AQA GCSE History · BA

Conflict and tension: the First World War, 1894–1918

Exam-style questions with answers for BA Conflict and tension: the First World War, 1894–1918 in AQA GCSE History (spec 8145). Practise with flashcards, a topic quiz, a random quiz across the course, 5 crosswords, or read every question and answer below.

All questions and answers

Question 1 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part one
Which countries formed the Triple Alliance? [1 mark]
Answer:
Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy.
Question 2 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part one
When was the Franco-Russian Alliance signed? [1 mark]
Answer:
1894.
Question 3 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part one
Which countries formed the Triple Entente by 1907? [1 mark]
Answer:
Britain, France and Russia.
Question 4 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part one
What was the Entente Cordiale (1904)? [2 marks]
Answer:
An agreement settling colonial disputes between Britain and France (1); it was not a military alliance but brought them closer (1).
Question 5 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part one
Explain why the First Moroccan Crisis (1905–1906) strengthened the Entente. [2 marks]
Answer:
The Kaiser visited Tangier to challenge French influence in Morocco (1); at the Algeciras Conference, Britain backed France and Germany was humiliated (1).
Question 6 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part one
What happened in the Second Moroccan Crisis (Agadir, 1911)? [2 marks]
Answer:
Germany sent the gunboat Panther to Agadir (1); Britain supported France and Germany backed down, gaining only part of the French Congo (1).
Question 7 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part one
Explain why the Bosnian Crisis (1908–1909) increased tension. [2 marks]
Answer:
Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia, angering Serbia and Russia (1); Germany backed Austria, and Russia was humiliated and began rearming (1).
Question 8 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part one
Define the term ‘Splendid Isolation’. [1 mark]
Answer:
Britain’s policy in the late 19th century of avoiding permanent alliances with other powers.
Question 9 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part one
Explain why Britain abandoned Splendid Isolation. [2 marks]
Answer:
Germany’s growing power and navy threatened Britain (1); the Boer War showed Britain lacked friends, so it made agreements with Japan (1902), France and Russia (1).
Question 10 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part one
Define the term ‘Weltpolitik’. [1 mark]
Answer:
Kaiser Wilhelm II’s ‘world policy’ of making Germany a world power with an empire and a large navy.
Question 11 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part one
Explain why the Anglo-German naval race increased tension. [2 marks]
Answer:
Britain saw Germany’s navy as a direct threat to its empire and security (1); both built Dreadnoughts, and by 1914 Britain had 29 to Germany’s 17 (1).
Question 12 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part one
Explain how colonial rivalry caused tension before 1914. [2 marks]
Answer:
Germany wanted ‘a place in the sun’ but had few colonies (1); this led to clashes with Britain and France, eg over Morocco (1).
Question 13 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part one
Define the term ‘Slav nationalism’. [1 mark]
Answer:
The desire of Slavic peoples, such as Serbs, to unite in their own state, free from Austro-Hungarian rule.
Question 14 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part one
Why did Serbia and Austria-Hungary have poor relations? [2 marks]
Answer:
Serbia wanted to unite Slavs, including those in Austria-Hungary (1); Austria feared Serbian nationalism would break up its empire (1).
Question 15 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part one
Describe the assassination at Sarajevo (28 June 1914). [2 marks]
Answer:
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, was shot (1); by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb linked to the Black Hand (1).
Question 16 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part one
What was the ‘blank cheque’? [1 mark]
Answer:
Germany’s promise of unconditional support for Austria-Hungary against Serbia in July 1914.
Question 17 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part one
Describe the July Crisis. [3 marks]
Answer:
Austria sent Serbia a harsh ultimatum (1); Austria declared war on Serbia on 28 July (1); Russia mobilised, and Germany declared war on Russia and then France (1).
Question 18 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part one
What was the Schlieffen Plan? [2 marks]
Answer:
Germany’s plan to avoid a two-front war (1); by defeating France quickly through Belgium before Russia could mobilise (1).
Question 19 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part one
Explain why Britain entered the war in August 1914. [2 marks]
Answer:
Germany invaded neutral Belgium (1); Britain had guaranteed Belgian neutrality in the 1839 Treaty of London (1).
Question 20 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part one
Explain why the alliance system turned a local crisis into a European war. [2 marks]
Answer:
Each power had promised to support its allies (1); so when Austria-Hungary attacked Serbia, Russia, Germany, France and Britain were drawn in one after another (1).
Question 21 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part two
State two reasons why the Schlieffen Plan failed. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: Belgian resistance slowed Germany (1); the British Expeditionary Force fought at Mons (1); Russia mobilised faster than expected (1); the Battle of the Marne stopped the advance (1).
Question 22 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part two
Explain why the Battle of the Marne (September 1914) was significant. [2 marks]
Answer:
French and British forces stopped the German advance near Paris (1); it ended the Schlieffen Plan and led to trench warfare (1).
Question 23 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part two
What was the ‘race to the sea’? [1 mark]
Answer:
Both sides tried to outflank each other northwards, creating a line of trenches to the Channel coast.
Question 24 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part two
Describe the layout of a trench system. [2 marks]
Answer:
Front-line, support and reserve trenches connected by communication trenches (1); built in a zig-zag, with barbed wire and no man’s land between the sides (1).
Question 25 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part two
Define the term ‘war of attrition’. [1 mark]
Answer:
A strategy of wearing down the enemy through continuous losses of men and resources.
