Unit 8 Vocabulary

WWI

Militarism

Militarism

a policy of glorifying military power and keeping a standing army always prepared for war

Triple Alliance

a military alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy in the years preceding WWI

Kaiser Wilhelm II

ruler of Germany who came to power in the late 1800s; relieved Otto von Bismarck of his position as chancellor

Triple Entente

a military alliance between Great Britain, France, and Russia in the years preceding WWI

Central Powers

in WWI, the nations of Germany and Austria-Hungary, along with the other nations that fought on their side

Allies

in WWI, the nations of Great Britain, France, and Russia, along with the other nations that fought on their side

Western Front

in WWI, the region of northern France where the forces of the Allies and the Central Powers battled each other

Schlieffen Plan

Germany’s military plan at the outbreak of WWI, according to which German troops would rapidly defeat France and then move east to attack Russia

Trench warfare

a form of warfare in which opposing armies fight each other from trenches dug in the battlefield

Eastern Front

in WWI, the region along the German-Russian border where Russians and Serbs battled Germans, Austrians, and Turks

Unrestricted submarine warfare

the use of sub-marines to sink without warning any ship (including neutral ships and unarmed passenger liners) found in an enemy’s waters

Total war

a conflict in which the participating countries devote all their resources to the war effort

Rationing

the limiting of the amounts of goods people can buy – often imposed by governments during wartime, when goods are in short supply

Propaganda

information or material spread to advance a cause or to damage an opponent’s cause

Armistice

an agreement to stop fighting

Woodrow Wilson

president of the United States during WWI

Georges Clemenceau

leader of France during WWI

Fourteen Points

a series of proposals in which US president Woodrow Wilson outlined a plan for achieving a lasting peace after WWI

Self-determination

the freedom of a people to decide under what form of government they wish to live

League of Nations

an international association formed after WWI with the goal of keeping peace among nations

Treaty of Versailles

the peace treaty signed by Germany and the Allied powers after WWI