Deck 24: The First World War

Question 1

The German "von Schlieffen Plan" envisioned:

A) a sweeping attack through Belgium to defeat the French outside Paris.
B) a naval blockade of the British Isles.
C) a joint attack with Austria-Hungary to punish Serbia.
D) a sudden attack on Russia through what is now Poland.
E) a joint attack with Italy against France.

Answer 1

a sweeping attack through Belgium to defeat the French outside Paris.

Question 2

The bloodiest battles of World War I occurred during 1916-1917,with the first of these being fought at:

A) Ypres.
B) Ardennes.
C) Somme.
D) Verdun.
E) Tannenberg.

Answer 2

Verdun.

Question 3

In the years preceding World War I,Europe was divided into two groups of nation-states united by treaty.Germany,Austria-Hungary,and Italy were opposed by Russia,France,and Great Britain,who were known collectively as:

A) the Three Democracies.
B) the Triple Alliance.
C) the Triple Entente.
D) the Triple Threat.
E) the Central Powers.

Answer 3

the Triple Entente.

Question 4

The nations of Europe,following the assassination at Sarajevo,embarked on five weeks of what has since been characterized as:

A) "a tragedy of miscalculation."
B) "a premeditated drive to war."
C) "an example of astute diplomacy."
D) "a comedy of errors."
E) "a blind, blundering mess."

Question 5

In the five months of the First Battle of the Somme,the total casualties totaled approximately:

A) 1,750,000.
B) 1,000,000.
C) 750,000.
D) 500,000.
E) 250,000.

Question 6

Military planners preparing for war in 1914 believed that the war would be short,limited,and decisive,basing their success on the twin ideas of:

A) careful planning and improvisation.
B) size and speed.
C) size and careful planning.
D) improvisation and speed.
E) careful planning and speed.

Question 7

World War I saw the first use of many new weapons.One of these,poison gas,was particularly devastating due to its:

A) short- and long-term effects; having recovered, most victims had recurring bouts of sickness.
B) effects on both those at whom it was directed and those who used it.
C) physical and psychological effects.
D) effect on the civilian population close to the front.
E) all of these

Question 8

Which of the following BEST describes the British action at Gallipoli?

A) a naval victory that cleared the Mediterranean Sea of Turkish and German ships
B) an effort to defeat the Ottoman Empire from the rear, moving up the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
C) an attempt to shore up the defense of Serbia through securing a supply line by sea
D) a botched amphibious landing in Turkey that failed to "force" the sea route to Russia
E) a campaign plagued by miscalculation and missed opportunities but ultimately allowing the British to capture Istanbul

Question 9

In the 1890s Germany had developed a plan to fight a two-front war called:

A) the von Hindenburg Plan.
B) the von Schlieffen Plan.
C) the Gotha Plan.
D) the Teutonic Plan.
E) the Valkyre Plan.

Question 10

What event galvanized the cause of Irish nationalism during World War I?

A) the British government's blunt refusal to consider "Home Rule" until after the war
B) the execution of the leaders of the Easter Rebellion in 1916
C) the founding of the Sinn Fein political party
D) the appalling losses among Irish soldiers during the Somme offensive
E) the outspoken support for Irish independence by the prince of Wales

Question 11

What was the public motive for Britain's declaration of war in 1914?

A) the Austro-Hungarian attack on Serbia
B) the threat posed by German submarines to the world's shipping lanes
C) the German declaration of war on France; that activated the Anglo-French alliance
D) the German invasion of neutral Belgium
E) the Russian declaration of war on Germany, which required Britain to declare war by treaty

Question 12

On June 28,1914:

A) Austria issued an ultimatum to the Serbian government.
B) Serbia rejected the Austrian ultimatum.
C) Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo.
D) Russia fully mobilized its armed forces to aid "brother Slavs" in Serbia.
E) Germany issued Austria a "blank check" to mobilize against Russia.

