WWI (Effects + Battles + Characterizations) Flashcards
What happened on November 11 of 1918?
The armistice ending WWI was signed
What did Germany want a peace treaty on the basis of after they surrendered?
Wilson’s 14 points
Who were the victors of WWI?
Britain, France, USA, Italy
Who were defeated in WWI?
Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Turkey
What did the Allies meet to discuss in 1919?
Paris peace settlements
What were the 6 ideological shifts as a result of WWI?
- New independent states
- Democratization
- Evolution of foreign policy to negotiation
- changing superpower states
- changin ideologies and nature of peace
- workers become more significant
- women become more significany
Which empires collpased after WWI (shift 1)
Russia, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire
What were some of the new successor states that emerged after the paris peace settlement?
Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Yugoslavia
What was destroyed as new successor states emerged?
traditional balance of power
What did WWI bring a collapse and rise to?
collapse of imperial monarchy, rise of republicanism
What idea regarding traditional government elites was shattered after WWI? (shift 2)
that they knew best
In 1920, why was the League of Nations set up? (shift 3)
to reform international relations
What was the establishment of the League of Nations a part of? (shift 3)
the paris peace settlements and Wilson’s vision for an ethical system of diplomacy
What was to be replaced with the establishment of the League of Nations? (shift 3)
ideas that war was a vaid means of foreign policy
How much did WWI cost?
estimated 34 million pounds
How did the Powers pay for the war?
with loans, mostly from USA
What was the economic situation in Germany in the 1920s due to the war?
bad: inflation destroyed the currency and the savings of many middle-class Germans
Why did the USA emerge as world superpower after WWI?
many other European Powers were indebted to the US
What were the reactions of the USA emerging as the new superpower from the US and Britain?
US didn’t want to be superpower of world (isolationism), GB didn’t want to give it up
How many soldiers died in WWI? (shift 5)
9 million
How many civilians died in WWI? (shift 5)
12 million (21 million wounded)
How many citizens died from disease and from the flu epidemic? (shift 5)
5 mil from disease, 20 mil from flu
Whose positions were improved after the war? (shift 6)
trade unions and workers governments dependent on industry
What did trade unions want after WWI? (shift 6)
more social and political power, more money for social insurance benefits for unemployed workers and families
What was the goal for the Schlieffen plan?
to quickly defeat and occupy France by going through neutral Belgium using pincer movement before facing Russia, avoid war on 2 fronts
What were the advantages of the Schlieffen plan?
secret attack, head start, could avoid 2-front war, less damage, Russia slow to mobalize
What went wrong with the Schleiffen plan that was unexpected?
Russia mobalized faster than expected
What were the 3 ideas the Schlieffen plan was based off of?
- if there was a war, Germany would have to fight France and Russia
- France was weak
- Russia was strong but slow (6 weeks to mobalize estamated)
What assupmtions were made for the Schlieffen plan?
Russia would be slow to mobalize, France could be defeated in this time, British would stay out
Why was Britain obliged to help Belgium if an invasion were to occur?
because they signed Treaty of 1839
Why did the Schleiffen plan fail?
Timeline didn’t work out, Belgium resistance, British expeditionary force, Germany didn’t have enough men
What year was the Miracle at the Marne?
1914
What was involved in the Miracle at the Marne?
unable to save Belgium, Allies retreated to Marne River in France where German advance is halted, Allied victory
What was involved in Trench Warfare and the Race to the Sea?
two parallel systems of trenches crossed France from Belgium to Switzerland
When did the war transition from mobile to static?
with trench warfare
How did strategy change with trench warfare and the race to the sea?
transitioned from outmaneuvering to weak point strategy
What was involved with the First Battle of Ypres?
culmination of Race to the Sea, indecisive Allied victory
What year was the First Battle of Ypres?
1914
What did the First Battle of Ypres come to represent?
transition of war to stalemate
What year did Turkey Join the Fray?
1914
What did Turkey do after allying with Germany, leading to Russia declaring war and the Entente declaring war on the Ottoman Empire?
Turkey joined central powers and bombed Russian parts of the Black Sea
What did German officials propose in 1915 regarding U-boats?
unrestricted sub warfare
Why did Germany want unrestricted sub warfare?
they wanted to scare off trade with Britain by sinking neutral merchant ships
When did Germany announce commerce war against nations trading with Britain?
Feb 18, 1915
What battle distinguished Canadians as determined fighting force?
Second Battle of Ypres, 1915
When was the first large-scale poison gas attack?
1915, Second Battle of Ypres
When was Gallipoli?
Feb., 1915-Jan., 1916
Which battle resulted in Churchill’s demotion where he was forced to resign, and was a failure for the Allies?
Gallipoli
What was the goal for Gallipoli for the British government?
to open a second front at Gallipoli, Turkey
What was the Gallipoli campaign also known as?
the Dardanelles campagin
What kind of battle was Gallipoli?
naval
Why did both sides want to control the Dardanelles?
it was the only waterway between the Black Sea in the east and the Mediterranean Sea in the West
Why did Britsh want control of the Dardanelles?
to secure a direct line to Russian navy in the Black Sea
What did the British think would persuade neutral states to join them (Greece, Bulgaria, Romania)?
victory against Turkey (Gallipoli)
When was the Lusitania sunk?
May 7, 1915
What stopped sub warfare?
the sinking of the Lusitania
What was the biggest Britain attack of 1915?
Battle of Loos
What was the first for the British in the Battle of Loos?
First use of poison gas, first mass engagement of New Army units
Who won the Battle of Loos?
the Germans
What battle was the human record for killing and destruction?
Verdun
What quote is associated with Verdun?
“We shall bleed them white with our superior guns”
What was Jutland the battle between?
Britain’s Royal Navy Grand Fleet and Imperial German Navy’s High Seas Fleet
Who won Jutland?
both sides claim victory
What was the goal of the Battle of the Somme?
British wanted to take heat off French in Verdun and press Germans to save Eastern Front from collapse
When was the first tank usage?
during Battle of the Somme
What was the most deadly battle?
Battle of the Somme
What was the greatest Russian Victory of WWI?
the Brusilov Offensive
What did the Brusilov Offensive accomplish?
diverted Central Powers froces from Western Front and persuaded Romania to join the war which diverted more Central Powers to the East
