World war 1 Flashcards
What does MANIA stand for
Militarism Alliance nationalism imperialism Assassination
What is Militarism
Aggressively preparing for war by building war weapons, creating large standing armies
For example, Germany used many resources building up its navy so it could compete with Britain and France
What is Alliance
Alliances are associations formed between two countries or groups for mutual benefit
When one country in an alliance was attacked, others in the alliance were drawn into the conflict
Name the alliance groups
Triple Entente: Britain, France, Russia
Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy
what year did ww1 start
July 28, 1914 – November 11, 1918
What is nationalism
Loyalty to one’s own country
Each country thought they were the best/strongest
France and Germany were already hostile(unfriendly) after an old war
What is imperialism
A political system in which one country takes over new colonies to gain power or resources
European countries were expanding their overseas empires, resulting in conflicts.
Germany wanted to expand but France felt threatened
What is Assassination
To kill suddenly or secretly, especially a politically prominent person
Who was assassinated
Archduke Franz Ferdinand (heir to Austrian throne) and his wife were assassinated while visiting Bosnia
Killed by a Serbian terrorist, Gavrilo Princep, a member of the “Black Hand”
What is the advantage of the allied power
advantages: more soldiers, greater industrial capacity, Britain’s navy (largest in the world, helped them get supplies)
What is the advantage of central power?
advantages: Germany’s well-trained and well-equipped army
How did the trench war begin
Germany knew it would have to fight a war on two fronts against both France and Russia
The German plan was to attack through neutral Belgium, bypassing the heavily defended border
This was known as the “Schlieffen Plan” after the German General Alfred von Schlieffen
Explain what happened in the trench war
On August 2nd1914, Germany invaded Luxembourg and Belgium
The German advance was stopped at the River Marne in September 1914 (“Miracle at the Marne”)
The fighting bogged down, and both sides started to build trenches
For the rest of the war, most of the fighting took place in a relatively small area in France/Belgium, known as the “Western Front”
How where the trenches
the trenches were about 100 m apart from one another and were separated by an area called No Man’s Land
No Man’s Land was incredibly dangerous
barbed wire
huge craters filled with water
soldiers creeping through No Man’s land faced enemy fire
Explain the purpose of the trenches (the parts)
No man’s land no one wants to be
Barbed wire protects so. No enemy
Parapet front of trench see what’s happening in no man’s land
The area protected by sandbags protects the ground from collapsing.
Ammunition: keeps there resources, store weapons
Fire step: stand on it to fire a weapon or climb over the trench
Duckboards along the bottom of the trench to keep feet dry
Dugout where military leaders make plans, possibly sleep
Problem with trench war
water/mud dead bodies rats lice trench foot shell shock enemy fire disease gas attacks continual noise/bombardment
What does stalemate mean
a situation in which further action or progress by opposing or competing parties seems impossible
The stalemate
by late 1915 the war in the west had become a stalemate on land and on sea
neither side knew how to break the deadlock
small areas of land changed hands over and over
thousands of soldiers died with very minimal gains
the conflict became a war of attrition: each side tried to wear out the other
Weapons
Canada issued its recruits the Ross Rifle, which was better suited for hunting
Machine guns came into use, but the Allied leaders only issued two machine guns per battalion
Germany stockpiled thousands of them and placed them at the front lines
The guns could fire very deadly shrapnel at 600 rounds per minute
What is Artillery
Artillery guns fired large shells used in bombardments, causing 60% of battlefield deaths in WWI
What were tanks
Tanks were used for the first time at the Somme place in france
Describe what happened in the Second battle of Ypres
Canadians sent to fight alongside British troops near Ypres, Belgium
Poison gas/chlorine gas was used by the Germans to try to break the Allied lines
This gas burned soldiers’ eyes and lungs, causing victims great suffering or death
Canadians were sent in as reinforcements and managed to hold the line, but suffered over 6000 casualties
Soldiers were later given gas masks for protection
Both sides used poison gas in the war
Describe what happened in Somme
Canadians under command of Sir Douglas Haig (Britain) sent to help the Allies break through a German line near the Somme River, France
Allied artillery bombarded a 45-km front, attempting to weaken German offences, but this tactic failed
On July 1, 1916, the Royal Newfoundland Regiment attacked at a location called Beaumont-Hamel, suffering terrible casualties
Of nearly 800 men who went over the top, there were over 700 casualties
In total the Allies suffered 60 000 casualties on the first day of this battle
Outdated tactics continued to be used in this 4 month battle
Canadians suffered 24 000 casualties during the battle
Sometimes called the bloodiest battle in history
Describe what happened in Vimy ridge battel
April 1917, Canadians tasked with taking a German stronghold on Vimy Ridge, France, where the British and French had both previously failed
All four Canadian divisions fought together for the first time, under the Canadian leadership of Major-General Arthur Currie
New tactics:
creeping barrage: artillery would bombard no man’s land and artillery would move slowly behind it
provided maps and aerial photographs of the battlefield to soldiers, timing and practising the advance using scale models
tunnels built to move troops closer to the battlefield
Why is Vimy ridge important
The Battle of Vimy Ridge would become an important part of Canada’s identity and is sometimes called the “Birth of the Nation”
Describe battel of Passchendaele
Battle of Passchendaele part of this Third Battle of Ypres
Constant shelling and heavy rains made the battlefield a muddy, swampy disaster, where British, Australians and New Zealand forces not successful
Arthur Currie and the Canadians ordered to take Passchendaele ridge
Careful preparations included scouting out enemy machine gun positions, drilling soldiers and rehearsing the battle
The barrage began Oct. 26 and the attack continued for 15 days
Canadians slowed down by the mud and water
Ridge was captured on Nov. 10, but with 15 654 Canadian casualties
Little significant gain…the battle of Passchendaele represented the futility of WWI
War in air
Airplanes: used early in the war for observation of enemy position (aerial reconnaissance) but later had machine guns mounted on them
When WWI began Canada had no air force, so Canadian pilots joined the British Royal Flying Corps or Royal Naval Air Service
About 22 800 Canadians served as pilots, gunners, mechanics, and aircrew
By the end of the war about 40% of British pilots were Canadian
