Part 3: Ending the war Flashcards
(61 cards)
What were the effects of the war on Russia that lead them to withdraw in 1917?
-Lack of effective equipment and poor leadership skills meant they suffered heavy defeats against Germany and Austria-Hungary.
-The Tsar was a poor army leader.
-At home Russians were suffering, there were no workers to work in the factories and farms.
-Russia had poor infrastructure.
-Food and fuel shortages started to occur due to the lack of workers and poor infrastructure.
-Lots of power shortages happened in the Russian cities.
-By 1916, A million Russians had been killed while fighting while people were starving to death at home. Morale and enthusiasm was completely lost.
When was the Russian revolution?
1917
What happened during the Russian Revolution?
-Riots and strikes across the country
-Soldiers ordered to fire on protesters refused to do so and joined them instead
-On the front line soldiers mutinied and deserted
-A workers council was established to coordinate a full scale revolution.
What was the workers council that was established to coordinate a full scale revolution during 1917?
The Petrograd Soviet.
When did the Tsar abdicate and why?
On 15th March 1917, as he had no support left.
What happened in October 1917 that ended Russia’s part in the war?
-A group called the Bolsheviks overthrew the government and took control. Their leader promised to end the war quickly.
Who was the leader of the Bolsheviks?
Lenin, who the Germans had smuggled back into the country after he was exiled by the Tsar.
What was the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and when was it signed?
-This was a treaty signed in March 1918 by Russia and Germany and its allies.
What were the terms of the Brest-Litovsk treaty?
-Russia could withdraw from the war by giving huge amounts of land to Germany, including some of its best agricultural land and natural resources.
What was the impact of the Russian withdrawal?
-Britain and France were furious, this broke pre-war treaties.
-Germany was left fighting a war on only one front, which meant they no longer had a strain of fighting a war on two fronts.
-German troops were immediately moved to the Western-front from the Eastern front, adding more strain onto Britain and France.
-The Land and resources Germany had gained also helped ease their own shortages caused by the naval blockade.
American Neutrality
-At the start of the war the USA refused to take sides, declaring themselves as neutral.
Even though they were neutral, how did the Americans help the allies?
-American Banks sent around two billion dollars to the allies
-Food, weapons and other goods were also sold to the allies.
What were some of the causes that started the idea of America joining the war?
-Ships transporting American supplies to the British were a target to German U-Boats. The more caught and sank, the angrier the USA became.
-The sinking of the Lusitania lead to calls of the USA joining the war but Woodrow Wilson refused.
What was the final straw that lead to the USA joining the War in 1917?
e.g The Zimmerman Telegram
-Germany increased its attacks on American ships in order to starve Britain and France of the supplies they needed.
-The Germans were having secret talks with Mexico that would see Mexico attack the USA. A telegram was intercepted by the allies explaining of this.
When did the USA join the war?
April 1917
What was the impact of the USAs entry?
-Big boost for Britain and France especially after Russia’s Withdrawal
-They were big, wealthy and powerful so they could launch strong attacks on the Germans.
-Big blow for the Germans, would make war harder. They wanted to launch a huge attack on the Western front before the Americans arrived.
Developments of sea warfare by 1918?
-U-Boat campaign caused the British to develop
Use of mines
Depth charges
Q-Ships
The convoy system.
-The Hydrophone was a microphone that allowed U-Boats to be detected from several miles away.
-Floatplanes were aeroplanes fitted with floats instead of wheels.
-The first aircraft carrier was made in October 1918, but the war ended before it was used.
Impact of the developments of sea warfare?
-U-Boat attacks became much less effective due to the development of tech to counter their attacks.
Developments of Air warfare by 1918?
Planes were originally used for Reconnaissance but key improvements by 1918 included;
-Stronger materials made them more maneuverable
-Germans (Anthony Fokker) developed a way of firing machine guns without damaging the planes propeller.
-Larger fuel tanks allowed planes to travel further
-Planes could attack enemy in battles and support the ground troops
-They were able to fly in larger formations
-Radio allowed pilots to communicate with ground.
The impact of the developments of air warfare?
-Improved planes officially brought the ability to battle in the air after centuries of sea and ground battle.
Development of tanks by 1918?
-The first few tanks used were by the British at the Battle of the Somme in 1916 but they were slow and ineffective, but they did intimidate people.
-They had become stronger and more reliable in the duration of the war.
The impacts of the developments of tanks?
-By the end of the war, tanks were being used to gain land and fight battles. Some examples are
-Battle of Cambrai 1917 over 400 tanks crossed the German line and gained 8 km of land with fewer losses.
-Battle of Amiens in August 1918, 600 tanks lead an advance that captured 32 km.
How did allied tank developments effect the Germans?
-Even though the Germans did develop ways of combatting tanks (larger trenches and powerful guns) they never full recognized how useful tanks could be.
-The Germans quickly fell behind the Allies in their development and this is one important factor to their defeat.
The development of artillery by 1918?
-The new developments over war included:
Special shells that could
destroy barbed wire
Larger and more
accurate guns
The “Creeping barrage”
tactic
Mine warfare(digging
under the enemy and
planting explosives)
