History - WW1

Triple Alliance

An alliance between Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary formed in the late 1800s.

Triple Entente

An alliance between France, Britain, and Russia formed in response to the growing tensions in Europe.

Weltpolitik

Germany's policy of seeking to expand its influence through the development of an empire.

Boer War

A conflict from 1899-1902 in which Britain fought against Dutch settlers in South Africa.

Naval Arms Race

Competition between Britain and Germany to build the most powerful navy, particularly during the early 20th century.

Dreadnought

A type of battleship introduced by Britain in 1906, which was superior to previous ships and significantly influenced naval power dynamics.

Moroccan Crisis

A diplomatic dispute between France and Germany over control and influence in Morocco, notably in 1905 and 1911.

Treaty of Madrid (1880)

An agreement that allowed Germany to have input in Moroccan affairs.

Bosnian Crisis (1908-1914)

A series of events marked by Austria-Hungary's annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, causing tensions with Serbia.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne whose assassination in June 1914 catalyzed the outbreak of World War I.

The Black Hand

A secret nationalist organization involved in the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

Blank Check

Germany's unconditional support for Austria-Hungary's actions against Serbia following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

July Days

The period following the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand marked by Austria-Hungary's deliberations on military action against Serbia.

Triple Entente vs. Triple Alliance

The opposing alliances in World War I, with the Tripple Entente including Britain, France, and Russia, and the Triple Alliance comprising Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy.

Splendid Isolation

Britains policy of isolation to focus on their empire and own politics

Kaiser Wilhem II

Leader of germany 1888-1919

The dread nought was first launched in?

1906 by the British

Amount of battle ships Germany and Britain had?

38 owned by Great Britain

19 owned by Germany

How many Dreadnoughts did Britain and Germany have by 1914?

Britain had 29 and Germany had 17

Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary Assasination

June 28th 1914

Who assasinated the archduke of austria hungary?

Gavrilo Princip - 19 years old - Member of the Black Hand

Where did the blackhand get their weapons from?

Supplies by a colonel from the Serbian Millitary

When did austria-hungary declare war on serbia?

28th July 1914

When did Austria-Hungary declare war on Russia?

6th August 1914

When did Germany Declare war on Russia?

1rst August 1914

When did Germany declare war on France?

3rd August 1914

What was the Schlieffen Plan? (Definition)

A war plan made by germany in the late 1880s which would be used at the start of WW1

The Schlieffen Plan

The plan was to send 90% of their army to attack france and defeat them within 6 weeks, getting to france by going through Holland and belgium, once they defeated France they'd move the rest of the troops to russia. Along with capturing ports along the british channel such as Calais, Boulogne and Dunkirk

Disadvantages of Schlieffen plan

-Backfired causing a stalemate at the start of the war

-Gave other countries a reason to blame germany as it made it seemed like Germany planned the whole war the beginning

-Severly underestimated the Brittish and belgians

Why did Germany want to go through Belgium?

It was a neutral country, due to 1839 Treaty of london. German war officials thought Belgium would accept the request for german troops going through.

How long did the Schlieffen plan expect for the germans to take over france

6 weeks

What aas the BEF

The British Exploratory Force

When the BEF was developed

It was made during the year 1908

Amount of soldiers the BEF had

They had 120k Soldiers

Who were apart of the BEF

Reserves and part time soldiers, had little training due to how sudden the war needed them

When the BEF were dispatched

5th August 1914

When the BEF crossd into france

12th August 1914

Battle of Mons

23rd August

It was the first major action of the BEF.Managed to slow down the germans Schlieffen-Plan. It resulted in the deaths of 8,000

Trenches

Long narrow ditched built by both sides in WW1, initially built for protection, but became a permanent feature after september 1914 in the wars stalemate, introducing new features

What happened to the BEF by November 1914

They'd lost 10% of their troops (killed or wounded)

Trenches were both

A cause and concequence of stalemates

Frontline

The trench line at the front which faced no mans land

No mans land

A peace of land between each sides front lines, neither side owns this land

Dug outs

Were undground the trenches so that shelter could be provided, later on beds and electric lights would sometimes be placed here

Dressing stations

These were the makeshift hospitals of the trenches

Communication trenches and Reserve trenches

These were behind the frontlines, providing extra troops and supplies to the frontline

How long were the trenches built on the western front were in total

Over 2500km in total

Disease in the trenches

• Quick spread of illnesses

• Terrible Hygeine

• Make shift toilets overflowing

• Rat overpopulation spreading disease

• Lice giving diseases like Trench fever

• Trench foot

Symptoms of Trench Fever

• Fever

• Headaches

• Skin lessions

• Sore muscles + bones + joints

How many cases of trench fever were there

Over 800,000 reported cases

Trench foot statistics

Over 80% of those diagnosed were deemed unfit to duty for 3 months

Winter in trench life

Temperatures were very cold, with little heat some soldiers would put newspapers in their clothes to try insulate them

