The Course of World War OneSome key Ideas\

‘The lamps are going out all over Europe: we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime’

LIMITED WAR v TOTAL WAR

‘Limited wars’ of the 18th / 19th century- largely the business of rulers and their armies

Armies small in size- manoeuvre to avoid battle rather than engaging in it

Societies largely untouched by war- trade continued TOTAL WAR- envelops the whole of society Total mobilization of the nation’s resources for victory (war

economy) Social, economic (cultural) and political structure affected /

undermined by involvement in war. Psychological trauma (‘The lost generation’) Wars had increased in intensity and impact in the 18th and 19th

century

World War One- Course- Key Terms- TOTAL WAR

STAGE 1- The battle for a quick victory 1914

The breakdown of the war of movement / manoeuvre

The race to the sea The development of the Western Front-

trench warfare Defeats for Russia- Tannenberg and

Masurian Lakes

Key Phases of the War

Attrition

Battle of the Somme Battle of Verdun

Phase 2- Deadlock- 1914-1917

Importance of US entry into the war The Russian Revolution

Phase 3- The Tide Turns-1917

Failure of the German offensive Failure of Germany’s allies Wilson’s Fourteen Points for Peace The armistice

Phase 4- 1918 the Final Collapse of Germany

To what extent did the Allies’ initial resources surpass those of the Central Powers?

How did the aims of the two sides change after the beginning of the war?

Why did Germany’s success depend on a short war and how did its aims and those of its enemies make this unlikely?

What were the Belligerents’ Aims and Resources?

http://www.activehistory.co.uk/Miscellaneous/menus/GCSE/The_Great_War_Course.htm

Fordie guardian

Robert Graves

Wilfred Owen What does

‘Exposure’ tell us about life on the Western Front?

What factors enabled most soldiers to carry on fighting in spite of the appalling conditions they faced?

Key Question

Rupert Brooke

Siegfried Sassoon

Schlieffen Plan ‘six week’ strategy- use of railway to return the German soldiers to the Eastern Front

A) Belgian fortifications.B) Russia attack began sooner than expected.C) German army was unable to capture Paris. French govt. retreated to Bordeaux. General Joffre ordered a counter attack- 1st

battle of the Marne (Sept. 1914). Germany forced to retreat- ‘digging in’ –creating

the Western Front- Channel to the Swiss Border.

How did the war of manoeuvre turn into stalemate?

War of defence and the instruments of defence- trench, artillery, barbed wire and machine gun- proved more successful than instruments of attack- artillery, rifle and bayonet.

Surprise attack almost impossible- due to artillery barrage before an attack, aerial observation

War of attrition developed as no one side would succeed in attack- wear the other side down- exhaust supplies / will to continue- this transformed the conflict in TOTAL war.

Stalemate

Chlorine gas Phosgene gas Mustard gas The tank Creeping barrage

What tactics were used to break the stalemate?

August 1914- Battle of Tannenberg- surrender of 90000 Russian soldiers.

September- Battle of Masurian Lakes. Poorly trained and equipped Russian soldiers ‘ten

shots a day’. Massive impact on internal stability of Russia. 1915- Tsar takes over personal command of the army. Russia kept in the war by the allies by the offer of

Constantinople and control of the Straits. The existence of the ‘second’ front was important to

keep Austria / Germany tied down. Impact of the Brusilov Offensive

The Eastern Front

Internal economic problems. The Tsarist system Revolutionary movements Soldier desertions in 1917. Abdication of the Tsar.

Collapse of Russia

A front to relieve pressure on other fronts. Also a way of ‘breaking the deadlock’ on the

the Western Front. Russians had appealed for support against

Turkey. Strategic importance of the Ottoman Empire

(Black Sea). Seizure of the Dardanelles to open up supply routes to Russia / close the supply route to Central Europe.

Turkey and the Balkans

Entente tactic of offering ‘everything to everybody’ in order to gain allies- e.g. Bulgaria offered land in Macedonia.

Bulgaria joined the Central Powers in 1915- pressure on Serbia.

Greece tried to remain independent- British forces in Greece.

Balkan Front

Treaty of London May 1915. Irredenta. Caporetto 1917

Italian Front

Why were the Central Powers defeated in World War One? (Higher Level style question- May 2008)

(20 Marks)

Concept of Total war needs to be emphasised here. War was about economic strength which produced military strength.

Military- Failure of the Schlieffen plan produced a war on two fronts. Failure of Germany’s allies-

Political- the response and nature of political systems- e.g. DORA in Britain helped mobilize the entire resources of the country. Were democratic nations better able to respond to events?

Economic- the combined economic resources of the Entente Powers were greater. USA / Britain’s Empire

Why were the Central Powers defeated in World War One?

Importance of economic factors