Ending the War Flashcards
All 31 cards in this deck
When did the Bolshevik Revolution take place?
What did Lenin do in 1918 that affected the war on the Western Front?
He made peace with Germany, taking Russia out of the war.
Give one consequence of Russia's withdrawal from the war for German strategy.
It reduced demands on the German army in the East, so Germany could concentrate its forces on the Western Front.
In what year did the USA enter the First World War?
Give one way the US navy helped the Allies after America entered the war.
It provided convoy protection for merchant shipping bringing food and materials to Great Britain.
True or false? America's entry only helped the Allies once US troops arrived in large numbers at the front.
False. It was a psychological and morale boost to the Allies (and damaging to German morale) even before physical reinforcements arrived, because it compensated for Russia's withdrawal.
Who were the stormtroopers used in the German Spring Offensive of 1918?
Elite German troops who were fast moving because they were only lightly equipped.
Who launched the German Spring Offensive of 1918?
Ludendorff.
Give one reason Ludendorff's Spring Offensive failed to win the war.
German salients could not be supported because supply lines were too extended.
What happened to German manpower during the Spring Offensive of 1918?
Ludendorff lost huge numbers of men and had no reserves to replace them, so the Germans had to retreat when the Allies counter-attacked.
What was 'The Hundred Days'?
The successful Allied advance of 1918 that broke through the German defences on the Hindenburg Line and pushed Germany back.
True or false? The German Spring Offensive of 1918 captured Paris.
False. The Germans came within firing range of Paris but never reached it.
Give one effect of the British naval blockade on Germany.
It caused starvation among the civilian population.
Give one way the blockade led to unrest in Germany by 1918.
Soldiers and sailors began to mutiny and refuse orders, and there were riots demanding an end to the war.
Why did the Kaiser abdicate in 1918?
Starvation and the effects of the war destroyed confidence in his leadership, and the German people wanted a change of government.
Where and when was the armistice signed?
11 November 1918 (fighting stopped at 11 a.m.), in a railway carriage at Compiègne in northern France, where Foch met the German delegates.
What role did Foch hold from Spring 1918?
Commander-in-Chief of all the Allied armies, under a unified command structure.
Give one contribution of Foch to Germany's defeat.
Unified Allied command let the Allies attack the German salient from three sides and halt the Spring Offensive.
Under Foch, what were the Allies able to do with over 1,000,000 US troops and new equipment?
Attack along the entire length of the Western Front, pushing the Germans back to the Hindenburg Line of 1917.
What was the Zimmermann Telegram (1917)?
A secret German message, intercepted by Britain, offering Mexico American land if it allied with Germany against the USA. Its publication helped bring the USA into the war.
Give one reason the USA declared war on Germany in April 1917.
Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare in February 1917, and U-boats sank American ships.
True or false? Russia's withdrawal from the war caused the USA to join it.
False. The USA declared war in April 1917; the Bolsheviks only took Russia out of the war after November 1917.
What was the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (March 1918)?
The peace treaty that took Russia out of the war. Russia gave up Poland, the Baltic lands and Ukraine, losing much of its population, farmland and industry to German control.
When did the German Spring Offensive begin?
21 March 1918.
Give one reason Ludendorff needed to win quickly in 1918.
American troops were arriving in France in huge numbers each month, so the Allies would soon outnumber Germany.
What happened at the Battle of Amiens (8 August 1918)?
A surprise Allied attack, led by British, Australian and Canadian troops with hundreds of tanks, broke the German line. Ludendorff called it the 'Black Day' of the German army, and it opened the Hundred Days.
Give one contribution of Haig to Germany's defeat in 1918.
He commanded the British armies in the Hundred Days; they broke through the Hindenburg Line in late September 1918, forcing the Germans into retreat.
What was the Kiel mutiny (November 1918)?
German sailors refused orders to put to sea for a last battle against the Royal Navy; at the naval base of Kiel this became an open mutiny in early November 1918, and unrest spread to other German cities.
When did Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicate, and what replaced his rule?
9 November 1918; Germany became a republic.
Give one term of the armistice of November 1918.
Germany had to withdraw from all the land it occupied.
True or false? The armistice of November 1918 was the peace treaty that ended the war with Germany.
False. The armistice was a ceasefire; the peace terms came later, in the Treaty of Versailles (June 1919).