World War I Review Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering key figures, battles, political events, and technologies of World War I from a Canadian perspective.

Gavrilo Princip

A $19$-year-old Serbian nationalist and member of the Black Hand who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, in Sarajevo.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

The heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne whose assassination on June $28$, $1914$, served as the immediate spark that triggered World War I.

The Black Hand

The revolutionary movement and group to which Gavrilo Princip belonged.

Battle of Vimy Ridge

A major success for the Canadian Corps in April $1917$ where previous Allied attempts had failed; often described as the "Birth of a Nation" for Canada.

The "Creeping Barrage"

A highly precise artillery strategy used at Vimy Ridge where a line of shellfire advanced just ahead of the infantry to keep Germans pinned in their bunkers.

Technological Innovations (Vimy Ridge)

Advanced "flash spotting" and "sound ranging" techniques used by Canadians to pinpoint and destroy nearly $80\%$ of German artillery.

Platoon Tactics

Decentralized leadership where every soldier was given a map and lower-ranking soldiers (corporals and privates) were trained to take over if an officer was killed.

Underground Tunnels (Subways)

Kilometers of deep tunnels dug by Canadians to move large numbers of troops safely to the front lines, protected from German artillery.

M-A-I-N

The acronym for the long-term causes of World War I: Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, and Nationalism.

Militarism

The policy of building up strong armed forces and weapons, exemplified by the naval rivalry between Britain and Germany to build "Dreadnought" battleships.

Alliances

A complex web of mutual defense treaties, such as the Triple Entente versus the Triple Alliance, that dragged multiple nations into war.

Imperialism

A system where powerful countries conquer and dominate weaker regions to build an empire, creating friction in Africa and Asia.

Nationalism

An intense sense of pride and devotion to one’s country, often fueled by the belief that one's nation is superior to others.

Colonialism

The practice where a country establishes physical settlements and exerts direct political and economic control over a foreign territory.

Sir Arthur Currie

The first Canadian-born commander of the Canadian Corps and a brilliant strategist who led the victory at Vimy Ridge.

Conscription

Compulsory or forced enlistment into a country's military service, introduced in Canada via the Military Service Act of $1917$.

Conscription Crisis

A deep division in Canada where English-Canadians supported forced service while French-Canadians strongly opposed it, viewing the war as a European conflict.

Schlieffen’s Plan

The German offensive plan that failed due to Belgian resistance, rapid Russian mobilization in $10$ days, British entry, and supply shortages.

Helmuth von Moltke

The German commander who altered the original Schlieffen Plan, weakening the right wing and allowing the Allied counterattack at the Battle of the Marne.

Robert Borden

The Prime Minister of Canada from $1911$ to $1920$ who passed conscription laws and demanded Canada sign the Treaty of Versailles independently.

Lusitania

A British ocean liner torpedoed by a German U-boat on May $7$, $1915$, killing over $1,100$ passengers, including $128$ Americans.

Billy Bishop

A famous Canadian "Ace" pilot during World War I.

Zimmermann Telegram

An intercepted message in which Germany proposed a military alliance with Mexico against the U.S., prompting the United States to enter the war.

Military Voters Act

A law passed by Borden that gave the vote to women serving in the military, such as nurses.

Wartime Elections Act

A law that extended the federal vote to the female relatives of soldiers.

Second Battle of Ypres

Canada’s first major battle ($1915$) which introduced large-scale chemical warfare (chlorine gas).

Battle of Verdun

The longest battle of World War I, fought between France and Germany as a war of attrition meant to "bleed France white."

Battle of the Somme

A $1916$ battle that introduced the tank and resulted in catastrophic casualties, including the near-destruction of the Newfoundland Regiment.

Battle of Passchendaele

Also known as the Third Battle of Ypres, it was fought in a swamp of heavy mud and resulted in over $15,000$ Canadian casualties for little gain.

No. 2 Construction Battalion

The first and only all-Black military unit in Canadian history, formed in $1916$ to serve in non-combat roles due to systemic racism.

Halifax Explosion

A massive $1917$ explosion caused by the collision of the SS Mont-Blanc and the SS Imo, killing nearly $2,000$ people.

Treaty of Versailles

The $1919$ peace treaty that included the "War Guilt Clause" (Article $231$) and forced Germany to pay massive financial reparations.

Propaganda: Card Stacking

A technique using only facts that support one side while ignoring information that does not.

Trench Foot

A painful fungal infection caused by standing in wet, freezing water in the trenches for days; if untreated, it could require amputation.

Shell Shock

A severe psychological condition, now known as PTSD, caused by the relentless stress and horror of the front lines.

U-boats

German submarines used to sink Allied military and merchant supply ships through unrestricted submarine warfare.