Causes of World War I Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, historical events, alliances, and figures related to the causes of World War I from the lecture notes.

Industrial Revolution

The transition from hand tools to power-driven machinery, mass production, and factories starting in Great Britain in the mid-18th century, which boosted wealth, weapon production, and driven countries toward militarism and imperialism.

Imperialism

A system in which a powerful nation takes control of a weaker region's government, trade, or laws to extract natural resources, land, and cheap labor, leading to intense competition among European powers.

Nationalism

A strong sense of pride and loyalty toward one's nation or ethnic group, prioritizing loyalty to the nation over a monarch or local leader, which fueled both independence movements and violent inter-state competition.

Militarism

The belief and policy that a nation should build up and maintain a strong military capability and use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests, marked by arms races, conscription, and military political influence.

Pan-Slavism

A 19th-century political and cultural movement that aimed to unite and protect Slavic populations under foreign rule, supported by Russia to extend its geopolitical influence in Eastern Europe and the Balkans.

Balkan Wars

Two conflicts in 1912–1913 in southeastern Europe in which the Balkan League first defeated the Ottoman Empire, followed by a second war where former allies defeated Bulgaria over disputed territory like Macedonia.

First Balkan War

An October 1912 – May 1913 conflict where the Balkan League (Serbia, Greece, Montenegro, and Bulgaria) defeated the Ottoman Empire, removing it from most of its European territories and creating an independent Albania.

Second Balkan War

A June 1913 – August 1913 conflict triggered when Bulgaria attacked Serbia and Greece over disputed territory in Macedonia, resulting in Bulgaria's defeat by its former allies alongside Romania and the Ottoman Empire.

Russo-Turkish War

An 1877–1878 conflict in which a Russian-led coalition defeated the Ottoman Empire, resulting in full independence for Romania, Serbia, and Montenegro, and autonomy for Bulgaria via the Treaty of San Stefano.

Kaiser Wilhelm II

The last Emperor of Germany and King of Prussia (reigned 1888–1918) who pursued aggressive foreign policy, expanded the German military and navy, dismissed Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, and abdicated near the end of WWI.

Moroccan Crisis

Two international diplomatic confrontations (1905–1906 and 1911) caused by Germany challenging French control in Morocco, which ultimately brought Britain, France, and Russia closer together.

Agadir Crisis

The Second Moroccan Crisis in 1911 where Germany sent the warship SMS Panther to Agadir to demand territory from France, resulting in Britain backing France and Germany backing down.

Triple Entente

A diplomatic coalition formed through agreements between Britain, France, and Russia (1894–1907) as a counterweight to the Triple Alliance, evolving into a formal wartime alliance in September 1914.

Triple Alliance

A military alliance established in 1882 between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy promising mutual defense against attacks by other great powers, which fractured in 1914 when Italy declared neutrality.

Arms Race

A competitive buildup of military capacity in which rival nations attempt to outproduce and technologically surpass each other in armies, navies, and weaponry.

Dreadnaught Campaign

The intense naval competition between Great Britain and Germany from 1906 to 1914 to build powerful, heavily armed Dreadnought-class battleships.

Schlieffen Plan

Germany's 1905 strategic military plan designed to swiftly defeat France by invading through neutral Belgium before redeploying forces east against Russia, which failed in August 1914.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

The Archduke of Austria-Hungary whose assassination by Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, triggered the diplomatic crisis leading directly to World War I.

Blank Check

Germany's promise on July 5–6, 1914, offering unconditional military support to Austria-Hungary in its actions against Serbia following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

Conscription

A government policy forcing young citizens by law to join the military, widely implemented during the period of intense European militarism leading up to World War I.