World War 1

stuff abt ww1 kinda - made for a us history class so its gonna focus on the us srry gng

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Member of the Habsburg Dynasty (House of Austria) and heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne before his assassination on June 28th, 1914.

Gavrilo Princip

19-year-old Serbian nationalist from Sarajevo and member of the Black Hand who killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

The Black Hand

Serbian society that promoted freedom for Serbs outside of Serbia, which often used terrorist methods.

Militarism

Policy of glorifying military power and keeping an army prepared for war, backed by the belief that in order to be a great nation, you need to have a strong military (which made other nations concerned). This included harnessing the ability to mobilize troops and resources quickly. This was one of the primary causes for World War 1.

Alliances

Unions created for mutual benefit: at the time of World War 1, the two primary ones in Europe were the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy) and the Triple Entente (Great Britian, France, and Russia). This was one of the primary causes for World War 1.

Imperialism

Policy of extending a country’s influence and power through diplomacy or military force. This caused competition over which nation would take control of Asia and Africa, resulting in an increase of rivalries and mistrust among European nations, most notable between France & Germany and Austria-Hungary & Russia. This was one of the primary causes for World War 1.

Nationalism

Deep devotion to one’s country that acts as a unifying force among members of a nation but creates fierce competition between different nations, as well as a desire to take more resources and land. This was one of the primary causes for World War 1.

Zimmerman Telegram

Secret telegram sent by Zimmerman, a German, intended for Mexico. In the telegram, Zimmerman offered Mexico to back Germany up should the US enter the ongoing war, and in return they promised Mexico all the land that they had lost to the US. This telegram was intercepted by Great Britian and sent to the US instead. This was one of the reasons the US was compelled to join World War 1.

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

Policy which permitted submarines to sink any ship they wanted without limits. Germany abused this to sink many ships from Allied and neutral countries. This was one of the reasons the US was compelled to join World War 1.

Lusitania

British ship which was sunk by a German submarine engaging in unrestricted submarine warfare while many innocent passengers, including a couple hundred Americans, were onboard.

Selective Service Act

Law which required young men to register for military service through a draft lottery. Conscientious objectors were also brought into the military, but due to religious or physical reasons did not engage in any fighting. This resulted in 24 million men registering and 3 million men being called to serve in World War 1.

Convoy System

Defense against submarine attacks where navy destroyers escorted cargo ships to their destinations. This cut losses to submarine attacks in half.

Woodrow Wilson

28th President of the US who served during World War 1. He believed that the US should lead the way to peace in Europe, and in the name of this cause, he was the first sitting president to travel to Europe.

John “Black Jack” Pershing

Leader of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF, aka “the Doughboys”), an army sent to France which fought separately from other Allied forces.

Propaganda

The US government put posters everywhere promoting Americans to join the army or contribute to the war cause in some other way (liberty bonds, freedom garden & fast days, assisting soldiers, etc.) in order to convince people to aid in the war effort.

War Industries Board

Governmental association created by Wilson that gave the government lots of economic power. It controlled prices on resource inputs, kept the costs of those items low, oversaw reduction in waste and in increase in mass production, and increased wages. This was to help the US in World War 1 with factory workers, food, weapons, and other valuable resources.

Espionage and Sedition Acts

Laws that made it illegal to criticize the government or war effort in World War 1 (despite this breaking the 1st Amendment).

The Great Migration

Millions of black Americans left the south and moved to the north during the war. They were fleeing from racial discrimination and agricultural servitude, and in the north they filled up factory jobs.

Paris Peace Conference

Conference where world leaders discussed possible means of peace after World War 1. The US, UK, France, and Italy dominated these talks while Russia and Germany were not present. Opinions at the conference varied greatly, from wanted to punish Germany severely to wanting to show leniency to them.

Armistice

Agreement to end the fighting of a war. For World War 1, this was signed on November 11th, 1918 (on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month).

Fourteen Points

Wilson’s peace plan which consisted of fourteen reforms that he thought should be made in order to obtain a lasting peace. They are as follows:

1. Open diplomacy

2. Freedom of the seas

3. Free trade

4. Disarmament

5. Fair voting system to settle conflicts of colonies

6-13. People should get the right to decide their own political systems

14. League of Nations

League of Nations

A council of nations proposed by US President Wilson with the purpose of ensuring peace by settling any disputes that may arise after World War 1. Wilson pushed this idea onto the Allies, and he did eventually convince them. However, the US Senate did not like the idea because they feared it would drag the US into European conflicts. They end up rejecting the council, so it starts up without the US’s participation.

Treaty of Versailles

Treaty that officially ended World War 1. In German reparations, it forced Germany to assume full blame for the war by signing a War Guilt Clause, pay $33 billion to the Allies in reparations, disarm to 100 thousand troops, and demilitarize their territories/colonies. It also outlawed the making and importing of arms in Germany. The treaty also formed the League of Nations and established new democratic nations on the losers’ territory.