World War 1 Chapter 11 Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from Chapter 11 on World War 1.

Nationalism

A devotion to the interests and culture of one's nation, often leading to competitive and antagonistic rivalries among nations.

Militarism

The policy of building up armed forces in aggressive preparedness for war and their use as a tool of diplomacy.

Allies

In World War I, the group of nations originally consisting of Great Britain, France, and Russia, and later joined by the United States, Italy, and others, that opposed the Central Powers.

Central Powers

The group of nations led by Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire that opposed the Allies in World War I.

No Man's land

An unoccupied region between opposing armies' trenches during World War I.

Trench Warfare

Military operations in which opposing forces attack and counterattack from systems of fortified ditches rather than on an open battlefield.

Lusitania

A British passenger ship that was sunken by a German U-boat in 1915, resulting in the loss of 128 American lives and turning U.S. public opinion against Germany.

Zimmerman Note

A telegram sent in 1917 by the German foreign minister to the German ambassador in Mexico, proposing a German-Mexican alliance and promising to help Mexico regain lost territory in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona if the U.S. entered World War I.

Selective Service Act

A law enacted by Congress in 1917 that required men to register for military service through a draft to build up U.S. forces for World War I.

Armistice

A truce or agreement to end fighting in a war.

Convoy System

A system in which merchant ships travel in large groups escorted by armed naval warships for protection against submarine attacks.

War Industries Board

A U.S. government agency established during World War I to increase efficiency and eliminate waste in war-related manufacturing industries.

Propaganda

A form of biased communication designed to influence public opinion, thoughts, and actions.

Espionage & Sedition Acts

Two U.S. laws enacted in 1917 and 1918 that imposed harsh penalties on anyone interfering with or speaking against U.S. participation in World War I.

Great Migration

The large-scale movement of hundreds of thousands of Southern African Americans to Northern industrial cities in the early 20th century.

Reparations

Payments required from a defeated nation to compensate for war damages inflicted during a conflict.

Fourteen Points

President Woodrow Wilson's proposed principles for world peace following World War I, including free trade, disarmament, and a League of Nations.

League of nations

An international association of nations established in 1920 to promote cooperation and maintain peace among countries.

War-Guilt Clause

A specific provision in the Treaty of Versailles that forced Germany to accept full and sole responsibility for causing World War I.

Treaty of Versailles

The 1919 peace treaty that officially ended World War I, re-established European boundaries, imposed harsh reparations on Germany, and created the League of Nations.