citizens so they support war.
Causes/events leading to war? I
Imperialism- resources one country has that another one wants, so they invade.
Causes/events leading to war? Assas.
Assassination- assassination of Franz Ferdinand was the trigger that started WWI.
Zimmerman Telegram
Germany sent a telegram to mexico, which Britain intercepted and decoded, telling them to go into war with the US. Germany did this so that Britain’s supplies would be cut off and they’d focus on Mexico.
What 3 states did Germany promise Mexico would regain?
Texas, Arizona, New Mexico.
Unrestricted submarine warfare.
Germany lifted this rule, which meant their U-boats could sink any ships that were sending supplies to Britain. They did this to try and starve them.
Schlieffen Plan
Germany’s plan to take over Russia and France. Plan was developed 9 years before, so it was out of date since technology was always changing.
3 reasons the Schlieffen Plan failed?
Belgium wouldn’t let Germany through to France and because Russia stabilized their army faster than expected. Also dividing their army between France and Russia, less powerful.
Triple Entente
France, Britain, Russia (Canada was a British colony)
Triple Alliance
Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy
Tank
Was introduced at the battle of the Somme in 1916.
Gas
Toxic chlorine gas was first introduced at the battle of Ypres in 1915 by the Germans. They had released the gas to attack French troops.
Gas masks
Were first used in 1916 and had full face covering to protect soldiers from toxic gas.
Fighter planes
Were used to capture pictures of enemy trenches and gain knowledge of the enemy.
Ross Rifle
Used in WWI because it could fire faster than some other guns. Downside was it easily jammed in muddy conditions and would seize if over-heated.
Creeping Barrage
A tactic used at Vimy Ridge where explosives would be fired while soldiers followed behind until they reached enemy trenches.
Barbed wire
Was used to delay the enemy troops and offer some protection for attacks.
Submarines
Used by the Germans (U-boats) to sink ships that were carrying supplies to Britain.
Sonar
Used to detect submarines that were underneath a ship.
Depth charges
A weapon that is dropped in the water and detonated, destroying any submarines nearby.
Robert Borden
Was Prime Minister of Canada during WWI. He made conscription law and rigged the election. He allowed women relatives of soldiers the chance to vote in the election, knowing they’d vote for him. Conscription meant more men fighting which meant soldiers were more likely to come home safely. He took the vote away from enemy aliens also.
Which women could vote under Borden?
Mothers, sisters, wives, daughters
Woodrow Wilson
Was the president of the US during WWI and kept the US out of war with Europe and Mexico. He declared war on Germany because of unrestricted submarine warfare,
Franz Ferdinand
Was the leader of Austria-Hungary and his assassination was the trigger cause of WWI. It happened in 1914 by a 19 year-old man named Gavrilo Princip.
Alfred Von Schlieffen
Was a German field marshal and the man who came up with the Schlieffen plan.
Manfred Von Richthofen (Red Baron)
Was a pilot for Germany and had many victories of shooting down other aircraft. Also known as the “Red Baron” because he painted his planes red.
Billy Bishop
Was a pilot and had 72 victories during WWI. Received a Victoria Cross for destroying 4 German aircraft.
Roy Brown
Serving with the Royal Naval Air Service, Roy was credited with shooting down the “Red Baron’s” plane.
Arthur Currie
Was commander of the Canadians in June of 1917. Under his leadership, the Canadians had victories of Hill 70 and Passchendaele. He also saved many lives by demanding more guns and preparation time for Canadian soldiers.
Victory Bonds
You give an amount of money to the government, and after a period of time, you get the money back with an interest rate on top. It was a way to fund war.
Income Tax
Used to fund government services that contribute to society. It was supposed to be temporary.
Loans
Money that you borrow from a bank that you must pay back with an interest rate and within a timeline.
Victory Gardens
People would grow gardens to can the food and ship it overseas for the soldiers.
War Measures Act
An act that enforced conscription. Forced men to enlist in war, by law.
Enemy Aliens
People who immigrated from a country that Canada was at war with. People were paranoid and didn’t trust these new Canadian immigrants.
Conscription Crisis
The English felt it was their duty to go to war and to protect their home. The French didn’t want to go to war because they didn’t have a connection to Britain. They felt it wasn’t their duty.
Wartime Elections Act
PM Borden rigged the election by allowing women relatives of soldiers to vote, knowing they’d vote for him.
Propaganda (4 things)
Fund war, rationing, enlistment, nationalism.
Propaganda (7 tricks)
Name calling, card stacking, transfer, plain folk, testimonial, glittery generality, bandwagon
Propaganda (evoke emotion)
Guilt, anger, sadness
Propaganda (why posters)
TV was not invented, effective and cheap, radios were not accessible, had an impact
Halifax Explosion
2 ships were passing, crashed, one carrying explosives, exploded. That night it snowed a foot so people were stuck under rubble and a foot of snow.
Rationing
People had to ration food so that there was enough to send overseas.
U
United States
P
Parliament (people were hungry, blamed the government)
T
Technology (detect and sink submarines)
E
Embargo (economy of Germany falls apart)
A
Alliances (Germany’s alliances were weak, Italy joined Entente)
M
Multiple Fronts (divide your army, less powerful)
Where and when did Ypres take place?
