World War I History Review

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, concepts, operations, and treaties of World War I based on the lecture transcript.

Revanchism

The deep French national desire for vengeance following their military humiliation and loss of Alsace-Lorraine to Prussia in 1871.

Reassurance Treaty

A secret 1887 agreement negotiated by German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck promising German neutrality if Russia fought Austria-Hungary, unless Russia was the aggressor.

Triple Alliance

The military alliance established in 1882 between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy.

Triple Entente

The diplomatic and military alignment established by 1907 combining Great Britain, France, and Russia to balance the Triple Alliance.

Schlieffen Plan

Germany's strategic plan to rapidly invade France through neutral Belgium, encircle Paris in six weeks, and then transfer troops east to confront Russia.

Plan 17

The French offensive war plan prioritizing an immediate, aggressive assault into lost territories in Alsace-Lorraine.

Black Hand

A secret Serbian nationalist society formed by military officers in 1911 under the motto 'Unity or Death', dedicated to uniting South Slavs through violence.

Blank Check

Germany's unconditional guarantee of full military support offered to Austria-Hungary on July 5, 1914, regarding action against Serbia.

Battle of Tannenberg

An August 1914 Eastern Front battle where German forces under Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff completely destroyed the Russian 2nd Army.

Battle of the Marne

A major September 1914 Allied counter-offensive outside Paris that halted the German advance, ended the Schlieffen Plan, and established Western Front trench warfare.

Race to the Sea

A series of reciprocal outflanking maneuvers in late 1914 that ultimately extended a continuous line of defensive trenches from the Swiss border to the North Sea.

Chlorine Gas

A toxic chemical weapon first released at scale by German forces on April 22, 1915, during the Second Battle of Ypres.

Gallipoli Campaign

A disastrous 1915 Allied amphibious assault on the Ottoman Dardanelles peninsula aimed at securing sea routes to Russia and knocking the Ottomans out of the war.

Battle of Verdun

A 10-month 1916 battle of attrition engineered by Erich von Falkenhayn with the explicit goal of using superior artillery to 'bleed France white'.

Voie Sacrée

The vital 'Sacred Way' supply road organized by General Philippe Pétain during the Battle of Verdun, carrying up to 3,500 trucks per day.

Battle of the Somme

A massive 1916 Anglo-French offensive that caused over 1 million casualties and resulted in 19,240 British deaths on its bloody first day (July 1, 1916).

Brusilov Offensive

A highly successful June 1916 Russian attack led by General Alexei Brusilov that utilized broad-front surprise tactics to shatter Austro-Hungarian lines.

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

Germany's naval strategy announced in January 1917 to sink all merchant and passenger vessels bound for Great Britain without warning.

Zimmermann Telegram

An intercepted 1917 German diplomatic message offering American territory (Texas, New Mexico, Arizona) to Mexico if it allied with Germany against the United States.

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

The March 1918 peace treaty between the new Bolshevik government of Russia and the Central Powers that officially ended Russian involvement in World War I.

Kaiserschlacht

The final major German Western Front offensive launched on March 21, 1918, attempting to divide and defeat Allied armies before American forces arrived in full force.

Stormtroopers

Specialized, fast-moving German infantry units trained in infiltration tactics to bypass front-line strongpoints rather than assault them head-on.

Battle of Amiens

An Allied combined-arms attack launched on August 8, 1918, described by Erich Ludendorff as the 'black day of the German army'.

Hundred Days Offensive

The successful, coordinated Allied offensive from August 8 to November 11, 1918, that broke the Hindenburg Line and ended the war.

Stab-in-the-Back Myth

A false post-war German political narrative asserting that the German army was not defeated militarily on the front lines, but traitorously betrayed by home-front politicians and revolutionaries.

Treaty of Versailles

The primary 1919 peace settlement that officially ended World War I and imposed severe territorial, military, and financial penalties on Germany.

Article 231

The 'War Guilt Clause' in the Treaty of Versailles forcing Germany to accept sole responsibility for initiating the war and providing legal justification for reparations.