History EOY - Year 9 Flashcards
(30 cards)
Why was WWI called the Great War?
Because the world had never experienced such a big war before.
Why was WWI called ‘the war to end all wars’?
Because of how many people died - around 9 million (enormous death toll).
What were the long-term causes of WWI?
- Nationalism - people took pride in their countries. Many leaders thought the best way to prove they were the best was to go to war with their rivals!
- Militarism -they also took great pride in their armies/navy, and wanted them to be bigger and best, and so got caught up in an arms race.
- Imperialism - Apart from Britain, other European countries had empires too. They begun feeling the tension and was each others as threats.
- Alliances - as each country began to feel threatened, they looked for friends to back them up - the allies
Which countries formed the Triple Entente (allies)?
Britain, France and Russia.
Which countries formed the Triple Alliance (allies)?
Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy.
What do you know about the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (which led to the outbreak of the Great War)?
He was murdered by a gang of Serbians called ‘Black Hand’ when he visited Bosnia.
Many Bosnians were not happy that Bosnia had only joined the Austro-Hungarian Empire since 1908, when it had been conquered by the Austrians. And many Serbians wanted Bosnia to join with them.
How did the murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand lead to the outbreak of the Great War?
Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia for the murder, so attacked Serbia.
Russia who promised to protect Serbia, gets ready to attack Austria-Hungary.
Germany (who supports Austria-Hungary) declares war on Russia.
Britain prepares its warships.
Germany attacks France before attacking Russia.
Germany asks Belgium to allow German soldiers to march through their country to attack France. Belgium says ‘no’. Germany does it anyway. Britain declares war on Germany to protect Belgium.
Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia.
Britain and France declare war on Austria-Hungary.
What do you know about the German plan called Schlieffen to fight both France and Russia (WWI)?
To quickly defeat France with a huge knock-out blow through Belgium, before moving the soldiers east to fight the enormous but slow-moving Russian army.
Why wasn’t the Schlieffen plan a success?
The Belgian army put up fierce resistance.
The BEF, a highly trained British professional army held the Germans back.
The Russians launched attack quicker on Germany.
The plan was outdated. Th world had changed. Railways and lorries moved the troops far quicker. The French even hired 600 taxi cabs to ferry extra troops into battle!
By September, the Germans had retreated 40 miles behind the River Aisne and there dug trenches.
The British and French could not get through these, so they dug trenches too.
The war was stuck in a STALEMATE (neither side could get through).
What was a STALEMATE in WWI?
By September, the Germans had retreated 40 miles behind the River Aisne and there dug trenches.
The British and French could not get through these, so they dug trenches too.
The war was stuck in a STALEMATE (neither side could get through).
Name the main features of a TRENCH warfare. There are 14.
- Duckboards (on the ground - stop soldiers sink on the mud)
- Fire step - soldiers stood on these to look and fire ‘over the top’
- Dugouts - rooms on back wall (to receive telephone orders)
- Periscope - to see over the top without being shot
5.Concrete bunker - reinforced underground bunker
- Gas bell - would ring to warn troops to put on gas masks
- Reserve trenches - soldiers went there to rest/wait
- Communication trench - to link the front trenches to the reserve ones
- Aeroplanes helped spot targets
10-14. Barbed wire, machine guns and nests, sandbags, artillery
What do you know about the Trench rats?
Dead bodies and food scraps attracted these. They were huge and would attempt to take food from pockets of sleeping soldiers.
What do you know about the Trench Foot Disease?
Many soldiers suffered from it.
It was an infection caused by cold, wet and dirty conditions.
It could result in amputation.
What foods did the soldiers eat in the Trenches?
At the beginning of the war, soldiers were fed well.
Gradually, the food was rationed (soldiers were only given a certain small amount).
Also, it took so long for fresh food to reach the front line where soldiers were, that food was stale.
There was a shortage of flour, so bread was made of turnips. They would drink weak coffee and oxo.
What was daily life like in the Trenches?
Each day was much the same as the last, unless there was a battle (but these were not daily).
They would do the ‘stand to’ before dawn, gathering weapons, taking place on the ‘fire step’ and fire. And the same at nightfall.
Also, they had to repair the trenches, clean weapons, carry supplies, fill up sandbags, etc
Who were the ‘Big Three’? (after WWI ended)
The leaders of France, Great Britain and the USA, who represented the 3 most powerful winning countries:
- David Lloyd George (Prime Minister of Great Britain)
- Woodrow Wilson (President of USA)
- George Clemenceau (Prime Minister of France)
When was the Treaty Of Versailles signed?
June 1919
What was written in the Treaty of Versailles?
- Germany must pay for the war in money and goods.
- Germany to have no air force, tanks or submarines.
- German soldiers not allowed anywhere near France.
- Germany to hand over colonies to Britain and France.
- Parts of the country cut off to make new ones.
- League of Nations set up (all countries to join so they could talk about their problems, rather than fight)
Why was the League of Nations formed?
To sort problems between countries peacefully.
To work together to fight diseases, slavery and drug smuggling, and improve working conditions.
Less than half of the countries joined, Germany was not allowed.
How did the League of Nations try to stop the wars?
If one nation was to declare war to another, all the other members would stop trading with the invading country until a lack of supplies would bring the fighting to an end.
What were some of the weaknesses/failures of the League of Nations?
The USA never became a member.
It didn’t have its own armed forces to go in and stop trouble.
Also, it couldn’t stop some invasions (Japan > China, Italy > Ethiopia)
What were some of the successes of the League of Nations?
-Freed many slaves.
-Helped many war prisoners return home.
-Worked hard to defeat diseases (cholera, smallpox, leprosy)
- Sorted some disputes between some countries.
What caused the Russian Revolution in March 1917?
During WWI, people became angry and bitter as millions of their soldiers were killed.
At home, the war caused terrible shortages. Many Russians could not afford to keep warm or to feed their families.
What happened in Russia on the 16th of March 1917?
The Tsar Nicholas II abdicated and a new Government took control of Russia.
