First World War Key Words Flashcards
Alliance
A union between two or more countries, usually for protection or defence.
Conscription
Conscription was introduced in Britain in January 1916. 18-41 year old men had to join the army. Some essential workers were exempt such as farmers or teachers.
Propaganda
This is used to mislead, persuade or promote a particular view. The British government used propaganda posters and slogans to encourage men to volunteer to fight in 1914.
Artillery
These are large heavy guns that fire shells. They are also known as Big Berthas, Howitzers or Mortars. In WWI, these guns were used to destroy enemy trenches.
Infantry
These are soldiers that fight on foot with rifles, grenades, bayonets or machine guns. Generals used their infantry to ‘go over the top’ and charge the enemy trenches.
Cavalry
These are soldiers that fight on horseback. In history, they were used to break through the enemy line. The cavalry was not very effective against trench warfare.
Shell Shock
We would call this Post Traumatic Stress Disorder today (PTSD), but it was an unknown mental health issue in WWI caused by the horrors of trench warfare. Sadly, treatment was often very harsh (electric shocks), mental asylum or, in some cases, soldiers were accused of being cowards and were imprisoned or shot.
Rationing
The British government introduced rationing in 1918 because they were running out of supplies at home as a result of the German U-Boat (submarine) attacks on British trading ships. Sugar, meat, flour, butter etc were rationed so that everyone got a fair share. People had ration cards that were stamped. This was also used in WWII.
Casualty
Casualties are deaths and injuries, basically the number of men who could no longer fight.
Stalemate
Stalemate is when a battle or war stalls, so that nobody is clearly winning or losing. Trench Warfare created a stalemate, as neither side could figure out a way to break through the enemy trench line.
Over the Top
This was the name given to the tactic of bombarding the enemy trenches, then sending infantry out of their trench to charge across No Man’s Land and occupy the enemy trench. These men were often mown down by machine gun fire and this tactic explains why casualties on both sides were very high.
Lusitania
This is the name of the British ship that was sunk off the coast of Ireland in May 1915 by a German U-boat. The Germans argued that the ship was carrying ammunition to the British, but it was also carrying American passengers.This is one of the events that encouraged the USA to join the war in 1917 on the side of the British and against the Germans. Interestingly, we found out later that the ship was actually carrying ammunition.
Reparations
The Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919 by the allies. The Germans were blamed for the war and were forced to pay about £6.6 billion to repair all of the damage from the war. German people were very bitter that they were forced to accept all of the blame and the payments crippled their economy.
Communism
This political system developed first in Russia in the early 1900s and spread to many countries throughout the 20th century. All property is owned by the government and everyone works for the state. The aim is to make people equal and get rid of rich/poor. There is only one political party (Communism) and communist countries are usually dictatorships.
Capitalism
A system in which the land, industry and trade is owned by private owners and they make profit. Very little is owned by the state. Very often these countries are democracies. They tend to have a large divide between the rich and the poor.
