Causes of World War One
Causes of World War One World War I came about by a complex set of circumstances that had been building up since the late part of the 19th century. Two very important causes were the binding and cleaving alliance system, and the arms race between most countries. However, other factors contributed as well, and their importance ought not to be downplayed. The arms race was quite a derivative cause: nations implemented long peacetime conscription programs; Germany decided to expand its navy and this thus lead to a Dreadnaught making competition between her and Britain, who concluded from the Russo-Japanese war that long ranged boats were very effective; France and Germany doubled the size of their armies; intricate plans like the Schlieffen plan were made, and thus the military was very well funded and relied upon. The alliance system was the legacy of Otto Von Bismarck, the German Chancellor. He knew that France would not be on good terms with Germany for the foreseeable future, and thus he tried to have as many nations as he could allied to him. The Austro-Hungarian empire was an almost unconditional ally, given the compassionate settlement of the Seven Weeks' War and because of ethnical and cultural ties. Bismarck dreaded the idea of Russia and France allying against Germany, so whilst he was around, everything was made to attain them (unfortunately Wilhelm II did not
How far do you agree that the USSR won WW2 because of the mobilisation of the Russian people and economy?
How far do you agree that the USSR won WW2 because of the mobilisation of the Russian people and economy? The USSR won World War 2 due to a collection of reasons; the mobilisation of the Russian people showed the determination of the Russians however its contribution to the defeat of the Germans was not as great as other reasons. World War 2 was won by USSR due to the combined effective use of Allied help, luck due to German tactical mistakes and individuals such as Stalin pushing for an economic boost. This economic boost benefitted the USSR and allowed them to win the war, however nothing would not have been possible without Allied help At the end of the war, Russia, her people, and her economy had been shattered. Stalin's infliction of hard work and malnutrition onto his people had led to almost as many deaths as the German invasion itself. By allowing churches to reopen, 414 in the final year of the war, many Russians looked towards the Church for guidance which in turn gave them more motivation to help the war front. National pride and patriotism was evoked by Stalin, who was careful to refer to the war as "defending the Motherland" rather than "defending Communism" due to people caring more about their country than the Communist party. The mobilisation of the Russian people and its effect upon the USSR's success during the war is best highlighted by the sieges of
Source Questions - World War One
Adam Painter Coursework - Source Questions ) Both Sources paint a picture to describe how the war, however there is one significant difference, Source B is a primary source, and Source E is a tertiary source. Source B is a contemporary picture of German soldiers 'going over the top'. It shows the trench, men who have gone over the top and men in position, waiting to go over the top. Source E is a painting from the 1970's showing men waiting to go over the top. Source B shows a scene from a battle, in which German soldiers are going over the top. The battlefield does not contain an accurate representation of what the battlefields looked like at the time. The scene looks empty and quite barren and this was not what it was like. The fields of the Somme for example, were filled with corpses, shrapnel and mounds of barbed wire. In this picture there is no barbed wire to be seen, very unlikely for a scene taken at the trenches. The trench seems to be unusually dry and uncluttered, with troops rising from it with ease. Whereas the real trenches were extremely wet and often rat invested. In the photo, the troops are carrying shovels - something that would be pointless if they are in the front line as there would be no time to use it. The soldiers are grouped together and look strangely calm as they go over the top into No-Mans-Land. Overall, the scene looks too 'easy'
World War One known as the great war?
Why was World War 1 known as 'The great War'? World War 1 is know as the Great War, simply because it changed so much in the world. After World one war Countries could have lost lods of their land resulting in loss of economics, this changed who owned what land and has affected this way we live today. However some countries might think it's not great because of what they lost. This essay will cover all the reasons World war one was known as Great. This War was groundbreaking because nothing like this had ever happened before. Countries uniting and fighting, everything on a huge scale- Death, Weapons, People ect. This made the war Great because it was unique, one of its kind. World war one was unusual at it time because it was the first time chemical weapons such as Mustard Gas where used to kill enemy's. Before the war Aeroplane had been used for exploring places, in the war they used them for dropping bombs. Also in World War 2 France was completely against Britain, however in World War 1 they worked as a team. It was unusual because after World War 1 they decided instead of giving people electric shocks, they realised that letting people talk about their problems helped. This is when counselling first begun. World War one was Unusual because one mans death caused millions of others. The war affected generations of people. Over 40,000,000 casualties and 20 million
Why was World War One a Total War?
