WW1 main info Flashcards
1
Q
Which countries are in the Triple Alliance?
A
Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary
2
Q
Which countries are in the Triple Entente?
A
Britain, France and Russia
3
Q
Who was Kasier Wilhelm II?
A
- He was keen on military parades and appointed most of the important roles to military people
- Was closely involved in Germany’s plans for war
- He became Kaiser at the age of 27 when the German industry was growing fast
4
Q
What did Germany have and want before the war?
A
They had: - Colonies in Africa - Second largest Navy They wanted: - Even more colonies - Not to be surrounded (encirclement) - Replace Britain as the most powerful navy
5
Q
What was encirclement?
A
The idea of being surrounded by enemies
6
Q
What did Austria Hungary want and have before the war?
A
Had:
- Blank cheque from Germany
- Triple Alliance
Wanted:
- To keep hold of the smaller nations that wanted independence
- Not for Serbia to grow more powerful as a country (as they were backed by Russia)
7
Q
What did Italy have and want before the war?
A
They had:
- an agreement with Germany and Austria Hungary that protected them
They wanted:
- To set up colonies and build up an overseas empire
8
Q
What did Britain have and want before the war?
A
They had:
- A huge overseas empire
- Alliances with France and Russia
They wanted:
- Not to get involved with European politics (splendid Isolation)
- Not for Germany to get a larger empire than them
9
Q
What did France have and want before the war?
A
They had:
- a close friendship and secret alliance with Russia (not triple entente)
- a built-up industry and army
They wanted to:
- protect themselves against attacks from Germany
- get back the region of Alsace-Lorraine which Germany took
10
Q
What did Russia have and want before the war?
A
They had: - Large armies in case of emergencies - Largest land They wanted: - Influence over Austria-Hungary due to the Slavs
11
Q
What is the definition of Militarisation or Rearmament?
A
Equipping or rearming the army in preparation for war
12
Q
Give the causes of ww1 and the final trigger
A
- Traditional rivalries
- European Militarisation
- Morrocan crisis (both)
- Bosnian crisis and Balkan wars
- Rising nationalism in the Balkans
- ASSASSINATION
13
Q
How many dreadnoughts did Britain and Germany have in 1908 and 1914?
A
Britain - 6 and 29
Germany - 4 and 17
14
Q
What was Britain’s militarisation looking like?
A
- their military had been secretly involved with French commanders
- they set up the BEF (British Expeditionary Force) which could go to France at any point to aid them on short notice
15
Q
What was Russia’s militarisation looking like?
A
- They were badly equipped, but it was huge
- Their plan was that if war ever broke out, they would just overwhelm Germany and Austria-Hungary by sheer weight of numbers
16
Q
What was France’s militarisation looking like?
A
- They had a large and well-equipped army
- Their plan was called ‘Plan 17’ and it was to charge across the frontier and attack deep into Germany forcing surrender
17
Q
What was Austria-Hungary’s militarisation looking like?
A
- They knew they needed the help of Germany to hold back Russia
- It also relied on the success of the Schlieffen Plan so that Germany could help them beat Russia
18
Q
What was Germany’s militarisation looking like?
A
- Not the biggest army but was the most powerful and trained
- Their worry was they would have to fight Russia and France at the same time
- The Schlieffen plan meant that they would quickly attack and defeat France and turn their forces on Russia (they assumed they would take longer to get ready for war)
19
Q
What was the aim of the Schlieffen Plan?
A
To avoid war on both fronts
20
Q
In the 1st Moroccan Crisis, why did the Kaiser want more influence in Morocco?
A
He wanted to prevent France from occupying Morocco
21
Q
What was the outcome of the Algeciras conference?
A
- Britain and France had strong relationships and the Triple Entente was formed
- Kaiser failed, and France took Morocco
22
Q
Why was Morocco increasingly unsettled domestically in 1911 and what was the French response?
A
There was an uprising against the Sultan and some French troops and so France 20,000 colonial troops were sent to protect residents and properties
23
Q
What was Germany’s response after the French sent troops after Morocco’s uprising and why did this worry Britain?
A
Germany sees this as France trying to extend their control and they sent one of their ships to the coast of Morocco - Britain was worried that Germany would try to establish a naval base in Morocco. This ruined the trust between nations
24
Q
Why did the Moroccan Crisis make the Kaiser bitter and paranoid?
A
- The Kaiser left embarrassed after his views were rejected as he was treated as if he had no right to speak
- After the Triple Entente was formed, the Kaiser saw this policy as a threatening example of encirclement
25
Who were the Slavs?
An ethnic group of peoples living in Central and Eastern Europe
26
What did annex mean?
