Chapter 12 - From European to World War

• What was the Western Front? (2)

  1. Battlegrounds of Belgium and Northern France, where British and French troops fought the Germans.

  2. Reached a stalemate in 1914
• What was the Eastern Front? (2)

  1. Battlegrounds where Russia fought Germany and AH

  2. Greater length -> therefore more mobile than Western Front
• Where did AH fight the Balkans and Italy?


  In the south-east
• What was the impact of colonies in warfare? (2)

  1. Britain, France and Germany used their imperial forces in the war to bolster manpower

  2. Colonies themselves became battlegrounds
• Impact of African colonies in the war (2)

  1. British South African forces led by Jan Smuts attacked German South West Africa in 1914

  2. British South African troops defeated German East Africa in 1916
• Why did Japan declare war on Germany and AH in 1914?

  To capitalise on the 1902 Anglo-Japanese Agreement
• Impact of Japan in the war

  Japan seized German possessions in the Far East
• Impact of New Zealand and Australia in the war

  Invaded German territories such as Samoa and New Guinea in 1914
• Who did the Ottoman Empire ally with in 1914?

  Germany and AH
• Who did the Balkans ally with in 1915? (2)

  1. Bulgaria -> allied with Central Powers (highlights impact of Balkan Wars as Bulgaria had been a loyal Russian client state)

  2. Romania and Greece -> joined Allies
• Why did British and French troops divert to the Middle East in 1915? (2)

  1. To relieve the stalemate on the Western Front

  2. To limit Turkish interference in oil supplies
• What did the diversion of British and French troops to the Middle East in 1915 result in?

  Huge loss of Australian and New Zealand troops
• What was the impact of the Ottoman Empire declaring a military jihad (holy war) against the Triple Entente in 1914?

  Posed threat to British possessions in the Middle East and India (most important colony)
• Why did Italy declare neutrality in 1914? (4)

  1. The 1882 Triple Alliance stated that Italy only had to join war out of defence, and as AH had invaded Serbia, Italy would not have to join

  2. Italy worried that AH aims were expansionist + went against own interests (eg. gaining Dalmatia which was on the Bosnian border)

  3. Italy had signed secret pact with France 1902 which cancelled out commitments to Triple Alliance

  4. Fighting alongside AH seemed unproductive as Italy wished to gain Tyrol and Istria (land held by AH which was occupied by Italian speakers)
• Why was Italian neutrality risky? (2)

  1. If Central Powers won, they would probably exercise harsh treatment of Italy in the peace settlement

  2. If Allies won, they would be unlikely to grant Italy Tyrol and Istria
• What was the result of Italian negotiations with the Central Powers in 1915?

  Central power offered some concessions if Italy joined the war on their side, but refused to offer Trentino or Trieste
• What was the result of Italian negotiations with the Allies in 1915?

  Allies offered Tyrol, Dalmatia and Istria if Italy joined the war on their side, which Italy accepted.
• What was the Treaty of London 1915? (2)

  1. Sealed the concessions of the Allies which they had offered to Italy to join the war on their side

  2. Resulted in Italy joining the Triple Entente and declaring war on AH
• What was the Risorgimento?

  Italian nationalist movement which saw the war as a chance to increase Italy's international standing + become a world power
• Why did America wish to stay neutral in the war? (3)

  1. Most favoured isolationism (staying isolated from European affairs and alliances)

  2. Peace would avoid loss of lives + economic instability

  3. Groups campaigning on domestic issues such as women's suffrage and prohibition of alcohol resented the potential distraction of war
• What was the USA's wartime boom? (5)

  1. Non intervention allowed USA to trade with both Allies + Central Powers, fuelling economic boom

  2. War led to demand for munitions + necessities for home front, and America filled these gaps in the market

  3. Britain relied on US produced chemicals to make explosives

  4. Britain borrowed money from USA

  5. Allies took out large American loans
• How did America's wartime boom influence the entry of the USA in the war?

  Allies had taken out large American loans, so if the Allies lost they would be unable to pay back these debts, so the USA therefore had a considerable financial stake in the Allied victory
• Causes of the German sinking of the Lusitania 1915 (2)

  1. In 1915 the Kaiser declared that all waters around Britain were a warzone, following the British naval blockade which had prompted starvation in Germany, meaning that all ships (even neutral ones) were liable to German attack

  2. American ship 'Lusitania' was therefore sunk by a German U-boat near the Irish coast
• Impact of the sinking of the Lusitania 1915 on US intervention in the war (2)

  1. Killed 128 Americans, therefore prompting outrage and steering US public opinion away from neutrality

  2. USA started large-scale ship building to deter further German attacks
• What did the Kaiser do in 1917 regarding submarine warfare and how did this influence the USA's intervention in the war? (2)

  1. Kaiser ordered that U-boats were allowed to sink merchant ships (with the aim of starving Britain into submission)

  2. This further pushed Wilson (USA President) towards intervention
• What was the Zimmerman Telegram? (2)

  1. Telegram sent from Zimmerman (German foreign secretary) Mexico, stating that if Mexico invaded USA they could have an alliance with the Central Powers + reclaim land lost to America

  2. British intercepted the telegram and sent it to America
• How did the Zimmerman Telegram influence the USA's entry to the war?

  Pushed Wilson towards intervention, and he declared war on the Central Powers in 1917
• How did the Russian Revolution 1917 influence USA's entry to the war?

  The overthrowing of the tsarist autocracy meant Wilson could claim that he was fighting for democracy without the inconvenience of an absolutist ally