Unit 16 Flashcards
German emperor (Kaiser) whose militarism helped cause the First World War
Wilhelm II
German chancellor who unified Germany in 1871; dismissed by the new German Kaiser in 1890
Otto von Bismarck
refers to Germany’s attempt to become a world power with its navy; means “world politics”
Weltpolitik
refers to Bismarck’s attempt to use practical political considerations in foreign policy and domestic policy
Realpolitik
re-alignment of alliances from 1890-1914 that caused France, Russia, and Great Britain to form the Triple Entente
Diplomatic Revolution
alliance between Germany and Russia that isolated France and prevented Germany from fighting two-front war
Reinsurance Treaty of 1887
big-gun battleships
Dreadnoughts
German naval theorist who called for a large German navy that would challenge Britain for world power
Alfred von Tirpitz
World War I alliance between Great Britain, France, and Russia
Triple Entente
World War I alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy
Triple Alliance
ethnic group in the Balkans who were the primary nationalist agitators against Austro-Hungarian rule
Serbs
heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne assassinated in Sarajevo in June 1914
Franz Ferdinand
assassin of Austro-Hungarian archduke
Gavrilo Princip
Emperor of Austria-Hungary
Franz Joseph
diplomatic crisis that led to the start of World War I
July Crisis
term to describe the idea that Germany urged Austria-Hungary to be aggressive toward Serbia after the Archduke’s assassination
blank check
German war plan that called for an attack through Belgium into France
Schlieffen Plan
largest battle of World War I; over 1.1 million casualties
Somme
the concept that the entire population of a nation should be mobilized for a war
total war
Irish nationalist rebellion of 1916 put down by the British
Easter Rebellion
radical German socialist; murdered in aftermath of WWI by right-wing Germans
Karl Liebknecht
radical female German socialist; murdered in aftermath of WWI by right-wing Germans
Rosa Luxemburg
Russian tsar; murdered by Bolsheviks in 1917
Nicholas II
“holy man” who influenced Russian empress during war; murdered by Russian aristocracy
Rasputin
moderate liberal leader of the 1st Russian Revolution that resulted in tsar’s abdication
Alexander Kerensky
radical Bolshevik leader of the 2nd Russian Revolution (October Revolution)
Vladimir Lenin
Bolshevik military leader of Petrograd Soviet; later organized Red Army
Leon Trotsky
workers council of St Petersburg
Petrograd Soviet
radical socialist revolutionaries of Russian Revolution
Bolsheviks
treaty that ended WWI on eastern front between Germany and Russia
Treaty of Brest Litovsk
British prime minister at Versailles Peace Conference
David Lloyd George
French leader at Versailles Peace Conference
Georges Clemenceau
treaty that ended the First World War
Versailles Treaty
British promise to give part of Palestine to Jews for a homeland
Balfour Declaration
Woodrow Wilson’s plan for peace following WWI
Fourteen Points
international organization that would help prevent another war; the most important point in Wilson’s peace plan
League of Nations
