World War I, The Gilded Age, and The Progressive Era

Practice flashcards covering the causes, key battles, and diplomacy of World War I, alongside the industrial titans, labor movements, muckrakers, and social reforms of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era.

What does the concept of self-determination mean as a contributing factor to World War I?

The idea that ethnic minorities trapped in Europe who share an identity have the right to form their own nation rather than be ruled by others.

Which region was nicknamed "the powder keg of Europe" due to its diverse ethnic rivalries?

The Balkan region.

How did Russia weaponize pan-slavism prior to World War I?

by trying to unify all Slavic people under a single banner.

what atmosphere did the scramble for africa create among European powers?

Europe invaded and annexed the entire continent= distrust, competitive militarism, and paranoia.

Who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914, sparking World War I?

Gavrilo Princip with a gun after a failed bomb attempt by the Black Hand (an organization funded by Serbia).

Which nations made up the Allied Powers and the Central Powers in World War I?

Allied =Serbia, Russia, Great Britain, France (then US and Italy)

Central =Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire

Germany's Schlieffen Plan

A failed plan based on that Russia would take time to mobilize, allowing Germany to defeat France first and then attack Russia.

which battle was Germany's initial advance halted, creating years of stalemate?

The Battle of the Marne.

the 4 sections in trench warfare

1. Frontline: the most active defense in a Z pattern

2. Support: secondary troops if needed

3. Reserve: supply storage;

4. Communication and unloading new troops

What military developments eventually broke the stalemate of trench warfare in World War I?

Barrages and coordinated tanks.

Which two events triggered the United States to enter World War I?

• sinking of the cruise ship Lusitania (by German torpedoes in 1915)

• the Zimmermann Telegram (Central Powers secretly proposed that Mexico attack the US)

What was President Woodrow Wilson's stated justification when declaring war in World War I?

"To make the world safe for democracy."

What were the key principles outlined in Woodrow Wilson's 14 Points?

• Ending secret alliances ensuring freedom of the sea

• granting self-determination for whites in Europe,

• establishing the international League of Nations prioritizing diplomacy over war.

How did France and Great Britain respond to Woodrow Wilson's peace plan?

They dismissed it and demanded revenge against Germany through a war guilt clause that forced Germany to take responsibility, accept military limits, and pay debt.

In what year did Germany surrender, and what treaty officially concluded World War I?

1918, and The Treaty of Versailles in 1919

Who coined the term "The Gilded Age," and what was its underlying meaning?

Coauthors Mark Twain and Charles Dudley; it meant the era was "painted thinly with gold" on the surface while suffering from serious internal systemic problems.

What is "conspicuous consumption," and what is an example given from the Gilded Age?

Spending millions for bragging rather than actual need, exemplified by the lavish Vanderbilt ball.

"Robber Barons" vs "Captains of Industry"

"Robber Barons" peasants explained as corrupt, controlling, exploiting industries

"Captains of Industry" admiring used by peers based on social Darwinism.

Which industries were dominated by John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and JP Morgan?

Rockefeller - oil

Carnegie - steel

Vanderbilt - expansive transportation lines,

Morgan - railroads + steel

US law passed to protect free markets by prohibiting monopolies and trusts?

The Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890.

What was the time span and primary argument of the Progressive Era?

1890 - 1920 were collective movements argued that the government could not allow corruption and inequality to continue.

American Federation of Labor (AFL) vs Knights of Labor

AFL focused on "bread and butter issues" specifically for skilled white craftsmen

Knights of Labor was a broader, nationally accepted group

What legislative and workplace victories did the AFL champion through collective bargaining?

It pressured Congress to establish the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the $8\,\text{hour}$ workday.

What occurred during the Homestead Strike (1892) and the Pullman Strike (1894)?

The Homestead Strike = violent clash between steel workers and management at Carnegie's plant

The Pullman Strike = President Cleveland deployed federal troops to intervene.

What was a "muckraker" and what did Ida Tarbell specifically expose?

A journalist who exposed injustice and corruption

Tarbell published a 19-part investigation exposing Rockefeller's illegal oil industry tactics.

What book did Upton Sinclair publish in 1906, and what was its direct government outcome?

The Jungle

his undercover work as a meat-packer = massive public outrage = Theodore Roosevelt created FDA regulations.

What was the concept of "municipal housekeeping"

The justification by women that cleaning urban filth was an “extended duty of motherhood'“ used to gain social significance and advocate for reforms.

Who founded Hull House, and what was its core mission?

Jane Addams

provided the needs of immigrant families under the principle of "civic solidarity."

What was the goal of the Temperance Movement, and which constitutional amendment did it establish?

Women sought to ban alcohol to protect families from domestic abuse and workplace accidents

resulting in the 18th Amendment in 1919 (repealed by the 21st)

What did the Comstock Act of 1873 prohibit?

The spread of information on birth control

court ruling in Buck v. Bell (1927) + who was involved

upheld the institutionalization and sterilization of Carrie Buck (poor foster child falsely labeled "feeble-minded")

under the eugenics movement's goal of controlled breeding for population perfection.

What quota did the Immigration Act of 1924 (Johnson-Reed Act) establish?

limited the number of immigrants allowed to enter the United States to $2\%$ of the total census population of that nationality.

What did the acronym LPC stand for at Ellis Island, and what was its purpose?

"Likely to Become a Public Charge,"

to filter out and reject immigrants deemed unfit