World War 1 Flashcards
How many people were killed in WW1?
9 million- 5000 deaths a day
What were the long-term causes of WW1?
- Nationalism- People started to take pride in theor countries at the beginning of the 12th century- leaders though the best way to prove they were best was to have a war with rivals
- Militarism- Countries spent more and more on bigger and bigger armies; the countries were caught up in an arms race
- Imperialism- Many European countries had empires and control of other nations; they began to see eachother as threats and saw war as the only way to permanantly remove this threat
What countries formed the ‘Triple Entente’?
Britain, France and Russia
What countries formed the triple alliance?
Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy
When did the heir to the Austrian thrine- Frank Ferdinand arrive in Bosnian city?
28 June 1914
Who planned to assassinate Frank Ferdinand and why?
The Black Hand Gand planned to assassinate Frank Ferdinand as they were unhappy that Bosnia had been conquered by Austria-Hungary.
What were the events leading up to Frank Ferdinands assassination?
- Six black hand gang assassins wait for him at the Cumurja bridge and one throws a bomb but misses
- Archduke cancelled the rest of his visit but the driver takes a wrong turn
- Goes past the cafe of which Gavrilo Princip (a black hand gang assassin) was standing
- Both him and his wife were shot by him and both killed
How did the murder of Franz Fedinand lead up to WW1?
- Austria-Hungary blames Serbia for his death and attacks Serbia
- Russia (who promised to protect Serbia) attacks Austria-Hungary
- Germany (who support Austria-Hungary) declare war of Russia
- Germany declares war on France
- Belgium refuses to allow Germany to pass through and invade France; Germany does so and Britain declares war on Germany
- Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia
- Britain and France declare war on Austria-Hungary
When did WW1 start?
28 July 1914- Austria Hungary declares war on Serbia
August- Britain and France declare war on Austria-Hungary
What and when was the Schlieffen plan?
On 3 August 1914, Germany’s plan was to quickly defeat France through Belgium and move soldiers to east to fight Russia. This failed as Belgium out up a long fight, slowing the charge to France. Germany was forced to send soldiers to fight Russia and had eventually retreated massively. By the end of 1914 the trenches stretched from the English channel to Switzerland. The war was stuck in a stalemate.
What were the two main fronts?
- The Western Front (in France and Belgium)
- The Eatsern Front (in Russia)
What were Duckboards?
These were planks of wood placed on the ground to prevent soldiers sinking into the mud
What was a fire step?
Soldiers stood on these to look and fire over the top of the trench
What was a periscope?
Enabled troops to see over the top without the risk of being shot
What were the problems within the trenches?
- Trench rats- rats would giv ebrith to up to 880 offspring, would grow massively and eat soldiers food
- Food- As the size of the army grew, food had to be rationed, mainly bully beef and bread, often stale and cold by the time it reached the frontlines
- Disease- Trench Foot- Infection of the feet due to cold, wet, dirty conditions; men stood for hours in wet mud without removign their shoes or socks and their feet would go numb or blue. During the winter of 1914-15, 20,000 men were treated for trench foot in the British Army