Question 13

With an Allied victory in the major battles of 1916-1917,one Allied veteran stated:

A) "Neither side had won, nor could win, the War. The War had won, and would go on winning."
B) " 'Tis sweet and glorious to die for one's country, but victory is the sweetest of all."
C) "We have shown that democracies will always triumph over monarchies. Freedom is the future!"
D) "Europe is a graveyard from which civilization will have to struggle to survive."
E) "Europe has become a military laboratory constructed on top of a graveyard."

Question 14

Which weapon was considered the best bet to break the stalemate on the Western Front?

A) tank
B) submarine
C) zeppelin
D) airplane
E) machine gun

Question 15

Great Britain fought against the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East where the most crucial advantage in its victory over the Turks was:

A) that the Turks were forced to rely on mercenaries to fight since they had no standing army.
B) the British superiority in arms: a new repeating rifle that the Turks did not possess.
C) the ability to read coded Turkish messages after the British cracked the Turkish military code in 1915.
D) the Turkish inability to fight on Saturdays, their holy day when no violent acts could be committed.
E) the support of various Arab peoples seeking independence from the Turks.

Question 16

The German army,in the early days of the war,won a stunning victory over the Russians at the battle of:

A) Verdun.
B) the Masurian Lakes.
C) the Ice at Lake Peipus.
D) Lutsk.
E) Brest-Litovsk.

Question 17

Although the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary had many ethnic problems within many of its provinces,the most volatile of all was the province of:

A) Slovenia.
B) Bosnia.
C) Croatia.
D) Serbia.
E) Herzegovina.

Question 18

The assassination of Franz Ferdinand precipitated the "July Crisis" and led to World War I because he was:

A) Tsar Nicholas II's ambassador to Croatia.
B) Kaiser Wilhelm II's youngest son.
C) the pope's ambassador to Serbia.
D) heir to the throne of Austro-Hungary.
E) Queen Victoria's youngest son.

Question 19

How did the Balfour Declaration affect the postwar policies of the Middle East?

A) It scuttled the efforts to secure Egyptian independence from British rule.
B) It staked claims for British interests in the region that excluded France.
C) It guaranteed continued British control of Egypt and Trans-Jordan.
D) It proposed the terms for dividing up the defeated Ottoman Empire.
E) It gave British approval to a national home for European Jews in Palestine.

Question 20

The action that brought the German plan of attack in the West to an end in September 1914 was:

A) the failure by the German quartermaster corps to keep the army supplied.
B) the First Battle of the Somme.
C) the First Battle of the Marne.
D) the First Battle of Ypres.
E) the German defeat on the Eastern Front by the Russians at Tannenberg.

Question 21

With so much of the male population of European countries in uniform during the war,women increasingly filled industrial positions from which they had heretofore been excluded.In Britain,these women were collectively dubbed:

A) Rosie the Riveter.
B) Sophie the Armourer.
C) Munitionettes.
D) Rockettes.
E) Angels of the Factories.

Question 22

The Bolsheviks were able to ultimately triumph in October 1917 under the leadership of the young,dedicated revolutionary:

A) Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov.
B) Alexander Alexandravich Kerensky.
C) Lev Denisovich Bronnstein.
D) Nicholas Alexandravich Romanov.
E) Iosep Ilyich Jughashvili.

Question 23

The American journalist John Reed,in covering the Russian Revolution,wrote of the events of October 1917 that they were "ten days that shook the world." Although many attitudes and things were immediately shaken,it did have a more lasting effect because it:

A) was essentially a conservative revolution, which allowed the politically reactionary Social Revolutionary Party to seize power and restore the monarchy.
B) was a political transformation that set the agenda for future revolutions and created the political gestalt for the rest of the century.
C) was an utter failure, which caused the worldwide socialist movement to collapse and allowed Germany to declare victory on the Eastern Front.
D) was to serve as a model for the ensuing socialist revolutions in Germany and France, eventually leading to the creation of the European Socialist Union.
E) spurred other absolutionist governments to take precautions against similar revolts.

Question 24

One of the changes in British society after the war was the availability of birth control with the first birth-control clinic was opened in London in 1921 by:

A) Vera Brittain.
B) Marie Stopes.
C) Margaret Sanger.
D) Emmeline Pankhurst.
E) Millicent Fawcett.

