World War 1: Why Men Volunteered (PDF)

History 1 - Why did men volunteer to fight? The simple answer to why WW1 occurred is that none of the great powers tried hard enough to avoid it. Tension had existed for over 2 decades and 2 alliance groups formed. Triple Alliance - Germany, Austria-hungary, Italy Triple...

History 1 - Why did men volunteer to fight? The simple answer to why WW1 occurred is that none of the great powers tried hard enough to avoid it. Tension had existed for over 2 decades and 2 alliance groups formed. Triple Alliance - Germany, Austria-hungary, Italy Triple Entente - Britain, France, Russia - France felt threatened by germany’s large army, & revenge as germany seized 2 french provinces, alsace and lorraine, on the french-german border in a war in 1871 - Britain was anxious by the growth of germany’s navy - Russia’s worry had to do with Germany's ally, AH. they competed for influence in the Balkans, south-east europe How it happened: - By 1914, the alliance system was in place - In June 1914 the war was triggered by the assassination of the heir to the throne of the Austrian empire, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, killed by Gavrilo Princip - june 28 1914 - Austrian government blamed Serbia and declared war on Serbia on 28 July 1914 - Germany came in to support Austria, russia came to the assistance of serbia - Within a week, britain & france were also at war with the central powers - austria and britain Why did men volunteer? - During august and september 1914, 736000 Britons volunteered for british army - By 1916, 2.5 million had done so - Most did it out of patriotism, honour and duty, believing that it was their duty to fight for the country and that it was a matter of honour - British propaganda described germans as ‘beastly Huns’ - Some men enlisted for the shillings Pals’ Battalions - The idea of a uniform & chance for adventure also attracted men, especially as everyone expected the war to be over by christmas 1914 - Men who enlisted were promised they could fight in ‘Pal’s Battalions’, men from the same towns/cities formed regiments like the “Sheffield Pals” or the “Barnsley Pals” - Former pupils at private schools also formed their own battalions, these regiments had high morale bc they knew each other or came from the same area - Peer group pressure was hard to resist, it took courage to go resist - Women handed white feathers to the men who did resist, as a sign of their cowardness - No uniform - hard to get served in pubs - They were convinced it would be over by christmas MAIN causes of the First World War Militarism - the desire of countries to build a powerful army and navy - Increased tension in europe bc it created fear & started an arms race between nations Alliances - agreements between countries to help each other (forming gangs) - Made sure that if war happened it would involve a lot of countries Imperialism - the desire of countries to have colonies and an empire - Increased tension bc countries competed with each other for land Nationalism - the belief that your country is the best or wanting independence for your country - Created tension between groups of people inside empires as they tried to gain independence 2 -Opponents of the war Men had many different reasons for supporting the war - patriotism, duty, a sense of adventure, chance to escape poverty or prison. Or because of their personal beliefs. September 1914 - 436,000 volunteered December 1915 - 55,000 volunteered Conscription was introduced (because not enough men were volunteering) in january 1916. Men aged between 18 and 41 now had to serve in one of the armed services. In march 1916 this was extended to married men too. The law that was passed in january 1916 that introduced conscription was the Military Service Act. It exempted men who were more useful to the Nation in their present employments; miners, shipyard workers; and those who could show a conscientious objection. Tribunals were set up to hear the cases of COs - men who would not fight on the grounds of conscience. 16,000 men were registered as COs Pacifists and Socialists COs gave a variety of different reasons. Some objected to the war because of religious views/beliefs : pacifist Christians. - A person who is against violence in all circumstances. Others were not pacifists but objected to this war in particular : socialists. They refused to kill their fellow workers, German or not. They believed that the war was being fought to make money for the wealthy factory owners. - People who believe that factories etc. should be owned by the working class and not by wealthy individuals.  - Most of these COs agreed to do some kind of service which was helpful in the war but would stay out of combat. Some became or worked on farms. - About 1500 men however refused to do even this - (men who refused to do anything which would help the war) they argued that agreeing to do farmwork, for example, simply allowed another man to fight and pull the trigger in their place. - These absolutists were sent to do hard labour in prison, some were put under control of the army and harshly treated. But not all soldiers hated them. - When the war ended, the authorities kept them in prison for another 6 months so that the returning troops could get the jobs they wanted. They were alo stopped from voting in elections until 1926. Business reasons Some men were unwilling for more practical reasons. The privileged upper classes of England were patriotic ( they also had employees to look after their estates and concerns while away ). The poor had no business to worry about and often not even a job to leave. But the self-employed or people who ran small businesses faced real problems if they or their employees enlisted. Slackers or cowards On average 4 in 5 men who appeared in a tribunal had their claim accepted. Conscientious objectors or those who avoided joining up were very unpopular with the public. Some crtiticised the government for allowing ‘cowards’ or ‘slackers’ to get out of doing their duty. 3 - Propaganda and censorship Before the introduction of conscription, the government relied on volunteers for its armed forces. It used propaganda techniques to encourage men to enlist. - The use of ideas to persuade people to think & behave in a certain way often telling lies. The government made little effort to check the truth of its stories when publishing reports about German ‘atrocities’. The Bryce Commission Stories of the atrocities committed against ‘gallant little Belgium’ by Germans led many to enlist. - A report by Lord Bryce (May 1915) told of the rape of 20 Belgian girls in public at Liege and of how a soldier had bayoneted a 2 year old child. Another German soldier had sliced the breasts of a peasant girl. - But Bryce’s committee did not interview a single witness to these events. The reports were supposed to be based on 1200 statements taken from Belgian refugees in Britain but no trace of these interviews has ever been found. A Belgian investigation in 1922 could find no evidence to support these claims either. But, by then, the report had achieved its purpose in stoking up hatred against the germans. - However, some 5000 Belgian civilians did die during the German advance into Belgium, Many were shot by the Germans as reprisals for attacks on their troops or simply killed as the result of the fighting. Definitions: - Men who refused to do anything which would help the war...(Page4) - An agreement between two or more countries to help and support each other. (Page 2). - A wound that was serious enough to get you sent home to Britain for treatment. - Preventing people from seeing or hearing unpleasant news. (Page 6). - Men who would not fight on grounds of conscience or because of their religion. (Page 4). Conscription - Compulsory military service. or The government forces men to join the army. (Page 4) Coward - A person who is too scared to fight. (Page 3). Eastern Front - Germany’s eastern border area near to Russia. (Page 2). Enlist - To join the army/ armed forces. (Page 3). Fatigues - The boring everyday duties/jobs soldiers had to do in the trenches. Find at least 3 examples (Page 18). Front Line - The first line of trenches where most of the fighting took place (Page 17). No Man’s Land - The land in between enemy positions. (Page 14). ‘Over the Top’ - Climbing out of the trench and attacking the enemy. (Page 16). Pacifist - A person who is against violence in all circumstances. (Page 4). Patriotism - A love of your country, willing to fight & die for your country. (Page 2). Propaganda - The use of ideas to persuade people to think & behave in a certain way often telling lies. (Page 6) Pal’s Battalions - Those men who volunteered together and came from the same area were promised that they could fight together. (.Page 3). Reconnaissance - Obtaining information about the enemy. (Page 15). Rolling Barrage -A bombardment that went on just ahead of your own men as they advanced across ‘No Man’s Land’ to force the enemy to stay in their trenches. (Page 15) Socialist - People who believe that factories etc. should be owned by the working class and not by wealthy individuals. (Page 4). Strategy - A plan or technique for how to win a war for example. (Page 4). Trench - A ditch (like a corridor) dug into the ground where the soldiers stayed to avoid machine gun fire. The fighting in the first world war took place in trenches (Page 14). Trench Foot - When feet are left in water for long periods of time they swell inside the boot, the circulation is cut off and the foot can rot. (Page 18). Volunteer - When somebody joined the army of their own free will. (Not being forced to do something.) Western Front - Western Front was the line of trenches where the First World War was fought. It went from Belgium to France border & map on page 9 (Page 2).