Unit 8A Vocab

Defensive Alliance

A military alliance where each partner is pledged to defend every other member should any be attacked by another nation.

Triple Alliance

A Bismarck forged military defensive alliance between Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary that lasted until the start of World War I in 1914.

Triple Entente

A military defensive alliance formed by France, Russia, and Britain to counter-balance the Triple Alliance.

Alsace – Lorraine

An historic region between France and Germany, fought over for decades, predominantly German-speaking but under French control for centuries.

Bosnia-Herzegovina

A Balkan region populated by South Slavs, controlled by Austria-Hungary, with Serbia seeking to gain influence over it.

Nationalism

An emotional political philosophy that glorifies the nation as the most fundamental human bond that unites people to their land.

Archduke Francis-Ferdinand

Heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne whose assassination in June 1914 triggered World War I.

'Blank Check'

A slang phrase meaning to give someone the power to do anything they want, originating from banking where someone is given a signed check for any amount.

Ultimatum

A final demand or list of demands with the threat of further action if it is rejected.

Mobilize

The action of a government to call up military forces to prepare for active service, one step short of war.

von Schlieffen Plan

A German battle plan designed to win a war against both France and Russia by quickly defeating France while Russia was mobilizing.

Two-front War

A conflict fought in two separate regions, forcing combatants to divide their forces.

Allies

One side of combatants in World War I, major participants included Britain, France, and Russia.

Central Powers

One side of combatants in World War I including Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria.

Poison Gas

A devastating weapon used in World War I to break the stalemate on the Western Front, with Mustard and Chlorine Gas being the most common types.

U-Boat

The German term for submarine, first used on a large scale during World War I.

HMS Lusitania

A British luxury ocean liner sunk by a German submarine in May 1915, resulting in the deaths of over 1,100 civilians, including 120 Americans.

Reconnaissance

The action of observing the movements and actions of an enemy.

Dogfight

Combat between two or more airplanes.

Genocide

The act of trying to kill a specific group or race of people.

Armenian Genocide (1915 – 1917)

The first mass murder of the 20th century, where over 1,500,000 Armenian Christians were killed by the Ottoman Empire.

Total War

A conflict that impacts every part of a combatant’s economy, resources, and population.

'Canary Girls'

A British nickname for young women in the munitions industry whose skin turned yellow due to sulfur exposure.

Easter Rebellion

A 1916 uprising by Irish nationalists against British rule, crushed by British forces.

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

German policy of sinking any vessel, Allied or neutral, trading with Britain, which contributed to the US joining the war.

Zimmermann Telegram

A German message sent to Mexico encouraging an attack on the US, intercepted by the British.

President Woodrow Wilson

Leader of the US during World War I who kept the nation out of the war until 1917.

14 Points

President Wilson's 14-point plan to end World War I, promoting arms limitations, ethnic borders, and the establishment of the League of Nations.

League of Nations

An international organization created to peacefully resolve disputes and prevent future conflicts.

Armistice

A temporary truce while negotiating a treaty between warring parties.

Treaty of Versailles

The primary agreement that ended World War I, imposing heavy reparations and territorial losses on Germany.

Big Four

Nickname for the four major Allied nations and leaders involved in negotiating the Treaty of Versailles.

Reparations

Money paid by the defeated to the victors following a war.

Russian Revolution of 1917

The overthrow of the tsarist monarchy leading to the establishment of the first communist government in Russia.

Provisional Government

The government established after Tsar Nicholas II's overthrow, which lost public support for continuing World War I.

Duma

The parliament of Russia.

Bolshevik

An early name for the communist movement in Russia that overthrew the tsarist monarchy and established the Soviet Union.

Vladimir Lenin

Leader of the Bolshevik revolutionaries and first ruler of the Soviet Union.

Petrograd

The wartime name of the city of St. Petersburg, Russia.

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

A harsh peace treaty in 1918 between the Central Powers and the Soviet government, forcing the Soviets to surrender territory.