Why was World War One a Total War? Total war is described as war that affects everyone, and it's true: world war one did affect everyone. It obviously affected the men who went out to battle like all wars did, but the First World War was different. It incurred social, political and employment changes. Most of all for women, as the conscription act had enlisted most of England's men the women had gaps to fill. The factory workers filling shells and supplying goods to the citizens were considered as important as the soldiers. By the end of the war one million women had enlisted to help in shell factories. It was the women's land army that provided the natural produce when our ships from America were sunk. Even the working class housewives felt the need to do their bit for the fighters. They collected cigarettes and knitted scarves. They would present white feathers to men when they wouldn't join up as a sign of cowardice. Some of these things make be considered as small compared to a large German gun, but they somewhat pulled everyone together. The women at home however unimportant as they seem did really support the war and help us to victory. And indeed, it spurred on the suffragettes to gain full time employment and eventually the votes and a more powerful movement to women's equality. A good example of everyone being included in this war was the zeppelins. Over all 40
World War One Sources Questions
Lindsey Plant 11ah September 2001 History Coursework ). From my knowledge of the first world war I know that sources A and B were published before 1916 whereas source C was published after 1916. The most prominent difference between the posters which ensures that source C was published after 1916 is that sources A and B were published by the British government and source C is an American poster published by the American government, encouraging American soldiers to join the American army. This means that source C was published after 1916 as America did not join the Allies and enter the war until 1917 so therefore the poster was obviously published after this date. Also it is clear that sources A and B were published before 1916 as we know that after 1916 the numbers of men volunteering for the British army dropped so conscription was introduced. Therefore when conscription was introduced in 1916 posters like A and B which tried to persuade men to volunteer to join the British army were no longer needed as it was compulsory for men fit and healthy enough to sign up. 2). Sources A, B and C all share a number of similarities when compared as well as a number of differences. All three are recruitment posters published during WW1 encouraging people to sign up for their countries army and fight during the
Origins of the First World War
INTRODUCTION Since the First World War began, the depth of literature produced on it has been enormous. James Joll best explains the continued interest in the First World War as being due to the general acceptance amongst scholars in viewing the "First World War as the crucial event in the first half of the century" 1 with many of the subsequent violent events of the 20th century tracing their roots from the fall out of World War One. Few aspects of the intensive study into World War One have been so greatly investigated or debated as its origins. Due to the impact the First World War had upon shaping the 20th century, identifying the culprits responsible for starting the war has taken on an extraordinary resonance.2 Historians have been able to dissect the time period leading up to the outbreak of war many times over in order to create a series of wide ranging and often-contradictory theories related to who blame for starting the Great War of 1914-18 can be attributed to. Read individually without consideration and knowledge of other theories, each hypothesis is delivered by their proponents with such certainty and promise that it is easy to accept them without question. Traditionally Germany has received the majority of blame for starting the First World War. In 1919 German war guilt was written into the Versailles Treaty that finalised the end of the war, to the
World War One Sources Questions
Question 1 Why did the British Government decide to evacuate children from Britain's major cities, in the early years of WW2? On the 1st of September Britain declared war on Germany. This declaration started many fears and concerns for how people would live their lives, when they were surrounded by war. One of the main concerns was the safety, and the welfare of the children. The government started to evacuate children from London, Coventry, Southampton, Plymouth, and Liverpool. These concerns came because the Government feared that there would be heavy bombing on these major cities. This was because of the recent wars in Spain and the Far East, where towns and cities were attrociously bombed. The Government took precautions long before the war began. The countryside was where it was thought to be safer, so plans were being made to evacuate vulnerable people into 'foster' homes. Parents weren't so keen to send away they're loved ones, so government used propaganda such as leaflets, posters, and messages on the radio to make some parents realise how important evacuation was. People who were fortunate enough to have family and friends who live in the country, made their own arrangements to stay with them. Other people considered going to countries which weren't involved in the war, such as Canada and Australia. In the first year of the Second World War 800,000 school
World War One Sources Question
Question 1: Source A describes the optimism and confidence shown by General Rawlinson. He thought that at the main attack there would be minimal losses to his men if the artillery worked to plan. He thought that the Somme would remind the men of Salisbury plain, a place where the men trained, therefore it would boost the morale of the troops. Rawlinson says " it is a great improvement on the flat muddy plains of Flanders." This was a place destroyed to a quagmire during previous attacks. The weather and conditions would be perfect for a decent attack. The observation points would provide good hit rates for the artillery, whereas at Flanders this was not the case. Rawlinson quoted " it is excellent country on which to undertake an offensive when we get enough artillery, for the observation is excellent." The battle, according to Rawlinson, would be very easy for the infantry advance. This would be the case only if there had been good artillery attack and good conditions for the advance. The flat land would provide perfect advancing and infantry positions. These factors and points made by Rawlinson show us the way he perceived the battle to be like. This idea of an infantry 'cake-walk' and an 'artillery barrage' were seen as the tactics that would result in a break-through on the front lines. This is illustrated when he said " and we ought to avoid heavy losses which infantry
Origins and Causes of World War 1
ORIGINS AND CAUSES OF WORLD WAR I ORIGINS AND CAUSES LONG-TERM CAUSES Alliance System * Countries viewed alliances as being a meant to protect themselves against any threat to their security, particularly Germany who feared encirclement, with Russia on the East and France/Britain on the West. The alliance system was undoubtedly one of the many long term causes of war. * Firstly the alliances were made in secret and so produced much distrust amongst the European powers. Their general suspicion prevented their diplomats from devising a suitable solution to many of the crises preceding the war. * Secondly the alliances were always made on a war-footing and so heightened the war tension and led to an arms race among the European powers. * For example, within four years of the Triple Entente in 1907, German had built nine dreadnoughts and consequently Britain built eighteen. Thus all the European powers were made ready for war in 1914. * Thirdly, since the European powers had made alliances with one another, a small dispute concerning one power was likely to become a war involving all powers. * Fourthly the alliances were originally strictly defensive but by 1910, many alliances had changed the character of these alliances. The Austro-German alliance of 1879, for example, was so modified that it had become an aggressive alliance. * After the Bosnian crisis in 1909, the
