WWI History Test

Question 1

What is militarism and its purpose?

Answer 1

A way to maintain a strong military force to be prepared to use it in war aggressively
It is for protection against rival empires, European countries invested money mostly into their armed forces and sent money overseas to their colonies

Question 2

What are alliances and purpose?

Answer 2

A union or relationship formed for a mutual benefit
With alliances, many countries join with other countries to strengthen their position in the war.
PURPOSE: To maintain a balance of power, countries formed similar alliances to make sure no country became more powerful than the rest

Question 3

What is imperialism and its purpose?

Answer 3

Policy of extending the power of one country over other countries by acquiring territory or establishing economic and political control
PURPOSE: economic expansion, increased political power, spreading religious beliefs

Question 4

What is nationalism and its purpose?

Answer 4

Glorifying one nation above all others and stressing the promotion of its culture and interests. Like people with same beliefs, religion and culture should stick together in the war.
PURPOSE: promotes interests of a particular nation

Question 5

What is an assassination?

Answer 5

A murder or plan a secret attack for political reasons, murder of someone significant

Question 6

What caused the beginning of WWI?

Answer 6

What sparked the WWI was when the murder of two people in the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina(part of A-H), Archduke Franz Ferdinand(heir of the throne) of Austria-Hungary and his wife, from a nationalist in Serbia(Gavrilo Princip which this group believed they should be liberated from A-H control and for B-H to become a part of Serbia. After the murder, A-H wanted war on Serbia and Russia promised to help Serbia and when they attacked, Germany sprung into action to defend the Triple Alliance. France backed Russia. So this started a war.

Question 7

What was the importance with Archduke Franz Ferdinand?

Answer 7

• Archduke had a better vision for A-H and planned harmony instead of attacks.
• He was very big on peace in A-H
• He didn’t want a war with Russia because he believed there would be a downfall of both empires and promised not to have a war with Russia

Question 8

Who was in the Triple Alliance? Who was in the Triple Entente? Purpose of creation?

Answer 8

THE TRIPLE ALLIANCE: Germany, Austria, Hungary, Italy (Central Powers)

THE TRIPLE ENTENTE (Allies): France, Russia, and Britain (have the advantage as they are surrounding the central powers)

The creation of the two larger power blocs is from the reason of maintaining power and alliance

Question 9

What was the Schlieffen Plan for?

Answer 9

This plan was made because Britain didn’t want to defend France or join the war so it remained neutral

PURPOSE: avoid war on both fronts

Alfred von Schlieffen ← German Army Chief of Staff was asked to plan a way to prevent a war on two fronts. His belief that defeating France quickly will force them to surrender before Russia gets the chance to get their armed forces ready. In the 1800s, Germany won the war and conquered some territory from France and they wanted it back
But Germany did not want to fight Russia and France from separate sides so they created a plan to defeat France quickly and then fight Russia (France was ally with Russia)

Question 10

Assumptions with the Schlieffen Plan and what went wrong?

Answer 10

Schlieffen first wanted to attack through Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg (Benelux countries) where 90% of german forces blow France and 10% defending russian border. 1906: Von Molkte replaced Schlieffen and altered the plan. Instead of invading Holland for the attack, it will be only Belgium because their army isn’t powerful enough against Germany.

ASSUMPTIONS:
-Believes Russia will plan to get ready in 6 weeks
-France would be ready in 6 weeks
-Belgium won’t resist their attacks
-Britain would remain neutral

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED:
-This didn’t happen, Germany invaded Luxembourg and Belgium and Britain joined the war to back up Belgium
-Russia got ready in 10 days and Germany didn’t take the chance of attacking France’s capital so they attacked the east of capital but French forces came
-Approaching Paris by the west, Germans had to go south too soon, making the -French army at the french-german border reach them. They were attacked by French and British at channel ports. They dug trenches at the Marne River.
-The German and French troops have trenches stretching till the English channel
-Schlieffen plan failed and made the Germans trapped at western front in trenches and fighting Russia in the east.
-This proceeded in a long war in trenches

Question 11

Who was Sir Sam Huges? What were his successes and failures?