To assume control over another territory
27
What was the sequence of events of the Bosnian Crisis?
- A rebellion in Turkey
- Austria-Hungary takes advantage of Turkey's weakened state to annex Bosnia
- This angered the Serbians who asked Russia for help
- Russia called for an international conference
- The German Kaiser was unhappy with Austria-Hungary's actions, they decided to support them
- Russia did not want war so backed down the threat of war was avoided due to the Alliance System but they were confident that Germany would back them
28
What is the Balkan league?
- Turkey continued to grow weaker and was defeated by Italy in North Africa
- Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria and Montenegro joined forces to form the Balkan League to gain independence from the Ottoman Empire
- Russia was supportive of the League as it was a useful ally against A-H
29
What happened during the First Balkan War?
- The war between the Balkan League and Turkey lasted 50 days and involved around half a million soldiers
- Turkey was defeated and, at a conference in London, agreed to withdraw from all of its territories in Europe
30
What happened during the Second Balkan War?
- There were disagreements over the amount of land each country the Balkan League should take from Turkey
- The King of Bulgaria felt his country had not received its fair share and declared war on Serbia and Greece
- Turkey and Romania both joined the war against Bulgaria
- It was a total disaster for Bulgaria which lost most of the land it had gained in the First Balkan War
31
What were the results of the Balkan Wars?
- Increased tensions
- Made countries, especially Bulgaria angry and annoyed and they wanted revenge
- Serbia wished to increase its influence further because of the Slavs in A-H
- Serbia almost doubled in size and was very strong
- Slavs in Bosnia wanted to be a part of Serbia
- A-H saw Serbia as a threat (its friendship with Russia was intimidating)
- Underground gangs against A-H such as Black Hand Gang
32
What is Nationalism?
Identification of one's own nation and supports its wishes, even if it means putting other nations at risk
33
What was the two power standard?
Britain must always have a navy which is twice the size of the next largest one
34
What was Weltpolitik?
The ambition of Germany and the Kaiser to become a dominant empire in the world
35
What happened to the Kaiser after Germany lost the war?
He fled into exile and died 20 years later
36
Who was the Black Hand Gang?
A Serbian terrorist group
37
Name the events of the Assassination of the Archduke
- He was on tour in Bosnia with his wife (even though he knew he wasn't popular and people didn't like him)
- The assassinators had weapons from the Serbian governments - there was 3 assassins
- The first person did nothing
- The second threw a bomb but it bounced off the car, went underneath the car behind and blew up, injuring many people
- The car turned down the wrong road where the last assassin was waiting and stalled
- They shot the Archduke and his wife and they died
38
Give three long term causes of the assassination
- Serbia believes that the Slavs should have their own independent nation
- Traditional rivalries
- Germany's policy of Weltpolitik to expand their empire to match Britains (militarisation)
39
Give three short term causes of the assassination
- Austria Hungary's annexation of Bosnia
- The Moroccan and Bosnian Crisis's
- Black Hand Gang's plan to assassinate the Archduke
40
What was the July Crisis and what happened?
- Austria-Hungary sends Serbia a 10 point ultimatum stating Serbia must take full responsibility for the assassination, get rid of the BHG and the A-H will patrol Serbia - they were given 48 hrs to respond
- Russia supports Serbia and they get ready to aid them
- Austria- Hungary declares war on Serbia
- The Kaiser tells Russia to stop, but they do not
- Germany declares war on Russia because of its alliance with A-H and the French prepares their army
- Germany attempts to execute the Schlieffen plan but it fails
41
HOW did Germany's Schlieffen plan fail?
- Belgium wouldn't let them through so Germany officially declares war on France and invades Belgium anyway
- An old treaty with Britain and Belgium from 1839 comes into play (Germany didn't believe that Britain would actually get involved) and Britain send a message to the Kaiser to stop the invasion
- Kaiser ignores the message and as a result, Britain declares war on Germany
- France declares war on Germany and A-H declares war on Russia
(Basically a whole load of declaring war going on...)
42
How did Schlieffen assume French and Russian armies would mobilise?
Slowly
43
How many soldiers did Schlieffen send for Russia and France?
Russia - 250,000
| France - 1.5 million
44
WHY did the Schlieffen plan fail?
- G assumes that Russia will mobilise slowly and France quickly
- Germany assumes that Belgium is going to allow them to pass through
- Assumes Britain won't get involved because of Belgium
- It took Germany longer than they had expected to get France and this gave France and Britain more time to prepare
- Stalemate (trenches in Northern France)
45
What is the 20 Mark question structure?