Question 25

Which of the following was NOT a major element in the German collapse of November 1918?

A) a naval mutiny against the disastrous plan to attack the combined American and British navies
B) the sudden death of Kaiser Wilhelm's heir
C) the declaration of a republic in Bavaria and socialist revolts elsewhere in the country
D) scarce food supplies that left some Germans on the verge of starvation
E) the surrender of Austria on November 3, 1918

Question 26

The social changes that were forged during the war were recorded in one of the most famous autobiographies of the period,Testament of Youth,by:

A) Vera Brittain.
B) Marie Stopes.
C) Margaret Sanger.
D) Emmeline Pankhurst.
E) Millicent Fawcett.

Question 27

The Russian people revolted against their tsar in 1917 because of:

A) the horrendous loss of life in World War I.
B) living conditions that had grossly deteriorated.
C) lack of food in most areas of the country.
D) a complete loss of faith in the government.
E) all of these

Question 28

Russia had been stunned by early setbacks in 1914,due primarily to problems of equipment,supply,and training.By the end of 1916,it had been brought to the verge of total collapse by:

A) the inability of the government to bring production up to the levels needed to pursue the war with Germany.
B) a combination of political ineptitude and military defeat.
C) the ever-growing political threat posed by the Bolsheviks.
D) the sudden death of Tsar Nicholas II.
E) failed harvests throughout Russia and the ensuing mass starvation, which also contributed to a reduction in industrial capacity.

Question 29

Tsar Nicholas II of Russia abdicated his throne and thus made way for the formation of a transitional government for Russia in what is now known as:

A) the February Revolution.
B) the October Revolution.
C) the Peoples' Revolution.
D) the Women's Revolution.
E) the Glorious Revolution.

Question 30

Which Bolshevik leader made the most notable contribution to Lenin's efforts during the fall of 1917?

A) Bukharin
B) Kornilov
C) Trotsky
D) Stalin
E) Zemstov

Question 31

The abdication of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia in February 1917 was caused by:

A) the concerted effort of a small group of revolutionaries led by V. I. Lenin who seized the centers of governmental power in Petrograd.
B) a widespread conspiracy headed by Gregorian Rasputin that included many members of the royal family.
C) poor health exacerbated by the harsh conditions he experienced at the front lines where he was personally commanding the Russian army.
D) a loosely organized march of women demanding food, fuel, and political reform that quickly spiraled into a mass strike which the army joined.
E) Russia's unconditional surrender to Germany following the loss of over 1 million men at the battle of Tannenberg.

Question 32

Although every country fighting in World War I suffered food shortages at various times during the war,Great Britain was the last to institute control by rationing bread in 1917 primarily because:

A) of a poor wheat harvest in Australia.
B) English bakers were on strike.
C) the entire bread supply went to the army.
D) the English people voluntarily had limited their consumption.
E) of German submarine success in sinking Allied shipping.

Question 33

Which of the following was a consequence of the Hindenburg Plan?

A) the collapse of efforts to negotiate an early end to the war on the Western Front
B) negotiating a political settlement to create a German republic after the Kaiser's abdication
C) placing individual industrialists in charge of pricing and profits in Germany's war economy, resulting in disastrous conflicts of interest and inflation
D) the near defeat of British and French forces by a surprise German offensive in March 1918
E) the peace accord reached with the Bolshevik government of Russia in 1918

Question 34

Many social changes occurred in Europe as a result of World War I.Among them was the emergence of the "New Woman," an occurrence that was greeted:

A) with universal praise since it signaled the end of the division of labor by sex.
B) by all women as a good thing and by every man as a true evil.
C) by a resounding indifference on the part of most people since it affected so few.
D) with mixed reviews; many celebrated it while many grumbled about the change.
E) with welcome by most people, the notable exception being the clergy.

Question 35

What was the single greatest U.S.contribution to the defeat of German forces on the battlefield in 1918?

