WW1

Bismarck

Previous Ruler of Germany before Kaiser Wilhelm II; declared Germany a satisfied nation.

Alsace-Lorraine

Rich industrial territory with good iron and coal sources that Germany took from France, creating deep French resentment.

Militarism

Glorifying military power and keeping a standing army prepared for war.

Alliances

Agreements between countries to help each other out; designed to keep peace but became a leading cause of WWI.

Triple Alliance / Central Powers

The wartime alliance initially consisting of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy (Note: Italy later switched sides).

Triple Entente / Allied Powers

The wartime alliance initially consisting of France, Great Britain, and Russia (later joined by Italy and the US).

Kaiser Wilhelm II

Ruler of Germany who challenged Bismarck's foreign policy and aggressively built up Germany's military and empire.

The Balkans

A highly unstable region in Southeast Europe known as the "Powder Keg of Europe" leading up to WWI.

Sarajevo, Bosnia

The capital of Bosnia and the specific location of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

The heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne whose assassination served as the immediate spark for WWI.

Blank Check

Germany’s unconditional promise to support Austria-Hungary in whatever military action it took against Serbia.

The Black Hand / Gavrilo Princip

A Serbian nationalist secret society and the specific individual who assassinated Franz Ferdinand.

The July Crisis

The tense period of diplomatic breakdowns and mobilizations in the days following Franz Ferdinand's death.

Western Front

The heavily fortified zone of conflict between France and Germany where trench warfare dominated.

Schlieffen Plan

Germany's military strategy to avoid a two-front war by quickly defeating France through Belgium before turning to face Russia.

Battle of the Marne

A critical battle that halted the German advance into France, leaving the Schlieffen Plan in ruins and creating the Western Front.

Trench Warfare

A miserable method of warfare used on the Western Front where soldiers fought from dug-out ditches, resulting in massive casualties for tiny land gains.

No Man’s Land

The deadly, unprotected space between the opposing front-line trenches.

Going over the Top

The act of soldiers climbing out of their trenches to cross No Man's Land and attack the enemy, usually resulting in massive casualties.

Battles of the Somme / Verdun (1916)

Two of the deadliest battles in WWI where over a million men died only for the front lines to move a few miles.

Stalemate

A deadlock situation in war where neither side can gain a clear advantage or defeat the other.

The Lusitania

A British passenger liner sunk by a German U-boat, killing 128 Americans and severely angering the US public.

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

Germany's naval policy of sinking any ship (including civilian and neutral vessels) in British waters without warning.

Zimmermann Telegram

A secret German message sent to Mexico proposing a military alliance against the US in exchange for reclaiming lost territory like Texas and Arizona.

Total War

A conflict in which participating countries devote all of their societal, economic, and industrial resources to the war effort.

Rationing

Government control of the distribution of scarce goods and food so that the military has enough resources.

Propaganda

One-sided information or posters designed to boost morale, suppress dissent, and build hatred toward the enemy.

Influenza Epidemic

A massive global pandemic during 1918-1919 that killed tens of millions of people and further exhausted the warring nations.

Armistice

An agreement made by opposing sides in a war to stop fighting; WWI's went into effect on November 11, 1918.

Gallipoli Campaign

An Allied military effort to knock the Ottoman Empire out of the war and open a sea route to supply Russia; it ended in a disastrous Allied defeat.

President Woodrow Wilson

The US President during WWI who entered the war to "make the world safe for democracy" and authored the Fourteen Points.

Tsar Nicholas II / Russian Revolution

The collapse of the Russian monarchy in March 1917 that eventually led to Russia pulling out of WWI early.

Fourteen Points

President Woodrow Wilson’s blueprint for achieving a just, long-lasting global peace and preventing future world wars.

Self-Determination

The principle that ethnic groups and nations should have the right to choose their own government and leaders.

Treaty of Versailles

The peace treaty signed in 1919 that officially ended the war with Germany, imposing harsh financial and military punishments.

League of Nations

An international association formed after WWI with the goal of keeping peace and resolving disputes through diplomacy.

