Vocab (NO BATTLES!) • Causes of WWI - MANIA • Trench warfare • War technology • Schlieffen plan
What does MANIA stand for?
militarism alliances nationalism imperialism assassination
What is the definition of militarism?
policy of building up strong military forces to prepare for war
What is the definition of alliances?
agreements between nations to aid and protect one another
What is the definition of nationalism?
pride in or devotion to one’s country
What is the definition of imperialism?
when one country takes over another country politically or economically
What/when/where was the primary assassination in WW1?
archduke Franz Ferdinand and duchess Sophie in Bosnia (June 28 1914)
What is the specific contributors to militarism leading up to WW1?
countries increase spending on military
Germany increased → everyone must be ready to fight = everyone has supplies
military funding/supplies = ego and confidence
confident and prepared = war mentality
What is the specific contributors to alliances leading up to WW1?
in conflicts you stick with alliances no matter personal belief
starts expanding fast
Ex. Germany offered “blank cheque” in support of Austria-Hungary
What were the two groups of alliances called and what were the members?
Triple Entente/Allied Powers = UK, France, Russia
Triple Alliance/Central Powers = Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy
What is the specific contributors to nationalism leading up to WW1?
support for one’s own nation to the exclusion/detriment of other nations
Russia and Germany took it too far
An idea of “I’m better” “swallow you into our national umbrella”
Pan-Germanism and Pan-Slavism
What is Pan-Germanism and Pan-Slavism?
movement to unify the people of German/Slavic people under German/Slavic flag
What is the specific contributors to imperialism leading up to WW1?
extending power/influence over another nation
caused tension in Europe
Ex. European countries came into Africa and took chunks
more colonies = more resources and labour
losers of war use land as payback
What is the specific contributors to the assassination leading up to WW1?
Pan-Slavic nationalist Gavrilo Princip from Serbia thought Bosnia belongs to Serbia.
What were the points of events after the assassination?
Austria gives Serbia ultimatum then declares war → Germany supports Austria → Russia supports Serbia → Germany declares war on Russia → France supports Russia → Germany declares war on France → Germany invades Belgium to get to France (Schlieffen Plan) → UK supports Belgium + declares war on Germany → Canada joins. USA neutral → sinking of Lusitania (in English channel) = Americans threatened → USA declares war on Germany. Italy avoids alliance, joins Triple Entente for land
What is the Schlieffen Plan?
Germany’s strategy to avoid a war on two fronts/war of attrition
Whaat was Germany’s plan coming into the war?
Schlieffen Plan created in 1905
Plan only having Austria-Hungary as an alliance
France and Russia allies = 2 fronts
machine guns, artillery, communication, increasing size of army
outnumbers 5-3 = war of attrition → loss
ego
What was the original strategy of the Schlieffen Plan?
7/8 of troop go through Belgium and Netherlands into France to get behind French defence and push them south
Remaining troops on border
After quick win turn around a fight Russia
No plan for Russia part
What were the changes to the plan after the war broke out?
Moltke took position
only invaded Belgium, Netherlands = port for supplies
Defence in east more important
more men in general
What did the Schlieffen plan fail? (8)
Numbers
Training
Transportation
Miscommunication
Communication
Russia
Command
Treason
What was the issue with numbers regarding the Schlieffen plan?
not enough troops
casualties not replaceable
What was the issue with training regarding the Schlieffen plan?
reserve/replacement troops not trained
no machine gun/artillery crews
What was the issue with transportation regarding the Schlieffen plan?
speed = success
needed trains but could only go where tracks went
After invasions citizens would destroy tracks → had to be rebuilt
What was the issue with miscommunication regarding the Schlieffen plan?
the Kaiser got misleading telegraph saying that the French were not mobilizing
wanted to send troops to Russia
What was the issue with communication regarding the Schlieffen plan?
becomes scarce near front lines
using pigeons + flags = high command getting outdate info and orders are outdated
What was the issue with command regarding the Schlieffen plan?
German army organized federally only at start of the war did it have one leader
generals didn’t listen
Bavarian troops violated plan
What was the issue with Russia regarding the Schlieffen plan?
dismissed in original plan because of recent loss
Russia modernized
mobilized before French → forced Moltke to send troops west to east from Belgium
What was the issue with treason regarding the Schlieffen plan?
