World War 1 - Unit 3 Study Guide

Franz Ferdinand

Archduke of Austria-Hungary assassinated by a Serbian nationalist in 1914, sparking WW1.

Triple Alliance

Pre-WW1 military alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy.

Triple Entente

Alliance of Great Britain, France, and Russia formed to protect against Germany.

Allied Powers

Coalition of Great Britain, France, Russia, and the U.S. fighting Central Powers.

Central Powers

Coalition of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria fighting Allies.

Von Schlieffen Plan

Germany's strategy to avoid a two-front war by attacking France through Belgium.

Belgium

Neutral country invaded by Germany, prompting Great Britain to enter WW1.

US Neutrality

Initial American policy under President Woodrow Wilson to stay out of WW1.

William Jennings Bryan

Sec. of State under Wilson who resigned over U.S. response to the Lusitania sinking.

Submarine Warfare

German use of U-boats to attack ships without warning, pushing the U.S. into WW1.

Gallipoli Campaign

Failed Allied military campaign against the Ottoman Empire to reach Russia.

Battle of the Somme

Major WWI battle demonstrating the extreme lethality of trench warfare.

First Battle of the Marne

Stopped the German advance to Paris, creating trench warfare on the Western Front.

Battle of Verdun

Long, deadly battle where French defense became a symbol of national determination.

Zimmermann Telegram

Secret German message offering Mexico U.S. land if it attacked America.

Lenin

Bolshevik leader who led the Russian Revolution and withdrew Russia from WWI.

Bolsheviks

Communist revolutionary group that overthrew the Russian government.

War Industries Board

U.S. government agency that organized American industries and controlled wartime production.

Committee on Public Information

U.S. government agency that created propaganda to gain public support for WWI.

Great Migration

Movement of African Americans from the rural South to northern cities for jobs.

Boll Weevil

Insect that destroyed southern cotton crops, economically hurting farmers and fueling the Great Migration.

Schenck v. U.S.

SCOTUS case ruling speech creating a "clear and present danger" can be restricted.

Sedition and Espionage Acts

WWI laws making it illegal to interfere with the draft or encourage disloyalty.

Peace Without Victory

Wilson's proposal that WWI should end without punishing any side or seeking revenge.

Fourteen Points

Woodrow Wilson's post-WWI plan for peace and preventing future wars.

League of Nations

International organization created to reduce war and maintain peace; U.S. never joined.

Treaty of Versailles

1919 treaty ending WWI that forced Germany to take blame, pay, and disarm.

Irreconcilables

Senators who opposed joining the League of Nations and international commitments.

Reservationists

Senators who supported joining the League of Nations only if changes protected U.S. independence.

Internationalists

Politicians who supported joining the League of Nations to maintain global peace.

Reparations

Financial payments Germany was forced to pay for WWI damages.

War Guilt Clause

Treaty of Versailles clause forcing Germany to accept sole responsibility for WWI.

Influenza Pandemic

Deadly worldwide flu outbreak of 1918-1919 that killed millions globally.