World War I Flashcards
What were the four reasons for war breaking out in 1914?
Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism and Nationalism (MAIN)
What is militarism?
The idea that a nation should have strong militaryforces and be determined to use them proactively in order to defend or advance its interests
Why is militarism relevant to WWI?
In the early 1900s, all the powerful counties were caught up in an arms race, trying to out-do each other, so no one had the smallest army and lots of money was being invested into it
Why were alliances forming in 1914?
Countries felt threatened so they made agreements with other countries to keep each other safe if they were ever invaded
What were the alliances in 1914?
The Triple Entente (France, Britain, Russia) and The Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy)
What is imperialism?
Extending a country’s power through colonisation?
Who had the biggest empire in 1914?
Britain, so other countries wanted one just as big to rival it and there was a race to gain control over countries (especially Africa)
What is nationalism?
The idea that your nation is much better than any other
What did people think was the best way to show that your country was the best?
War
What was ‘The Spark’ of WWI?
The death of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Who killed the Archduke Franz Ferdinand?
The Black Hand Gang, Gavrillo Princip
Where was the Archduke Franz Ferdinand killed?
Sarajevo
Why was the Archduke Franz Ferdinand killed?
In protest because Bosnia had been annexed by Austria-Hungary and the Bosnians wanted to be part of Serbia
When was the Archduke Franz Ferdinand killed?
28 June 1914
Who did Austria-Hungary blame for the death of Franz Ferdinand and what did they do about it?
They blamed Serbia so they attacked them
When did Austria-Hungary attack Serbia?
28th July 1914
What happened on 29th July 1914?
Russia promised to protect Serbia because it had been aiding Serbia in development (which threatened Austria-Hungary) and started to mobilise
What does mobilise mean?
Prepare and start organising troops
What happened on 1st August 1914?
Germany declares war on Russia after hearing about their preparations for war and its alliance with Austria-Hungary
What happens on 2nd August 1914?
Britain begins to prepare warships
What happens on 3rd August 1914?
Germany declares war on France
What was the Schlieffen Plan?
In case of the outbreak of war, Germany would attack France first and then Russia because they took longer to mobilise
What happened on the 4th August 1914?
Germany asked for permission to march through Belgium to France but Belgium said no, but they marched through anyway and because of an agreement from 1839 between Belgium and Britain, Britain declared war on Germany
What happened on 6th August 1914?
Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia
What happened on 12th August 1914?
Britain and France declare war on Austria-Hungary
What does patriotism mean?
Patriotic (quality), passion or devotion to one’s country
What is propaganda?
Misleading, biased information in order to promote a political cause or strong point of view
What were Pals Battalions?
Groups of friends from neighbourhoods, workplaces or families who went to war together and were sent to the same battles and commonly died together
What was conscription?
Conscription was when the government picked who went to war and mailed the people who were enlisted
Why was conscription needed?
Many volunteers were dying and people weren’t signing up because they didn’t want to die so the British army was getting smaller
What were conchies?
Conscientious objectors and they refused to fight due to religious or personal beliefs
What were aircrafts used for in the trenches?
To warn the build up of enemy troops before an attack
How was the front line of a trench built?
Zig-zag with angular ‘fire bays’ to minimise the effect of shell fire and to prevent the enemy firing down the length of the trench
What were concrete block houses built for?
Machine guns
What was the stretch of land between two opposing front line trenches called?
No Man’s Land
What was the trench behind the front line trench called?
Support trench
What were the connecting trenches called and what was their purpose?
Communication trenches and they allowed troops and supplies to be brought to the front line
What kind of artillery was placed 10km behind the front line and what was their purpose?
Long range artillery and they fired at advancing enemy troops
What were the trenches at the back called?
Reserve trench
What was placed in front of the front-line trench?
Barbed wire