```
INTRO (address the statement and say what you think)
PARA FOR
PARA AGAINST (another cause)
PARA AGAINST (another cause)
CONCLUSION
```
46
How was Serbia's nationalism rising?
- Annexation of Bosnia (slavs wanting to be free)
- Formation of the BHG
- Balkan wars which further angered Slavs and Serbians and de-stabilised the Balkan Nations
47
How was the Alliance Systems causing the war?
- Idea of a safety net - allowed countries to be reckless
- Blindly following the ally even if they disagreed
- Meant that countries that weren't directly involved in the first place, are now involved
48
What does Outflank mean?
To get around the end of...
49
What happened at the battle of Alsace-Lorraine?
- The French launched a direct attack on Germany through Alsace-Lorraine
- France lost over 12,000 men in 12 days and had to regroup their forces
50
What was the race to the sea?
When Germany realised they could not break through enemies lines and so they charged towards the sea to try and outflank the enemy's lines
51
What was the Battle of Alsace-Lorraine and Battle of Marne the result of?
The failure of the Schlieffen plan
52
Why did Germany have to transfer troops to the East?
Because the Russians moved faster than expected, and this was due to Germany's assumptions
53
What happened during the Battle of Marne?
- Neither side could make any progress and they built trenches for protection and this was the first sign of stalemate
- The German Commander decided not to go round Paris and so went straight for it - the German was on foot and the French advanced by taxi (Germans were outstretched
- German supreme had to pull 100,000 troops out of the army going to Paris because the Russians were faster than expected
- Britain and France were able to halt Germany advancing, but couldn't get them fully out of France
54
What is the definition of stalemate?
A situation which further action or progress seems impossible
55
How were the trenches a reason for stalemate?
- Used for a place to shied from fire of guns
- Both sides were stuck in their trenches as the land between trenches and on both sides was known as No Mans Land (it was hard for them to survive once left the trench)
56
How was the telephone a reason for stalemate?
- Enabled Generals to command troops without risk
- Units always had to wait for orders instead of taking advantage of opportunities that arose
- Generals would not always advise what was best as they weren't physically there
57
How was canned food a reason for stalemate?
- Provided food at all times so there was no worry of their food supply being cut off
- They could remain in the same position and still have access to food
- Neither side had to leave as it never ran out
58
How was machine guns a reason for stalemate?
- Able to shoot hundreds of rounds of ammunition a minute
- Neither side could advance as they would be shot instantly
- Generals made soldiers advance anyway but they were killed very quickly and no gain was made
59
How was artillery a reason for stalemate?
- Could fire missiles from long distances behind the front line
- Both sides were trapped in their trenches
- Artillery created craters which made it harder to cross the battlefield
- Most soldiers were killed by this than any other cause
60
What is the difference between Artillery and Machine Guns?
- Artillery is long range machinery
| - Machine guns are short range machinery that fire hundreds of rounds
61
On the Eastern Front, why were the Russian forces halted?
Because of their lack of good equipment and strong strong leadership when they made an advance into Germany
62
On the Eastern Front, why did the Austrian troops flee?
They were overwhelmed by the large number of Russian soldiers
63
```
How many Austrian Hungary soldiers were:
- Killed
- Injured
- Captured and by who
in the Eastern Front?
```
100 000 killed
220 000 injured
100 000 captured by Russia
64
Why was the Eastern Front different to the Western Front?
The Eastern Front was much more mobile
65
Give three reasons why some people may miss or enjoy the war
- it allowed them to travel more and see places they would've never otherwise seen
- it was a 'challenge' and the thrill was exciting
- making new friends and strong relationships between soldiers
66
How was the life of a soldier somewhat better than life outside of war?
Life expectancy was low and disease/illness was common. Soldiers were looked after in the army
67
What was the food like for soldiers?
Tinned beef and jam- knew it was better than what the French and German troops were getting
68
What luxuries did British soldiers get in the trenches?
Chocolate, cigarettes and alcohol
69
How many days would a soldier be in the front lines before being switched out?
3 days but could be longer in battle
70
How many days in a month would be spent in the trench?
Around 10 days
71
How and why were German trenches better and why weren't the British trenches this good?
They were deeper and better because the German generals realised the stalemate would last a while. the British saw the trenches as temporary and their quality reflected this
72
What were the types of trenches?
Support trenches, front lines and reserve trench. Usually joined by the communication trench
73
What was a positive and negative for artillery?
