History - Term 2 Flashcards
(24 cards)
Militarism
Building up of a strong defence force and increasing your supply of weapons
Alliances
An agreement made between two or more countries to give each other help if needed; mutually beneficial
Imperialism
Desire to create or conquer colonies, especially in Africa and Asia
Nationalism
A sense of pride and love in one’s nation, and a belief in its superiority over others
Australian involvement - government
Felt that they had a moral obligation to support Britain and its fight against German aggression
Australian involvement - individual
Financial (6 shillings per day compared to one), Duty (men’s feeling it was their duty to enlist), Hatred of Germany, Experience/adventure to escape the mundane lifestyle and see other parts of the world, Societal pressure (avoid disapproval of peers and young women e.g. white feather), Patriotic (love and devotion to Europe)
Living conditions in the trenches
Mud, lice, cold, noise, rats, lack of food and spread of disease
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Played the role as the ultimate trigger of the war, but not the sole cause. Provided an excuse for Austria-Hungary to attempt to punish and weaken its long-time enemy, Serbia
Militarism in ww1
Fuelled the arms race between Great Britain and Germany as they increased their navies. Created an environment of intense rivalry and distrust amongst European powers. It was all about who had the most power and who felt threatened by that power
There was competition for…
Trading, control, power, resources, weapons, ships, size of armies, status
Alliances in ww1
Increased a nation’s sense of strength and protection and fostered the mistrust of the nations that did not belong to them
Imperialism in ww1
Resulted in intense competition between Britain and Germany for overseas colonies, especially in Africa and Asia
Nationalism in ww1
Led to increased tensions and animosity across Europe, as each sought to assert their independence and power e.g. serbian nationalism leading to assassination leading to war
World War 1 was caused by…
A combination of long-term tensions and the immediate trigger of Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s assassination, which set off a chain reaction of escalating events. At its core, the war stemmed from growing rivalries between European powers and the breakdown of the balance-of-power system, driven by four key factors (main)
Living conditions in the trenches
Unimaginable hardships everyday, harsh, uncomfortable, unhygienic, facing numerous issues of mud, lice, rats, spread of disease, lack of food, cold, noise. A combination of urine, excrement, vomit, blood, rotting corpses led to putrid smells and horrific sights
Mud
Trenches were often flooded due to heavy rain and poor drainage, leading to muddy conditions and increased risk of trench foot
Cold/hot
In winter the temperatures were unbearably cold, resulting in frostbite and gangrene. In summer it became unbearably hot, dusty and humid, difficult to grasp a breath
Lice
Infested uniforms and bodies, causing constant irritation and itching, breaking the skin’s surface and leading to further infection
Rats
Huge rats were everywhere, feeding off of soldier’s rations, dead soldiers and even living soldiers
Lack of food
Soldiers given rations of basic foods, such as bread, biscuits and tinned meat
Sleep
Uncomfortable conditions and trenches offered minimal protection from the cold or enemy attacks
Noise
Deafening noises of loud sounds of artillery, machine guns and explosions, leading to hearing loss, contributing to what was called “shell shock”
Psychological effect
Constant threat of death and injury from weapons, daily stress of war and death of soldiers created extreme mental pressure. Devastating effects remained with soldiers for the rest of their lives.
