World War I: The Great War Practice Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the underlying causes, key figures, major events, and the eventual peace settlements of World War I.

Militarism

The growth in armies which served as an underlying cause of World War I.

Triple Alliance

The alliance system consisting of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy.

Triple Entente

The alliance system consisting of France, Great Britain, and Russia, joined by the United States in 1917.

Francis Ferdinand

The Austrian Archduke who was assassinated in Sarajevo, Bosnia, on June 28, 1914, sparking the war.

Gavrillo Princip

The member of the Black Hand who assassinated Austrian Archduke Francis Ferdinand.

The Black Hand

A secret organization of militant Serbs.

The Blank Check

Germany's response to the assassination of Ferdinand, pledging 100% support for any conflict Austria-Hungary had with Bosnia.

Schlieffen Plan

A strategy by General Alfred von Schlieffen for Germany to sweep through France, capture Paris, and swing East to confront Russia.

Lusitania

A British passenger ship sunk by a German submarine on May 7, 1915, where 1100 people perished, including 120 Americans.

Vladimir Lenin

The leader of the 1917 socialist revolution in Russia who successfully overthrew Tsar Nicholas II.

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

The agreement signed on March 3rd, 1918, that officially closed the Eastern Theater of World War I.

Selective Service Act

A 1917 act signed by Woodrow Wilson authorizing the federal government to conscript men into the military; 2.8 million were drafted and almost 117,000 died.

Doughboys

A nickname for U.S. infantry forces, possibly derived from uniform buttons resembling flour dumplings or being covered in chalky dust from marching.

Yankees (Yanks)

A term for a citizen of the United States, specifically from the Northeast, adopted by Europeans to refer to US soldiers during WWI.

Armistice Day

Observed on November 11, 1918, marking the laying down of arms; it became Veteran's Day in 1954.

The Big Four

The major participants of the Treaty of Versailles: Lloyd George (Great Britain), Clemenceau (France), Orlando (Italy), and Wilson (United States).

Fourteen Points

President Woodrow Wilson's basis for a peace settlement, which included the creation of a League of Nations.

League of Nations

A forum proposed by Wilson for major powers to discuss issues and conflict before they escalate, similar to the United Nations.

Article 231 (The Guilt Clause)

A provision of the Treaty of Versailles that stated Germany was responsible for the war and required them to pay reparations and reduce their military.

Reparations

Payments Germany was forced to make to the allies as a result of being blamed for the war under the Guilt Clause.