World War I and U.S. Neutrality

Vocabulary flashcards covering the underlying causes of World War I, key alliances, the British and German blockades, and early crises challenging U.S. neutrality.

Underlying causes of WWI

Nationalism, imperialism, militarism, and alliance systems.

Wilson's 1st response to WWI

Declaring United States neutrality, following George Washington's example.

Central Powers

The wartime alliance consisting of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire of Turkey.

Allied Powers

The wartime alliance consisting of Great Britain, France, and Russia.

British naval blockade

A naval action established by Great Britain that mined the North Sea and seized vessels, including U.S. ships attempting to run the blockade against Germany.

German submarine blockade (February 1915)

Germany's measure to challenge British sea power by declaring a blockade and warning that ships entering the war zone risked being sunk on sight by German submarines.

Lusitania crisis (May 7th, 1915)

The first major crisis challenging U.S. neutrality, which occurred when a German submarine sank the British passenger liner Lusitania.

"Strict accountability"

The standard of responsibility President Woodrow Wilson warned Germany would be held to if they continued sinking unarmed ships.

Sinking of the Arabic (August 1915)

A submarine attack by Germany in which two or more Americans lost their lives, leading to a German pledge to give warning before sinking passenger ships.