World War I Vocabulary

Militarism

The belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests.

Nationalism

The belief that your own country is better than all others.

Alliances

A union or association formed for mutual benefit, especially between countries or organizations.

Imperialism

A policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force.

Triple Alliance

A secret agreement between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy formed in May 1882 and renewed periodically until World War I.

Triple Entente

The members were Russia, France, and Great Britain.

Allied Powers

France, Great Britain, Russia, Italy, Japan, and, from 1917, the United States.

Blank Check

German support for whatever action Austria-Hungary chose to take in punishing Serbia for the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on 28 June 1914.

Ultimatum

A demand that if rejected will bring about an end of peaceful talks and could lead to forceful action. 

Terrorism

The unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.

Arms Race

A competition in which two or more enemy nations each try to outdo the others to produce the largest possible arsenal of weapons.

Propaganda

Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, is used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.

Neutrality

The state of not supporting or helping either side in a conflict, disagreement, etc.; impartiality.

Authoritarianism

The enforcement or advocacy of strict obedience to authority at the expense of personal freedom.

Attrition

Both sides attempted to wear down their enemies to the point of defeat by continuously attacking their forces.

Blockade

An act or means of sealing off a place to prevent goods or people from entering or leaving.

Diktat

Germans used this word in a negative way to refer to the Treaty of Versailles.

Woodrow Wilson

He was the 28th President. As president, he changed the nation's economic policies and led the United States into World War I. He was the leading architect of the League of Nations, and his stance on foreign policy came to be known as Wilsonianism.

John J Pershing

The foremost military leader of his time served the United States in the Indian Wars, the Spanish-American War, the Philippines, the Mexican Intervention, and the First World War.

Foreign Policy

The set of strategies and actions a state employs in its interactions with other states, unions, and international entities.

War Reparations

Compensation payments made after a war by one side to the other. They are intended to cover damage or injury inflicted during a war.

Treaty of Versailles

The treaty's so-called “war guilt” clause forced Germany and other Central Powers to take all the blame for World War I.

Stalemate

A situation in which further action or progress by opposing or competing parties seems impossible.

Total War

A war that is unrestricted in terms of the weapons used, the territory or combatants involved, or the objectives pursued, especially one in which the laws of war are disregarded.

Fourteen Points Speech

President Woodrow Wilson directly addressed what he perceived as the causes of the world war by calling for the abolition of secret treaties, a reduction in armaments, an adjustment in colonial claims in the interests of both native peoples and colonists, and freedom of the seas.

League of Nations

An international organization, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, created after the First World War to provide a forum for resolving international disputes.

War Guilt Clause

Part of the Treaty of Versailles. It forced Germany and other Central Powers to take all the blame for World War I. This meant a loss of territories, a reduction in military forces, and reparation payments to Allied powers.

U-Boats

They have the ability to submerge and to surprise enemies led to massive casualties. They are similar to submarines but can’t be submerged underwater as long.

Lusitania

The sinking of this ship caused international outrage and helped turn public opinion against Germany, particularly in the then-neutral United States.

Battle of Belleau Wood

The battle was the first major engagement of the U.S. army in World War I, and, only 39 miles from Paris, marked the closest the Germans came to the French capital during the war.

Meuse-Argonne Offensive

A part of the final Allied offensive of World War I. It was one of the attacks that brought an end to the War and was fought from September 26 – November 11, 1918, when the Armistice was signed.

Armistice

An agreement made by opposing sides in a war to stop fighting for a certain time; a truce.