WWI

World War I technologies, people, & battles. + a bit about the Russian Revolution

Total war

 channeling of a nation's entire resources in a war effort

conscription

“the draft,” which required all young men to be ready for military or other service

Contraband

during wartime, military supplies and raw materials needed to make military supplies that may legally be confiscated by any belligerent

Lusitania

British liner torpedoed by a German submarine in May 1915

atrocity

horrible act committed against innocent people

fourteen points

 list of terms for resolving WW1 and future wars outlined by American President Woodrow Wilson in January 1918

self-determination

 right of people to choose their own form of government

armistice

agreement to end fighting in a war

pandemic

spread of a disease across a large area, country, continent, or the entire world

reparation

payment for war damage or damage by the losing side of the war; making amends for a wrong by paying money or helping those that have been wronged

radical

someone who has extreme beliefs

collective security

system in which a group of nations acts as one to preserve the peace of all

mandate

after World War 1, an order administered by a Western powe; an official order or commission to do something

entente

nonbinding agreement to follow common policies

militarism

glorification of the military

Alsace and Lorraine

region of northern Europe on the border between France and Germany which was ceded to Germany after the Franco-Prussian War

ultimatum

final set of demands

mobilize

prepare military forces for war; to make mobile

neutrality

supporting neither side in a war or conflict

Proletariat

working class

soviet

council of workers and soldiers set up by Russian revolutionaries in 1917;

V.I. Lenin

A Russian communist revolutionary who led the Bolsheviks to victory in the Russian October Revolution; served as the premier of the Soviet Union from 1922 until his death in 1924; adapted the ideas of Karl Marx to create a type of communism known as Marxism-Leninism

Marxism

the political and economic theories of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, later developed by their followers to form the basis for the theory and practice of communism

Communism

a political theory derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs

Bolsheviks

a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which was renamed the Communist Party after seizing power in the October Revolution of 1917; color was red

Bloody Sunday (Russia)

A group of workers led by the priest Georgy Apollonovich Gapon marched (peacefully) to the winter palace with a petition signed by many people to make demands of their Tsar and request change. They refused to leave until the Tsar received the petition even though he was out of town. Soldiers at the palace then openly fired upon the protesters

Dumas

a series of representative councils formed by Tsar Nicholas II in response to riots after Bloody Sunday; dismissed by him after only 75 days because the Tsar wanted full power and authority

Cheka

Founded by Lenin in 1917; Soviet secret police organization; Used to suppress opposition; Carried out mass executions; Played a key role in Red Terror; Renamed multiple times; like a Russian version of the Secret Service except way more violent

Commissar

communist party official assigned to the army to teach party principles and ensure party loyalty during the Russian Revolution

stalemate

deadlock in which neither side can defeat the other

the Bolshevik revolution

Vladimir Lenin led the Bolshevik party with the goal of Overthrowing the Provisional Government in Russia (the Tsar) to establish a socialist government and end the rule of the bourgeoisie

zeppelin

large gas-filled balloon; not really used anymore because of the Hindenburg disaster

U-Boat

German submarine

Convoy

a group of merchant ships protected by warships

Dardanelles strait

vital strait connecting the black sea in the Mediterranean Sea in present-day Turkey

T.E. Lawrence

Thomas Edward Lawrence (1888-1935), also known as Lawrence of Arabia, was a British archaeologist, writer, and expert on Arabia who helped lead an Arab rebellion and guerilla war against the Ottoman Turks during WW1. In 1926, he published a memoir of his activities in those years, The Seven Pillars of Wisdom.

Battle won on October 24, 1917 by Central Powers against Italian forces

Battle of Caporetto

1915-1916 battle on a peninsula in Turkey in which the Allied forces attempted to secure a sea route to Russia and knock the Ottoman Empire out of the war

Battle of Gallipoli

battle in France between Franks and Germans from February to December in 1916; longest battle in WWI; Germans wanted to “bleed France white” and break their morale by capturing a symbolic city; France won

Battle of Verdun

Battle between British and French against Germans; one of the largest battles of WWI; In France; July 1 to November 18, 1916; Allied forces tried to relieve pressure on French forces and break through German lines

Battle of Somme

Germans v. Russians in present day Poland from August 26-30, 1914; German forces successfully defeated the Russian army, a significant victory for the Central Powers

Battle of Tannenberg

French & British vs. Germans near Paris, France from September 6-12, 1914; allies successfully halted German advance toward Paris, a turning point in the war

Battle of Marne

Alfred Nobel

 inventor of dynamite and an explosive device called a blasting cap, which inaugurated the modern use of high explosives

Gavrilo Princip

assassinated archduke Ferdinand

Francis Ferdinand

Archduke of Austria-Hungary who got assassinated

Kaiser Wilhelm II

 Last German Emperor and King of Prussia, ruled both the German Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia (not Russia) before abdicating

Colonel T.E. Lawrence (“Lawrence of Arabia”)

Led Arab revolts against Turkish rule in the Arabian Peninsula

Georges Clemenceau

French statesman and dictator; played a key role in negotiating the Treaty of Versailles (1841-1929); Prime minister of France; very anti-German & desired to defeat German army at all costs; known as “The Tiger”

David Lloyd George

He was the British representative at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919; pushed for a revenge-based treaty at Versailles and signed the treaty, hampering the 14 points; Minister for Munitions (ammo.)

