WW1 (exam vers.)

Causes of WW1

• Imperialism

• Militarism

• Nationalism

• Alliances

Imperialism

Extending the rule of authority in one country over another

• About having control and power

Consequences:

• Search for raw materials

• New market to sell their goods

Militarism

Policy of strengthening armed forces; military interests dominate government policy. Build up of forces, weapons, tech for decades

Nationalism by state

Pride connected to an existing state. Patriotism, a desire to preserve one’s own language, culture, and traditions

Nationalisn by ethnicity

Desire of an ethnic group lacking it’s own state to be liberated from a different dominant ethnic group[

Domino events

Germany is now faced with a possible two-front war.. To avoid this, they develop the Schlieffen Plan.

• First declaration of war (July 28. 1914)

Alliances triggered by dominoes

• Russian Mobilization on Austria Hungary

• Alliance triggers: Germany Declares war on Russia

• Alliance triggers: France threatens Germany

• Alliance trigger: Germany declares war on France

When was poison gas used for the first time

Battle of Ypres, April 1915 by the germans

What was used with poison gas? Why weren’t they very good?

• What were masks made of? Leather and glass

  • What happens when people get warm and run around? They fogged up

  • Some people thought it was better not to wear them at all

Trenches

long holes in ground for protection

Shape of trenches

curved/turns for protection

No man’s land

Narrow strip between trenches. Very dangerous place to be. You were exposed to the enemy and at any moment we're an easy target.

“Going over the top”

This was ordered by officers and literally meant getting out of the trenches and heading into “no mans land”

Creeping barrage

• Guns running across no man's land, explosions right in front of him. Person moved forward behind the artillery, keeps the german from setting up machine guns

  • Bc they didnt want to be hit and creeped on by the barrage. (they couldn’t be stationary)

• More sensitive artillery. Added shrapnel to the artillery to cut through barbed wire

• Artillery barrage created holes as people crept  forward for people to duck down into if machine guns were set up