WWI - why did it start? Flashcards
Why was WWI known as the Great War?
The Great War was called the Great War because no one had ever experienced one like it before.
How many people died in WWI? How many people does that amount to every day?
In total, 9 million people were killed over four years of fighting. That’s over 5000 deaths every day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
What does NATIONALISM mean? And what is the main negative?
Pride in your country. Thinking your nation is better than another one.
Unfortunately for the leaders of Europe, the best way to prove this was by having a war with their rivals.
What does MILITARISM mean?
People took great pride in their armies and navies. To make sure that theirs were the biggest and best, countries spent lots of money on growing their armies. This is known as militarism.
How does MILITARISM lead to an ARMS RACE?
Nobody wanted the smallest army so the countries got caught up in an arms race. To many, there was no point in having a big expensive army if you weren’t going to use it. Whenever countries fell out, the temptation was always to use their weapons.
What is IMPERIALISM?
Imperialism comes from the word empire.
Other countries wanted to rival Britain’s Empire and the race for control led to fierce competition..
What are ALLIANCES?
ALLIES are countries who would back up others in a time of war.
What were the names of two major ALLIANCES in Europe and which countries belonged to which?
Europe split into two alliances:
* Britain, France and Russia formed the Triple Entente.
- Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy formed the Triple Alliance.
What was main the idea behind ALLIANCES?
The idea was to put people off starting a war as it would mean fighting three nations as opposed to one.
What was the main problem with ALLIANCES?
Although Alliances made countries more secure, it meant that it would only take one small disagreement between two nations and all of them would be dragged into a war.
