WW1 and the Russian Revolution Flashcards
What were the 3 main long term causes of WW1?
Nationalism, Militarism and Imperialism
What is Nationalism?
The idea that their country and ideas were superior.
What is Militarism?
This was the act of expanding and investing in their military power.
What is Imperialism?
The act of taking other territories to gain power.
What was a short-term cause of WW1?
Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated
What date was Franz Ferdinand assassinated?
28th June 1914
How did the short-term cause start WW1?
Due to alliances, it started a giant domino effect, where one country protecting another gets involved, which means another gets involved, etc.
What was the plan that the Germans tried to use to conquer France
The Schlieffen plan.
What was the Schlieffen plan?
It was a plan to defeat France quickly through a “knockout blow” through Belgium
How did the Schlieffen Plan go wrong?
The Belgian Army was a lot more resistant than previously thought, the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) held the Germans at Mons, and Russia launched an attack on Germany far faster than normal.
What is a stalemate
This is where neither side progresses to defeat the other
What is a front?
The name given to the area where two armies meet each other
What did the armies do when they met at the fronts?
They dug trenches
What did Duckboards do?
Placed on the ground to stop soldiers from sinking into the ground.
What did a firestep do?
Stood on these to fire “over the top”
What were dugouts?
They were rooms dug out the back wall of trenches.
What did periscopes do?
They enabled soldiers to look over the top without getting shot.
What did Barbed Wire do?
It slowed down attacking troops
What did a Machine gun do?
It mowed down enemy troops
What were artillery?
Large guns that fired explosives for miles.
What were communication trenches?
Links from the frontline to the reserve trenches.
What were reserve trenches?
This is where soldiers go to rest or wait to go to the frontline
What are trench rats
Rats that were attracted by the dead bodies in the trenches. Claims were they were “as big as a cat”.
What is trench foot?
An infection of the foot caused by wet, cold and dirty conditions. The feet would gradually become numb and blue, thus causing untreated cases to become amputees.
