Causes of World War I and the Treaty of Versailles

Flashcards defining the main causes of World War I (Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism, and the Assassination of Franz Ferdinand) and the terms of the Treaty of Versailles summarized by the LAMBS acronym.

LAMBS

A mnemonic representing the key terms imposed on Germany following World War I: Land, Army, Money, Blame, and Solo.

Land (Treaty of Versailles)

Territorial losses requiring Alsace Lorraine to be returned to France, the Rhineland to be occupied at German expense, German overseas territories to be divided between the UK, France, and the USA, and areas with large Polish populations to be ceded to Poland.

Army restrictions (Treaty of Versailles)

Military cutbacks limiting Germany to $100{,}000$ men with no reserves, $8$ navy ships, no submarines, and no large artillery, tanks, or aircrafts, alongside service requirements of $12$ years for men and $25$ years for officers.

Reparations (Treaty of Versailles)

Financial compensation Germany was required to pay, which was finalized in $1921$ at $£6.6\text{ billion}$ and completely paid off with a final instalment in $2010$.

Article 231

The clause known as the guilt clause, which forced Germany to accept full responsibility for the war and all of its consequences.

Solo (Treaty of Versailles)

The prohibition preventing Germany from entering alliances, specifically forbidding unions with Austria-Hungary and any states formed from the dissolution of the Prussian Empire.

Militarism

The policy of prioritizing military spending and increasing the size and strength of a military.

Dreadnoughts

Battleships that Germany and Britain invested heavily in during their competitive naval arms race prior to World War I.

Alliances

A relationship established between countries sharing similar interests or worries.

Central Powers

The wartime coalition consisting of Germany, Austria Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria.

Triple Alliance

The pre-war partnership uniting Germany, Austria Hungary, and Italy, from which Italy withdrew when the war began.

Triple Entente

The pre-war diplomatic alliance formed between Britain, Russia, and France.

Imperialism

A policy of extending a country's power and influence through colonization, use of military force, or other means.

The Scramble for Africa

The period of European imperial expansion during which European control of Africa rose from $10\%$ in $1870$ to nearly $90\%$ by $1914$.

German Colonial Empire (1914)

The third-largest colonial power in Africa in $1914$, comprising most of Germany's $2.6\text{ million square kilometres}$ of overseas territory and $14\text{ million}$ colonial subjects.

Nationalism

Identification with one's own nation and support for its interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations.

The Black Hand

A Serbian nationalist group that conspired to assassinate the heir incumbent to the Austro-Hungarian throne.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

The heir incumbent to the Austrian Hungarian Empire who, along with his wife, was assassinated on June $28^{\text{th}}$ $1914$ in Sarajevo, Bosnia.

Gavrillo Princip

The member of the Black Hand who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife in Sarajevo, Bosnia on June $28^{\text{th}}$ $1914$.