WW1
Imperialism
More colonies meant more raw materials & maufactured goods. Germany wants its own empire, and starts colonizing in the balkans and middle east. They want a navy to colonize and compete with britain, causing tensions im europe
Assination in Sarajevo
Austro-hungarian empire captured bosnia in 1908. Many slavs were resentful and wanted to join Serbia. Archduke Franz Ferdinand is sent to serajevo for a parade (june 28 1914). A bomb goes off and on their way to the hospital to visit the wounded, Gavrillo Princip kills them.
July Crisis
A-H blames serbian gov and makes 3 ultimatums, if not met would result in war. Germany has given them a blank cheque.
1. put down all nationalist hatred against AH
2. punish all those involved in the assasination
3. allow AH into serbia to crush the boack hand
serbia could not agree to #3 for fear of being taken over
Declarations of war
AH on serbia july 26 1914
russia on AH
germany on russia
france on germany
germany on france
Alliances
treaties between countries were formed between countries to keep peace in europe. Alliances form as tensions rise.
Triple entente (the allies): Britain, France, Russia
Triple alliance (central powers): Germany, Italy, AH
nationalism
Ideological, patriotism, belief driven. New colonies = enhanced glory to country. Empire: will for war, Colony: Resentment
militarism
first modern war, building up military + weaponry + threatening armed aggression. Naval scare as germany started to build more dreadnoughts, so britain built more (turf war)
Alfred Von schlieffen
A german general, who designed a plan to win the war on two fronts. In 1894 russia and france entered in an alliance, causing him to think about a plan. If germany were to split their army, they'd lose. In 1905 he finished the plan, almost 20 years before WW1
The Schlieffen plan
Relied on speed, surprise, massive numbers, and deception. Schlieffen assumes it will take 6 weeks for russia to arrive after mobilizing their army = 6 weeks to defeat france. Germans would invade through neutral belgium and capture paris before getting to french army. RW would meet back up with LW to finish off french army
treaty of london
in 1839, britain pledged to defend belgium no matter what
August Advance
Helmuth Von Moltke is worried about the LW, and changes the ratio. Belgium fights off the german advance in Liege & Namur. Britain honoured their treaty and sent the BR expeditionary force, they held up the germans in Mons and forced them south too early. France found out about the plan and met them at river marne. Russia mobilized faster than they thought and soldiers were forced to move to the eastern front
Frontal assaults
run right at the enemy, hoping sheer manpower would push them back
trenches
hundreds of miles of cold, muddy, unsanitary ditches underground built for protection
machine guns
firing over 100 bullets/per minute
barbed wire
coiled in thick tangles, razor sharp, used as impassable barriers
heavy artillery
huge guns that could fire 500lb shells at the enemy from miles away
bombardment
endless rain of shells from the heavy artillery, when it ended, soldiers would go over the top at night and cross no man's land
equation
new weapons + old tactics = massacre
1st battle of Ypres
An old belgian city where 3 major battles were fought
1st battle: brute strength and massive numbers werent enough. Men were killed faster than they could be sent in, win for allies
2nd battle of ypres
April 1915
first gas attack in history. Germans unleashed chlorine gas (mustard gas) across no man's land. Moisture + gas = acid ( in eyes, lungs, nose, etc). Ammonia or urine neutralized gas. Canadians filled the 4 mile gap in the front line, repulsed german advance
trench foot
pain and numbness in foot from prolonged exposure to dampness and water
shell shock
PTSD
Somme battle
June - november 1916 at the somme river near Verdun, France. British commander in chief Douglas Haig planned an offensive attackk to relieve pressure off the french of the german siege in Verdun. He used old tactics and told men to cross no man's land in broad daylight. 620 000 allies killed, 400000 german. Considered worst battle in WW1 and broke back of german army
Tanks
towards the end of the battle of the somme, tanks were introduced, germans ran in horror at first, but they were not very developed during WW1 and often got stuck in the mud
Passchendale
3rd battle of Ypres fought oct-nov 1917. Canadians were first to reach their objectives (7km of land) but germans gained it back. Haig stilk wanted to break through the german army. Characterized by horrendous mud that swallowed tanks, men and horses
Cambrai
in nov 1917
1st tank battle, 380 tanks took part, frontal assualt seemed useless now, tactics began to catch up
Hill 145
Aka vimy ridge - british, french, south african & indian attempts to drive germans away had failed. Great view + factories for germany
Vimy ridge
attack took place during a snowstorm on easter monday April 9 1917 - April 12. Troops studied a replica of the terrain so they knew it as well as the germans. Over 11000 were killed taking the hill but they had captured more land, cannons & prisoners than all previous BR offensive in 2.5 years. Most celebrated canadian victory
