The causes of world war one
This is a map of Europe before 1914, as you can see the Austro-Hungarian Empire dominates what is now much of southern Germany and the Balkans. Germany is what we know presently as northern Germany and Poland. You may also have noticed that England, Scotland, Wales, and Eire made up the United Kingdom. Russia has a vast empire, a massive army (even though it is extremely poorly equipped, and trained). This was all changed by the First World War. The causes of world war one There are many reasons as to why the First World War actually took place, hardly any of them seem of great consequence when examined individually, however when examined together they do seem fairly major, but in my opinion don't merit a world war. Germany and France had a great rivalry after the wars of 1871 in which France lost the colonies of Alsange and Coraing to Prussia. France and it's people bitterly wand to have their revenge over Germany. Great Britain and Germany were also engaged in a hostile race to have the larger navy. This was heightened when Britain released a fleet of dreadnaughts which were the most lethal ships of warfare that the world had ever seen. The five major powers Great Britain At the start of the twentieth century Great Britain had the richest and largest empire in the world. Britain had the most trade and the largest navy on the planet. This had all happened under the
Who was to blame for the Cold War?
Who was to blame for the Cold War? There are two possible verdicts; the USA and USSR. Both these sides had different beliefs, USA was a capitalist country while the USSR was a communist country, and this was one of the main causes of the cold war. I believe that both sides were almost equally responsible for the start of the Cold War but USA may be blamed slightly more than the USSR because as you will see there are more arguments against the USA. The arguments against the USA (that indicate that the USA was the one to blame) are many. At the Yalta conference, February 1945, towards the end of the 2nd World War, Roosevelt didn't define what he meant by Eastern Europe being seen as "A Soviet sphere of influence". Stalin seems to define it as a total control of the USSR over the East but the USA interprets it by saying that Russia would only have a slight influence. Roosevelt also showed lack of trust in Stalin, as we can see at sources 6 and 8. An other mistake of Roosevelt was that he allowed Russia to move border into Poland as long as Russia didn't interfere with Greece. This clearly shows how the USA wanted to prevent the wide spreading of communism in Europe. The fact that America tested the atomic bomb in 1945 caused tension between the two countries and caused the USSR to fear even more the USA. After Roosevelt died, Truman became the president of the USA.
Why Did The First World War Break Out in 1914?
Why Did The First World War Break Out in 1914? The First World War was the most terrible war ever known due to the number of deaths that took place each day on the gory battlefields of the war. Altogether eight million soldiers lost their lives fighting in the trenches. The system of trenches stretched across Europe from the English Channel to Switzerland and soldiers faced their foe across a few hundred metres of churned up ground with barbed wire known as 'No Man's Land'. The grounds in and around the trenches were turned into a huge ocean of mud because of the rain and exploding bullets. It was impossible to attack the other side's trenches effectively because they were so greatly secured. Twenty million people were wounded and there was an extensive destruction, which ravaged cities and their civilian populations. The First World War lasted for four whole years and broke out in 1914 due to a number of reasons. The reasons that led the nations of Europe and later the world to go to war in 1914 are complex, and it is impossible to say the war started because of one single cause. There are a series of events, which derived in the early 19th century, which engulfed most of Europe by 4th August 1914. Some causes of the war were long-term whereas others were short term. One reason for the outbreak of the war in 1914 was the competition for colonies between the European
Wilfred Owen's Anthem for Doomed Youth and Siegfried Sassoon's Attack - Explore the ways in which Sassoon's and Owen's words convey powerful feelings about the First World War in these two poems.
