Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
WW1 - Coggle Diagram
WW1
RUSSIA IN WW1
THE DISCONSENT OF THE WORKERS
Industrialisation began later in Russia than the rest of Europe. Iron foundries, textile factories and engineering firms were set up. These were owned by the government or foreigners. By 1900 20% of the Russian population lived in the city.
-Working conditions were hard and pay was low.
-Strikes were common even though they were illegal.
-Strikers were shot by secret police or Tsar's soldiers
THE DISCONSENT OF THE PEASANTS
90% of people in Russia were poor peasants. Until 1861 the peasants had belonged to their masters, who could buy and sell them like animals. When the peasants were freed in 1861 they were given small amounts of land for which they had to pay back the government. As a result most farmers were in absolute poverty. Agriculture was in desperate need of modernisation.
In contrast, a small number of upper-class people held most of the wealth and power. This aristocracy had large town houses and country estates.
Russian failures in the First World War
In the first few months of the First World War, Russia fought better than had been expected. Russian forces attacked Germany and Austria-Hungary in 1914 and were only pushed back after fierce fighting at the battle of Tannenberg.
In 1915, Tsar Nicholas II assumed personal command of the Russian armed forces. This was a risky policy; any defeats would be blamed on him. As it turned out the Tsar was a poor commander. The Russian army lost confidence in the Tsar after a string of serious defeats. The Russian soldiers, poorly trained and equipped, lacking in basic items such as rifles and ammunition, suffered from lowering morale. Thousands of men deserted.
Without the support of the army, the Tsar’s position became increasingly precarious.
OPPONENTS OF COMMUNISM
The government has no right to take away the money and wealth of middle-class and aristocratic people.
Workers can’t run factories. They will make a mess of it and industry will fail. Then everybody will be poor.
It is better to have one party that represents all working people. It unifies people and makes it easier to get things done.
The state or government controls everything in Communism. People have no freedom.
SUPPORTERS OF COMMUNISM
The bosses are rich because of the work the workers do. Bosses pay low wages and make workers work in terrible conditions. It is time workers got a fair share.
Why should rich people have big houses with lots of rooms for a few people, when the workers have to fit a whole family into one room?
The money and wealth in society should be shared out more fairly.
The only way to have freedom is to have different political parties so that people can choose between them.
The state is trying to build a better society for all the people. Rich people no longer run the country.
Everybody is equal and has a fair chance to do well.
RUSSIAN PYRAMID
King
Priest
Lawyers
soldiers
Middle Class
Slaves/workers
MAIN CAUSES
Imperialism
Imperialism is when a country has control and power over other countries or territories out of it's border. European nations judged the strength of their European rivals by the size of Empires. European nations that wanted to be strong great powers knew they needed to have an empire for prestige, to show naval power and for trade which would make the country wealthy.
In the 1870s Germany and Italy were ‘created’ and became united countries. They too wanted to gain empires of their own. Germany was a growing country. Its population was booming. Germany had massive amounts of steel and coal – both very important raw materials.
The German leader, Kaiser Wilhelm II wanted Germany to be a great power in Europe. He wanted Germany to have “its place in the sun”. He encouraged his countrymen to colonise lands in Africa so Germany too, could be a “great nation” and have greater power with its own empire
Militarism
Countries can feel insecure or threatened by other countries or nations. They feel offended or scared by other countries by their size of the country or military size. This is MILITARISM. Countries bulked up their navies and armies. An example of this is the naval race between Britain and Germany, which caused suspicion amongst Europe making all countries work on their armies even just a tiny bit. It created tension and manipulated deals because why would you give a country something you don't want to. Instead, you could use your perfectly made army and navy. All of this costed a LOT of money that wanted to be put to good use.
Nationalism
Austria Hugary was a vast empire which had lots of different races living within it. They had germans, czechs, serbs, slovenes, croats erc. They had a problem, they did not want the ruler of Austria-Hungary to be Austrian. They wanted to split Austria-Hungary with its own individual states that would be free and independent.
Thousands of Serbs lived in Bosnia. In 1908 the Austrians had forced Bosnia to become part of Austria-Hungary. The Serbs who lived there were furious. They wanted to break free and to become part of Serbia which was already an independent nation.