It took place in Belgium from April to May of 1915.
Describe the battle of Ypres
It was the first time toxic chlorine gas was introduced, by the Germans, as a weapon to attack the French troops. A gap of 6.5 kilometers was made from the French defenders fleeing or dying from the gas.
What role did Canadians play in Ypres?
When the French left the gap in defense, the Canadians fought all night to close the gap.
Casualties of Ypres
6,035 casualties and 2,000 Canadians dead.
When and where did Somme take place?
It took place at Somme river valley, Northern France from July to November of 1916.
Describe the battle of Somme
This battle took place to relieve pressure on the French defenders. Before the attack, troops tried to fire shells at the enemy, to weaken their army, but a lot of the shells were defective or missing fuses. On July 1st, the British went “over the top,” expecting an easy attack on the Germans, but were instead met with deadly weapons and an unsuccessful attack.
What was the role of Canadians in Somme?
Canadians fought at Beaumont Hamel and were attacked by Germans. Canadian troops also fought to capture the village of Courcelette, which was successful.
What 2 things did Canadians use to capture Courcelette in battle of Somme?
Tanks and creeping barrage.
Casualties of Somme
24,029 casualties of Canadian soldiers.
Where and when did Vimy Ridge take place?
Northern France in April of 1917.
Describe the battle of Vimy Ridge
Battle began at 5:30 am when 15,000-20,000 Canadian soldiers started to attack. They advanced behind a creeping barrage, which allowed them to move closer to the enemy, ultimately taking them out. On the morning of April 10th, Hill 145 was captured, and two days later, “the pimple” was captured. These are both high ground, which helped have a clear view of the Germans.
The role of Canadians in Vimy Ridge?
They fought to take over Vimy Ridge and succeeded in that. This battle helped to define Canada as a nation because they were seen as one country and not as a part of Britain. Canada was also the only allied nation to take over Vimy Ridge, using all four of their divisions.
Casualties of Vimy Ridge
10,600 casualties, with 3,600 of those being deaths.
Where and when did Passchendaele take place?
Northwest Belgium from July to November of 1917.
Describe the battle of Passchendaele
This battle was to capture the village of Passchendaele. It was extremely muddy which caused several men and horses to drown in the mud. Soldiers had to fight hard and push forward.
Role of Canadians in the battle of Passchendaele?
Canadians fought hard in this battle and took over Passchendaele. Nine men earned the Victoria Cross.
Casualties of Passchendaele
4,000 Canadian soldiers died and 12,000 were injured.
End of War (Treaty of Versailles)
The war stopped when Germany surrendered on November 11th, 1918. Britain, France, and US were the big 3 to decide Germany’s conditions. The US wanted to keep peace, France wanted to be harsh, Britain was in-between.
What conditions did Germany have to endure because of Treaty of Versailles?
Germany had to pay 30 million dollars and give up some of their land. They also had an immense amount of guilt put on them since they got blamed for war.
Main cause of WWI and how were the others related?
The main cause of war was imperialism because countries wanted the resources of other countries. The assassination of Franz Ferdinand was just the trigger of war, countries had been preparing for war prior. All countries wanted the biggest and strongest army and went to war to prove that. When countries have alliances, countries would get dragged into war to maintain loyalty. People have a love for their country and feel they need to fight for it.
Why was the war fought mostly from trenches?
Because machine guns were introduced and trenches were the only way to protect themselves. Trenches were built in zigzags so that artillery shells didn’t do as much damage and were contained. If you went out to no mans lands, you’d die.
Why did the US enter war?
They entered the war because Germany began unrestricted submarine warfare and would attack and sink their ships. The US was previously neutral, but that set them off.
Was conscription a success?
Yes, conscription was a success. Even though only around 25,000 soldiers made it to the front lines, they still contributed manpower to keep Canada in the fields.
Why did Germany lose WWI?
- Germany had to fight both in Western Europe and Russia. Planning and communicating 2 different wars is hard.
- Germany’s allies were weak; Italy had left to join Triple Entente.
- Their supplies and food were cut off. Britain and the US blocked shipping ports to Germany which caused a decline in war goods and food.
- New technology. Depth charges and planes could drop weapons to destroy submarines below water.
- The German government fell apart due to shortages, citizens blamed them.
- The US entered the war and were ready to fight. German soldiers had low moral since war had gone on for so long.
How did the Treaty of Versailles cripple Germany’s economy?
It crippled their economy because they had to surrender some land, which offered resources, which gave them profit. They no longer had this land and had to pay 30 million dollars to the allies, so there was no way to get the money.
Wilhelm II
He was a German Emperor until 1918 when he lost support of the German military and people were starving that he was forced out of power.
Nicholas II
He was the last Tsar of the Russian Empire.
How many lives were lost during WWI?
20 million
Why did men enlist in war at first?
They thought it would be an opportunity to travel and because they thought it would be over by Christmas.
100 days offensive
In the final 100 days of war, Canada and the allied forces fought the German army in a series of battles, which drove them to surrender.
