Great War- Reasons for war and the condition of the military

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What was the 'spark' that started the war?
Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
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What did Austria do after the assassination of Franz Ferdinand?
Sent an ultimatum to Austria
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What treaty guaranteed Belgian neutrality?
Treaty of London
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When was the Treaty of London?
1893
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What was Britain's main reason for going to war?
Prevent invasion
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What guaranteed German help to Austria in war? (2)
Triple Alliance, blank cheque
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What was the name of the German plan for war?
Schlieffen Plan
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When was the Schlieffen Plan?
1905
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What was the Schlieffen Plan?
Attack France through Belgium while Austria holds back Russia and Russia mobilises, then attack Russia
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How many days did the Germans lose due to Belgian resistance?
10
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Who made up most of the army in 1914?
Destitute volunteers
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What were the two forces created by Haldane?
BEF, territorials
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How many men were recruited between August and September 1914?
761,000
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What were the reasons for men volunteering for the war? (4)
Boredom, patriotism, pressure groups e.g. women/peers, defence of the nation
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What was the impact of having so many recruits at once? (5)
Overcrowded training centres, shortages of weapons, equipment, rations, uniforms
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What did shortages lead to?
Deferred enlistment
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What was the age and social class of most volunteers?
Under 30, working class
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Why were underage boys recruited?
Recruiters paid by commission
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How many men were in the BEF in 1914?
85,000
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How many territorials were there in 1914?
Around 100,000
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What title did Kitchener hold in 1914?
Secretary of state for war
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What did Kitchener strive to create?
Pals battalions
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What were pals battalions?
Regiments of men from the same area or job
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Where in the country did most recruits come from?
The north
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Why was there a shortage of officers?
First to go over the top, targeted by sharp-shooters
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How did the army attempt to improve the officers in the war? (3)
Shortened training, increased the age limit, retired officers brought into service, 3 officers from each battalion stayed home for training
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What was the impact of shortening officer training?
Worse-trained, but supplied faster
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What was the impact of increasing the age limit for officers?
Men with more experience recruited in theory
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Who made up most of the officer class?
Minor aristocracy, military families, middle class
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How many machine guns did each battalion have at the start of the war?
2
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How many motorised vehicles did the army have at the start of the war?
80
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What was the main transport used for supply in the army?
Horses and carts
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What technology did the army lack in terms of communication?
Wireless equipment and telephones
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What did indiscriminate recruitment at the start of the war cause?
Reduced production as skilled engineers were killed
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

What did Austria do after the assassination of Franz Ferdinand?

Back

Sent an ultimatum to Austria

Card 3

Front

What treaty guaranteed Belgian neutrality?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

When was the Treaty of London?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What was Britain's main reason for going to war?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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