HISTORY

TERM 4

WORLD WAR 1 (1914-1918)

KEYWORDS

HEIR- The next in line to a position

DREADNOUGHT- Were the fastest battleships in the world

COMPENSATION- To get something back eg payment

ALLIED POWERS- Also called the Triple Entente

CENTRAL POWERS- Also called the Triple Alliance

NEUTRAL POWERS- Not linked by any other power

THE BALKANS- The Peninsula in south-eastern Europe. In 1914 it was governed by the Ottoman
(Turkish) Empire

UNIT 1

Reasons why WW1 broke out:

Long Term causes:

1. Nationalism- Countries felt such pride and devotion for their nation that they were prepared
to fight and die for their country to become a world power.
2. Industrial economics- Britain and France had become wealthy through their control of
overseas trade, markets, territories and people. The Industrial Revolution had started in
Britain and spread to Europe.
3. Control of the seas- In the 1800 Britain was the world ruler of the seas. Britain had the most
ships and largest navy in the world. They build huge battleships eg. Dreadnoughts. This was
to keep ahead of Germany.
4. Empires- The British Empire was the largest. Austrian-Hungarian Empire ruled over many
nationalities: Germans, Austrians, Hungarians, Czechs, Poles and Serbs. Russian Empire had
more land and people that any other power. German Empire had strong army and big
industries. France Empire had a strong army.
5. Colonisation and Empires- Scramble for Africa brought rivalry and tensions between the
powers. Each power wanted as many colonies as possible to build up their empires.

-Europe was divided into two camps: Allies of Britain and the Allies of Germany.

*Activity 4.1 Long term causes of WW1

Short Term Cause:

-A secret terrorist organisation called the Black Hand was formed in Serbia. They assassinated
the heir to the Austrian throne, Franz Ferdinand.

*Do Activity 4.2 The immediate cause to WW1

Countries that fought WW1:

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Allied Powers: Russia, Serbia, Serbia, Britain, France, USA, SA, NZ and Australia.

Central Powers: Germany, Italy, Ottoman Empire and Austria-Hungary.

*Do Activity 4.3 The outbreak of war

*Do Activity 4.4 Europe before WW1

UNIT 2

Aspects of experiences in WW1- Conscription and propaganda in Britain:

Keywords:

-VOLUNTEER: A person who does something of his or her own free will

-WESTERN FRONT: The border between France and Germany where a large system of trenches
had been dug

-CONSCRIPTION: Forced military service

-CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS: Men who refused to fight or kill anyone

-TRENCHES: Long narrow ditches, deep enough for soldiers to stand up without being seen by
the enemy

-NO MAN’S LAND: The area between the opposing trench lines where either side had any
protection

-SNIPER: An expert gunman who is very accurate

-PRIMARY SOURCE: A first hand account of something that someone has heard from another

person

- SECONDARY SOURCE: A second hand account of something that someone has heard from

another person

-PETITION: A document signed by a large number of people, given to the government asking for

something

-Rallies: Mass meetings used for protests

CONSCRIPTION:

-Over 3 million men volunteered to serve in the British army in the first two years of the war.

-This had a devastating effect on British society. Women had to take jobs of men by working in
shops, factories, banks, government departments and farms.

-Certain laws were made at different stages compulsory enrolment.

PROPAGANDA:

-They used posters or newspapers to try and stir up the emotions and anger or hate of the people
against the enemy
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-The aim of the propaganda was to make people feel so strongly about their country, they were
prepared to die for it.

CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS:

-These people believed that killing another human being was wrong

-They agreed to help as cooks, drivers, digging toilets/trenches and helping in hospitals.

*Do Activity 4.5 Conscription and propaganda.

TRENCH WARFARE AND THE WESTERN FRONT:

-There were 9 600km of trenches and 1.2 million soldiers at anytime on the Western Front.

- Soldiers spent: 4 days on the front line

4 days making food for the frontline

4 days reserve

14 days rest

-Every morning “hate period”. Soldiers firing in the direction of the enemy.

-In between the trenches was “no man’s land”.

-When “over the top was called” soldiers would jump up out of the trenches and run straight into
the enemy firing. Almost like running to their death.

-Life in the trenches was boring, dreadful and very dangerous.

-Soldiers could not lift their head above the trench or else the sniper could kill them.

-During the day soldiers had many chores, all the time wondering when the next enemy shell would
explode in the trench.