Creeping barrage
create a line of shellfire just infront of canadian troops and keep it moving forward while soldiers continued behind to give element of surprise
Reconaissance
Missions to gather intel on the enemy and bring back information
Arthur currie
Canadian commander who led the battle of vimy ridge. Demonstrated that canadians did not need to be commanded by a British officer
Kiel Canal
Where the german surface fleet hid behind a protective curtain of minefields
Battle of Jutland
german fleet caught part of the royal navy off and inflicted heavy losses off the west coast of denmark, ended in draw
Economic warfare/attrition
Attrition means to starve out your enemy until they can no longer fight. Germans starved british with their uboats, preventing goods from coming into britain for soldiers
Qboats
british naval vessels disguised as merchant ships to lure uboats into ambushes
Lusitania
May 7 1915 a british passenger liner was sunk off the coast of ireland, many americans died, and US president Woodrow Wilson issued a stern warning
Unrestricted uboat warfare
germany declares so, no rules, anything goes, germany will sink all ships anywhere near the british isles. America joined the war on April 6, 1917 after many american ships were sunk
convoys
10-15 merchant vessels would cross the atlantic ocean escorted by 3-4 naval vessels
depth charges
barrels of explosives attatched to a surface vessel and detonated by a fuse
no 2 construction battalion
From nova scotia, formed in july 1916. Battalion made of black men, forced into non combatant roles
total war
a war civillians take an active part in
huns
canadians from germany
propaganda
encourages you to
enlist/fight
hate the enemy
donate money to the war
ration
homefront
away from battles, where non combattants would produce products used in war
rationing
controlled distribution of food to save more for soldiers, factories switched to making war goods instead of consumer goods
victory bonds
people loaned money to the gov to finance the war to be paid back with interest at the end
patriotic fund
an act of parliament and staffed by volunteers. Donations to soldiers families who had no money
soldiers of soil
farmers who didnt want to enlist, doing their duty by providing food for soldiers
enemy aliens
canadians who come from a country canada was at war with, ukranians put in internment camps
war measures act
allowed government more power to deal with emergency war situations. Intended to keep canadians safe, but to make sure they were contributing enough
Halifax explosion
Dec 6 1917, ships imo and montblanc crashed in halifax harbour. Largest explosion in history until hiroshima
military service act/conscription
mandatory enlistment for all able bodied men between 20-45 years of age who could be called up to serve on the battlefield overseas
wartime elections act
white women who had a relative in war could vote
the vote was taken from huns and people against war
Borden
Conservative priminister
won 1917 election
for war and conscription
Bourassa
Quebecoise politician
not for war or conscription
Laurier
liberal politician
for war, not for conscription
military voters act
allowed canadian soldiers to vote from the battlefield
neutrality
woodrow wilson had a famous speech on neutralith, encouraged unity among america, not wanting to destroh their own country with discrimination
kaiser
german word for king - at the time was wilhelm the 2nd
czar
russian king, Nicholas the 2nd abdicated the throne, and was murdered with his family by the bolsheviks
communism
people own the country, goods are distributed equitably by a single authoritarian party
bolsheviks
the new government in power in russia, led by Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, and Josef Stalin
armistice
riots broke out in germany, navy refused to fight and king abdicated, leading them to ask for an armistice (an agreement by opposing sides to start peace talks, not a surrender)
Treaty of versailles
drawn up by the allies during the paris peace conference, made for germany to sign, to which they were only allowed in on the last day to do so
14 points
woodrow wilson supported a more generous peace settlement and made 14 points, only the league of nations was used (older UN)
treaty terms
give up all colonies and european territories
$30 billion to allies
rhineland demilitarized
no airforce, army and navy shrunk
no dreadnoughts
no tanks or heavy artillery
war guilt clause
admit germany caused the wat and accept all blame and responsibility for loss and damage
alsace lorraine
territory seized by germany after the francoprussian war, returned to france after ww1
in flanders fields
war poem written by canadian soldier john mcrae
zeplins
were used in bombing raids but many weaknesses, hydrogen gas filled airships
The red baron
top german ace who amassed 80 kills before being shot down by canadian Roy Brown. Squadron was known as the flying circus and flew fokker triplanes
Billy bishop
top canadian ace, flew the sopwith camel
dogfights
one on one aerial combat