Modern World: World War I Review Flashcards
Militarism
Great pride in your country’s military
One of the MAIN causes of World War I
Germany practiced militarism by building up it’s army and navy before the war (like stockpiling weapons)
Alliances
Agreements to “back each other up” against opposing countries
Example: Germany gives a blank check to Austria-Hungary
Hint: You should know the major alliances that led to World War I
Imperialism
Taking over another country either by government control or by influence or colonies (usually a larger, European country influencing a smaller country)
Example: Great Britian and India
Nationalism
Great pride in one’s country
One of the MAIN causes of World War I
Determined by language
Pacifism
Opposition to all war
Mobilization
To prepare a country’s military for war
Kaiser William II
Leader of Germany
Rivalry with European rulers (family feud)
Neutrality
A policy of supporting neither side in a war
The United States remained neutral throughout most of the war
Archduke Francis Ferdinand
Assassinated by Serbian nationalists (Gavrilo Princip)
Leads to the start of WWI
Gavrilo Princip
Assassinated Francis Ferdinand
The Schlieffen Plan
General Alfred von Schlieffen’s plan to avoid a two front war.
The plan calls for Germany to defeat France quickly, then fight Russia.
Stalemate
A deadlock in which neither side is able to defeat the other
Trench warfare leads to stalemates during battles, neither side can move.
Battle of Verdun
German forces try to overtake French forces at Verdun
Lasts 11 months, over 500,000 men lost
Battle of Somme
5 month battle, over 1 million soldiers killed, neither side gains an advantage
Worst day in British military history, 60,000 British soldiers killed or wounded in a single day
Poison Gas
Introduced by Germany
Includes Mustard Gas and Chlorine
Tanks
Introduced by Britain
Did little to break the stalemate
Zeppelins
Used by Germany
Large gas-filled balloons used to bomb Britain
U-boats
Used by Germany
Sank merchant ships carrying supplies to Britain
Ex: Sinking of the Lusitania
Allied Powers (Entente)
Britain, France, Russia
Also: Serbia, United States, Italy
Central Powers
Austria-Hungary, Germany, Ottoman Empire
Also: Bulgaria
Propaganda
Spreading of ideas to damage views of the opposing cause
Ex: British cartoons that show the Germans as devils
Total War
Using ALL of a nation’s resources for the war effort and ALL of a country’s citizens become involved in the war effort.
No Man’s Land
Area between trenches in which no man could survive during the daylight hours
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Signed between Russia and Germany. Ends Russian involvement in the war (early 1918).
Germany could now concentrate on the Western Front.
Czar Nicholas II
Czar of Russia
Eventually he is overthrown, leading to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
The Zimmerman Note
Arthur Zimmerman (from Germany) sends a note to Mexico that in return for Mexican support, Germany would support them in regaining territory lost to the U.S.
Leads to Anti-German feeling in the United States, one of the reasons the U.S. goes to war.
Woodrow Wilson’s 14 Points
Issued by President Wilson in an effort to be a peacemaker
Includes policies such as self-determination (the right of people to choose their own form of government)
Armistice
An agreement to end fighting
Germany signs an armistice with the Allies on November 11, at 11 AM (11/11)
Reparations
Payments made for war damage
Germany takes the blame for the war and is forced by the Allies to make HUGE payments
Paris Peace Conference
Dominated by the “Big Three”
- Woodrow Wilson (U.S.)- brought his 14 Points
- David Lloyd George (Great Britain)
- Georges Clemenceau (France)- nicknamed the Tiger
Vittorio Orlando (Italy) wanted lands that had once belonged to Italy but were now part of Austria-Hungary
Treaty of Versailles
Germany forced to sign and take blame. The reparations they would have to pay totaled over $30 BILLION
Other clauses aimed at weakening Germany