Woodrow Wilson

28th president; ‘a dreamer’; known for drafting the 14 points which were ideas for the rebuilding of the postwar world that other countries largely wrote off at the time

Schlieffen Plan

plan devised by Germany to attack France on the Western front before attacking Russia because they thought it would take longer for Russian troops to mobilize; backfired bc Russia mobilized faster than expected and German forces were divided between the Eastern and Western fronts

The fourteen Points

a statement of principles for peace that was to be used for peace negotiations in order to end WWI; Issued by Woodrow Wilson, largely ignored by other countries

The Allies

 alliance originated from the triple entente; France, the United Kingdom, Russia, the United States, Italy, and Japan; won the war

Central Powers

 Stemmed from the triple alliance; Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

 a peace treaty signed between the new Bolshevik government of Soviet Russia and the Central Powers that ended Russia’s participation in WWI; signed at Brest-Litovsk after two months of negotiations and was forced on the Bolshevik government by the threat of further advances by German and Austrian forces

League of Nations

An organization of nations formed after World War I to promote cooperation and peace

EXACT start and end dates of WWI

July 28, 1914 - November 11, 11:11:11, 1918 (four years from start to end

Examples of new technology & its impact during WWI

Gas masks, machine guns, barbed wire, zeppelins, tanks, armed airplanes, mines; led to trench warfare and higher death counts; caused mass destruction; the reason that the war was called ‘a new kind of war’

Result of sinking of the Lusitania

May 1915 Lusitania sunk by German U-boats, killing 128 Americans. The Germans had warned the Americans that any ship bearing the flag of Britain or its allies would be sunk, but people assumed that the germans would let citizens on board get into lifeboats before sinking and ignored the warning. The Lusitania took a direct hit from a German U-boat submarine and sank within 20 minutes. This triggered an anti-German sentiment in America, stunning and outraging Americans, though they were not ready for war. President Woodrow Wilson wanted to remain neutral while previous president Theodore Roosevelt wanted retaliation. Germany defended its aggression, claiming that Lusitania had carried supplies for their enemies and was therefore fair game. British propaganda snowballed against the Germans as a result of this, and anti-German riots broke out in London + more people enlisted.

Zimmerman Note

1917 Britian intercepts note from Arthur Zimmerman to ambassador in mexico attempting to convince Mexico to attack the U.S. The obvious threats to the United States contained in the telegram inflamed American public opinion against Germany and was the final straw which convinced U.S. Congress to declare war against Germany

United States involvement in the war

Joined toward the end after we got fed up with Germany destroying ships sailing to Britain and killing the American citizens inside. Sent troops and supplies to the Allies, helped with supply of troops after Russia pulled out of the war

Why the Balkans were called the “powder keg” of Europe

Because of all of the different ethnic conflicts in the region. One little spark leads to huge conflicts

Why the Black Hand wanted to assassinate Archduke Francis Ferdinand

The goal of the Black Hand was to unite all ethnic Serbs under an expanded, greater Serbia. They wanted to assassinate Archduke Francis Ferdinand to liberate Serbia from Austria-Hungarian rule

How nationalism, imperialism, and militarism push Europe toward war (give examples for each term)

Nationalism caused citizens to want their country and its belief to win the war so they joined the army or medical services to help. Imperialism brought the war to parts of Africa and Australia bc of territories owned by the Central Powers and the Allies. Militarism caused other countries to build up their militaries due to fear of other countries’ militaries, leading to war.

Trench warfare and how it caused a stalemate on the Western Front

Trench warfare led to a stalemate in WW1 due to the defensive advantage it provided. Trenches made it difficult for either side to make significant advances, leading to a deadlock. This, combined with heavy artillery and machine gun defense, made line-breaking attacks futile.

How total war affected ordinary citizens

governments rationed food, raised taxes, and ordinary people could get drafted, women began to work in place of the men at war, placed restrictions on places like pubs to prevent people from speaking or rallying against the government, governments were strict about expression of dissent among citizens & limited free speech, motor cars and horses were taken from workers like milkmen to be used in service for the war

Propaganda

All governments controlled public opinion through special censorship boards; Newspapers and journalists simplified and glorified the war/its battles; horror stories were told among children about Germans killing babies and committing other atrocities; Used to control how people thought, what they did, and what they felt that they could do; led to hostility toward foreigners (ex.: British people attacking shops known to be run by Germans); Exaggerated events like the sinking of the Lusitania bc people believed almost anything that they read; Caused a ‘spy mania’ where people were more afraid of spies than they needed to be

Treaty of Versailles

Signed on June 28, 1919 at the palace of Versailles; treaty was one of several that officially ended the five years of conflict that was WWI; outlined the terms of peace between Germany and the Allies, led by the United States, France, and the United Kingdom; “war guilt” clause forced Germany and other Central Powers to take all the blame for WWI; meant that those countries lost territories (in Africa specifically), reduced military forces, and had to pay reparations to the Allied Power; Some historians think that the Treaty of Versailles contributed to German economic and political instability that allowed for the formation of the Nazis a year later; Other historians say that the treaty was actually very restrained because the Allied forces did not occupy the Central Powers after the war; Took Germany several decades to pay off their reparations; Treaty was more lenient than the armistice treaty (Treaty of Brest-Litovsk)

reason that WWI was considered a global conflict since most fighting occurred in Europe

Japan joined the Allies, then China, Brazil, and America joined in response to their citizens and ships falling victim to German U-boat attacks. This tied in Asia, South America, and North America. The fighting countries in Europe had colonies and land in Africa, bringing their conflicts to that continent and causing fighting between African regions belonging to countries on different sides of the war. Colonies like Samoa in Australia were also dragged into the war, meaning that every continent was involved except Antarctica