Working day of Soldiers

From 5am to 6:30pm

The amount of time a soldier was supposed to stay on the frontlines

6 days a month, however this became unpredictable with it sometimes lasting for month

Trench foot

Due to dirty water filling uo the trenches, soldiers having standing in these waters for long periods of time, began to get infected. To be dealt with in worse cases the foot would be amputated

What soldiers would do when off fighting

Building new trenches, patrol no mans land, raiding enemy trenches and guard duty

Leisure time for soldiers

Playing cards, writing letters home, drawing or writing

What was throwned upon for soldiers to do

Fall asleep, desert post, disobeying orders

What happened to soldiers who broke these rules

They were trialled in millitary court, where theyd get there sentence

How many soldiers were condemed to death

3,080 Soldiers

How many soldiers actually recieved their death sentence

Only 346 Soldiers

Why the british army allowed soldiers to write letters home

To boost soldier morale

What did soldiers sometimes get to do?

Go sightseeing, go to conferts and do sports

How many letters were sebt out to the western front

Over 12 million a week

What did food did soldiers have

Biscuits, bread and corn beef

Tanks

Armoured fighting machines developed by the UK during WW1

Who encouraged the use of tanks?

Winston churchill in october 1914

When tanks were first used in the war

During the battle of the Somme in 1916

Role of tanks

To cross enemy lines and provide protection for the advancing troops

The downside of tanks

Toxic fumes are released inside the tank which could cause the drivers death. Also they’d break down or get stuck in the. mud

How did the germans combat tanks

They developed artilery to break thriugh tanks, these were vital in the Allied advancement of 1918

How many tanks did the british send out for four days one time?

Over 525 tanks

How many of the tanks were working after the 4 days?

Only 25 tanks were left working

What happened with the tanks in november 1914

They had been developed to be more effiecient. The british sent out 381 tanks managing to push them through 8km of germab lines

When the germans first used gas for war

In april 1915, using posiness chlorine gas during the battle of ypres

Battle of Ypres

A series of battles fought around the Belgium city of Ypres. Reuslitng in 1 million casualties

How was the gas spread

The wind would carry ot onto no mans land into british lines

When was gas warfare banned

In the year 1907

How many british soldiers were killed by gas attacks

Over 7500 soldiers

How many german soldiers were killed by the gas attacks

Over 5,350 Soldiers

When were gas masks first issued

In april 1916, when both sides began to develop dangerous gases

Gases used during WW1

• Mustard Gad

• Phosgene Gas

• Blue Cross gas shells

Down side of gas masks

Some gases could seep through the mask, causing irritation which could make them take it off

Aircrafts before WW1s

Was in its primitive stage, often seen as unreliable and dangerous, running out of fuel and crashing

The role of aircraft in WW1

Began to be further developed so it could be used for reconnaissance

Reconnaissance in air craft

Used to locate the enemy and take photos for intelligence

When aircraft was first used in Reconnaissance

During the battle of the marne, used to spot gaps in enemy lines

Battle of the Marne

From september 5 -12 resulting in 250k french casualties, 12,733 British Casualties and 298k Geerman Casualties. Managing to push the geermans back although they managed to capture part of the north east of france

Red Barron

A German soldier who had 80 enemy kills from dog fighting warfare

When machine guns were added into planes

In April 1915, the Germans developed this

The amount of aircraft the RAF had at the start of the war

37 Air-Craft

The amount of aircraft the RAF had by the end of the war

Over 23,000 aircraft

Battle of the somme

One of the most famous and controversial battles of WW1. Staring in july 1916 and ending november 19166

Original aim of the battle of the somme

To relieve the french who were fighting with the Germans at Verdun, hoping to distract them.

Battle of the somme plan

For the British to attack German trenches along a 15 mile front north of the river somme, while the french attack 8 miles back south of the river

Who led the battle of the somme

General Haig who was appointed the role Field Marshal in december 1915

What did the british and french do on 25th June 1916

For a week they bombarded German trenches, hoping to destroy them. Firing 1.6 Million shells, however this ddid’t go to plan as it didnt explode and many German soldiers hid in dug outs

How the British generals felt

They were highly confident that the plan would work, due to their artillery, telling this to their soldiers

What happened when british soldiers went on no mans land (battle of the somme)

They were mowed down by the Germans with the plan going wrong

How many causalties among british soldiers were there on the first day

There were 57,470 casualtiesq