Answer 11

Canada’s Minister of Militia and Defence till PM Borden dismissed him
Religious bigot (expressing strong, unreasonable beliefs and disliking other people who have different beliefs or a different way of life) ← towards Catholics
Hated French Canadians

SUCCESSES
He coordinated recruitment of Canadian troops.
Helped increase efficiency of pre-war militia
Helped contraction of training facility in under 3 weeks to train troops in weeks to be ready to sail for Europe

FAILURES
Called his men “boys”
Couldn’t provide proper equipment and bought the cheapest stuff
Boots leaked, bad vehicles, ect
Unusable trench equipment
BIGGEST FAILURE: use of Ross Rifle

Question 12

What was the Ross Rifle and problems with it?

Answer 12

Lighter and faster than Lee-Enflied
Excellent target rifle
Tended to jam during rapid fire
Troops gave up on gun for another
Hughes fought for the gun to not be replaced

Question 13

What are enemy aliens and who was targeted?

Answer 13

Citizens of countries at war with britain who immigrated to Canada

About 9,000 immigrants from Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Germans, Croatia, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey and Bulgaria

Question 14

How were the enemy aliens treated? What was the War Measures Act and Wartime Elections Act?

Answer 14

Enemy aliens had to report monthly and carry special ID cards and travel documents

WARTIME ELECTIONS ACT: took away votes from people who immigrated to Canada as they may vote against conscription

PM Borden passed War Measure Act ← took away freedoms and arrests and oppressed enemy aliens

This act placed them in internment camps ← basically concentration camp were enemy aliens worked ← they placed camps near miens or work sites

People became prisoners if they left Canada as it posed a ward threat, if you were acting suspicious, resistance to authority, and state of hiding

Question 15

What were women’s new roles in workforce and voting?

Answer 15

When Canada’s economy boosted after making weapons, children and women were given opportunities to work in factories as there were no men to do this as they were fighting
They worked in factories, same jobs as men, with little pay.
They were not respected and working conditions were very dangerous

PM Borden supported conscription and gave women the right to vote against or for conscription to only specific women
He believed that women who have relatives fighting in the war will vote for conscription as they want more men helping their relatives. He attracted many women and children for this reason to make them vote for conscription.

Question 16

What is war profiteering?

Answer 16

A war profiteer is any person or organization that derives unreasonable profit from warfare or by selling weapons and other goods to parties at war.

Question 17

What is conscription and why did PM Borden want it?

Answer 17

A law that says if you are able to fight, you have to fight. Called the draft, conscription legally requires people to join the army, with penalties if they don’t.

Most of the war, Canadians relied on volunteers to enlist as men were enthusiastic at the start
But many casualties occurred, having more casualties than enlisting
The horrors of the war became evident, decreasing enlisting

Question 18

What was the controversy around conscription? What was the military service act?

Answer 18

• MILITARY SERVICE ACT: It made all male citizens aged 20 to 45 subject to conscription for military service, through the end of the First World War.

← rising controversy as it was only issue in election

• The elections had riots as the French Canadians was accused of being cowards and english being dictator (ruler with total power over country) <– almost all french Canadians wanted exemption from conscription
• French Canadians felt no loyalty to Britain or France, hence not wanting to fight in the war

MANY OPPOSING PEOPLE

Question 19

What is propaganda and its purpose?

Answer 19

Spreading of ideas, information, or rumor to help or injure an institution, a cause, or a person.

With war raging, production of food became on demand. This expansion needed men on farms to serve the country but they were all fighting.
So they created posters to encourage self-ration one’s food, discourage waste, plant war gardens to have enough food (putting food in jars)
Posters were made to urge citizens to english and support the war

Question 20

What is trench warfare and the meaning of “over the top”?

Answer 20

Warfare in which opposing armed forces attack and defend from relatively permanent systems of trenches dug into the ground.

Over the top: climb out of the relative safety of their trenches and expose themselves to enemy fire. They would then run towards the opposing trenches, armed with rifles and bayonets, to capture enemy positions and gain ground.

Question 21

What was the shape of trenches and how did they use machine guns?

