World War 1 Flashcards
1
Q
What were the key features of the Schlieffen Plan?
A
Push through Belgium and The Netherlands towards the French Channel, swing around to the west of Paris and capture Paris
- Bold and decisive initial move against France in the West
- Violation of Dutch and Belgian neutrality
- Capture Paris
- France would not be able to mobilise cause Germany would be so quick
2
Q
What Modifications did Moltke make to the Schlieffen Plan?
A
- Abandoned invasion through Netherlands
- Reduced/weakened Hammerswing = Paris not captured, Delays enabled French to mobilise, thrust through Belgium weakened
- Restricted troops to a smaller area = bottleneck & chronic supply problem
- Belgian resistance proved far stouter than anticipated
3
Q
What did the Battle of the Marne involve?
A
- 6-12 September 1914
- fought deep into North Eastern France
- Joffre launched a counter-offensive strike=large gap in Germany’s line
- Britain dispatched troops
- Moltke ordered a retreat, Britain & France pursued and they all dug in
- Ended hopes of Germany’s rapid war
- French threw back the German offensive and recaptured lost ground
4
Q
What did the Race to the Sea involve?
A
- September-November 1914
- Race to be the first to the channel to capture the ports
- Last mobile phase
- Going north then attempting to cut them off
- Britain and France from the East, Germany from the West
5
Q
What did life in the trenches involve?
A
- Barbed wire, No-man’s land, ammunition shelf, dug out, firestep, duckboard
- Mud, Rain & Cold: Frostbite, clay
- Lice & Rats: Constant irritation, trench rats
- Sickness & Disease: Trenchfoot, no antibiotics, infections, meningitis
- Psychological: Shellshock caused by stresses of nature of war stayed even after war
- Bland food & chlorinated water: tea, biscuits, bully beef
- Massive firepower, cratered land, utter fear & terror contrasted by boredom & no action
6
Q
What Strategies and Tactics were used in attempt to break the stalemate?
A
- War of attrition-weaken the enemy
- Germany’s Unrestricted submarine campaign: sunk B merchant ship, brought US into the war
- Weapons: Tank, Aeroplane, Gas e.g mustard gas-blisters,irritant
- Popal Peace Note 1917
- Britain imposed a tight naval blockade on Germany
7
Q
What did the Battle of Verdun involve?
A
- February-December 1916
- Germany launched an attack on Verdun-symbol of French honour
- captured Fort Douamont enabling men & supplies to reach
- French counter-attacked in April
- Joffre refused partial withdrawal & French re-captured Fort Douamont & battle ended 18 December
- huge casualties
- Primary reason for the Battle of the Somme
- land recaptured was a wasteland, front didn’t move
8
Q
What did the Battle of the Somme involve?
A
- July-November 1916
- Offensive to drive through the German lines to relieve pressure on the French at Verdun & cut the Germans off
- Munitions factories were at max capacity & conscription meant a strong army
- Britain attacked, French delayed & then took Germany by surprise
- Broke off in November with no breakthrough
- Enormous casualties
- French very involved in war now and pressure was relieved at Verdun
- Germany’s army was weakened, withdrew to a smaller, easier to defend line
9
Q
What was involved in the Battle of Passchendaele?
A
- attempt to relieve the French, break the German line & capture ports
- Land turned to swamp-rain & Allied artillery bombardment
- ANZACs captured Polygon Wood & Passchendaele fell to the British Nov
- =relieved pressure, huge casualties, <8km gains for Britain
- Ports not captured, battlefield turned to muddy wastes
- Germany’s army suffered but had a back up army
10
Q
How did attitudes of Allied and German soldiers change to the war over time?
A
- Initial reaction: enthusiasm, excitement, patriotic fervour
- No one knew the nature of modern warfare
- After the Somme + huge casualties, reality set in
- War-weariness
- Recruitment levels decreased
- Mutinies
- Armistice met with relief & resignation
11
Q
What impact did total war have on Home Fronts?
A
*Mobilisation of all civilians/entire resources of the state for the war effort*
- Governments took greater control
- Britain: DORA, economic reorganisation, Ministry of Munitions, Land Army, taxes, rationing
- Germany: Patriotic Auxiliary Service Law, Naval blockade took 80% of export market, huge national debt, economic reorganisation, War Raw Materials Department, Rationing, Bad Harvests
12
Q
How did a variety of attitudes to the war change over time in Britain and Germany?
A
- Britain: enthusiasm, crowds cheered; Battle of the Somme changed; war-weariness, increased suffering
- Germany: Political Unity then hardship, starvation, disillusion, strikes, peace demonstrations, naval blockade=bitterness towards the government, revolution threatened government, attempts to form peace were largely ignored by governments
13
Q
How did the Home Fronts utilise Recruitment, Conscription, Censorship and Propaganda?
A
- Recruitment: posters, meetings, recruiting agents, newspapers
- Conscription: Germany had conscription then broadened it; Britain introduced in May 1916
- Censorship: minimised bad knews, Britain: DORA censored mail, soldiers forbidden to keep diaries, fed sanitised version of the war; Germany: told lies about Britain, emphasised victories
- Propaganda: encouraged recruitment, boost morale, encourage investment, promote hatred of the enemy-illustrated by people who had never been near the battlefield
14
Q
What impact did the war have on women’s lives and experiences in Britain?
A
- approx 7 million by November 1918
- most major increase in the munition’s industry-dangerous, long
- in armed services freed up men for the front
- Trade Unions: scared that if unskilled women entered factories, the status of skilled workers would be permanently damaged
- Right to vote in 1918, greater self-respect, position in society improved
- freed from confines of domesticity
- Make up, smoking, short skirts
15
Q
What was the impact of the US entry into the war?
A
- opposed entry to war but entered in April 1917 due to the Zimmerman telegraph, German U-boat campaign & Britain controlled the trans-atlantic cable
- fresh troops
- limitless industrial & economic resources
- German morale and discipline fell