Reparations

Financial compensations paid by a defeated nation to the victors to cover the damages and costs of a war.

War Guilt Clause

Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles, which forced Germany to accept sole responsibility for causing WWI.

Mandate System

A system where the League of Nations gave control of former Ottoman and German colonies to Allied nations to govern temporarily.

The Big Four

The dominant Allied leaders at the Paris Peace Conference: Woodrow Wilson (US), David Lloyd George (UK), Georges Clemenceau (France), and Vittorio Orlando (Italy).

What were the MAIN causes of the war and the spark?

M = Militarism (arms races, e.g., Germany building a huge navy); A = Alliances (complex treaties pulling nations into war); I = Imperialism (competition for overseas colonies); N = Nationalism (ethnic groups wanting independence in the Balkans). Spark = Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

What were the main pre-war tensions between countries?

Germany vs. France (bitter over Alsace-Lorraine); Serbia vs. Austria-Hungary (dispute over control of the Balkan region); Germany vs. Great Britain (a fierce naval arms race).

Why were the Balkans known as the Powder Keg of Europe?

It was a highly unstable region with many diverse ethnic groups trying to break free from failing empires (like the Ottomans), while major powers like Austria-Hungary and Serbia fought for territorial control.

Why did the Schlieffen Plan fail and what neutral nation was invaded?

It failed because Belgium fiercely resisted, Great Britain entered the war immediately to defend Belgium, trench warfare stalled the advance, and Russia mobilized its army much faster than Germany expected. Neutral nation invaded: Belgium.

What was life like for a soldier during trench warfare?

Horrible, unsanitary, and terrifying. Soldiers faced constant mud, rats, disease (like trench foot), bad food, and the psychological horror of artillery shelling, though they rotated occasionally to the rear lines for breaks.

What new weapons were used in WWI and what was their impact?

Poison gas, machine guns, airplanes, tanks, and submarines. They made defensive warfare highly effective, resulted in unprecedented casualty numbers, created a permanent stalemate, and made this war far deadlier than previous conflicts.

How did WWI spread to other parts of the world?

European powers brought their global empires into the conflict; battles were fought over colonies in Africa and East Asia, and hundreds of thousands of colonial troops were drafted from India, Africa, and French Indochina to fight.

What three reasons brought the United States into WWI in April 1917?

1) Germany's return to Unrestricted Submarine Warfare; 2) The interception of the Zimmermann Telegram; 3) The economic and ideological imperative to protect American loans to the Allies and "make the world safe for democracy."

What role did women play during WWI and what was the impact on the homefront?

Women took over factory, agricultural, and bureaucratic jobs previously held by men to keep the economy going and mass-produce war supplies, which structurally shifted the homefront into total war production.

What were the global effects of WWI and its associated diseases?

It resulted in over 20 million deaths, drained Europe’s wealth, destroyed entire landscapes, and helped accelerate the spread of the 1918 influenza pandemic, which killed an additional 20-50 million people worldwide.

What was the purpose of wartime propaganda posters?

To control public opinion, suppress anti-war sentiment, ration resources, build hatred or fear toward the enemy, and convince citizens to enlist or buy war bonds.

What did Germany lose under the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles?

Germany lost 13% of its European territory, all of its overseas colonies, was forced to reduce its army to 100,000 men, got rid of its air force and submarines, and had to pay billions in war reparations under the War Guilt Clause.

How did different countries view the Treaty of Versailles?

France and Britain felt it was a just punishment to keep Germany weak; Germany viewed it as an unfair, humiliating "diktat" (forced peace) that attacked their national pride; the US public/Congress rejected it out of fear of future entanglements.

Why didn't the United States sign the Treaty of Versailles or join the League of Nations?

The US Senate rejected it due to a desire for isolationism; Americans feared that joining the League of Nations would permanently lock the US into future European conflicts without congressional approval.

What four major empires collapsed by the end of World War I?

The German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Russian Empire, and the Ottoman Empire.

What are at least 5 new countries that emerged in Europe after WWI?

Poland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia.