Role of Alliances in 1914 Flashcards
Why did Tsar Nicholas II contact Kaiser Wilhelm?
He thought the Austrian war on Serbia was unjust
The two were old friends
What is mobilisation?
Moving your troops towards the countries you intend to fight
When did Germany declare war on Russia and why?
1st August 1914
Threatened by mobilisation
What was the Schlieffen plan?
The German plan to quickly take out France then return to fight Russia before it had fully mobilised
What three things did the Schlieffen plan rely on?
- Germany would be fighting France and Russia
- France was weak as it was in 1870
- Russia would take 6 weeks to mobilise
What were the issues with the Schlieffen plan?
France didn’t immediately join the war
Russia mobilised faster than expected
France was stronger than expected
What did Germany do from the 1st - 3rd of August 1914?
1 - Declared war on Russia
2 - Asked and were denied permission to pass through Belgium
3 - Invaded Belgium; declared war on France
What reasoning did Germany give for declaring war on France?
They claimed that French planes had bombed the town of Nuremberg
Why did Britain join WW1?
They had promised to assist Belgium in the Treaty of London (1839)
Germany were a threat to the empire
What was the ‘scrap of paper’?
What the Germans called the Treaty of London
When did Britain declare war on Germany?
4th of August 1914
What was the Battle of the Marne?
Allies defeated Germans and turned them away from Paris
