world war 1 key terms

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.

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.

Nationalism

identification with one's own nation and support for its interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations.

Central Powers

a coalition of nations in World War I, primarily comprising Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria

Allied Powers

a coalition of countries that fought against the Central Powers during World War I

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

assassination was the immediate cause of World War I

Trench Warfare

a type of combat where opposing armies fight from fortified trenches dug into the ground

No Man’s Land

an area that is unoccupied, unowned, or desolate, often a contested territory between opposing groups

U-Boat

a German submarine used in World War I or World War II

Lusitania

British luxury ocean liner that was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat on May 7, 1915, during World War I

Zimmermann Telegram

a coded message sent to Mexico, proposing a military alliance against the United States.

Selective Service Act

authorized the United States to use conscription to raise a national army

War Industries Board

existed from July 1917 to December 1918 to coordinate and channel production in the United States.

Propaganda

the dissemination of information—facts, arguments, rumours, half-truths, or lies—to influence public opinion.

Liberty Bonds

debt obligations issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury during World War I to finance American military operations and the broader Allied war effort

Espionage and Sedition Acts

Act of 1917 and the Act of 1918 were U.S. laws passed during World War I to suppress dissent by criminalizing speech and actions that could interfere with the war effort

Great Migration

relocation of more than 6 million Black Americans from the rural South to the cities of the North, Midwest and West

Fourteen Points

trade equality, ending of secrete treaties, and alliances, freedom of the seas, and the establishment of the League of Nations

League of Nations

an intergovernmental organization founded in 1920 after World War I to promote international cooperation and prevent future wars

Armistice

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

Treaty of Versailles

the peace treaty signed in 1919 that officially ended World War I between Germany and the Allied Nations

Reparations

the act of making amends for a past wrong, often through compensation

War Guilt Clause

Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles, which placed sole responsibility on Germany and its allies for the damage caused during World War

Isolationism

a policy of remaining apart from the affairs or interests of other groups, especially the political affairs of other countries.

Woodrow Wilson

28th president of the United States (1913–21), Led the country during WW1, He initially advocated for neutrality but asked Congress to declare war in 1917 after Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare

Kaiser Wilhelm II

last German Emperor and King of Prussia, reigning from 1888 until his abdication in 1918 at the end of World War I

Czar Nicholas II

was the last tsar of Russia. He was deposed during the Russian Revolution and executed by the Bolsheviks.

General John J. Pershing

"Black Jack" Pershing was the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in World War I, leading American troops to victory over Germany in association with French and British forces

Vladimir Lenin

Founder of the Russian Communist Party, leader of the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, and first head of the Soviet state.