The First World War 1

Apuntes

The First World War 1 You must be able to: • Explain the causes of the war • Describe the alliances and opposing forces • Understand the nature of trench warfare • Explain why the Gallipoli campaign was a disaster for Britain • The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand • Archduke Franz Ferdinand was next in line to the Austrian throne. • He was killed in June 1914 by a Serbian extremist, Gavrilo Princip, who was a member of the Black Hand terrorist gang. • Serbians were annoyed by the treatment of Serbs living in Bosnia, which had been Serbian but was part of Austria-Hungary at this time. • The assassination led to Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia, which triggered a response from Europe’s alliance system. • Alliances • Russia had an agreement to support Serbia should it go to war. • Germany had an agreement to support Austria-Hungary should it go to war. • Britain and France had an agreement to support Russia should it go to war. • This meant many countries were drawn into the war. • Arms Race • There was a long history of rivalry between Britain and Germany. • Britain had built a new, powerful warship called the Dreadnought. • Germany responded by building their ...