Question 26 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part two
State three weapons used on the Western Front. [3 marks]
Answer:
Any three from: machine guns (1); artillery (1); poison gas (1); tanks (1); aircraft (1); rifles (1).
Question 27 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part two
Explain why it was difficult to break through on the Western Front. [2 marks]
Answer:
Machine guns and barbed wire made defence stronger than attack (1); artillery churned up the ground and warned of attacks (1).
Question 28 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part two
Why did Germany attack Verdun in 1916? [2 marks]
Answer:
To ‘bleed France white’ by attacking a place France would defend at any cost (1); Falkenhayn hoped to knock France out of the war (1).
Question 29 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part two
What was the significance of the Battle of Verdun? [2 marks]
Answer:
Both sides lost hundreds of thousands of men (1); France held out (‘They shall not pass’) and called for the British to attack on the Somme (1).
Question 30 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part two
Why did the Battle of the Somme begin in July 1916? [2 marks]
Answer:
To relieve pressure on the French at Verdun (1); to break through German lines and wear down the German army (1).
Question 31 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part two
What happened on the first day of the Somme? [2 marks]
Answer:
The British suffered about 57,000 casualties, including about 19,000 dead (1); the bombardment had failed to destroy German wire and dugouts (1).
Question 32 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part two
State two consequences of the Battle of the Somme. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: over a million casualties on all sides (1); Allies advanced only about 12 km (1); tanks first used (1); the German army was weakened (1).
Question 33 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part two
What was the Battle of Passchendaele (1917)? [2 marks]
Answer:
A British offensive near Ypres from July to November 1917 (1); it was fought in deep mud and cost about 250,000 British casualties for small gains (1).
Question 34 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part two
What was the aim of the Gallipoli campaign (1915)? [2 marks]
Answer:
To knock Turkey out of the war (1); to open a supply route to Russia through the Dardanelles (1).
Question 35 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part two
State two reasons why the Gallipoli campaign failed. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: the naval attack was halted by mines (1); poor planning and leadership (1); Turkish forces held the high ground (1); disease and heat (1).
Question 36 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part two
What was the outcome of the Battle of Jutland (1916)? [2 marks]
Answer:
Britain lost more ships and men (1); but the German fleet returned to port and did not challenge the Royal Navy again (1).
Question 37 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part two
Define the term ‘unrestricted submarine warfare’. [1 mark]
Answer:
Sinking any ship, including neutral merchant ships, in waters around Britain without warning.
Question 38 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part two
Explain how convoys defeated the U-boat threat. [2 marks]
Answer:
Merchant ships sailed in groups protected by warships (1); losses fell sharply after convoys were introduced in 1917 (1).
Question 39 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part three
Explain how Russia’s withdrawal from the war affected German strategy. [2 marks]
Answer:
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (March 1918) ended fighting in the East (1); Germany moved about 50 divisions west for a final attack (1).
Question 40 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part three
State two reasons why the USA entered the war in April 1917. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: unrestricted submarine warfare sank US ships (1); the Zimmermann Telegram (1); loans and trade with the Allies (1); the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915 (1).
Question 41 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part three
What was the Zimmermann Telegram? [1 mark]
Answer:
A German message proposing that Mexico attack the USA in return for regaining lost territory.
Question 42 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part three
Explain why US entry was important to Allied victory. [2 marks]
Answer:
It gave the Allies fresh troops, with over 1 million in France by mid-1918 (1); it added huge economic resources and lowered German morale (1).
Question 43 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part three
What were stormtroopers? [1 mark]
Answer:
Specially trained German soldiers who attacked weak points quickly, bypassing strongholds.
Question 44 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part three
What was the Ludendorff Offensive (Spring 1918)? [2 marks]
Answer:
A German attack from March 1918 that gained large areas of land (1); it failed because the troops were exhausted, supply lines were overstretched and the Allies regrouped (1).
Question 45 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part three
What was the Hundred Days Offensive? [2 marks]
Answer:
The Allied advance from August 1918, beginning at Amiens (1); combining tanks, aircraft, artillery and infantry, it pushed Germany back to the Hindenburg Line and beyond (1).
Question 46 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part three
Explain how the British blockade weakened Germany. [2 marks]
Answer:
It stopped food and raw materials reaching Germany (1); leading to starvation and unrest at home (1).
Question 47 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part three
Why did Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicate in November 1918? [2 marks]
Answer:
Germany faced military defeat (1); there were naval mutinies and revolution in German cities (1).
Question 48 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part three
When was the armistice signed? [1 mark]
Answer:
11 November 1918.
Question 49 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part three
What was Foch’s contribution to Allied victory? [2 marks]
Answer:
He became Supreme Allied Commander in 1918 (1); he coordinated Allied counter-attacks during the Hundred Days (1).
Question 50 · Spec 3.2.2 BA, Part three
Give one argument for and one argument against Haig’s contribution to victory. [2 marks]
Answer:
For: he wore down the German army and led successful advances in 1918 (1). Against: he was blamed for heavy losses on the Somme and at Passchendaele (1).

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Conflict and tension: the First World War, 1894–1918

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