Wilfred Owen's Anthem for Doomed Youth and Siegfried Sassoon's Attack Explore the ways in which Sassoon's and Owen's words convey powerful feelings about the First World War in these two poems. Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon are seen as the two greatest British First World War poets. 'Attack' and 'Anthem for Doomed Youth' attempt to dissuade young men to go to war and to stop them from 'dying as cattle' on the front. These views were not conventional. The British Government and the people on the Home Front were urging people to go to war and said it was 'a noble thing to die for your country. In these poems and many of their other poems Owen and Sassoon redefine war, from being a noble thing to die for you country to the poets mocking the war and describing the brutal reality of trenches and the Western Front. Therefore it is a very controversial poem. Sassoon used his powerful poetic voice to shock Britons and warmongers. His poems savaged the smug cruelty of the generals who sacrificed hundreds of lives of innocent soldiers and told people about the reality of the Great War. Owen had the same views on the war but his work had not yet been published but when he met Sassoon at Craig Lockhart Hospital during the war Sassoon noticed his talent as a poet and it was there that Owen was most inspired writing poems such as 'Anthem for Doomed Youth'. Wilfred Owen's 'Anthem
Explain how the effects of the First World War caused the collapse of the Tsarist regime
) Explain how the effects of the First World War caused the collapse of the Tsarist regime (8 marks) There were many causes of the collapse of the Tsarist regime. One of the biggest causes, however, was the First World War, as it had many effects on everyone in Russia, who all blamed the Tsar. The Tsar abdicated in 1917 because he had no control over anyone in Russia. He had no support. This was because everyone in Russia blamed the Tsar for something. They layed all the blame at his feet because he was in charge and was the only person who could change things. One of the main reasons why the 1905 revolution failed was because the Tsar had the support and control of the military. By the time the 1917 revolution had started, the Tsar had lost this support and control. He had no protection. This happened because of the war. Firstly, the army was very poorly equipped, as some men didn't have any boots and only a third of men had rifles. The army also had very incompetent leaders. There is evidence of this in the battles at Tannenberg and the Masurian Lakes. In both of these, the 'huge Russian armies' (Brooman 1994) were wiped out when they should have easily beaten a single German army. The poor leadership combined with the poorly equipped army made Russia suffer many defeats in the war. By 1917, 0.8 million Russian troops had been killed, 4.6 million wounded and 3.3 million
To what extent was the alliance system responsible for the outbreak of World War One in 1914
To what extent was the alliance system responsible for the outbreak of World War One in 1914? In the Treaty of Versailles after World War One, the Triple Entente immediately placed blame on Germany's aggression and scheming tactics for the outbreak of war. However, over time, the causes behind the war began to become more obviously complex. One of the most commonly citied reasons is the alliance system. Prior to the war, the countries of Europe had formed complex alliances and, with their empirical statuses, this apparently created a chain that a single trigger (the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand) would set into inevitable motion. But how important was the pre-1914 alliance system in causing World War One? Firstly, we must come to understand exactly what the alliance system comprised of. Indeed, many of these 'alliances' were not really alliances at all, but mutual agreements in relation to trade or colonial territories. One of the most prominent and important alliances was that of Russia to Serbia. Russia had promised to protect the Serbian people and their rights. Austria-Hungary had control over areas where Balkan people were prominent, conflicting Russian policy and ultimately leading to war. Another vital alliance was that of Austria-Hungary and Germany. In July, 1914, Germany had given a Carte Blanche to Austria-Hungary, promising unconditional support in
Compare and Contrast the Two War Poems -'Dulce Et Decorum Est' and 'The Charge of The Light Brigade'
Compare and Contrast the Two War Poems - 'Dulce Et Decorum Est' and 'The Charge of The Light Brigade' Wilfred Owen and Alfred, Lord Tennyson demonstrate their strong views and responses to war very differently in the two war poems: 'Dulce Et Decorum Est' and 'The Charge of The Light Brigade' Tennyson's poem of 1854 was written about a battle that took place in the Crimea, in southern Russia. Tennyson was not personally involved in the battle and got his story from 'The Times.' His son told of how he wrote 'Charge' in just a few minutes after reading the article. And although it has been said that this battle would have been forgotten if this poem did not exist, Tennyson wrote it not knowing all the facts, which means he only knew one side of the story, unlike Wilfred Owen, who was in the war from the start until he died shortly before it ended. Owen asks us to question all the certainties that Tennyson is celebrating. Owen wrote 'Dulce Et Decorum Est' as he was being affected by World War One through first-hand experience; he was a lieutenant. It becomes apparent during the poem that Owen was strongly opposed to war, as he recounts a horrifying time that affected him deeply. Tennyson's message, however, was more patriotic and he wrote to praise England for the admirable soldiers who deserved honour and were worthy of respect for their actions. He describes a valiant
How does Blackadder Goes Forth satirize the First World War and how does it fit into the situation comedy genre as a whole?
