Conflict and Tension: First World War, 1894–1918
What's covered
Key facts
Ending the war
The Armistice ending fighting on the Western Front took effect on 11 November 1918.
The First World War: stalemate
Poison gas was used by both sides on the Western Front for the remainder of the war.
The causes of the First World War
Germany's accelerating battleship-building programme under Admiral Tirpitz forced Britain into ever-larger naval spending and pushed Britain into the Entente Cordiale with France and an alignment with Russia.
Ending the war
Wilson's Fourteen Points (January 1918) were a just-peace programme that Versailles largely ignored — France and Britain overrode him on reparations and German territory.
The First World War: stalemate
No man's land was the ground between the two sides' front-line trenches, controlled by neither side.
The causes of the First World War
The immediate trigger of the First World War in June 1914 was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne.
Ending the war
Germany collapsed in November 1918 because the Spring Offensive failed, Allied counter-attacks succeeded, Germany's allies (Bulgaria, Ottomans, Austria-Hungary) surrendered, the Kiel mutiny broke out, and the Kaiser abdicated.
The First World War: stalemate
The Schlieffen Plan was Germany's strategy to defeat France quickly by sweeping through Belgium; it failed at the First Battle of the Marne in September 1914.
The causes of the First World War
The July Crisis turned a local Austro-Serbian dispute into a world war because the alliance system pulled in each great power in sequence after Austria-Hungary's ultimatum to Serbia was rejected.
Ending the war
Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated and fled to the Netherlands in November 1918.
Sample questions
A taste of the 29 questions in this topic, answers marked. Sign up to practise the full set with spaced repetition.
How did Russia's withdrawal from the war in 1918 affect the Western Front?
- •Britain and France abandoned the Western Front to fight the Bolsheviks in Russia instead
- ✓Germany moved troops west and launched the Spring Offensive in March 1918
- •Russia rejoined the war on the German side and helped capture Paris within a few weeks
- •The United States immediately ended the war by occupying Berlin and forcing surrender
Which new weapon was first used by Germany at Ypres in April 1915?
- •Aircraft bombing — German Zeppelins began systematic bombing of British cities
- •Flamethrowers — designed to clear Allied trenches with burning fuel
- ✓Poison gas (chlorine) — first deployed causing terror and mass casualties
- •Tanks — the Germans used armoured vehicles to break through Allied trenches
What does the acronym MAIN stand for, summarising the long-term causes of World War One?
- ✓Militarism, Alliance System, Imperialism, Nationalism
- •Military strength, Arms Race, International conflict, Neutrality
- •Mobilisation, Austro-Hungarian tensions, Italy's ambitions, Naval rivalry
- •Monarchy, Assassination, Industrialisation, Nationalism
Why did the USA enter World War One in April 1917?
- •Austria-Hungary declared war on the USA after American troops aided Serbia
- ✓German unrestricted submarine warfare sank American ships; the Zimmermann Telegram
- •Germany invaded neutral Belgium for the second time, triggering Allied action
- •The Russian Revolution made the Allies look like democracies worth defending
By whom and when were tanks first used in battle?
- ✓Britain first used tanks at the Somme in September 1916
- •France first used tanks at the Marne in 1914 to stop the German advance
- •Germany first used tanks at Verdun in February 1916
- •Tanks were first used by the USA when they entered the war in 1917
Which two armed alliances had divided Europe into opposing camps by 1914?
- •The Berlin Pact (Germany and Italy) and the Entente (Britain, France, Belgium)
- •The Central Powers (Germany and Austria-Hungary) and the Allied Powers (Britain, France, USA)
- •The Dual Alliance (Germany and Russia) and the Franco-British Entente Cordiale
- ✓The Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy) and the Triple Entente (Britain, France, Russia)
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