ww1 vocab

Kaiser Wilhelm II

Definition: Kaiser Wilhelm II was a German Emperor and King of Prussia (last one) from 1888 till 1938. - Commander in chief of the German Military - Part of the central powers - Strong militarist. Significance: - Helped strengthen the German navy and forge foreign alliances - Was the indirect cause of WWI because he gave Austria-Hungary a 'blank check', which meant that they have unlimited support from them, so Austria-Hungary attacked Serbia - Brave leader of central powers - Didn't seek war directly, but his speeches implied the idea he was to blame for the conflict.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Definition: - Archduke of Austria-Hungary Empire and tried to RESTORE foreign affairs without endangering the alliance of Germany and keep Austria-Hungary stable - Member of the Habsburg family and inspector general of the imperial army - Anti-democratic. Significance: - His assassination was the cause for the Start of WWI - Prior to WW1, a lot of his policies created conflict with Serbia - After his death, Austria-Hungary declared war on the country who seemingly was being the murder, Serbia. This set Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Italy against Serbia’s allies (Russia, France, and Britain) - He represented the Old feudal, aristocratic Austria - Wanted Serbia to stop the Anti-Austrian propaganda and they wanted to Inflict a military blowout on Serbia to gain more power in government.

Militarism

Definition: - Maintaining a strong military by upholding power among other regions. Significance: - Militarism played a huge role in keeping armed forces in competition between nation in order to gain status and power (AKA dominate) - This often blurred the line between home front(where civilians were) and battlefield (where soldiers were) especially as soldiers were recruited.

Imperialism

Definition: - The policy of extending authority among an empire/nation, holding dependency among civilians. Policy of colonizing land to get resources, territory, power, and influence and establish economic and political dominance over rival nations; a MAIN cause of World War I. Significance: - Intense global competition for resources and power led empires to adopt indirect financial and political control.

Nationalism

Definition: - Extreme dedication to one’s nation. A very strong sense of patriotism and superiority over other countries. Significance: - Countries felt superior to theirs, and would act aggressively without trying to improve their country.

Trench Warfare

Definition: - Enemies would dig deep holes (12 feet) to create jams where neither side would make progress. - The primary goal was to exhaust the enemy's manpower and resources rather than achieve victory. Significance: - caused immense psychological trauma, making the war a symbol of human suffering.

U.S. entry- Zimmerman Note & Lusitania

Definition: - Coded telegram made in January 19th, 1917, sent to the President of Mexico by the German foreign minister. - The sinking of Lusitania by the German U-boat killed 128 Americans. Significance: - Helped shift the U.S.'s public opinion in favor of entering WW1.

Battle of Verdun

Definition: - Lasting from Feb 21-Dec 18, 1916, it was a battle between the French and German. Significance: - Symbol of fighting on the Western Front due to the combination of little visible progress and large scale violence.

Battle of Somme

Definition: - Lasting from July 1st 1916 to November 18th 1916, it was a battle between the Allied forces of Britain and France vs German empire. Significance: - Resulted in unimaginable casualties for minimal territorial gain.

Poison Gas

Definition: - Poison gas is a poisonous gas or liquid or a solid giving off poisonous vapors designed to kill, injure, or disable. Significance: - A tactic used to attack enemy territory; it caused immediate panic and stress.

Machine Gun

Definition: - Automatic gun that fires bullets rapidly. Significance: - Made attacking extremely hard, changing the way wars were fought.

Total War

Definition: - The idea of not only soldiers being a part of the war, but also society as a whole. Significance: - Blurred the lines between civilians and soldiers.

Russian Revolution (include Vladimir Lenin)

Definition: - A revolution of the people on Tsarist’s rule due to the weak government in 1917. Significance: - Vladimir Lenin used this weak time to establish the world’s first communist State.

Treaty of Versailles (include reparations)

Definition: - Signed during June 28,1919 and officially ended WW1. Significance: - Punished Germany by imposing massive reparations and blamed them as the sole responsibility for WWI.

Great Depression

Definition: - A long and severe economic slump. Significance: - Led to a disturbance in international trade, contributing to the rise of extremist parties.

How did WW1 lead to WW2?

Moreover, WW1 left many people hopeless, allowing totalitarian leaders like Hitler to rise to power.

What were the causes of the Russian Revolution?

CAUSES - WW1 disrupted the fragile economy and strained infrastructure of the Russians, which led to the revolution.