World War 1 vocab

Nationalism

Pride in your country and the belief that your nation should have its own government.

Industrial Revolution

A time when machines started doing work that was once done by hand.

Richard Arkwright

Inventor who made machines that helped produce cloth faster.

Factories

Large buildings where machines are used to make goods.

James Watt

Improved the steam engine, which powered machines and transportation.

Urbanization

The growth of cities as people moved there for factory jobs.

Middle class

A group of people between rich and poor, often with jobs like business owners or skilled workers.

Interchangeable parts

Parts made exactly the same, so they can be used in any product of the same type.

Assembly line

A system where each worker does one part of making a product as it moves along a line.

Adam Smith

Economist who believed in free markets and little government control over business.

Karl Marx

Thinker who believed workers should rise up and create a classless society.

Labor unions

Groups of workers who join together to fight for better pay and working conditions.

Charles Darwin

Scientist who developed the theory of evolution by natural selection.

Imperialism

When one country takes control of another, often by force.

Social Darwinism

The idea that stronger people or nations are naturally better and should rule weaker ones.

Berlin Conference of 1885

A meeting where European countries divided Africa without asking Africans.

Suez Canal

A waterway in Egypt that connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, important for trade.

Opium Wars

Fights between China and Britain over British trade of opium in China.

Boxer Rebellion

A Chinese uprising against foreigners and their influence.

The Meiji Era

A time in Japan when the country quickly modernized and industrialized.

Militarism

Belief in building up strong armies and weapons.

Triple Alliance

Military agreement between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy before World War I.

Kaiser Wilhelm II

German emperor during World War I.

Triple Entente

Military agreement between France, Russia, and Britain before World War I.

The Balkan Region

Area in Southeast Europe where tensions helped start World War I.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

His assassination triggered World War I.

Ultimatum

A final demand; if not accepted, it leads to action or conflict.

Central Powers

Germany, Austria-Hungary, and their allies in World War I.

Allies

France, Britain, Russia, and others who fought against the Central Powers.

Armenian Genocide

The mass killing of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during World War I.

Western Front

The line of fighting in France and Belgium during World War I.

Trench warfare

Fighting from deep ditches to defend positions.

Eastern Front

The line of fighting between Germany/Austria-Hungary and Russia.

Gallipoli

A failed Allied campaign to take control of a key route in the Ottoman Empire.

Unrestricted submarine warfare

Germany’s policy of sinking any ship near Britain without warning.

The Lusitania

A British ship sunk by a German submarine, killing Americans and angering the U.S.

The Zimmermann Note

A secret message from Germany to Mexico, promising land if Mexico attacked the U.S.

Total war

A war where countries use all their resources for the war effort.

Propaganda

Information spread to influence public opinion.

Armistice

An agreement to stop fighting.

Treaty of Versailles

Peace treaty that ended World War I and punished Germany.

Woodrow Wilson's "Fourteen Points"

U.S. president’s plan for lasting peace after World War I.

League of Nations

An international group formed to help countries avoid war.

Self-determination

The right of people to choose their own government and way of life.