World War I Flashcards
(14 cards)
What superpowers made up the triple alliance?
Germany, Austrian-Hungary and Italy
What superpowers made up the triple entente?
Uk, France and Russia
What were the long-term causes of WWI?
- Archduke Franz Ferdinand was murdered in Bosnia, in his car
- The Black Hand were angry with Austria-Hungary for taking over Bosnia
What was the spark/trigger/short-term cause of WWI?
Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s driver took a wrong turn, which led to his and his wife’s death.
Why did the Schlieffen plan fail?
Because:
- They were outnumbered
- Britain had already arrived to aid Germany
- It started earlier than expected
What were 4 different horrors of life in the trenches?
Lice, shell shock, trench foot and rats
What did lice do to the soldiers?
Lice bit the soldiers and invaded their clothes and hair.
What did shell shock do to the soldiers?
The soldiers couldn’t sleep, walk or talk because of the trauma of heavy explosions and constant fighting.
What did trench foot do to the soldiers?
Being drenched in water for long hours caused soldiers to develop a fungus they called “trench foot”. It often resulted in feet and toes being amputated to stop it from spreading and getting into the bloodstream.
What did rats do to the soldiers?
Most men killed in the trenches were buried almost where they fell and new trenches were being dug anywhere there was space. The corpses and food scraps littered by the soldiers attracted rats.
What was the deadlier weapon: machine guns, tanks or gas?
I think it was chlorine gas. This is because it’s one problem was easy to overcome as Germany’s weather is fairly reliable. Chlorine gas needs good weather to have a great affect; when it does it’s death is painful as the prey suffocates. Mustard gas, however, was much greater than the chlorine gas because it was colourless and the opponents could die in up to 5 weeks, suffering throughout. But it took 12 hours to take affect.
How did the British government use propaganda to recruit people into the army?
They used posters and told them that their women and children would be proud and that if you didn’t go you were a coward and didn’t want to help your friends who were fighting for your country.
They were so desperate for recruits they even were untruthful and portrayed war to have a fun side other than fighting and that men would be able to play sports and have free time.
What were 3 jobs women did that they didn’t do before the war?
Ticket collector on buses
Munition factory worker
Women’s Land Army
These were men’s jobs but most of them were at war.
Why did so many soldiers die during the battle of Somme?
- Poor leadership and planning
- Failing technology
- Main aspects out of the British’s control’
