Chapter 26 – World War I and Chapter 28 – Revolutions & WWII Causes

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from World War I and revolutions leading up to and during WWII.

Nationalism

Strong pride and loyalty to one’s country; caused competition and tension between European nations.

Militarism

Building up a strong military and preparing for war; countries increased military spending and power before WWI.

Imperialism

Countries competing for colonies/resources; Germany competed with Britain and France, causing tension.

Alliance System

Countries agree to defend each other; pulled many nations into WWI quickly.

Isolationism

Avoiding involvement in foreign wars; U.S. stayed neutral at first.

League of Nations

International group to prevent wars; proposed by Woodrow Wilson but failed without U.S. support.

Treaty of Versailles

Peace treaty ending WWI; punished Germany with reparations and blame for the war.

Submarines (U-boat)

German underwater boats used to attack ships and fight Britain.

Zimmermann Note

Germany asked Mexico to attack the U.S.; helped bring U.S. into war. Intercepted by British

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

Germany sinks all ships in enemy waters; angered the U.S. and led to war entry.

Schlieffen Plan

Germany’s plan to quickly defeat France; failed, leading to a long war.

Spanish Bird Flu

Deadly flu pandemic during WWI; killed millions worldwide.

Pandemic

Disease spreading globally; the Spanish Flu killed approximately 50 million.

Fourteen Points

Peace plan by Wilson; included fair peace and the League of Nations.

Propaganda

Information used to influence opinions; used to gain support for war.

Lusitania

British ship sunk by Germany; resulted in 128 American deaths, causing anger in the U.S.

Conscientious Objector

Person who refuses to fight for moral reasons.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Heir to Austria-Hungary throne whose assassination started WWI.

New Weapons of WWI

Tanks, planes, gas, and machine guns that made war more deadly.

Convoys

Groups of ships traveling together that offered protection from submarines.

British Blockade

Stoppage of supplies to Germany, causing starvation in Germany.

Assassination That Started War

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo in 1914 led to the war.

Open Door Policy

U.S. policy supporting equal trade in China.

No Man’s Land

Area between trenches that was a dangerous battlefield zone.

Trench

Dugout where soldiers fought in WWI.

Trench Warfare

Fighting from trenches which led to stalemate.

Trench Foot

Condition caused by feet rotting from wet conditions in trenches.

Russia in WWI

Poorly prepared and suffered heavy losses, leading to a revolution.

U.S. in WWI

Joined the war in 1917 and helped the Allies to victory.

Central Powers

Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire.

Allies (Triple Entente)

Alliance including Britain, France, Russia, and later the U.S.

Conscription

Draft into military service.

Bolsheviks

Communist group led by Lenin that took control in the Russian Revolution.

Lenin

Leader of the Bolsheviks who created communist Russia.

White Flag / Red Flag

Reds are communists and Whites are anti-communists; sides in the Russian Civil War.

Stalin

Dictator of the Soviet Union who used terror and caused famine (Holodomor).

Hitler

Leader of Germany who started WWII.

Mussolini

Creator of fascism in Italy.

Fascism

Government characterized by total control, nationalism, and dictatorship.

Nazism

German form of fascism characterized by racism, led by Hitler.

Communism

Government where the state controls everything.

Secret Police / Cheka

Soviet police used terror to control the population.

Chamberlain

Neville Chamberlain, who used appeasement with Hitler.

Italy in WWII

Invaded Ethiopia and allied with Germany.

Nonaggression Pact

Agreement not to attack each other; between Germany and the USSR.

Appeasement

Giving in to avoid conflict; Britain allowed Hitler to expand.

Munich Agreement

Agreement that gave Sudetenland to Germany; failed to stop Hitler.

Anschluss

Germany's annexation of Austria in 1938.

Lebensraum

'Living space' for Germans, used to justify expansion.

Weimar Republic

Germany’s weak post-WWI government.

Sudetenland

Part of Czechoslovakia taken by Germany.

Kulaks

Wealthy farmers targeted by Stalin.

Holodomor

Man-made famine in Ukraine that resulted in millions of deaths under Stalin.