World War I: 40-Term, Person & Ideas Study Guide

A comprehensive vocabulary review of key terms, historical figures, battles, and concepts from the World War I study guide.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne whose assassination in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, helped trigger World War I.

Gavrilo Princip

Bosnian Serb nationalist who assassinated Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie.

Nationalism

Strong pride in one's nation or people; it increased rivalries and tensions in Europe.

Imperialism

Competition among countries to control colonies, resources, and influence.

Militarism

Building up armed forces and believing military strength is important to national power.

Alliance System

Agreements among countries to support one another; helped turn a regional crisis into a wider war.

Allied Powers (Entente)

The main wartime coalition that included Britain, France, Russia (until 1917), Serbia, Belgium, Japan, Italy (from 1915), and the United States (from 1917).

Central Powers

The coalition led by Germany and Austria-Hungary, joined by the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria.

Germany

Central Power whose leaders sought victory and continued status as a major world power.

Austria-Hungary

Empire that declared war on Serbia after the assassination and fought to preserve its position in the Balkans.

Serbia

Country blamed by Austria-Hungary after the assassination; its independence and survival were major wartime goals.

Belgium

Neutral country invaded by Germany in 1914; the invasion helped bring Britain into the war.

Schlieffen Plan

German strategy to defeat France quickly by moving through Belgium before Russia fully mobilized.

First Battle of the Marne

September 1914 battle in which French and British forces stopped the German advance toward Paris.

Tannenberg

August 1914 battle in which Germany defeated a Russian army in East Prussia.

Trench Warfare

Fighting from long defensive trenches; machine guns, artillery, and barbed wire made advances extremely deadly.

Western Front

Main battlefront in France and Belgium where Allied and German armies fought in trenches.

Gallipoli Campaign

Allied campaign of 1915–1916 to open the Dardanelles and reach Russia; Ottoman defenders forced the Allies to evacuate.

Verdun

Major 1916 battle in which Germany tried to wear down France; France held but both sides suffered enormous losses.

Battle of the Somme

1916 Allied offensive against German positions; produced limited gains and very high casualties. Tanks appeared in battle.

Battle of Jutland

Largest naval battle of the war between British and German fleets; Britain retained control of the North Sea.

Machine Gun

Rapid-firing weapon that made attacks across open ground extremely dangerous and strengthened defensive warfare.

Poison Gas

Chemical weapon used to injure or kill soldiers; one of several new technologies that increased the war's horrors.

U-boats

German submarines that attacked ships, including vessels carrying supplies to Britain.

Tank

Armored vehicle developed to cross trenches and barbed wire; early tanks were slow and unreliable.

Military Aircraft

Initially used mainly for reconnaissance; later fought other aircraft and attacked ground targets.

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

German policy of attacking ships without warning, including ships connected to neutral countries; helped bring the United States into the war.

Zimmermann Telegram

German message proposing an alliance with Mexico if the United States entered the war; increased American anger toward Germany.

Woodrow Wilson

U.S. president who led the country from neutrality to war in April 1917 and proposed the Fourteen Points.

United States Entry (April 6, 1917)

The U.S. declared war on Germany after unrestricted submarine warfare and the Zimmermann Telegram helped shift public opinion.

American Expeditionary Forces (AEF)

U.S. troops sent to Europe under General John J. Pershing; helped provide fresh manpower for the Allied war effort.

John J. Pershing

Commander of the AEF who wanted American forces to build an independent fighting force and contribute decisively.

Russian Revolution (1917)

Revolutions that weakened Russia's war effort, ended the tsar's rule, and brought the Bolsheviks to power.

Tsar Nicholas II

Russian emperor who took personal command of the army and abdicated during the 1917 Revolution; he and his family were executed in 1918.

Vladimir Lenin

Bolshevik leader who took power in 1917 and sought to end Russia's participation in the war.

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

March 1918 treaty by which Bolshevik Russia left the war, allowing Germany to move troops to the Western Front.

Spring Offensives (1918)

German attacks after Russia left the war; aimed to win before American strength fully arrived but failed to secure decisive victory.

Hundred Days Offensive

Series of coordinated Allied attacks in 1918 using infantry, artillery, tanks, and aircraft that pushed German forces back.

Armistice

Agreement to stop fighting; the World War I armistice took effect at 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918.

Treaty of Versailles

Peace treaty signed in June 1919 with Germany; it followed the armistice and set terms for the postwar settlement.