Chapter 2: The First World War Flashcards
Causes of WWI
MANIA Militarism Alliances Nationalism Imperialism Assassination
Significance of WWI to Canada
- Canada was involved as a part of the British Empire
- Canada gained worldwide respect for bravery and skill
- Marked an important step towards Canada’s independence from Britain
- Created further tensions between the French and English Canadians
Glorious image of war
War = heroic, legendary, romantic, glittering uniforms, victory marches, parades and music
Imperialism
Imperialism is the extending rule of authority of one country over other countries or territories.
- involved forming and maintaining an empire through the establishment of colonies or spheres of influence
- resulted from industrialization because countries needed raw materials to supply their factories, and new markets in which to sell their goods
- countries would compete over colonies and these conflicts in faraway places threatened to bring war between countries
How did industrialization lead to imperialism?
Industrialization pushed countries to look for raw materials elsewhere and new markets in which to sell their goods
British Empire
“the sun never set on the British Empire”
- British strategic military and naval bases encircled the globe
- Britain was the envy of other aspiring colonial powers because it was tremendously wealthy
French Empire
- Had many large colonies in the Western Hemisphere and Central Africa
- Germany was France’s principal rival; began to target the French Empire
- Germany wanted to take over its colonies
Belgium, Holland, Spain, Portugal and Italy
- Belgium and Holland has some important colonies but were small players on the European scene
- Spain and Portugal had largely squandered their empires in the early part of the 19th century
Russia
- Promoted Pan-Slavism
- Wanted to play the “big brother” role in encouraging Slav nationalism but had selfish motives
- desperately wanted to control a warm water port that would be ice free all year (Russia had a severe climate)
- In dominating the Balkans, Russia could fulfill its 200 year long goal of getting a warm water port
What is Pan-Slavism?
The idea planned to unit the Slavic peoples of the Balkans
- Russia was a big advocate of this
Austria-Hungarian Empire
- Also wanted to dominate the Balkans
- Did not want to focus on stuff overseas; focussed on places next door to itself
- Slav nationalism was threatening Austria-Hungary itself because they had Balkan ethnic groups living there
- Groups began to want to form their own independent states and this threatened to cause the disintegration of Austria-Hungary
- A-H believed that its only chance for survival was to dominate the ethnics groups to the South (especially the aggressive Serbs)
- WWI was sparked by the events in the Balkans
German Empire
- Had colonies in Southwest and East Africa but were not strategically located nor were they economically desirable
- German colonies were draining the German empire
- German leaders demanded that Germany acquire more colonies for industrial purposes and this brought the country to conflict with other European powers
- People feared German expansion
What is militarism?
Militarism is the policy of making a country’s armed forces very strong and allowing a political situation in which military interests dominate government policy. Also a mindset where war is considered a respectable way of advancing a country’s interests and resolving disputes.
Militarism contributing to WWI
- British Navy was the largest in the world and the British policy was called the TWO-POWER STANDARD (British navy must be at all times equal or better than any two other navies combined). Brought Germany into direct conflict with Britain
- Germany began to build up its navy and Britain saw this as a threat and led into an ARMS RACE, to see who could build and become the best equipped militarily (focus was on naval power, e.g.: launching the Dreadnought class of warships with a shit ton of guns on them)
- Germany also competed with France and Russia to build the largest army (Germany was not the largest but the best in areas such as training and equipment)
What is Britain’s Two-Power Standard?
The British navy must be at all times equal or better than any two other navies combined.
What is the “arms race” between Britain and Germany?
The competition to see who could build and become the best equipped militarily.
Nationalism
Two types of nationalism:
1) pride and patriotism for one’s country and the desire to preserve its own language/culture
2) within an ethnic group that does not have its own country and want to be liberated from a more dominant ethnic group. THIS was the kind of nationalism that led to WWI because the Balkans in A-H wanted to have their own territory
Which countries were in the Triple Entente?
Russia, France and Great Britain
(aka Allied powers)
- did not sign a formal agreement
- Only France and Russia truly formed a defensive alliance in which they promised to support each other if attacked
Which countries were in the Triple Alliance?
Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary
Who was the Black Hand?
A Bosnian-Serbian terrorist organization that supported violent action to achieve its goals
- threatened to kill the Austrian Archduke Ferdinand if he entered Bosnia
- wanted to free Bosnia and liberate all the ethnic groups of Slav-descent in A-H to create “Greater Serbia”, or, Yugoslavia
Define alliance.
An alliance is the close association of nations for the achievement of common objectives.
- United for the purpose of joint military protection
- Ensure security in the years leading up to WWI
Countdown to war
- ASSASSINATION: Archduke Ferdinand, the heir to the Austrian throne, was killed by Gavrilo Princip, a member of the Black Hand, while visiting Bosnia within the A-H empire
- THE BLANK CHEQUE: A-H consulted Germany to discuss how to deal with the crisis of the assassination and Germany gave them the famous Blank Cheque that meant that Germany would support A-H even if that meant going to war. Germany was certain that Britain would remain neutral even if war did break out.
