World War One Flashcards
(95 cards)
Why was WW1 called the ‘Great War’?
The world had never experienced such a big war before - millions of men split into alliances and spent over four years killing each other
How many people were killed during WW1?
Around 9 million people
Why was WW1 sometimes called ‘the war to end all wars’?
Due to the horror felt at the enormous death toll.
What does this picture show?
The names of 30,000 local men who died recorded inside Birmingham’s Hall of Memory - memorials like this took the place of graves for grieving relatives because none of the bodies of the dead men were returned
What was nationalism?
At the beginning of the 20th century, people began to take great pride in their countries, and many European countries were convinced that their country and way of doing things were the best.
How was nationalism a long-term cause?
Many European leaders thought that the best way to prove they were the best was to have a war with their rivals
What was militarism?
People took great pride in their armies and navies so to make sure that theirs were the best, countries spent more money on bigger armies; this sometimes resulted in an arms race as no one wanted the smallest army
How was militarism a long-term cause?
To many, these was no point in having a big, expensive army if you weren’t going to use it and whenever countries fell out, the temptation was always there to use their weapons.
What was imperialism?
Many European countries other than Britain had an empire and so the race to gain control of other nations, particularly in Africa, led to tension and fierce rivalries among European countries.
How was imperialism a long-term cause?
Many European countries began to see each other as a threat to their overseas possessions and saw war as the only way to remove this threat permanently.
What countries formed the Triple Entente?
Britain, France and Russia
What countries formed the Triple Alliance?
Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy
What was the point of an alliance?
The idea was to put people off starting a war as it would mean fighting against three nations instead of one
How did alliances cause problems?
Although it made countries feel more secure, it meant that it would only take one small disagreement between any two nations involved and all of Europe would be dragged into a war
When was Franz Ferdinand assassinated?
28 June 1914
Why were Bosnians unhappy?
Bosnia was conquered by the Austrians and was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire ever since 1908
What did a Serbian gang plan?
The ‘Black Hand’ decided to take drastic action to highlight their cause - they planned to assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand
What was the first event that led to Ferdinand’s death?
- Him and his wife arrived in Sarajevo at 9am at the Town Hall to meet the Mayor
- Crowds lined the streets the the car drove slowly so they could wave to people
What was the second event that led to Ferdinand’s death?
- 6 Black Hand members threw a bomb at the car, injuring several people
What was the third event that led to Ferdinand’s death?
- The Archduke cancelled his visit but visited the people who had been injured
- At 11am, the driver was notified that he’d made the wrong turn
What was the final event that led to Ferdinand’s death?
- After the bomb, assassins split up into the crowds
- 18-year-old Gavrilo Princip spotted him and shot and killed both Ferdinand and his wife
What happened on the 28 July?
Austria-Hungary blames Serbia for killing the Archduke and proceeds to attack them
What happened on the 29 July?
Russia, who promised to protect Serbia, gets its army ready to attack Austria-Hungary
What happened on the 1 August?
Germany, who supports Austria-Hungary, hears about Russian preparations for war and declares war on them
