Unit 1 USIW Summative- WW1

Original Members of Triple Entente/Allied Powers

France, Russia, Great Britain

Original Members of Triple Alliance/Central Powers

Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy

What was Belgium’s role in the beginning of WW1?

It was a neutral country, Germany invaded it as part of the Schlieffen plan which prompted Britain to join the wa

Who was Kaiser Wilhelim II?

He was the last German Emperor and the King of Prussia

He wanted Germany to become a major military/naval power and his support for Austria-Hungary led to WW1

What role did the Russian Revolution play in regards to WW1?

It removed them from the war, allowed Germany to focus on the Western front, and the Bolsheviks signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

Between Central Powers and Russia —> removed Russia from WW1 and granted 7 Baltic nations independence

P-Poland

U-Ukraine

B-Belarus

F-Finland

E-Estonia

L-Lithuania

L-Lativa

Northern Front

Battle of Somme, 1916

-months of buildup of artillery by Allied forces

-Britain tried to walk across No Mans Land because they thought artillery launch would kill Germans (wrong because of trenches)

-Many many casulaties

-Germany started to play dirty (Zimmerman Telegram and brining revolution to Russia)

Eastern Front

Battle of Tannenburg, 1914

-Major loss for Russia because they couldn’t get resources and mobilize quickly at Prussian border

-Russian commander commits suicide and so Czar Nicolas takes over, leaving Alexandria (German princess) in charge of country

Southern Front

Battle of Galipoli, 1915

-Allied Powers vs Ottoman Empire

-Want control of Constantinople and access to sea route

-Stalemate

-Eventually Britain/France withdraw (embarrassing!)

Western Front

Battle of Marne, 1914

-Schlieffen Plan —> Germany wants to take out France as quick as possible through Belgium

-They want to capture the caputal then go to Russia 

-Beginning of trenches

Who was Archduke Franz Ferdinand?

Archduke of Austria-Hungary, assassinated by 19 year old from “The Black Hand”(Serbia), this was the catalyst of WW1

How, why, and when did US enter?

President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to join WW1 as “the war to end all wars,” this happened because of unrestricted submarine warfare from Germany and the Zimmerman Telegram. They entered in April 1917.

Schlieffen Plan

Quickly defeat France by conquering capital (through Belgium) and from there conquering Russia (plan failed)

What role did propaganda play?

Rallying support for the war, villanizing the enemy, justifying the cause

What was armistice and when did it go into effect?

11am, 11/11/1918 —> Officially ended war as a result of Germany’s surrender

War of Attrition

When one side tried to win by gradually wearing down their opponent so the opponent runs out of materials/resources (Western Front)

What were the 14 points and why did they differ so much from what came out ofthe Versailles Conference?

The 14 Points were Woodrow Wilson’s idea for lasting peace, which focused on free-trade, self-determination, and the League of Nations, where as the Versailles Conference wanted to assign blame for the war to Germany and punish them for it.

Why did the US remain neutral for the first 3 years of war?

Woodrow Wilson wanted to focus on domestic issues, US still wanted to maintain Monroe Doctrine which focused on non-intervention and isolationist, as well as US wanted free-trade from both sides of the war

Who was Tsar Nicholas II?

Last Russian Tsar, abducted in 1917 as a result of the first Russian Revolution, he was killed in 1918 by the Bolsheviks along with his entire family after being imprisone

Technology Advancements

Trenches, poisonous gas, tanks, machine guns

Who is Vladimir Lenin?

Russian revolutionary, led the 2nd russian revolution, removed Russia fromWW1, communist

In what ways was the Treaty of Versailles a treaty of punishment rather than peace?

Forced Germany to pay a lot of money and limited their military and territory, their colonies were taken

How was the complicated system of alliances leading up to WW1 meant to prevent a great war from happening?

Collective security network —> powerful allies would defer attacks

What was the 1918 Flu Pandemic and why was Spain the first to report on it?

Spain was neutral so they had unrestricted reporting, most severe pandemic in recent history, 500 million people died

Why didn’t the US Join League of Nations?

US Senate wouldn’t ratify because

-thought it would drag US into war w/o constitional approval

-return to isolationism

Greatly weakened the League (essentially why it couldn’t prevent WW2)

Why did the Ottoman Empire enter the war?

Wanted to escape European powers and gain more territories

What happened to Ottoman Empire after war?

Collapsed/dismantled by Allied Powers —> conflict in middle-east because drawing borders that do not align with cultural backgrounds

France took control of Lebanon and Syria

England gained Iraq and Palestine

MANIA

M-Militarism

A-Alliances

N-Nationalism

I-Imperialism

A-Assasination