Chapter 10 The First World War Flashcards
MAIN causes of WWI
Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, and Nationalism.
Austria-Hungary
Country in alliance with Germany and Italy. First to declare war on Serbia on July 28th, 1914.
Serbia
Independent nation located in Balkan. Russia and Austria-Hungary rivals for influence over Serbia. Serbian extremist assassinated Archduke Ferdinand and sparked the war.
Alsace-Lorraine
Territory in Germany after it was annexed following the Franco-Prussian War.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Country where the Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated.
Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Heir to the Austrian throne. Visited the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo and was shot by Princip. Sparked WWI.
Gavrilo Princip
Member of the Black Hand; an organization promoting Serbian nationalism. He shot Archduke Ferdinand and his wife Sophie in Sarajevo and started WWI.
Mobilize
To gather an armed force and to ready for invasion.
Declarations of War
Austria-Hungary declared war against Serbia for assassination of Ferdinand. Germany then declared war on Russia and France. Britain declares war on Germany & Austria-Hungary after the invasion of Belgium.
Triple Alliance
Consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. Also known as Central Powers
Triple Entente
consisted of France, Britain, and Russia. Also known as Allied Powers
The Great War
Other name for World War I
The First Battle of Marne
Germany invades Belgium and Allies retreat to the Marne River in France. They halt the Germany advance in Sept. 1914 and dug in for long siege.
Stalemate
A situation where both sides are at an impasse. Neither sides can do anything and they can only wait.
Verdun
One of the longest and most costly battles in history. Caused over 900,000 casualties. German offensive tried to take several hills in northeastern France. Offensive eventually failed and French troops took back much of the gained land.
Somme River
A river in Picardy, northern France. Site of several battles in WWI.
British naval blockade
Britain blockaded the German coastline to prevent weapons and military supplies from getting through. Also prevented food to get through. Most ships carrying goods for Germany did not reach their destination. Germany uses U-Boats to counteract blockade.
Mines
Britain mined the entire North Sea to prevent naval ships and cargo ships from entering or leaving the German coastline.
U-Boats
German submarines that prowled the Atlantic and sank any Allied ships around Britain.
Bolsheviks
Political party in Russia that ultimately became the Communist Party of Soviet Union.
Communists
Members of the Communist Party, who believed in total government control. Communism includes Soviet Union and China.
Vladimir Lenin
Politician that was a Russian Communist Revolutionary. Served as leader of Russian SFSR.
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Treaty that ended Russia’s participation in WWI. Forced upon government upon threat of further advancement of German armed forces.
Czar
Russian ruler title.
German offensives: Somme River
French and British soldiers pushed for the Somme River. Battle noted for the first use of the tank and the importance of air power. Horrific slaughter and massive casualty rates. Only about seven miles of land changed hands. Final casualty totaled 1.2 million.
German offensives: Marne River
Germany invades Belgium and pushes Allied forces back to the Marne River, where the two sides settled in trench warfare.
Ferdinand Foch
Played decisive role in the First and Second Battle of Marne.
Lusitania
British liner sank off the southern coast of Ireland by German U-Boats on May 7, 1915. 1,198 killed, 128 were Americans. Outraged with Germany due to loss of life.
Propaganda
Exaggerated stories and news designed to make the population feel a certain way. Used widely in WWI and WWII to influence a population to agree with a government or sway a population to agree to a certain point.
Zimmermann Note
A telegram from German foreign minister to Mexico. Proposed an alliance between Mexico and Germany and promised that if war broke out w/ US, Germany would support Mexico in recovering territory in Texas, NM, and Arizona.
Trench Warfare
Armies would fight in large, extensive trenches for mere yards of ground. The fighting was often bloody and devastating with huge casualty rates.
No-man’s land
A barren expense of mud pockmarked with shell craters and filled with barbed wire between the two opposing armies.
Machine guns
A type of rapid-firing gun capable of mowing down soldiers quickly and efficiently. Capable of firing 600 rounds per minute
Poisonous gas
Chlorine was a yellow-green fog that sickened, suffocated, burned, and blinded its victims. It was commonly used in WWI to flush out soldiers in trenches.
Tanks
anti-personnel mobile machines of war made of steel that could fire large rounds from a greater distance. Used to slaughter soldiers and destroy barbed wire.
Airplanes and dogfights
Planes became commonly used for warfare. Included bombers, fighters, and zeppelin airships. Dogfights were aerial fights between planes, and Eddie Rickenbacker was one such famous pilot. He fought against the dreaded German Flying Circus.
Convoy System
Admiral William S. Sims convinced British to use a heavy guard of destroyers escorting merchant ships back and forth across Atlantic in groups. Called convoy system.
Woodrow Wilson
President during WWI.
American Neutrality
Most didn’t want to join in 1914, and criticized the war between Capitalist and imperialist.Many did not want their sons to experience warfare. Neutrality changed after German U-Boat attacks and the Zimmermann Note
Nativist attacks against German-Americans
Schools stopped teaching German, orchestras stopped playing German music, and many Germans were attacked in the US
William Jennings Bryan
Pacifist during WWI. Called Great Commoner due to faith in common people.