```
POSITIVE:
- long range
- lot more powerful by end of war
- improved British war effort
NEGATIVE:
- took a while for the accuracy to get better
```
74
Give a positive and negative for machine guns
```
POSITIVE:
- great defence weapons
NEGATIVE:
- large and heavy (at beginning)
- sides were nervous to attack since the machine guns would wipe out several soldiers
```
75
Give a positive and negative for poison gas
```
POSITIVE:
- disabled enemy troops so your infantry could advance
- gas masks were invented
NEGATIVE:
- fear of gas attacks
```
76
Give a positive and negative for tanks
```
POSITIVE:
- boosted British morale
NEGATIVE:
- moved at walking pace
- unreliable
- sometimes the infantry couldn't keep up because they were developed to a too fast pace (yes that makes sense)
- easy to spot for enemies
```
77
Give a positive and negative for aircrafts
POSITIVE:
- they were filled with guns and soon machine guns
- developed into advanced military equipment
- able to see the enemy's plans (especially on the sea)
NEGATIVE:
- unreliable and highly dangerous
- new pilots lost lives
78
What were Reconnaissance aircrafts used for?
Collecting data and mapping out areas
79
Give 3 problems the soldiers faced in the trenches
- Any activity they were asked to do involved a big possibility of death upon the arrival of a shell
- The trenches smelt really bad, especially in the summer due to the corpses, sewage and unclean soldiers
- The weather conditions meant that in summer, it was hot and dusty, the soldiers got trench foot in rainy weather and in winter they got frostbite
80
What is attrition?
Wearing down the opposition through sustained and continuous pressure
81
How did Germany think they had to defeat Britain in the Battle of verdun?
By defeating France first
82
Who was involved in the battle of Verdun?
France and Germany
83
What was the German aim in the battle of Verdun?
To inflict as many casualties
84
What did Britain do to relieve pressure off of France in the Battle of Verdun
300 000 + on both sides
85
`What was the plan for the Battle of the Somme?
General Haig commanded that British forces had to attack the German line with 3 million people involved, and Haig saw this as the only opportunity to win the war and relieve pressure off the French
86
What was the aim of the offensive for the Battle of the Somme?
Attack and break through German lines
87
Who was involved in the Battle of the Somme (BOS) offence?
Britain and French
88
Why did French troops have to withdraw in the BOS?
Reinforce Battle of Verdun
89
How long did the British bombardment last in BOS?
8 days
90
How many casualties were there for Britain in BOS?
620k altogether for British
| 58k on first day
91
Why did the Brits have so many casualties in BOS?
- Lack of artillery
- Delay of getting to German trenches
- Any news received was outdated by the time it got to them (communication)
- General Haig assumed artillery would destroy German defences
92
What were the results of the BOS?
British and French gained small land and Hague was criticized for murder
93
Why did the battle of Passchendaele happen?
Haig feared an impending German blockade that would damage the British war effort. He wanted to get German boats, so as he moved through the town of Eeps, he would capture the boats through Belgium
94
Who were the generals at the Battle of Passchendale (BOP)?
Hubert Gough and Hubert Pluman
95
`What was the environmental impact of the BOP and why was this a problem?
Marshland was now the battlefield so it was swampy. This was a problem because they caused rifles to be clogged and tanks stopped working in the mud. It also drowned some soldiers and horses
96
What other country was involved in BOP by October?
Canada and ANZAC (Australia, New Zealand and Canada)
97
What was the BOP a battle for?
Battle of control fought by British Empire forces and French troops against German troops
98
What were the results of BOP?
Within a week, the British had lost 30,000 men. In total, 40,000 British Empire troops were killed and 300,000 Germans
99
What was the aim of the German in the Battle of Jutland?
The German aimed to weaken the Royal Navy by launching an ambush on the British Grand Fleet in the North Sea
100
Who was the German Admiral in battle of Jutland?
Admiral Reinhard Scheer
101
Who were the two British Admirals and what were they in charge out (BOJ)
Admiral Sir David Beatty’s - Battlecruiser force
| Admiral Sir John Jellicoe's- Grand Fleet
102
What was Scheer's hope in the BOJ?
Scheer hoped to destroy Beatty's force before Jelilicoe's arrived but the British were informed by their codebreakers and put both out to sea early
103
How many ships and men did the BOJ involve?
250 ships and 100,000 men
104
What was the German campaign called in BOJ?
U-Boats
105
Who enters the war at the time of BOJ?
America
106
What do Germany's U-boats use to shoot down British trade ships?
Torpedos and on-deck guns
107
Why did Britain want access to the North Sea in the battle of Gallipoli?
To attack Turks and get supplies to Russia to help Russia's campaigns
108
How did Britain begin their attack in Gallipoli (BOG) and what were they confronted with?
Bombarding the strong forts that lined the strait
| Mines and shellfire from the shore forts
109
What did Britain decide after they were confronted in BOG?
