VFL 5 Part 1

nationalism

a devotion to the culture of one's nation

militarism

the policy of building up armed forces in preparation for war

allies

major defense in europe (france, britain, and russia)

central powers

germany, austria-hungary, and the ottoman empire

archduke franz ferdinand

the heir to the austrian throne that was assassinated by a serbian nationalist causing a diplomatic crisis and ultimately WW1

no man's land

a area of land between the trench complexes with barren mud, shell craters, and barbed wire where many men were shot

trench warfare

military operations in which the opposing forces attack from a system of ditches

lusitania

a british passenger ship sunk by a german u-boat

zimmermann note

a message sent in 1917 by germany attempting to convince mexico to join WW1

eddie rickenbacker

a famous fighter pilot

selective service act

a law enacted in 1917 requiring men to join the military

convoy system

the protection of merchant ships from u-boats

american expedition force

the us force led by general john pershing that fought against germany

general john j pershing

commander of the american expeditionary force (AEF)

alvin york

a soldier in the AEF who killed 25 germans and captured 132 prisoners