WW1

Alliance

An agreement between two countries to aid each other in a conflict or, at times, to at least remain neutral.

Annex

The takeover of a country that borders the invading country.

Austria’s Ultimatum

The list of demands Austria gave to Serbia after Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by the Black Hand, requiring Serbia to accomplish the demands or risk war.

Neutrality

An official policy of staying out of a war.

1914-1918

The years within which World War One occurred.

Franz Ferdinand

The Austrian archduke whose assassination sparked World War I.

Central Powers

The name given to Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire during World War I.

Triple Entente

The pre World War I alliance between Great Britain, France, and Russia.

Von Schlieffen Plan

Germany’s battle plan for a two-front war to quickly defeat France and then turn to fight Russia.

Western Front

The western side of European fighting in World War I, mostly located in Belgium and France.

Eastern Front

The eastern side of European fighting in World War I, mostly located in eastern Germany and Russia.

Trench Warfare

The defensive strategy of digging into the earth to protect soldiers from deadly technology.

Shell shock

The psychological and physiological reactions to constant artillery attack during the war.

U-boat

The Allied nickname for the German Unterseeboot (under sea boat).

Lusitania

The British passenger liner sunk by a German U-Boat in 1915, causing international outrage.

Zimmerman Note

The message from Germany to Mexico inviting them to join the Central Powers by attacking the US.

Woodrow Wilson

President of the United States during World War I.

Treaty of Versailles

The treaty that officially ended the First World War and contributed to the Second World War.

Reparations

Official payments by losing countries to winning countries after a war.

Fourteen Points

President Wilson’s plan for lasting peace after World War I.

League of Nations

The organization created by the Treaty of Versailles to promote peaceful communication between countries.

The War to End all Wars

One of the nicknames for World War I.

The Great War

What World War One was called until the Second World War.