Media Essay How does Blackadder Goes Forth satirize the First World War and how does it fit into the situation comedy genre as a whole? A situation comedy, or a sit-com, is a comedy series projected from radio or television. The programme itself is based upon how characters react to unusual or comic situations. Situation comedies follow specific characters that encounter situations and then they try and deal with them. In each episode of a situation comedy, the story follows the same characters. Most situation comedies are set in a specific place that forms the set for every episode. A flat is commonly used in situation comedies for the set. Popular examples of flat share situation comedies are Only Fools and Horses and Friends. These two sit-coms are extremely popular, and both are set in a flat. Situation comedies used to form gaps in between more important shows. This was soon changed as the demand for sit-coms massively grew. They are now one of the most dominant television genres around. Blackadder is a situation comedy. It is a most unusual sit-com as in each series the scene is based on a different timeline. Blackadder has been through Elizabethan times, many other timelines and important historical times, and then ends up with the final series in World War One. Most other sit-coms don't do this instead each of their different series is set on the same timeline and
Explain how the poets of Happy is England Now in the anthology Up the Line to Death present World War I
Explain how the poets of Happy is England Now in the anthology Up the Line to Death present World War I The section Happy is England Now is situated at the start of the anthology, Up the Line to Death. In this section, the editor, Brian Gardner has arranged the six poems in such a way that it is clear these poems are largely pro-war. Therefore, most of the poems in the section uphold the stereotypical beliefs held by the public before and during the war. However, this is not always the case; with the inclusion of "Men Who March Away" ("Men...") by Thomas Hardy, Gardner adds a poem whose stance towards the war is at the very least ambiguous. As a result, Gardner can show that he is not forgetting the real horrors of the war, horrors which are hardly mentioned in this section. This fact is very important to Gardner; in the introduction to the anthology, he describes the war as a 'tragedy'. From this it can be seen clearly that Gardner wants to make sure the brutalities of the war are not forgotten and so with the inclusion of "Men..." he makes sure that everything is not as it seems. It is almost as if Gardner is trying to give a subtle hint to the reader as to what might follow in the rest of the anthology. This is juxtaposed with the poems "Happy is England Now" ("Happy...") and "England to Her Sons" ("England..."), which are very pro-war. The contextual nature of the poets
''Without the First World War British women would not have gained the right to vote in 1918.'' Do you agree or disagree with this interpretation?
''Without the First World War British women would not have gained the right to vote in 1918.'' Do you agree or disagree with this interpretation? British women over 30 got the vote with the 1918 Representation of the People Act. The law was being changed, to ensure that soldiers coming home from the trenches were able to vote, if they hadn't been changing the law anyway, women were unlikely to have got the vote in 1918. There are many reasons why women got the vote, including: their work during WW1, Lloyd George being a supporter of women's suffrage, the suffragists' campaign of propaganda, the suffragettes' terrorism, the desire of MPs to not alienate potential voters, society's gradually changing attitudes and the fact that Britain did not want to be seen as old-fashioned. During WW1, women undertook jobs that needed doing while men who previously did the jobs were away fighting. They worked in factories making things for the war, like uniforms and shells and took over jobs men had done before the war, like working on farms, driving lorries and delivering coal. This work in factories and other jobs gave women more money and confidence. This confidence meant that women were seen differently, and more able, by many men. This confidence and respect from men helped to gain women the vote in 1918, and was an important contributing factor. The work of women during the war and
