Total War: Reading Flashcards
(9 cards)
What were Marc Ferro’s idea about men in 1914?
That they were under the illusion it would be short and it was their duty to defend their country -> claims most 20th century men were essentially prisoners in society as they had no real party in affairs of state, province or community (were ruled by people at the stop)
According to Marc Ferro, between 1880 and 1913 what two choices did Europeans have?
Revolt or leave
Many left to US (i.e. British, Germans, Slavs, and Italians), while others revolted in search of communism or socialism (were a minority but were prevalent in Russia due ti capitalist developments in 1914 -> reached climax in 1917)
What did going to war mean for working class people, according to Marc Ferro?
Was to protect national interest and workers going off to war found a substitute for revolutionary hopes -> it was not an ordeal and liberated man’s enegeries with the idea that it was a war to end all wars and would create eternal peace
What did WWI require in terms of resources and what was the primary resource??
The mobilisation of all a nation’s resources (manpower being the primary one) -> must consider that backwardness of a nation did not necessarily correlate with military ineffectiveness (i.e. Russia most backward of Great Powers fought for three years and maintained one of the major land fronts despite never mobilising to their full capacity)
Why were arms races more urgent at sea than on land during WWI?
Naval technology advanced rapidly -> seen in Battle of Jutland (1916) showing how opposing technologies could cancel each other out (similar to what was seen on land)
How did railways and general staff impact WWI?
Railways - enabled rapid troop moment over large distances which favoured defensive strategies and contributed to the war’s indecisiveness
General Staff - developed across Europe pre-war and were essential for planning, deploying and controlling large-scale military operations during WWI
Why were tactical innovations considered as important as new technologies?
Success relied on how weapons like artillery and machine guns were used i.e. better coordination between infantry and artillery, and integrating movement with live fire rather than relying on outdated preliminary bombardments
What does the stalemate on the Western Front reveal about WWI leadership?
Highlight command and leadership failures -> mass warfare was difficult to manage due to decentralised command, with strategic decisions at HQ and tactical leadership in trenches; innovation require advances like the radio