A) the sheer number of U.S. conscripts sent into battle alongside the Allies
B) the role of U.S. commanders, notably John Pershing, in devising a new strategy for defeating trench warfare
C) the large number of U.S. warships to the blockade of Germany
D) massive U.S. production of ships, tanks, and planes for the Allied war effort
E) the financial support the country was able to give to the Allies both before its formal entry into the war and afterward

Question 36

What or who were the soviets?

A) local councils of workers and soldiers throughout Russia
B) special committees of the Duma (Russia's parliament)
C) field officers of the Bolshevik movement who directed revolutionary forces during 1917
D) non-Russian territories controlled from Moscow during the Russian Revolution
E) terrorists who eventually overthrew the tsarist government of Nicholas II

Question 37

The second Russian revolution in 1917 was led by:

A) the Left Social Revolutionaries.
B) the Bolsheviks.
C) the Mensheviks.
D) the Pushkinites.
E) the Right Social Revolutionaries.

Question 38

Opposed to Lenin and his plan for a takeover of the Russian government was another part of the Social Democratic Party:

A) the Left Social Revolutionaries.
B) the Bolsheviks.
C) the Mensheviks.
D) the Pushkinites.
E) the Right Social Revolutionaries.

Question 39

The Bolsheviks under Lenin attempted to gain widespread support during the summer of 1917 under the slogan:

A) "Peace and the Romanovs!"
B) "Hang the Kaiser!"
C) "All Power to the Bolsheviks!"
D) "All Power to the Dumas!"
E) "Peace, Land, and Bread, Now!"

Question 40

During August 1918,the war changed momentum on the Western Front due to several factors,the most important of which was:

A) an increase in the morale of Allied front-line troops.
B) new tactics, which were first used by the French.
C) the Allies' material advantage finally coming to bear on the Germans.
D) the arrival of fresh American troops at the front in the region of the Somme.
E) the near collapse of the German army after a failed attack along the entire front.

Question 41

The initial German offensive was slowed by the inability of its soldiers and supply trains to keep up with the expected speed of the operation and by the resistance of the Belgians and the intervention of Britain.

Question 42

One of the long-lasting results of World War I was the increasingly sour and suspicious relationship that developed between:

A) France and Great Britain.
B) Russia and western Europe.
C) western Europe and the United States.
D) Italy and France.
E) the United States and Great Britain.

Question 43

Many in Europe recognized that the end of the war had brought about "a new and unfamiliar world," but no one knew the form this new world was going to take.As Tomas Masaryk stated,"Postwar Europe was:

A) a brave new world with such wondrous creatures in it."
B) an experimental laboratory from which great things were to come."
C) a graveyard with little immediate future."
D) a laboratory atop a graveyard."
E) a wasteland we would now call peace."

Question 44

The entry of the United States into World War I on the side of the Allies was due to several factors; among them were the resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare by the Germans and:

A) the genocide attempted by the Germans on the Eastern Front against the Slavs.
B) the enormous debt owed U.S. banks by the Allies that needed to be protected.
C) the discovery of a widespread and powerful German "fifth rank" in the United States.
D) the victory of the Bolsheviks in Russia and the movement of German troops to the Western Front.
E) the interception of the "Zimmerman telegram" sent by Germany's foreign minister to Mexico.

Question 45

The Allied powers' extensive borrowing of funds from the British resulted in the hobbling of France as a financial power and the rise of the United Kingdom as a financial power within Europe after the war.

Question 46

Although the German naval blockade of Britain destroyed more tonnage,the British blockade against Germany was far more devastating as it put increased demands on the German national economy.

Question 47

Bankers and financiers were great supporters of the war as they hoped to profit from wartime production and capture colonial markets.

Question 48

Verdun was of little strategic importance but was a symbol of France's strength and morale.

Question 49

Italy sided with Germany and Austria before the war and was held to this alliance despite its sympathies with the French and British cause.

Question 50

In 1914,the military leaders of Europe were confident that the European war,escalated by a scramble for colonies and an arms race between the two systems of alliance,would be quick due to their advanced technologies and large armies.

Question 51

The term wastage refers to the routine loss of supplies and devastation of land that occurred in trench warfare.

Question 52

Which public figure appeared at the Versailles Conference as an advocate for the rights of colonial peoples?

