WW1 Flashcards
Serbia v. Austria Hungary
- both of them want Bosnia
Serbia and Russia
- have a close link, allies
- have the same religion: Christian Orthodox
- Slavic
- Russia wanted access to the sea, planned to back Serbia in case of any violence
Who does Austria-Hungary have as an ally?
Germany
Who does Serbia have as an ally?
Russia
Archduke Franz Ferdinand
- Franz about to be leader
- Franz was hated in Austria-Hungary (thought he was weak)
Black Hand and Young Bosnia
- nationalist group
- read about the unification of Germany and Italy, wanted to unify Slavs
- felt that something dramatic was needed to do this
June 28, 1914: The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
- in Sarajevo, Bosnia’s capital
- Franz to walk the city, talk to soldiers
- Young Bosnian’s and Black Hand line streets
- Princip, thinking that Franz had already been killed, shoots Ferdinand and accidentally, his wife Queen Sophie
- the precursor to WWI
who killed the archduke?
Gavrilo Princip, a young Bosnian Serb, member of the Black Hand and Young Bosnia
Why did Austria-Hungary declare war on Serbia?
- thought the act was planned by the gov (no evidence), AH sent list of actions for Serbia to follow in order to avoid war declaration, Serbia did not meet all requirements, AH got mad and declared war
Count Conrad Hotznedorf
- Chief of Staff for AH
- Itching for war, asked to declare war on Serbia 26 times from 1913 - June 1914
- saw the assassination as a perfect way to start the war
- still needed Germany’s permission
Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and AH
- Germany gives a “blank check” to AH
- Basically do whatever needs to be done to destroy Serbia
August 1st, 1914: Start of the war
- at the boarder of AH and Serbia, cannons positioned into Serbia
- killed many Serbs
who does Russia have an alliance with?
- Serbia, Russia declares war on AH, Germany declares war on Russia, France declares war on Germany (France had an alliance w Russia)
Great Britain and agreement with France
- Germany attacked Belgium, Belgium had an alliance with France, so when France’s friend Belgium was attacked, GB got involved
Entente Powers/Allies
- France
- Great Britain
- Serbia
- Russia
- USA (joined in April 1917)
- Italy (joined in 1915)
Central Powers
- Germany
- Austria-Hungary
- Ottoman Empire (joined in 1914)
- Bulgaria (joined in 1915)
The Western Front
- the area between France and Germany, filled with trenches
- land where the majority of fighting was done
Schlieffen Plan
- a plan by the central powers
- take bulk of army, throw it at the French, shock them, take Paris, rush back to the eastern front, take on the Russians
- failed: Central powers did not have enough man power to take Paris because of the Allied powers strong embarkments surrounding Paris
use of gasses in WWI
- mustard gas, first uses of chemical weapons
Serbia in WWI
- had initial battlefield successes against AH
- Bulgaria joins the war on the side of central powers, leads to the demise of Serbia
- Serbian military retreats to Corfu in late 1915
Austrian atrocities against Serb civilians
- had a goal to kill every village
- crucified citizens
Serbian exodus
- Serbians abandoned their land to protect their citizens
- Serbian king leads them out of Serbia to Greece
- a harsh journey
Ottoman Empire in WWI
- the Dardanelles straight was essential for the Allies
- joined the Central Powers in Oct. 1914
Gallipoli Landings
- Disaster for the Entente
- tried to take control of the Ottoman Straights