- AUSTRIA-HUNGARY PREPARES FOR WAR: with the support of Germany
- THE ULTIMATUM: The Austrians sent Serbia an ultimatum - hand over your terrorists (the Black Hand) or face war
- SERBIA’S REPLY: Serbia agreed to most of the terms on the ultimatum but it asked for clarification on a few points, and A-H interpreted this response to be a rejection as it was looking for an excuse to go to war
- JULY 28 1914: Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia
- RUSSIA’S MOBILIZATION: Russia believed that this declaration of war was part of a German plot to occupy the Balkans and Russia gave Serbia its own version of the blank cheque and began to mobilize its army against Austria-Hungary
- GERMANY DECLARES WAR ON RUSSIA: Germany demanded that Russia demobilize and when Russia refused, Germany supported A-H by mobilizing its army and declaring war on Russia
- FRANCE SUPPORTED RUSSIA: France was Russia’s ally
- GERMANY DECLARED WAR ON FRANCE: Germany felt threatened by Russia and France and ordered them to stop mobilizing. When they refused, Germany declared war on France.
- SCHLIEFFEN PLAN: Germany planned to attack France through the neutral country of Belgium and was designed to avoid a two-front war. Germany thought that Britain would remain neutral but Britain had promised the neutrality of Belgium.
- BRITAIN DECLARED WAR ON GERMANY: Because Britain promised to protect the neutrality of Belgium, it declared war on Germany when Germany invaded Belgium during the Schlieffen Plan.
WWI HAD BEGUN.
Define ultimatum.
An ultimatum is a threat which states that one must meet certain conditions or face dire consequences.
What was the Schlieffen Plan?
A plan devised by the Germans whereby they would attack France through the neutral country of Belgium to avoid a two front war.
Germany’s motives
Believed that it could win a war now, but maybe not later
Austria-Hungary’s motives
- was concerned with the survival of its multi-ethnic state and wanted to solve the Pan-Slav problem
- A-H dominated the Slav people who lived in Austria-Hungary but the Slav people wanted to be reunited with other Slav groups to form their own country
Russia’s motives
- mostly economic
- wanted access to an all-weather, warm weather port (such as the Balkans)
France’s motives
France believed that loyalty to the alliance system was the only way to remain a major power
Britain’s motives
- believed in the independence of sovereign states and also in curbing the ever-increasing strength of Germany
Who did Canada support in the war effort?
Prime Minister Robert Borden and his cabinet decided to support Britain wholeheartedly
Who was Colonel Hughes?
Colonel Hughes was a military general during the time of WWI and he sent out a call for volunteers to join the army for $1 a day
- Over 10,000 Canadians volunteered
- Hundreds of women also joined as nurses and ambulance drivers
What was the Newfoundland Regiment?
Newfoundland was not a part of Canada at the time and while some Newfoundlanders joined Canadian regiments, most joined the Newfoundland Regiment.
Why did people join the army?
- SENSE OF PATRIOTISM: sentimental ties to Great Britain and Prime Minister promised a total of 500,000 men to support the British so there was also a sense of duty there
- EXCITEMENT AND ADVENTURE: many young men still viewed war as a “great adventure”
Training Canadian Troops
- Sir Sam Hughes
- Troops were issued the Ross Rifle which was good for sharp shooting but poor in trench warfare
Who was Sir Sam Hughes?
He was Canada’s Minister of Militia and Defence at the beginning of WWI.
What is the CEF?
- Canadian Expeditionary Force
- Canadians served overseas as part of the overall CEF
- On the Western Front, four Canadian divisions were formed into the Canadian Corps, which fought alongside British forces
Who was Julian Byng?
He was one of the British generals who commanded the entire Canadian Corps at the beginning of WWI
Who was Lieutenant-General Arthur Currie?
He became the commander of the Corps after Lord Julian Byng
- Both Byng and Currie ensured that the Canadian troops would fight as one unit and not dispersed throughout the British Units
The Canadian Corps
- was the Canadian Army
- Led by Byng and later by Currie
- strengthened the unity of Canadian soldiers fighting in Europe, but also gave Canadians at home sense of pride
Stalemate
- Germany encountered resistance when moving into Belgium
- Germany threw all of its forces against the French forces but was stopped by the BATTLE OF THE MARNE. Germany was denied a quick victory in the West (a two front war happened!!)
- Germany could not advance and the French/British could not drive Germany out. So both parties dug trenches to protect their troops and nothing really happened over the next three years.
- Stalemate largely due to the implementation of the machine gun because it made going into no man’s land so dangerous (no one wanted to move)
Trench Warfare
- airplanes were still primitive so trench warfare was a standard war tactic
- trenches offered protection against enemy fire but people were still vulnerable to bombs
- rats, lice and fungal diseases were common