A) Ho Chi Minh
B) John Maynard Keynes
C) Albert Schweitzer
D) Woodrow Wilson
E) Kim Jong-Il

Question 53

Although all countries involved in the war used propaganda to bolster the morale of their civilian population,what was one unintended consequence?

A) It increased enlistments too much and strained the abilities of all countries to arm, clothe, and train the new soldiers.
B) It pointed out the similarity of all people and caused them to work for a just peace settlement.
C) It lowered the morale of the front-line troops who were constantly reminded of home.
D) It became more difficult for any country to accept a fair, nonpunitive peace settlement.
E) It bolstered the morale of the troops in the field as well as those on the home front.

Question 54

World War I was finally ended by:

A) the Treaty of Paris.
B) the London Peace Accords.
C) the Treaty of Locarno.
D) the Treaty of Versailles.
E) the Treaty of Westphalia.

Question 55

Propaganda campaigns had been used throughout the war and would make it difficult for any country to accept a non-punitive peace settlement,as the injustices,motivations and hatreds and atrocities of the war had been so deeply ingrained in the peoples of Europe.

Question 56

Britain's involvement in the war was a foregone conclusion due to its pacts with France and its support of Belgium's neutrality.

Question 57

Although Germany was subjected to many crippling provisions of the Treaty of Versailles,the most dangerous were the punitive reparations,according to the eminent British economist:

A) John Stuart Mill.
B) Bertrand, Lord Russell.
C) David Lloyd George.
D) John Maynard Keynes.
E) Alan Richard Greenspan.

Question 58

At the Paris Peace Conference beginning in 1919,each of the so-called Big Four was represented by their political leaders,with Italy being represented by:

A) Giuseppe Garibaldi.
B) Victor Emmanuel.
C) Vittorio Orlando.
D) Enrico Caruso.
E) Giuseppe Mazzini.

Question 59

To what does the term total war refer?

A) a commitment to defeating one's enemies and occupying their land, thus dissolving their right to nationhood
B) the willingness to starve out military opponents through the use of blockades
C) the willingness to use all military means to secure victory, regardless of the Geneva Convention
D) the intense commitment of a nation's whole human and material resources to fighting
E) synonymously with genocide, the desire to not only defeat an enemy, but to kill every man, woman, and child

Question 60

What were the mandates of the Treaty of Versailles?

A) Russian territories under the temporary government of anti-Bolshevik forces were recognized by the Allies.
B) Territories in the Middle East and former German colonies were to be administered by France and Great Britain.
C) Germany and its wartime allies were prohibited from rearming.
D) Zones of Allied occupation in Germany were to be demarcated.
E) German and Ottoman colonies in the Pacific were to be administered by the United States and Britain.

Question 61

The American journalist John Reed described the Russian Revolution as "ten days that shook the world." What was the impact of the revolution on the rest of Europe?

Question 62

The United States' public support of U.S.entry into the war in Europe was so great that over 10 million volunteers signed up for duty.

Question 63

What were the penalties to be paid by the Germans according to the Treaty of Versailles,and why were they so harsh?

Question 64

What was meant by the term total war?

Question 65

Woodrow Wilson was the first American president to attend European peace talks while in office.

Question 66

The Russian army was not only the largest in Europe,it was the best supplied due to the innovative reforms of Tsar Nicholas.

Question 67

Why was Bosnia so key in the European conflict?

Question 68

The aims of the Bolsheviks included an end to the war,improvement in working and living conditions for the workers,and a redistribution of aristocratic land to the peasants.

Question 69

What was the effect of the war on the minorities of Europe?

Question 70

How did the war change women's lives in Europe?

Question 71

What was the role of Europe's colonies in World War I?

Question 72

The Bolsheviks avoided open civil war in Russia by granting land to the peasants and compensating the former landowners for their losses.However,the landowners largely inflated the loss of land and made profit on the redistribution of lands.

Question 73

What factors combined to bring about Germany's defeat?

Question 74

What was the effect of the Gallipoli disaster on the war and society?

Question 75

How did trench warfare differ from traditional means of warfare?