Answer 21

First line was called “Front Line” this is where the fighting happened
Second line was “reverse trenches” a resting place and a support trench
If the enemy captured front line, the second line would be used
Communication trenches were linking between first and second lines where food, water, mail, ect were transported
Trenches were zig zag so if a shell would drop them, the entire trench wouldn’t explode as the angles would stop it

Machine guns: World War I popularized the use of the machine gun—capable of bringing down row after row of soldiers from a distance on the battlefield. This weapon, along with barbed wire and mines, moved to open land both difficult and dangerous.

Question 22

List the difficulties of trench life.

Answer 22

1. Trench Foot/frostbite is a disease caused when the flesh of the foot begins to rot causing pain and deterioration of foot having to amputate it
   This happened because the soldiers’ feet were constantly soaked in muddy, wet trenches and couldn’t have their feet dry occasionally. ← wooden planks were often placed.
2. Soldiers would sleep standing up and the beds would be hard dirt or rock, causing back problems
3. They would boil water to make tea, using gathered water from shell holes
4. Lice were a big problem so they had to shave all their hair off to avoid picking lice off
5. Each man prepared their breakfast, jam, and rarely bacon, dinner time was bully beef and vegetables
6. The shells would be very loud, deafening ears
7. Weeks without washing and no provided clothing
8. Many pests like rats because of the amount of dead bodies
9. Phosgene gas and mustard gas were common to surround trenches
10. People would be stuck in the mud all day and couldn’t get it off

Question 23

What was no man’s land?

Answer 23

A desolate area because it belonged to neither side
Area of barbed wire, burnt down trees, craters from shelling filled with water

Question 24

Who was Billy Bishop?

Answer 24

• Canada’s greatest flying hero who shot down 72 German airplanes
• Earned a Victoria Cross for bravery
• Downed 17 airplanes in his first month

Question 25

Explain the battle of Ypres.

Answer 25

Canadian soldiers were sent to help French and British troops near Ypres, Belgium. The Germans introduced a deadly weapon: chlorine gas ← it burned eyes, and lungs to make people choke, gag and suffocate to death. When the French front line at Ypres was hit with the gas, Canadian troops moved in as reinforcements. Germans pushed the Canadians back but the line held. Both sides had gas attacks and both sides were equipped with gas masks.
This method wasn’t as effective because it dispersed and if the wind changed the gas would backfire and harm troops who released the gas attack.

SUMMARY: where the Germans first used the chemical weapon

Question 26

Explain the battle of Somme.

Answer 26

• General Douglas Haig, a British commander, believed the Allied forces would break through the German lines at the Somme River.
• ← by achieving this. It would draw German troops away from a deadly bombardment of the French near Verdun. - Two weeks before the battle began, Allied artillery bombarded the German line and Haig wanted them to destroy German trenches and barbed wire but it didn’t work.
• British and Canadian troops moved into no man’s land, all the Germans were ready and intact.
• The Newfoundland Regiment attacked at Beaumoint-Hamel and suffered terrible casualties.
• attack lasted 4 months
• many casualities, worst loss
• despite casualities from Newfoundland, Haig still did the battle
• The battle ended in November 1916, the Allies had suffered about 650,000 casualties to gain 545 km of territory. -
• Many Canadians were lost.

A more professional and effective army emerged from the battle. And the tactics developed there, including the use of tanks and creeping barrages, laid some of the foundations of the Allies’ successes in 1918. The Somme also succeeded in relieving the pressure on the French at Verdun.

PURPOSE: make sure French aren’t bombarded (didnt work), to achieve a decisive victory over the Germans on the Western Front. For many in Britain, the resulting battle remains the most painful and infamous episode of the First World War.

CANADA; The great courage and accomplishments of Canadian soldiers there helped confirm their growing reputation as first-rate front line troops who could capture enemy positions in the face of heavy fire.

