World War I Study Guide

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering key concepts, alliances, figures, weapons, and events of World War I.

Otto von Bismarck

The leader who created the system of alliances and established the Triple Alliance.

Triple Alliance

The first alliance created prior to World War I, started by Otto von Bismarck and consisting of Germany, Austria, and Italy.

Triple Entente

The second major alliance system formed before World War I, composed of France, Russia, and England.

Militarism

The glorification of the military, heavily built up in Europe on the eve of war through industrialization.

Nationalism

A strong feeling of pride and devotion to one’s country, which motivated many young men to enthusiastically enlist for war.

Pan-Slavism

A political policy supported by Russia in the Balkans that held that all Slavic peoples shared a common nationality.

The Black Hand

A political organization also known as Unity or Death that promoted an all-Slavic Serbia and planned the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

The heir to the Austrian throne whose assassination triggered the outbreak of World War I.

Schlieffen Plan

Germany's military plan for a quick victory by marching through neutral Belgium to defeat France rapidly before turning all military forces against Russia to avoid a two-front war.

Francis Joseph and Kaiser Wilhelm II

The respective wartime leaders of Austria and Germany at the outbreak of World War I.

Battle of the Marne

The battle after which German forces slowed down, contributing alongside rapid Russian mobilization to the failure of the Schlieffen Plan.

No Man’s Land

The barren tract of land between opposing trench lines, pocketed with shell holes and barbed wire.

Trench Warfare

The primary method of fighting on the Western Front, characterized by defensive ditches protected by mines and barbed wire.

Barbed Wire

Entanglements placed at the top and front of trenches serving as the final line of defense against charging enemy soldiers.

Underground Bunker

Subterranean trench fortifications where commanding officers stayed during combat operations.

Trench Foot

A severe physical ailment frequently suffered by soldiers due to prolonged exposure to damp, cold trench conditions.

Flamethrower

A newly deployed weapon utilized on a mass scale in World War I primarily to clear enemy trenches.

Tank

An armored combat vehicle introduced on a mass scale during World War I that was initially not very effective.

Lusitania

The passenger ship sunk by German U-boats, provoking American outrage and contributing to the United States entering the war.

Zimmermann Telegram

An intercepted German diplomatic proposal urging Mexico to attack the United States in the event of U.S. entry into the war.

Armistice of November 11, 1918

The agreement signed on November 11, 1918 (11/11/18) that ceased active fighting in World War I.

Treaty of Versailles

The formal peace settlement ending World War I that forced Germany to accept full war guilt, disarm its military, cede territory, and pay massive financial reparations.

Wilson’s Fourteen Points

President Woodrow Wilson's proposal to end the war without favoritism, advocating the abolition of imperialism, open diplomacy, free trade, armament reductions, and an international peacekeeping organization.

League of Nations

The international organization established under President Wilson's peace program to mediate disputes and maintain world peace.

Austria-Hungary

The major European empire that helped initiate the war and was dissolved following the Treaty of Versailles.

Armenian Genocide

The mass deportation carried out by the Ottoman Empire that resulted in the deaths of approximately 1.5 million Armenians from starvation, dehydration, and killing.

Battle of Verdun

A catastrophic engagement on the Western Front that claimed more casualties than almost any other battle in history.