THE SOLDIERS HAD MANY PROBLEMS: (Refer to pg 159)

-little sleep

-no proper place to was

-lice, nits, flies, huge rats, frogs, slugs, horned beetles

-diseases like cholera, dysentery, typhus, pneumonia, bronchitis

-trench foot- a fungal infections from damp feet

-freezing temperatures

-smell of dead bodies, overflowing toilets, rotting sandbags

- poisonous mustard gas

-death was a constant companion

*Read extension on pg 159. Rats as big as cats….. *Do Activity 4.6 Life in the trenches.
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Music and Poetry:

-Music was a form of escape from the terrible conditions.

*Do Activities 4.7 and 4.8

WW1 and SA

-SA was a British Colony, so it was their duty to help Britain in WW1

-Afrikaners refused to help Britain, because of the loss of 28 000 Boer women and children in the
British concentration camps during the Anglo-Boer War.

South African soldiers were used in three ways:

-to defeat the Germans in South West Africa

-to defend the British naval base at Simons Town near Cape Town

-to fight in Europe

BATTLE OF DELVILLE WOOD:

-In north of France large forest. The British had aske d the SA brigade to clear the wood, they were
scared the Germans were going to use the wood as a base to fire on the British.

-This battle was one of the bloodiest in the war. They could not build trenches because of the roots
from the trees

- 3 150 SA soldiers faced 7 000 Germans. 400 shells a minute were fired

-SA soldiers held on for 6 days and 5 nights. Mud, blood and rainwater covered bodies that were
lying on top of each other in shallow graves

-2 384 SA’s lost their lives fighting for a piece of land

-The SA government bought some land in Delville Wood were they have built a memorial and
cemetery to their brave soldiers.

*Do Activity 4.9 The Battle of Delville Wood.

SINKING OF THE SS MENDI 1917:

-83 000 black South Africans volunteered to help Britain during the war.

-They were not allowed to fight, but they did other jobs like digging trenches, cooking and cleaning
hospitals.

-In 1917 832 black volunteers were put onto a British steamship called the SS Mendi

-Just off the Isle of Wight, an empty British meat ship, SS Darro, crashed into the Mendi in heavy fog

-Some people on the Mendi were killed outright, others drowned, most of the men could no swim.

-According to oral history the men met their fate with great dignity. Their chaplain is reported to
calm the panicked men by raising his arms to be quiet and calm. He said they should die as brothers
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Even though they were from different tribes. He urged them to shout their war cries, saying their
voices would be left with their bodies.

*Do Activity 4.10 The Sinking of the SS Mendi

UNIT 3

WOMEN IN BRITAIN DURING WW1

Changing roles of women in the workplace in Britain in WW1:

-Before WW1 very few women did paid work. Some work as nurses, teachers and domestic work,
but the middle and upper class women considered it not “proper” to work.

-Attitude changed when millions of men were away fighting and the women were need to do the
following jobs:

~Army- cooking, store keeping ambulance drivers, nurses

~Government- clerks, telephonists

~ Private Officers- clerks

~On the land- growing food

~Munitions factories- making shells and other weapons

~Unloading coal- at the docks and building strips

~Transport- conductors on busses and trams

-The women were the unsung heroes of the WW1, they kept the Industrial wheels turning and the
home fires burning.

- Fashions for women changed i.e short hair, because long hair was too dangerous in the factories

-For the first time women wore trousers

-Dressers shorter, because of the shortage of material

-Comfortable underwear replaced tight corsets

-Women smoked and drank in public

-For the first time they rode on the back of motorbikes

-In spite of this women still not treated equally to men

*Do Activity 4.11 The changing role of women

Emily Pankhurst and the campaign for the vote for women in Britain:

-She was born into a wealthy family and married an older lawyer. They had 5 children

-She believed that women had a right to vote and have a say in the government

-Equal opportunities for women as far as divorce, inheritance, equal pay, opportunities for jobs, and
education and being 2nd class citizens.
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-She led lots of protests and she and her followers were often put into prison.

-Her dream came true when women were eventually allowed to vote, become lawyers etc.

*Do Activity 4.12 Emily Pankhurst and the suffragettes.

UNIT 4

THE DEFEAT OF GERMANY AND THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES:

-Peace was declared on 11th day of the 11th month 1918

-After 4 bloody years of bitter fighting the Great War was over

-People all over the world were celebrating

-Return to normal life was going to be difficult because towns and agricultural fields had been
destroyed

-Total number deaths 16 500 000 and 21 000 000 wounded.

*Activity 4.13 The defeat of the Germans. Read fun fact on page 169.

-The Treaty of Verailles will be dealt with in detail in Grade 9

*Interesting fact- Deputy Minister of SA, Jan Smuts, was the only person in the world to sign the
Peace treaties of both WW1 and WW2. He said the Treaty of Verailles was too harsh on Germany
and said they would be resentful and would want to restore what was taken away from them.
WW2 broke out in 1939.

THE END OF GRADE 8 HISTORY!!!!

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