Unit 1 - Flash cards

The Causes of World War One: Part A

                                                    

Key (Flash) Points

- write these on small pieces of card to keep on you - its an easy way of remembering things!

 

        The Great Powers were flexing their muscles in the early 1900s:

• Britain with its industry, Empire and navy began to fear the growth of Germany
• Germany, under Kaiser Wilhelm II, wanted a 'place in the sun' and feared Russia/France
• France wanted revenge, having been defeated by Germany (losing Alsace-Lorraine) in 1871
• Russia, ruled by Tsar Nicholas, had the largest army, and tried to protect Slav peoples
• Austria-Hungary had a large, mainly Slav empire, and wanted to crush Serbia
• Italy was a new country (1861) which wanted to become more powerful and important

 

> Britain, Germany and Russia were ruled by three cousins, but did not play 'Happy Families'...

Ambitions and fears led to secretive alliances and the build-up of armed forces:

• 1879 Dual Alliance (Germany/Austria-Hungary) > 1882 Triple Alliance (with Italy)
• The Triple Alliance was formed over 30 years before the outbreak of World War One
• 1894 Dual Alliance (France/Russia) + 1904 Entente Cordiale (Britain/France)
• When the British signed an alliance with Russia in 1907, the Triple Entente was formed
• So, the Triple Alliance (Ger/A-H/It) v the Triple Entente (GB/Fr/Rus)
• The alliances were meant to be defensive rather than aggressive
• However, a dispute between one member of each alliance could drag in the other members...
• All the Great Powers, except GB, had large armies of conscripts (not volunteers)
• Weapons and munititions were developed, produced and stockpiled (stored)
• New weapons, such as machine guns and howitzers (large guns), took weapons to a new level
• Countries raced to match and overtake each other weapons production: an Arms Race  

> Tensions grew and war became more likely as countries became more confident of success

 

 

A major part of the Arms Race was the Naval Race between Britain and Germany:

• The Navy protected trade and the British Empire and prevented invasion of Great Britain
• Germany had the world's best army, and the Kaiser wanted the best navy too
• The invention, by the British, of the Dreadnought battleship (1906) was a turning point
• Dreadnoughts (the first was called HMS...Dreadnought!) were large, fast and dangerous
• A race developed to see who could build the most, supported by most of the public
• "We've got four, we want more" & "We won't wait, we want eight" were popular demands
• 1909 - GB (8) v Germany (7)    1914 - GB (29) v Germany (17) - GB still 'ruled' the waves.
• Kaiser Wilhelm told the Daily Telegraph in 1908 that he "wanted to be friends with Britain"
• However, he did not help matters by claiming the English were "Mad as March hares"(!) and...
• "Germany must have a powerful fleet to protect her interests in even the most distant seas."  
• Was this 'friendly' interview a naval challenge the British Empire overseas?

> Overall, did the (Naval) Arms Race actually make war less likely, like the Cold War in the 1940s...?

 

The First Moroccan Crisis took place in 1905/06:

• Most of Africa was controlled by Britain and France - the Germans were envious
• France controlled most of NW Africa (e.g. Algeria), and wanted to add Morocco
• The German Kaiser visited Morocco (Tangiers) to support Morocco's independence
• He hoped to test the Entente Cordiale, but was amazed when GB backed France
• Britain also promised to defend French ports in the English Channel from German attacks
• The Algeciras (Spain) Conference in 1906 went the way of France
• Only Austria-Hungary supported the embarrassed Kaiser; Britain and France grew closer

> Events in Morocco increased tension; the Kaiser blamed Britain for his defeat...

 

Unit 1 - Word definitions

Origins of World War 1 - you will need to know these words really well - can you try and match up the words to the definitions?

 

Rememvber - words you struggle to work out the definition for are words you will struggle to place in the exam.

alliance	The title used to refer to the emperor of Russia (used until the 1917 Russian revolution which ended Tsar rule and introduced communism.
ally	An industrial region on the borders of France and Germany that was annexed by Germany in 1871 at the end of the Franco- Prussian war.
The Balkans	The policy that Britain had at the end of the 19th Century to stay isolated from any of the alliances in Europe.
Tsar	The title used to refer to the emperor of Germany which was used until the end of World War 1 in 1918.
Kaiser	A friend you can rely on.
Alsace and Lorraine	The countries in south-eastern Europe that included Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia.
Autocratic	Dutch farmers who had settled in South Africa and were fighting to keep their independence from Britain.
A republic	A word used to mean British
Isolation	Having complete power.
‘splendid isolation’	A country which is independent and has a democratically elected parliament, a president and a Prime Minister.
The Boers	Being alone
Anglo	An agreement between two or more countries to support each other in times of difficulty/war.

GCSE Revision

Hello Year 11 :)!

I am making this blog hopefully to post revision tips and guidance to help prepare for your GCSE's!

Please check this regularly as I will continue to upload.

Miss Aziz (Sept 2013)