Launch a land assault to capture the peninsular before the naval operation
110
What does ANZAC stand for?
Australian and New Zealand Army Corps
111
When did the ANZAC troops intervene with BOG?
They helped when Britain had to fight on land because they attacked Helles Beach
112
Why couldn't Britain capture Turks in BOG?
The Turks were supported by German troops, had strengthened defences and had dug trenches on the hills overlooking the beaches where they were most likely to land
113
What were the conditions like in BOG?
Dreadful conditions:
- summer heat
- decaying corpses creating disease
- continuous stalemate
114
What were U-boats targeting?
Supply ships
115
Why were there so few battles using warships?
- It was more effective to use blockades
| - Britain had a larger navy so they couldn't afford to lose ships as Germany wanted the largest
116
What were the two main impacts of the BOG?
- Allies failed to break through the Turkish lines
| - Stalemate continued
117
Why would imposing a Blockade win you the war?
- Because vital supplies to the other side wouldn't be delivered
- population (including citizens would starve)
- war effort would decrease
118
How many casualties did Lusitania cause?
1,200 casualties
119
Where did the Battle of Jutland occur?
North Sea
120
Name two impacts of the Battle of Jutland?
- Britain lost many men
| - Germany lost many ships
121
Give two things Britain did to prevent blockades or attacks on their supply ships
- Britain disguised their supply ships as warships
| - They escorted their supply ships with convoys (fast-moving destroyers surrounding the merchant ships)
122
What did American joining war mean for the Allies?
- Fresh troops, supplies and ships
- New merchant shipping routes meant that British food shortages would be helped
- They were also willing to lend Britain money to buy war materials
123
Name two impacts of the Russian Revolution on WW1?
- Opened negotations which led to Germany and Russia making peace
- Germans could transfer hundreds of troops to the Western Front and the Germans now had an opportunity to get there before the Americans
124
How many aircrafts did the Royal Flying Corps have, and what did they have?
Over 20,000 aircrafts and they had better search lights
125
Why was Britain having better search lights bad for Germany?
It meant that German planes could no longer successfully fly over British soil
126
What did the German Spring Offensive start with?
Bombardment and Gas attacks and then a smaller band of Storm Troops along the front line
127
By how much by did Germany break throigh the allied front lines (German Spring Offensive)?
64km and Paris was now under heavy gunfire
128
How many men did Germany lose in the GSO?
400,000 and had no reserves
129
How were German troops in (GSO) treated badly?
They were badly fed and supplied
130
Why were German troops slowed down in GSO?
The soldiers were looting food and supplies from captured trenches and villages
131
What nations were involved in the GSO?
USA, France, Britain, Canada, Australia
132
What did the Germans call the GSO day for Germans?
Black day, because many German troops decided to surrender instead of continuing fighting
133
Explain what happened in the 100 days?
- Germany had run out of time and resources
- Allies had fresher, stronger troops from USA with tanks, artillery and aircraft
- Allies counterattacked Western Front in August 1918 and it was a matter of time before Germany was defeated
- By October Germany were in full retreat
134
Give 3 reasons why Germany lost the war?
- British had more developed machinery and technology
- USA joining the allies
- blockade (food shortages and starvation at home)
135
Give 3 causes leading to the end of the war?
- Blockades against Germany
- USA joining the war (more advanced technology)
- Failure of spring offensive
136
What did the social democrats to force the Kaiser to abdicate?
Threatened to resign from government (to force the Kaiser to abdicate)
137
What did Germany become after the Kaiser's abdication?
A republic (no monarch but an elected president)
138
What did President Wilson write in the armistice?
14 points (ingredients to a peace settlement)
139
Give an example of one of President Wilson's points
All people should rule themselves (not be in an empire)
140
Give the five main things the Allies demanded of Germany
1. All territory occupied by Germany in European countries such as France and Belgium was to be evacuated
2. Lots of equipment and artillery handed over (e.g 25 000 guns, 1700 planes etc)
3. All allied prisoners released
4. Most of Germany's navy handed over
5. German troops withdrew from occupied territory in the East
141
What was the 100 day campaign?
A series of attacks by the Allied troops at the end of WW1
142
What ended the 100 day campaign?
The signing of the Armistice
143
Why did Russia pull out of the war?
Because Lenin and the Bolsheviks (communist government) no longer wanted Russia participating
144
What are the three things that come about that are good for Germany due to the Russian Revolution (treaty of Brest-Litovsk)?
- ability to take troops out of western front and transfer them to the eastern front fighting France and Britain
- had the opportunity to inflict as much damage on French and British before USA arrived
- Russia lost land which provided food and raw materials for them
