Practices of the First World War (1914–18)
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Flip to reveal answersWhy did the Western Front become a stalemate by the end of 1914?
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All 12 Flashcards — Practices of the First World War (1914–18)
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Question
Why did the Western Front become a stalemate by the end of 1914?
Answer
The Schlieffen Plan failed at the Marne, so both sides dug trenches from the Belgian coast to Switzerland. Defensive weapons made attacking deadly, so neither side could advance.
Question
What is 'attrition' in WWI?
Answer
Wearing the enemy down by killing more of their men and using up more of their resources than they can replace, rather than winning quick, decisive battles.
Question
Give two 1916 battles of attrition and their scale.
Answer
The Somme (over 1 million casualties, tiny gains) and Verdun (around 700,000 casualties, France held). Both show huge losses for almost no movement of the front.
Question
How did new technology affect WWI tactics?
Answer
Machine guns, artillery and barbed wire strengthened the defence, making attacks costly. Gas, tanks and aircraft were introduced but were not yet decisive.
Question
What did the British naval blockade of Germany do?
Answer
It cut off food and raw materials to Germany, causing severe shortages and hunger that wrecked civilian morale and the home-front war economy over several years.
Question
What was the result of the Battle of Jutland (1916)?
Answer
The only major battleship clash. Germany sank more ships but retreated to port, so Britain kept command of the sea and the blockade continued.
Question
What was German unrestricted submarine warfare and its effect?
Answer
From 1917, U-boats sank any ship heading for Britain, including neutral American ones. It aimed to starve Britain but helped bring the USA into the war.
Question
What is 'total war' and how did WWI show it?
Answer
A war using a nation's whole population and economy. WWI featured conscription, war economies, munitions production, and women replacing men in factories and farms.
Question
Why did the USA enter the war in 1917?
Answer
German unrestricted submarine warfare sank American ships, and the Zimmermann Telegram revealed Germany urging Mexico to attack the USA. The USA joined the Allies.
Question
How did Russia leaving the war affect Germany?
Answer
The 1917 Bolshevik Revolution and the 1918 Treaty of Brest-Litovsk took Russia out of the war, freeing German troops to move west for the 1918 Spring Offensive.
Question
What was the 1918 Spring Offensive and why did it fail?
Answer
Germany's last big attack in the west, racing to win before US forces arrived. It gained ground but ran out of men and supplies, then Allied counter-attacks drove Germany back.
Question
Compare the key strengths of the Allies with Germany's weaknesses by 1918.
Answer
Allies: more men, money, food and industry; the blockade; fresh US troops. Germany: fewer resources, a starved home front, the failed Spring Offensive, and a U-boat gamble that drew in the USA.
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Topic 16.2 hub
Practices of war and their impact on outcome
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