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World War One Flashcards
Free GCSE and A Level History Revision Cards
Cover the MAIN causes of World War I, the Schlieffen Plan, key battles on the Western Front, and the Treaty of Versailles with these free History flashcards. Great for GCSE and A Level revision.
Question
What were the MAIN causes of World War I?
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Answer
Militarism (arms race, especially naval), Alliances (Triple Entente vs Triple Alliance), Imperialism (competition for colonies), Nationalism (especially in the Balkans).
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Question
What event triggered the outbreak of World War I?
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Answer
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb nationalist, in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914.
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Question
What were the Triple Alliance and Triple Entente?
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Answer
Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy (1882). Triple Entente: France, Russia, Britain (1907). These alliances meant a local conflict could escalate into a world war.
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Question
What was the Schlieffen Plan?
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Answer
Germany's military strategy to avoid a two-front war: rapidly defeat France through Belgium, then transfer troops east to face Russia. It failed — Britain entered the war over Belgian neutrality, and France was not quickly defeated.
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Question
Why did Britain enter World War I?
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Answer
Germany violated Belgian neutrality (Treaty of London, 1839) when implementing the Schlieffen Plan. Britain, as a guarantor of Belgian neutrality, declared war on Germany on 4 August 1914.
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Question
What was trench warfare?
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Answer
A system of defensive fighting from dug trenches along the Western Front. Troops faced each other across No Man's Land, leading to years of stalemate with massive casualties.
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Question
What was the Battle of the Somme (1916)?
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Answer
A major British offensive on the Western Front. On the first day (1 July 1916), the British suffered ~57,000 casualties — the bloodiest day in British military history. Battle lasted until November 1916, with limited gains.
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Question
What was the Battle of Verdun (1916)?
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Answer
A German offensive against France, intended to "bleed France white." Lasted 10 months with ~700,000 casualties. France held Verdun but both sides suffered enormous losses.
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Question
What new weapons were introduced in World War I?
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Answer
Poison gas (chlorine/mustard gas), tanks, aircraft, machine guns, and artillery barrages. These changed warfare but did not immediately break the stalemate.
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Question
Why did the USA enter World War I in 1917?
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Answer
Unrestricted German submarine warfare sank American ships, and the Zimmermann Telegram (Germany proposing a Mexican-German alliance against the USA) outraged American public opinion.
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