World War 1 Interpretation Assessment Flashcards
Who is Gavrilo Princip?
Gavrilo Princip was the man who assassinated the Arch-Duke of the Austria-Hungry Empire, Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, Bosina. This was whilst being part of aa group in connection to the Serbian Government called the Black Hand.
How did Countries get involved with the War?
After Gavrilo Princip assassinated Ferdinand:
- Austria launched an attack on Serbia
- Then Russia declared war on Serbia to protect Austria
- Germany stepped in the help Austria
- France then declared war on Germany to help her ally Russia
- Britain declared war on Germany after they invaded Belgium, therefore breaking Scrap Of Paper Treaty.
What does the saying ‘Lions Led By Donkeys’ Mean?
Lions led by donkeys links to the soldiers and generals in WW1. The troops were fierce and courageous, whilst doing everything that they were told like lions. However, the Generals were stupid and stubborn in not changing their ways and tactics, quite like donkeys.
Who is Douglas Haig?
Douglas Haig was Commander in Chief of the British Army from 1915. His role during the war has been subject of a lot of debate amongst historians ever since the war ended. Some referred to him as the “Butcher of the Somme”.
Criticisms of Haig:
- He only got as close to 50km behind the frontline and didn’t empathise with what the war conditions were actually like.
- Haig didn’t know about German dugouts and failed to research their defensive positions
- His planned attack on the Somme was disastrous with 57,000 casualties on the first day.
- He continued the battle up to November, where 1 million were already dead
- He didn’t come up with many new tactics at the start of the war
- He sacrificed many, many men for futile attacks which gained little ground
Points to defend Haig:
- All innovations and new opportunities were seized on and developed by the very general who was supposed to be so resistant to change (these were things such as Tanks, Machine Guns and Aircraft)
- There were huge advancements in technology, meaning more people were going to get killed on both sides anyway.
- The war and Haig created a revolution in the art of warfare and the British Army
- Casualties were no higher than any other of the main countries
- You have to be prepared to loose men when you’re in a war, so he had to be thick skinned and get the job done
- France, Russia, Germany and Austria Hungary all had more men killed in the war than Britain
- Haig’s side had won the war
3 important events that changed the war in 1917:
- Russia has pulled out of the War due to the Communistic uprising of the workers around the country
- The USA declared war on the Triple Alliance after German U-boats sunk American ships
- The German Kaiser was forced to abdicate to Holland after riots broke out across Germany, as there wasn’t enough food for everyone
What was the worst thing about Douglas Haig?
The most appalling thing about Haig was his neglection towards the loss of life, which was mainly down to his tactics of attrition, with the soldier having to squeeze through barbed wire, whilst getting mowed down by machine guns. He was so incompetent that he didn’t even change the tactics very soon, whilst prolonging battles that were only lost causes, making even more unnecessary death.
What had changed for the good?
By 1918, things had changed on the Battlefields, and the harsh lessons learning over the past 4 years had been put into practice. New tactics like surprise attacks in brief but devastating barrages with more accurate machinery, meant that German Gun batteries could be targeted along with other key positions without having to test the range beforehand.
Another tactic that emerged was the ‘creeping barrage’ of shells. This was when infantry advanced with support of tanks and aeroplanes flying overhead too, which were now considerably more sophisticated than they used to be.
What was bad and needed to change?
There was little tactical flexibility, with a barrage of artillery, which the stopped beckoning troops to go over no man’s land, to their certain death. Furthermore, there were only really ‘low tech’ defences like trenches and barbed wire in place and communication between troops and artillery and other troops were poor.
This lead to the same predictable attacks happening every single time, which were all doomed from the start (e.g the Battle of the Somme)
How many people were killed approximately?
5, 054, 549 soldiers all around the world.
Around 5 million
Why people should wear a poppy
The poppy was chosen as a symbol of The Great War because where everything was left destroyed, barren and wasted, the only things that grew were small clusters of crimson poppies. As this was the symbol of the war, people began to buy poppies and the money made was sent to the surviving soldiers and their families. Also, the poppy is also a symbol of respect for the ones that fought and died too, meaning that I think that everyone should decide to wear it.