Sussex
French passenger steamer sank by U-Boat. No Americans killed, but Wilson warned that US would break off diplomatic relations unless Germany changed tactics.
Sussex Pledge
Germany pledged not to sink passenger ships and to provide safety for crew if ship is sank. Broken after Germany was convinced it could win with unrestricted submarine warfare.
Diplomatic Relations
Germany and US had troubled relations after U-Boat warfare. After repeated sinking of passenger ships, US warned it would break off diplomatic relations.
AEF
American Expeditionary Force. Led by John J. Pershing. Helped push back German advances and won several key battles.
General John J. Pershing
Leader of the AEF. Believed in aggressive combat and aggressive advances. Made General of the Armies of the US after war.
Doughboys
nickname given to american infantrymen after the white belts which was cleaned with pipe clay, or dough. Many had never ventured out from their farms or small towns.
Belleau Wood
Battle between Allies and Germany. US forces stopped German advance and pushed back German forces.
Saint-Mihiel
Mark first use of D-Day & H-Hour. One of the first US solo offensives and caught Germans by surprise. Defeat for Germany.
Meuse River
Oldest river in the world, its a major river in Europe and was where US troops stopped German advance on Paris.
Argonne Forest
American advance there helped end the war.
Alvin York
conscientious objector that decided it was morally acceptable to fight if cause was just. Became hero after he killed 25 Germans. Became a hero in US
Conscientious objector
person who morally opposes warfare.
Harlem Hellfghters
Nickname of 15th NY regiment. First black regiment in WWI.
Croix de Guerre
Award by French military for heroic acts during war.
Armistice
cease-fire signed on Nov. 11th, 1918. Officially ended WWI.
War dead
Deaths numbered 22 million, more than half civilians. 20 million were wounded, and 10 million became refugees. US lost 48,000 in battle & 62,000 to disease. More than 200,000 wounded.
Financial losses
War costed over 338 billion.
War Industries Board
Regulatory body that urged companies to use mass-production and eliminate waste by standardizing products. It set production quotas and allocated raw materials. Industrial production in US increased by 20% under WIB.
Committee on Public Information
Created to influence positive US opinion of American participation of WWI.
Espionage Act of 1917
Passed in June 1917. Person could be fined up to 10,000 and sentenced to 20 yrs in jail for interfering with the war effort
Sedition Act of 1918
Passed in May 1918. Person could be fined or sentenced for saying disloyal, profane, or abusive things about the government or the war effort.
Selective Service Act of 1917
Passed in May 1917. Required men to register with gov in order to be randomly selected for military service.
Drafted
Notices by the government requiring you to participate in combat.
Segregation of units
black soldiers served in segregated units and were excluded from the navy & marines. Most were assigned to noncombat duties.
Liberty bonds
bonds sold to public to borrow money in return for payment later. Largely how the US paid for WWI.
Victory Gardens
Gardens that grew vegetables from home and helped send food to the Allies.
Influenza Epidemic of 1918
devastating effect on economy. Cities ran short of coffins, and the dead laid unburied for weeks. Death came in a matter of days. illness worse in army. More than 1/4 caught disease and one third of troops died in some units. Epidemic killed over 30 million worldwide and 500,000 were Americans.
Labor shortage
Due to the amount of soldiers sent overseas, labor workers were desperately needed. Many women entered workforce.
Women in war effort
Women held jobs previously held exclusively by men. Became RR workers, cooks, dockworkers, and bricklayers. Many worked at Red Cross and some were active in Peace movement.
National War Labor Board.
Established in 1918. Board worked to improve factory conditions, promoted safety inspections, pushed for 8 hrs workday, and enforced child labor ban. However, workers who refuse to obey board could lose draft exemption and be forced to fight.
Wilson’s Fourteen Points
Ban on secret agreements, lower tariffs, military cutbacks, self-determination, and a league of nations that provides a forum for nations to discuss and settle grievances without war.
Paris Peace Conference
European leaders reject Wilson’s plan and Wilson conceded on most of his Fourteen Points in return for the establishment of the League of Nations.
Big Four
David Lloyd George (Great Britain), Woodrow Wilson (US), Georges Clemenceau (France), Vittorio Orlando (Italy)
Reparations
War damage that Germany had to pay to the Allies. Approximately 33 billion.
Treaty of Versailles
Treaty that established 9 new nations, and shifted the boundaries of other nations. It barred Germany from maintaining and army and required Germany to return Alsace-Lorraine to France & pay reparations. 5 areas carved out of the Ottomans and gave to France as mandates.
War-Guilt Clause
Clause in the Treaty of Versailles forcing Germany to admit sole responsibility for starting WWI. Humiliated Germany and eventually led to WWII.
Henry Cabot Lodge
Conservative senators headed by Lodge were suspicious of the provisions for joint economic and military action against aggression. Wanted constitutional right of Congress to declare war included in treaty.
