World War One

Question 1

What is militarism?

Answer 1

The belief that every country has a large army. Militarism is the idea that a nation should increase the size of their army and military capabilities in order to protect or promote its interests.

Question 2

What is imperialism?

Answer 2

Imperialism is where a country wants to take over more territory , have a larger empire.

Question 3

What is nationalism?

Answer 3

The support for your own nation wanting to be stronger and not be under the influence of other nations.

Question 4

What is old rivalaries?

Answer 4

Tension between countries over issues in the past.

Question 5

Who were in the triple entente (The alliance system)

Answer 5

Great Britain, France and Russia

Question 6

Who were in the triple alliance?

Answer 6

Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungry

Question 7

Why did WW1 start

Answer 7

The assassination of Franz Ferdinand caused Austria Hungry declare war Serbia and then Russia declared war back. Due to the alliance everyone went to war.

Question 8

What was the Schlieffen plan?

Answer 8

The plan was to invade France through Belgium.
Move fast
Capture Paris in 6 weeks
British army was small.
Western front war would be won and they wouldn’t have a war on two fronts.
Then go to eastern front to win.

Question 9

What went wrong with the Schlieffen plan?

Answer 9

Stalemate on the western front
fields were muddy
Belgiums fought bravely
British Army were well trained and well equipped.
They wanted to capture the ports but couldn’t
By the end of 1914 there were trenches dug from the Swiss border to the English Channel.

Question 10

List three differences between the Schlieffen plan and what actually happened.

Answer 10

1.They thought they could capture Paris, only Belgium fought bravely and they didn’t get to Paris, still fighting in Belgium after weeks at war.
2.Capture the ports, British army were well equipped and well trained they moved fast over to France. Only they didn’t capture the ports.
3. They switched their troops from the german border to the the Belgium border.

Question 11

When did the Battle of the Somme start?

Answer 11

1st July 1916

Question 12

How many soldiers suffered in the Battle of the Somme?

Answer 12

British - 420,000
French - 200,000
Germans - 500,00

Question 13

Why were there so many fatalities (deaths)?

Answer 13

They moved from Verdun to fight along the line of the River Somme.
Haig believed in trench warfare, artillary fire, then cavalry running towards the german trenches.
They should have used machine guns.
Used the navy to attack the germans from the west. (belgium)
WWI used new weapons and ways of fighting, Haig seemed not to understand that, describing the machine gun as an ‘overrated weapon’.

Question 14

What was Haigs plan?

Answer 14

The battle was to start with a week long artillery bombardment of the German lines.
This would clear barbed wire and destroy the German trenches.
British soldiers would then advance on the German trenches and capture them.

Question 15

Why was the British not successful?

Answer 15

British military used trench warfare as opposed to the tank, machine guns etc.
The British soldiers were young and had no experience.

Question 16

What did they learn from the Battle of the Somme?

Answer 16

The new Artillery tactic, the creeping barrage, meant the infantry could advance with the cover of constant shell fire and made it much more difficult to be shot at.
A revolutionary new weapon, the tank, was deployed for the first time in history.

Question 17

Why was the first day of the Somme a disaster?

Answer 17

Most of the German soldiers were experienced in trench warfare
British were told to advance at walking pace, not expecting many Germans to have survived
Poor intelligence and bad leadership

Question 18

Why was the somme important?

Answer 18

The Somme relieved the pressure on the French at Verdun, ground down the German Army, and turned Britain’s New Army into a professional fighting force.

Question 19

Why was the Battle of the Somme a disaster?

Answer 19

Very bad managament by the Butcher of the Somme, Marshall Haig. Trench warfare, stale mate. Use of cavalry (horses) and infantry (walking soldiers)

Question 20

How did the war end?

Answer 20

Royal Navy blocked the ports to Germany.
Germany ran out of food ammunition
Allowed American supplies in to Britain.
Food shortages led to food riots and strikes in German cities, This pressure caused the Kaiser to flee Germany.
America joined the war, this meant thousands of fresh American troops to support the allies on the Western Front by May 1918.
The u-boat campaign failed and meant to stop US aid to Britain, but actually caused America to enter the war.
By November 1918 the German army could not fight on as it was completely defeated.
Germany failed to control the seas and the ports, British could get food and supplies
America joined the war and Germany had to fight a million more soldiers.
They were tired from fighting
Italy and Austria were weak.

Question 21

what was the treaty called to end the war?

Answer 21

Treaty of Versailles

Question 22

What was in the treaty of Versailles

Answer 22

Land lost
Forbidden to unite with Austria,
Excluded from the league of Nations
War Guilt - pay money
Terms of disarmament
Rhineland demilitarised.

Question 23

When did WW1 end

Answer 23

November 1918

Question 24

What was the Russian peace treaty called?

Answer 24

The treaty of Brest Litovsk - Lennon formed his first communnist government.

Question 25

Why did the war fail on the eastern front?

Answer 25

short of ammunition, medical supplies, food, fuel
it was cold
People of Russia cold no food and fuel
Poor