Question 27

Explain the battle of Passchendaele

Answer 27

• Haig ordered Allied troops to try to break through the German lines near Ypres, Belgium. ← became known as the Third Battles of Ypres. The Battle of Passchendaele was part of this larger battle
• The Germans held the line at Ypres since 1914 and British, Australian, and New Zealand forces tried to attack with little success. Canadian forces remained under Arther Currie, lieutenant general, and Haig ordered Currie and
• Canadians to take Passchendaele Ridge. He feared a big loss but planned well.
• Scouts had to locate the German machine gun and artillery placements and rehearsal was performed before the battle.
• A creeping barrage was planned to cover soldiers on no man’s land.
• The Canadians captured the ridge, but about 16000 soldiers were dead/wounded.
• Despite the victory, the Third Battle of Ypres resulted in little significant gain and massive casualties.
• Passchendaele has come to symbolize the futility and mud of WWI
• Canadians fought over hardships to have gain a victory

PURPOSE: The Canadian victory at Passchendaele was truly impressive and added to our nation’s growing reputation as having the best offensive fighting force on the Western Front.
* It would be a major decisive action to break through the German defences.
* This attack, working with the French, would culminate in the conquest of the Belgian coast and would help to alleviate the growing threat of the German submarines operating from Belgian ports.
* The British commander, Sir Douglas Haig, launched a drive in Belgium to wear down the German capacity to continue fighting the war while hopefully seizing strategic German railways in the occupied country and capturing the German submarine bases along the coast which were being used to menace Allied shipping

• There was no breakthrough, and the German railways remained out of reach.

Question 28

What was Vimy Ridge significance?

Answer 28

The Canadian forces had taken more guns, ground and prisoners than any previous British attack. They won 4 Victoria crosses and a new identity was forged. It gave new hope to the allies and gave a better image to the canadian force. A turning point in canadian history

Question 29

Tatics in Vimy Ridge battle.

Answer 29

The plan had soldiers going underground where many wires were placed with telephone cables.
Creeping barrage where the guns continued to fire as the Canadins left the trenches. ← allowed enemy soldiers to stay in their trenches
This attack occurred during a snowstorm allowing minimal visibility for Germans.

Question 30

Who was Arthur Currie?

Answer 30

Was put in charge of the Vimy Ridge mission with the Canadians
He made sure the soldiers are well rested, prepared and informed
He wanted his soldiers to be well trained and prepared for the plan rather than just running across the battlefields
He had to train well to perform the creeping barrage tactic well to avoid soldiers being killed by the bombs in front

Question 31

Explain the weapons of the war

Answer 31

AIRPLANES
Mainly used to observe enemy movements
Guns were attached into cockpit or used where shooting at enemy planes ← when machine guns were placed it could have hit plane’s propellers
Not allowed parachutes
Average lifespan of a pilot was 3 weeks “flying coffins”

GAS
Germans released a deadly new weapon ← chlorine gas, mustard gas which made soldiers suffocate to death
Gas could disperse or follow the wind to the side that released the gas
Cleared enemy forward positions

MACHINE GUNS
World War I popularized the use of the machine gun—capable of bringing down row after row of soldiers from a distance on the battlefield. This weapon, along with barbed wire and mines, made movement across open land both difficult and dangerous.

TANKS
The invention of the combustion engine led to tanks, armored vehicles, carrying soldiers and supplies to the front line.
Machine guns were improved to be used on tanks
Designed to blow through trenches and barbed wire
First tanks were slow making them stuck in mud but they improved
They were used to destroy German machine gun posts

Question 32

Importance of war at sea.

Answer 32

If the German’s were successful, then their navy could blockade. Britain’s ports and stop shipments of food and ammunition arriving. This could lead to starvation in Britain and weaken the nation’s ability to wage a war against Germany.

Question 33

Canada’s role with war at sea and how to defend against submaries.

Answer 33

Shipping Canadian troops, food and weapons to Europe ← Germans wanted to stop this
To defend against U-boats, ships have to travel in armored convoys (DEFINITION: a group of vehicles or ships that travel together, especially for protection)
Mine-laying, heavier depth charges and zig zagging defeat U-boats ← more than half German U-boats were sunk or captured

Question 34

What was the attack on the ship Luistania?

Answer 34

U-boat torpedoed this place that carried supplies and passengers from America ← these accidents helped shift American public opinion in favor of joining Allies, making US join war in April 1917, the “Sussex pledge” is where Germans agreed to not attack passenger ships

Question 35

Explain the Halifax Explosion.

