WW1

Schlieffen Plan

• Definition: Germany’s military strategy to avoid a two-front war by invading France quickly through Belgium before turning to fight Russia.

• Significance: Its failure led to a long stalemate and trench warfare on the Western Front; also caused Britain to enter the war after Belgium’s invasion.

2. British Blockade

• Definition: Naval blockade by Britain to cut off Germany’s supplies of food, weapons, and raw materials.

• Significance: Starved Germany’s population and economy, but also led Germany to use submarine warfare in retaliation.

3. German U-Boats

• Definition: German submarines used to attack Allied and neutral ships.

• Significance: Their unrestricted submarine warfare sank American ships and pushed the U.S. toward entering the war.

4. Lusitania (1915)

• Definition: British passenger ship sunk by a German U-Boat, killing 1,200 people, including 128 Americans.

• Significance: Turned U.S. public opinion sharply against Germany and increased calls for U.S. involvement.

5. Sussex Pledge (1916)

• Definition: Germany’s promise to stop sinking ships without warning after attacking the French ship Sussex.

• Significance: Temporarily eased U.S.–German tensions, but Germany later broke the pledge, leading the U.S. closer to war.

6. Zimmerman Note (1917)

• Definition: Secret message from Germany to Mexico proposing an alliance if the U.S. entered the war; Mexico would regain lost territory.

• Significance: Outraged Americans and directly led to U.S. declaration of war on Germany.

7. Russian Czar Steps Down (1917)

• Definition: Czar Nicholas II abdicated during the Russian Revolution.

• Significance: Russia’s exit from monarchy made it easier for Wilson to claim the war was about democracy vs. autocracy.

8. Selective Service Act (1917)

• Definition: U.S. law requiring men ages 21–30 (later expanded) to register for the draft.

• Significance: Allowed the U.S. to quickly build a large army for WWI.

9. American Expeditionary Forces (AEF)

• Definition: The U.S. troops sent to Europe under General John J. Pershing.

• Significance: Boosted Allied morale and helped turn the tide at key battles like the Argonne Forest.

10. Shipyard Production

• Definition: Expansion of shipbuilding to transport troops and supplies.

• Significance: Critical for the U.S. to move forces safely to Europe despite U-Boat threats.

11. Mobilizing the Economy

• Definition: Transitioning the U.S. economy from peacetime to wartime production.

• Significance: Involved government coordination of industries, labor, and resources to support the war effort.

12. War Industries Board (WIB)

• Definition: Government agency led by Bernard Baruch that coordinated industrial production and set priorities.

• Significance: Boosted efficiency and standardized goods to meet wartime needs.

16. Committee on Public Information (CPI)

• Definition: Government propaganda agency led by George Creel to shape public opinion in favor of the war.

• Significance: Used posters, films, and speeches to boost patriotism but also fueled intolerance and censorship.

17. Hysteria (Anti-German, Anti-Bolshevik)

• Definition: Intense fear and suspicion of Germans and radicals during and after the war.

• Significance: Led to discrimination, censorship, and violence against immigrants and dissenters.

18. Espionage and Sedition Acts (1917–1918)

• Definition: Laws making it illegal to interfere with the war effort or criticize the government.

• Significance: Suppressed free speech and targeted anti-war activists.

19. Schenck v. United States (1919)

• Definition: Supreme Court case that upheld the Espionage Act, ruling that free speech can be limited during wartime.

• Significance: Established the “clear and present danger” test for restricting speech.

20. Women and African Americans

• Definition: Women took factory and nursing roles; African Americans migrated north for jobs (Great Migration).

• Significance: Expanded economic roles and changed demographics, paving the way for social movements later.

21. Russian Surrender (1918)

• Definition: Russia signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany, ending its involvement.

• Significance: Allowed Germany to focus on the Western Front; increased pressure on the Allies.

22. Conditions of War

• Definition: Trench warfare, gas attacks, disease, and new weapons like machine guns and tanks.

• Significance: Made the war extremely deadly and demoralizing, influencing future warfare.

23. Wilson’s Fourteen Points (1918)

• Definition: President Wilson’s plan for peace based on self-determination, free trade, and a League of Nations.

• Significance: Shaped postwar negotiations but was only partly accepted in the Treaty of Versailles.

24. Treaty of Versailles (1919)

• Definition: Peace treaty ending WWI; placed full blame on Germany.

• Conditions: Germany lost territory, paid reparations, limited its military, and accepted guilt.

• Weaknesses: Humiliated Germany, ignored self-determination, and sowed resentment that led to WWII.