Vocabulary Flashcards
Shell shock
Psychological trauma experienced by soldiers due to the intense shelling and warfare conditions, causing symptoms such as anxiety and panic attacks; example - soldiers in WWI suffering from shell shock after exposure to constant artillery bombardment.
Attrition
A strategy of wearing down the enemy’s strength through continuous losses and depletion of resources; example - trench warfare on the Western Front in WWI, where both sides incurred heavy casualties without significant territorial gains.
Entente
A formal alliance or understanding between nations; example - Triple Entente, formed between France, Russia, and the United Kingdom before WWI to counter the Triple Alliance.
Armistice
A temporary stop in hostilities or a truce, often leading to the end of a conflict; example - the Armistice of 1918, which ended WWI on November 11th.
Conscription
Compulsory (required by law) enlistment of citizens into the military; example - widespread conscription during both WWI and WWII, as nations mobilized large numbers of civilians to bolster their armed forces.
Trench warfare
Fighting from deep ditches dug in the ground; example - soldiers in WWI enduring harsh conditions in muddy trenches on the Western Front.
Trenches
Long, narrow ditches used for protection in war; example - the intricate network of trenches stretching across the battlefields of WWI.
Stalemate
A situation where neither side can make significant progress; example - the prolonged deadlock on the Western Front during WWI, with neither the Allies nor the Central Powers gaining substantial ground.
Flappers
Flappers were young women in the 1920s who defied societal norms through their unconventional and liberated behavior; example someone going to a petting party
Total War
A nation mobilizes all available resources and citizens, both military and civilian, for the war effort; in ww2 US did this