Answer 35

Halifax Harbour filled with convoys of ships, shipping between Canada and Europe
2 Allied ships collided in the harbor where one ship carried many explosives making the ship catch fire and explode destroying the city and killing many people
A blizzard came after, making the repairs on pause but a ship from Boston with lots of supplies came to help the repairs of the city ← importance of ships

Question 36

What was the Hundred Days?

Answer 36

A campaign where Canadian forces participated in the Hundred Days that broke the back of the German military effort. Canadian forces with tanks and aircraft smashed German lines. Germans call this day as “the black day of the German army”. For 6 weeks, Canadains served as the leaders of the Allied advance, it was to be the last great offensive of the war. They seized many prisoners, machine guns but lots of casualties occurred.
On November 11, 1918 war ended but fighting continued till the minute opposing sides made a truce

Question 37

Why did U.S. join the war?

Answer 37

1. Unrestricted Submarine Warfare.
2. The Zimmerman Telegram

UK control over seas caused problems for Germany ← blocked German waters preventing supplies
So Germany declares submarine blockade on UK and Ireland ← destroying goods going to UK
Germany violated the Sussex Pledge as they believe the German navy can defeat the UK in five months as the US could no longer be a neutral party after supplying the Allied forces.
They resumed their submarine warfare and had secret negotiations with Mexico to invade US but when US found out, they joined war against germany

Question 38

What was the “Sussex Pledge”?

Answer 38

The Sussex Pledge was a statement by the Germans that they would not sink passenger ships without warning during World War I. The significance was that the Germans were limiting their use of submarine warfare during World War I, which kept the United States a neutral country.

Question 39

What was the spanish flu?

Answer 39

Returning soldiers had a virus
Influenza was one of the great mass killers and its most lethal; version was Spanish flu epidemic
More people were killed by the flu than the war
Villages were wiped out
It was a serial killer that seemed to its victims to be some form of course
Medical facilities were swamped
It struck quickly and people would go to bed healthy and never wake up

Question 40

How did people cope with the spanish flu?

Answer 40

People wore face masks and it was a criminal offense to shake hands
Gatherings were banned and schools were closed.
Railways demanded certification that they were free of the flu

Question 41

What was the Treaty of Versailles and armistice?

Answer 41

Armistice: the agreement between Allies and Germany which ended WWI fighting
Marked victory for the Allies and defeat for Germany, not completely a surrender.
The terms included the withdrawal of German troops from behind their borders, preservation of infrastructure, exchange of prisoners, the promise of reparations, and conditions for extending the armistice.

Question 42

What did each country want in the Treaty?

Answer 42

Decisions made by “Big Three” ← Georges Clemenceau, premier of France, David Lloyd, PM of Britain and Woodrow Wilson, PM of the US
FRANCE: wanted revenge and crush Germany, having Germany pay back damage, weaken Germany to prevent further wars
US: wanted a fair peace, believed defeated nations should be treated justly so no revenge
BRITAIN: had a middle position, wanted revenge but not to crush it, RESPONSIBLE OF THE COMPROMISE THAT MADE THE PEACE TREATY POSSIBLE

Question 43

What was in the treaty?

Answer 43

Germany was forced to accept the independence of Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland
Gave up overseas colonies
Lost 12% of pre-war territory
France took back lost territory
France gained control of Saar coal region for 15 years
Germany’s western border with France was to be demilitarized
The army was reduced by a lot with no tanks
Their air force disbanded
The Navy had no submarines
Germany expected to pay damages with billions for F, GB, and Bel
Germany was expected to accept full responsibility for causing the war

Question 44

Germany’s problems with Treaty?

Answer 44

British and French thought it was fair
Germany disagreed
The reparations would crush their fragile economy
Thought war guilt was unfair and untrue
Myth: Germany was stabbed in the back by civilians (Jews), but they had not been defeated on the field of battle

Question 45

Why was the Treaty of Versailles ineffective?

Answer 45

• Many argue that the treaty was a mistake due to its harsh terms imposed on Germany, which some believe contributed to the rise of Adolf Hitler and the outbreak of World War II.
• The terms of the Treaty were very damaging to Germany: territory was taken from Germany - depriving it of valuable industrial and agricultural income.
• The Versailles Treaty did little to shape any sort of long-term peace from the results of World War