In 1908 when Austria-Hungary had taken over Bosnia, the Russians had stood by – and done nothing. (This was because they were weak after being defeated by Japan in 1905). However they promised in the future they would never let the Slav people down again.
Russia saw itself as the mother of all Slav people, and felt it was their duty to look after the Slavic people.
Russia especially supported the idea of the Bosnian Serbs becoming independent and joining Serbia. The Russians felt that all the Slav groups living within the Austro-Hungarian empire should join together in one big Slav-nation – rather than staying apart of Austria-Hungary.
This led to a lot of frustration amongst Serbs living in Bosnia. The different national groups felt oppressed and mistreated. Some joined nationalist groups, seeking to get independence for their people. Russia supported the ideas of those people wanting independence.
The Austrians had no intention of giving in to the Serb nationalists living in Bosnia. If they let the Bosnian Serbs become independent, then the Poles and Czechs and others would all demand the same freedom and the whole empire might break up!
Serbia had recently grown larger by winning land in wars in 1912 and 1913. It would be more than happy to take Bosnia as well.
Alliances
Alliances were very important, there was the Triple Entente, these included: France, Russia and Britain. There was also the Triple Alliance that contained Germany, Austria-Hugary and Italy. Alliances got everybody involved and caused the war, they are usefel when there is an argument or conflict which makes countries pick sides and get involved. If there is no conflict alliances are useless.
WAYS OF MOBILIZING THE POPULATION
Peer pressure played a big roll in this since you are most likely to go if your friends and family encourage it. They made it seem that Britian was fighting a great war and that enlisting was the correct moral choice, as it is your duty.
They used propaganda as a way to encourage you to enroll. They awarded medals. They also said it was heroic and patriotic and if you didn't enlist you were a coward, pressuring you to be a hero.
They made war look fun and enjoyable, whereas the truth is far from it. They used personal terminolgy such as 'You' and 'we' in their propaganda posters.
They wrote novelsand plays promoting war and news spread on newspapers and propaganda, it was unaviodable. If you did not enroll you were seen as a coward and a disgrace to your country.
CONDITIONS AT THE FRONT
TRENCHES
FEATURES
Barbed Wire
Where excess rainwater and mud collected, often causing trench foot.
Ammunition Shelf
Used to protect the soldiers and prevent enemy soldiers from entering the trench.
Fire Step
Used to strengthen and reinforce the trench, and to absorb the shock of enemy fire, protecting the soldiers.
Elbow Rest
The area where soldiers slept.
Sump
Used to help keep soldiers’ steady and on target when firing over the top of the trench.
Duckboards
Used to keep soldiers’ feet out of stagnant water and away from vermin in the trench.
Dugout
Used to store excess bullets and grenades for easy access during battle.
Sandbags
A raised platform which gave soldiers height and therefore a better view over the top of the trench when tracking down and shooting at a target.
The conditions were horrible in the trenches rats and the smell of rotting bodies were sickening. Here is an example of a soldiers entry:“I saw some rats running from under the dead men's greatcoats, enormous rats, fat with human flesh. My heart pounded as we edged towards one of the bodies. His helmet had rolled off. The man displayed a grimacing face, stripped of flesh; the skull bare, the eyes devoured and from the yawning mouth leapt a rat.”
EVENTS LEADING WW1
The heir to the Austrian Throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand is assasinated in Bosnia.
Austria blames Serbia for killing the Arduke.
Austria declares war on Serbia.
THe russian army gets ready tp help Serbia defend itself form Austria-Hungary.
Germany sends a demand to Russia ordering to hold back from helping serbia.
Germany declares war on Russia
Germany declares war on france
French army is getting ready to fight the Germans
1 more item...
WOMEN IN WW1
Before the war, women and men had different jobs
Women were expected to take low paid jobs as servants, secretaries or shop assistants
Some unmarried women did work in factories, but they did the least skilled and lowest paid jobs.
Women were expected to stop work when they were married
JOBS
Transporting ammunition, nurses, ambulance drivers, translators, mechanics, clerks, munitions, building ships, loading and unloading coal, cultivating food/farming.