Modern Warfare and its legacy

Seven Years' War

A major military conflict, lasting from 1754 to 1763, between England, Prussia, and Hanover aligned on one side, and France, Austria, Saxony, Russia, Sweden, and Spain on the other side; the war, considered the first global war, was fought over colonial possessions North American and Atlantic trade.

total war

A conflict affecting not just battlefields and soldiers but also civilians, cities, and the countryside.

frontal assaults

An attack in which massive number of men would attack on the run.

Zeppelin

A large German Airship of the early 20th century.

Trenches

Deep narrow ditches in the ground; soldiers wait in and behind trenches to fire on their enemy.

Stalemate

A situation in which neither side can gain an advantage and emerge victorious over the other side.

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

Peace treaty signed on March 3, 1918 when Russians surrendered Ukraine, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Belarus; this treaty ended the fighting on the eastern front.

Bolshevik Revolution

The overthrow of Russian provisional government in November of 1917 by the Bolshevik party of communists led by Vladimir Lenin.

Armistice

A ceasefire, basically a pause in fighting to work out a treaty to end the war.

Self-determination

The political principle that every nationality should be allowed autonomy and their own country; a key principle in Wilson's Fourteen points, the League of Nations, and the United Nations.

Lusitania

A passenger cruise ship sailing between Britain and New York that sunk by a German U-Boat in 1915; the 1,198 passengers died, including 128 U.S. citizens.

draft

Military conscription, that is forced enrollment in a country's armed services.

Rationed

The limiting of certain items or goods to the general public because the items were needed for the armed forces.

Fourteen Points

Woodrow Wilson's proposals for a post-war peace settlement.

Reparations

Compensation for the damages of a war, usually paid by the defeated aggressor.

Treaty of Versailles

The treaty that ended World War I, establishing new nations and borders, and directing Germany to pay reparations to the Allies.

League of Nations

An international organization created to prevent another world war; it ceased to exist at the outbreak of the second World War; the League of Nations was the precursor to the United Nations.

Mandates

Gave a European member-state administrative control over a territory until it was considered ready for self-government.

Zimmermann Telegram

Outraged American public opinion and served as a decisive factor in the United States' decision to enter World War I against Germany.

Lost Generation

Staggering loss of life and widespread physical and psychological trauma, leading to a profound sense of disillusionment with old values and the future.

immediate effects of WWI

Treaty of Versailles—Germany being forced to accept full responsibility for WWI, pay massive reparations, cede territory, and drastically reduce its military.

Reparations (effects)

Severe economic hardship for Germany, leading to hyperinflation, political instability, and a cycle of default and foreign intervention.

League of Nations (mandates)

A legal status for former German and Ottoman territories, placing them under the control of Allied powers like Britain and France, who were to administer them with the goal of preparing them for self-governance.

aspects of modern culture

A challenging of traditional art and literature, with new movements emerging in response to the trauma of war.