German soldier caught by french and told them the plan
What was the overall downfall of the Schlieffen plan?
lack of flexibility and no alternatives
What did the Schlieffen plan lead to?
a 2 front war of attrition
What is a stalemate?
neither side makes progress
Germans couldn’t advance
Entente couldn’t quite win
led to war of attrition
Why were trenches built?
new artillery/machine guns = sducidal in open battlefield
housing/base
camouflaged spot for snipers
English channel to Swiss border
What was No Man’s Land?
space between trenches
sometimes only a few metres
wasteland of corpses, barbed wire and mud
What was the Canadian-issued rifle?
Ross rifle
jamed in rapid fire
Why did No Man’s Land = death
no protection
What does capturing the enemies front line mean?
captured soldiers became POW, sent to camps or killed
trench is now theirs
supplies raided
What was life in the trenches like?
cold, damp in winter (flooded with heavy rain)
rats, lice
trench foot = foot swells → black
injuries amputated (no medical equipment)
What is a battle of attrition?
both sides wearing down other → physical collapse through loss in personal, equipment, and supplies
What are the 5 significant weapons in WW1
Tank
Poison gas
Machine Gun
Submarines
Airplanes
What did the tank do?
crushed barbed wire
protecting crews advancing on battle field
got stuck in mud
What did poison gas do?
chlorine gas → burn skin and lungs
phosgene → invisible and suffocating
Mustard gas → skin blisters
What did machine guns do?
automated gun for bringing down rose of soldiers from a distance
600 rounds/minute
took a crew to work
What did the submarines do?
German’s heavy use
U-boats: diesel engine, faster on surface then some boats
sank Allied ships with torpedoes
placed naval mine
What did the airplanes do?
used to find enemy and gather info
attack: top mounted gun above propeller
Bomber planes
Fighter planes
What is the significance of the tank?
hoped to break stalemate
impact on western front and warfare since
psychologic weapon
What is the significance of poison gas?
90,000 deaths
1.3 million casualties
gas mask in 1916
progression throughout the war
What is the significance of machine guns?
transformed warefare
huge death toll
dominates the battlefield
What is the significance of the submarine?
millions of military/civil casualties
attacks against merchant ships = cut off supplies from colonies
5000+ sank
Sinking of Lusitania = USA in War
What is the significance of the airplane?
airplane technology became widespread
air superiority important in major battles
important on western front
What is the definition of trenches?
long ditch used for soldier housing/protection
network to increase capactity/utility
What is the definition of “war on the homefront”?
war efforts done at home
not fighting
mobilization, political efforts, weapon building
What is the definition of “meatless mondays”?
incorporate absence of meat and wheat to conserve rations for troops
What is the definition of Suffragists?
group of women who protested for women voting rights
What is the definition of “Halifax Explosion”?
explosion
munitions ship blew up in the harbour of Halifax, Nova Scotia
What is the definition of propaganda?
info from biased/misleading nature used to publicize political cause
What is the definition of censorship?
suppression of info on the basis that material is politically offensive, harmful or sensitive
conducted by government
What is the definition of enemy Aliens?
citizen of a country at war with British who stayed in Canada
What is the definition of treaty of Versailles?
document signed by Germany/Triple Alliance nations formally ending WW1
Led by UK, France, USA
defined conditions of peace:
territorial loss
disarmament
reparations
war guilt
What is the significance of trenches?
poor quality = trauma for soldiers
no protection from bomb sounds, human waste, corpses
poor sleep + trauma = mental illness, sick , death
multigenerational trauma
What is the significance of “war on the homefront”?
essential to survival and success of soldiers
medical care, uniforms
What is the significance of “meatless mondays”?
changed Canadian diets to help frontlines
we often partake today for health, environment and more
What is the significance of suffragists?
took of during WW1
women took on labour roles
brought attention → worldwide = right to vote
What is the significance of Halifax explosions?
disrupted communication
biggest man made explosion before the atomic bomb
damaged port → Canada’s income goes down = economic strain + recession
What is the significance of propaganda?
powerful and manipulative
glorify war and convince others to enlist
What is the significance of censorship?
used on radios/news/literature deemed threat to security of WW1
counter-intelligence: protecting sensitive info (troop movements etc)
What is the significance of enemy aliens?
9000 people in internment camps because of fear and prejudice
earned next to nothing
loss privileges and rights through war
What is the significance of the treaty of versailles?
led to WW1 because of harsh conditions
treaty + great depression = german economy to plummet
war guilt clause forced Germany to take full responsibility of war = further reprimands + social structure deteriorating → Nazi Regime
Canada gained international status through the League of Nation