World War One Flashcards
What factors contributed to the war being so deadly?
Because of the industrial revolution there were things like
Machine guns and more deadly weapons than ever before
Almost the whole world was drawn into the war and it affected all areas of life.
Causes of the war (8) rain necc
Rival alliances Arms race Industrialisation Nationalism Naval rivalry between Great Britain and Germany Economic rivalry Colonial rivalry Collapse of Ottoman Empire
Explain rival alliances
Countries came together to form alliances or opposing sides . In event of war they would help each other
Triple alliance - Germany , Austria Hungary, Italy
Triple entente - Great Britain , France and Russia
Explain nationalism
Pride in ones country . Countries wanted to be most powerful country in Europe , and also the pride they felt for their country made them want fight for it and defend it from enemies
Industrialisation
Great Britain was the first country to become industrialised and was rich because of manufacturing, but now Germany was catching up producing steel, iron, coal and cars.
Explain arms race
To prove their strength each side made more and more and more powerful weapons and larger armies increased national pride. Because of the industrial revolution , weapons could be made quickly and in big numbers
Naval rivalry explain
Naval rivalry between Great Britain and Germany. Great Britain had the largest navy since they needed a navy to defend their island and colonies and routes to colonies.
Germany was catching up and also making a large navy,and competing . Both navies increased in size because of the rivalry.
Britain built ‘dreadnought ‘ large battle ship with powerful guns
Germany responded by trying to build even bigger better war ships.
Explain economic rivalry
Germany produced more coal, iron and steel than Great Britain, so they became economic leader instead of Great Britain who w feeling threatened by this.
Explain colonial rivalry
One way of showing power was to have lots of colonies , large colonial empire was good because it gave them lots of resources , markets for their products, raw materials etc.
The rivalry over the colonies caused tension between European countries.
Collapse of Ottoman Empire explain
The Balkan countries broke away from the Ottoman Empire . Russia and Austria Hungary wanted the countries for themselves
Explain why there was tension in the Balkans
The small country of Serbia wanted to unite all the Balkan countries .austria Hungary dashed this hope by taking them over. Gavrilo princip from Balkans assassinated the visiting archduke frans Ferdinand in Sarajevo. Austria Hungary declared war on Serbia, Russia supported Serbia …this got all. Countries involved.
Synonym for the word imperial
Large in size
Who was the King of Germany?
Kaiser Wilhelm. 2
Who was the king of England?
King George 5
Scale of the war
It involved 30 countries ( including overseas empires)
Fighting took place in Europe Asia and africa
Fighting took place in 2 oceans Atlantic and Pacific
Large number fought 70 million men fought in the war
Large number of dead …10 million people killed, 20 million wounded
Besides the scale of the war how this war different?
The nature of the fighting
Involvement of large number of civilians including women
Use of propaganda
Deadliness of the weapons
Another name for the world war 1
The Great War
Explain what the trench warfare was about ?
Germany declared war on France , but they were equally matched. They dug trenches on either side to keep cover from the enemy fire.
Trenches stretched for 600km across northern France and Belgium - ( became known as the western front)
Trenches were protected by barbed wire and sandbags
Inbetween the opposing trenches was ‘No mans land’
To attack the men had to climb out of their trenches run into no,and land, cut through the wire on the other side and into the enemy trenches….almost impossible
What the battle of Somme?
A day of senseless slaughter in trenches. No ground was gained but 55,000 allied soldiers died.
What were some of the dangers soldiers faced in the trenches?
Noise of the shelling was unbearably loud , many soldiers were emotionally scarred for life
Trenchfoot - damp unsanitary conditions
Cramped conditions
Always wet
Were not allowed to write about bad conditions in letters sent home - letters were sensored
Results of the war
Conscription was introduced - men were forced to join t army to fight . Those that refused were put in prison
Laws limited people’s freedom - could arrest anyone, take anyone’s land property , censor news etc.
Food was rationed - Germany and Great Britain were trying to starve each other by sinking each other’s ships full of supplies.thousands died from starvation
List and explain some of world war1 weapons
German airship - Zeppelin Triplane , biplane, monoplane Submarines , Warships Battle cruisers
What is propoganda
Form of persuasive communication which influences people’s beliefs, opinions, and emotions
May be true or false but always tries to persuade
Appeals to heart and emotion- not reason
Uses fear ,exaggeration,and lies to get support for an idea
What did British propaganda posters tell people?
Germans were evil
Men had a duty to protect women and children
Men had a duty to fight for good ( England ) against bad ( Germany)
Propaganda posters appealed to
Sense of duty
Sense of patriotism
Love of adventure
Guilt
What is a conscientious objector
Person who refused to fight in the war because he thought it was morally wrong
How were conscientious objectors treated
Treated as traitors and cowards
Women were encouraged to give them white feathers to a shame them and identify them
How did women’s lives change during the war .
Jobs: Women had to keep the Economy going because no men around - bus drivers, plumbers, gravediggers, coal miners, shipbuilders ( typical men jobs before)
