12-1 Flashcards
Causes of World War One
- militarism
- alliances
- imperialism
- nationalism
- assassination of Archduke Ferdinand
Sinking of the Lusitania (1915)
A German U-Boat sank the British passenger liner Lusitania (which was actually carrying ammunition) despite the American civilian passengers onboard.
Zimmerman Note (1917)
German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmerman had secretly proposed a German-Mexican alliance against the United States. When the note was intercepted and published in March 1917, it caused an uproar that made some Americans more willing to enter the war.
Triple Entente
A military alliance between Great Britain, France, and Russia in the years preceding World War I.
Triple Alliance
An alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy in the years before WWI.
Allies of World War I
Composed of France, Britain, and Russia, and later Japan and Italy, the Allies fought the Central Powers in World War I. The United States joined the Allies in 1917.
Central Powers
In World War I, the alliance of Germany and Austria-Hungary and other nations allied with them in opposing the Allies.
Balkans “Powder Keg of Europe”
*Southeastern region of Europe
*Serbia gains independence
*Wants control over other slavic lands
*Austria- Hungary annexes two of these region fearing a rebellion, this upset Serbia
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
This was the spark that started World War I. Archduke Ferdinand, the Austrian crown prince, was murdered on June 28, 1914, by a Serbian nationalist while visiting Sarajevo, Bosnia. Germany urged Austria-Hungary to fight and they went to war against Serbia.
Trench Warfare/No Man’s Land
Elaborate systems of defense dug in the ground protected by barbed wire. The land in between two trenches was called “No man’s land.”
Technology used in World War One
-Planes
-Tanks
-Machine guns
-Submarines
-Poisonous gas
-Large artillery guns
Propaganda
Ideas spread to influence public opinion for or against a cause.
Reasons for US entry into WWI
-Germany started unrestricted submarine warfare again
-Zimmerman Note
-“Make the world safe for democracy”
-Make sure the Allies could repay loans
