World War 1 Flashcards
(41 cards)
What was the direct cause of WW1
The assassination of duke Franz Ferdinand, the archduke of Austria. Austria blamed serbia for death and sent serbia an ultimatum. when serbia declined it, austria declared war.
explain assassination of duke franz ferdinand
serbian terrorists in sarajevo threw a bomb at the archduke’s open car. the archduke saw the bomb and managed to throw it out of the car, injuring several other people in the process. He was rushed away but then last minute wanted to go back to see the victims of the bomb in the hospital. they took a new and unfamiliar route and ended up getting lost, stopping right in front of a cafe where one of the terrorists had gone.
Indirect causes
nationalism
arms and naval race
alliances
colonialism/imperialism
war plans
nationalism
Nationalism is an ideology that emphasizes loyalty, devotion, or allegiance to a nation. Each country wanted to assert that their country was the best and the most powerful which created competition
arms and naval race
The increased tensions between Great Britain and Germany and led to the growth of militarism across Europe. The belief that a country needs to amass a strong military to defend the nation and achieve its geopolitical goals.
alliances
a union formed for a mutual benefit
- Created a defensive atmosphere and the reassurance that one country would be supported by their alliance if they were to engage in conflict.
- threatened other countries and created hostilities
colonialism/imperialism
Colonialism is the establishment of a colony in a foreign land, while imperialism is one country taking over another country or region by force or coercion.
- these ideologies created competition for territory and resources
- made countries want to take over each other
war plans
a plan to win a war militarily and politically
- schlieffen plan was made by the germans in case the war was to break out to avoid fighting a two front war.
- this plan lead to world war 1 because by invading beligum, a neutral country, it involved the UK
what were the main alliances
triple entente: Great britain, france, russia, serbia, usa (1917), and allies (ANZAC)
triple alliance: Germany, austria hungry, italy, ottoman empire
who is to blame for the war
Germany played a large role in stating the war as they encouraged austria to declare war on serbia since they wanted war. They also invaded a neutral country and were the first to attack. However, it was austria who sent the ultimatum and later all the countries participated in the war… so i would say it is mostly Germany at fault, but that 100 percent of the blame cannot fall on them.
why did the schlieffen plan fail
the schlieffen plan failed because
- the belgians resisted unexpectedly and were able to hold off the germans long enough for british troops to help and for france to get organized. the germans lost their element of surprise and their morale went down as they were expecting it to be a quick victory.
- russia mobilized a lot faster than expected and launched an attack from the eastern front
- the plan was relatively old and there were new technologies in place
why were people happy about the start of the war
- the last war was too long ago to remember
- propoganda made it seem like an amazing thing (glory, excitment, masculinity)
- everyone expected it to be fast and easy
- nationalism
- arms and naval race had everyone enthusiastic about new weapons and they wanted to try them out
what is trench warefare
a type of combat in which opposing troops fight from trenches facing each other.
what are trenches
long, deep ditches dug as protective defenses. made of wood, dirt, barbed wire, etc
what was trench life like
- infectious diseases
- unsanitary conditions
- lice
- trench foot
- ptsd
- disgusting food (bread made with sawdust)
why was ww1 a trench war
- designed to protect troops from machine-gun fire and artillery attacks from the air.
- new weapons such as chemical warfare and poison gas, the trenches were thought to offer some degree of protection against exposure
western front
border between germany and france, belgium, and britain
- battle of the somme occurred here
- frontline practically did not move throughout the whole war (serious stalemate)
eastern front
frontline between germany and russia.
- higher death count than western front
stalemate
a situation in which progress by opposing parties seems impossible. both sides were ‘stuck’, unable to move foreward
- new weapons
- effectiveness of trenches
‘over the top’
- when soldiers would leave the trenches to launch an attack
- they had to cross no mans land and attack those in the other trenches
- usually resulted in mass casualties due to the use of machine guns
- sometimes, generals would send thousands and thousands of soldiers over the top just for everyone to die and the frontline not to move
no mans land
the area of land between two enemy trench systems, not controlled by either side
- covered in barbed wire, massive holes, etc
total war
all areas of military are used and includes any and all (including civilian-associated) resources and infrastructure as legitimate military targets.
when did the war start and end
1914 - 1918 (nov, 11)
who was in the battle of the somme
The french army with british support
