World War One Flashcards
Causes of World War One
Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism
Definition of Militarism
Building up armed forces and getting ready for war
Definition of Alliances
Agreements and promises to help and defend another country
Definition of Imperialism
Trying to build up an empire
Definition of Nationalism
Having pride in your country and being ready to defend it
What was the German war plan?
The schlieffen plan: Germany attacked France through Belgium as soon as Russia had declared war. Germany assumed Russia would be slow to gather forces, unfortunately Russia was faster than expected and Russia ended up having to fight 2 wars at once. Due to this Germany lost many soldiers and faces defeat, therefore their plan had failed.
When and what was the Battle of Somme?
Took place in November 1916. Th British launched an attack on the German line in order to relieve pressure on France and force Germans to move from Verdum. Germany was therefore forced to move troops from Verdum to defend the land on the Somme. This battle was a loss for Britain because over 400,000 of their troops had been killed
Why did british soldiers continue fighting in the trenches?
They wanted to get the war over and done with in order to go back home. They were afraid of being punished considering the generals were quite tough on them. They also kept fighting because of patriotism (to make their country proud).
Who was Franz Ferdinand?
The ruler of Austria-Hungary
What happened to Franz Franz Ferdinand when he went to Serbia?
Everyone there hated him because he had taken power over Serbia which until then had been ruled by their own leader. Therefore, a terrorist group called “the black hand” murdered him. It was thought that the serbian government had helped with the assassination because the group had used government weapons, therefore Austria-Hungary declared war. All the allied countries got involved, this was the spark that started the war.
