World War I Flashcards
Mobilization
The act of assembling troops and supplies. To prepare for war.
Eastern Front
The area of conflict with Russia, Austria-Hungary, and Germany
Ottoman Empire
Area that is now Turkey; an Islamic empire created by Turkish tribes.
Lusitania
A British ship that Germany sank on the grounds of unrestricted submarine warfare. More than 100 Americans died, which turned public opinion against Germany and helped America enter the war.
Home front
The civilian population and the everyday activities of a nation engaged in war.
Trench warfare
A type of combat where troops fight from trenches facing each other.
Western front
A series of trenches that ran through France, starting at the Belgium coast and ending at the Swiss border.
No man’s land
The ground between two trenches, filled with landmines and barbed wire.
Sarajevo
The capital of Bosnia.
Reparations
Compensation in money, labor, etc, paid by a defeated country to the victor as a result of war.
New miracle weapons
Machine gun, poison gas, and tanks were all new weapons in WW1.
Nationalism
The feeling of pride for one’s country.
Powder Keg
The Balkan Peninsula; had history of ethnic conflicts and had the potential to start a war.
Propaganda
Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote a political view
Militarism
A policy of glorifying military power and keeping an army prepared for war.
Triple Entente
Russia, France, and Britain
Triple Alliance
Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy
Central Powers
Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire
von Schlieffen Plan
Germany’s plan to attack France first, then rushing to meet Russia in the east.
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
A treaty that ended the war between Germany and Russia, declaring a truce.
Armistice
An agreement to stop fighting
League of Nations
An international association with the goal of protecting states and keep peace.
Zimmerman telegraph
A German telegraph offering an alliance with Mexico, promising to give back territories the US had stolen.
Fourteen Points
Woodrow Wilson’s plan for achieving peace. Emphasized allowing people to decide their government themselves.
Treaty of Versailles
A treaty created after the war to establish the terms of peace. Demanded reparations from Germany and established a League of Nations.
Alliance Systems
Countries allying with other countries.
Dardanelles
A failed naval campaign attacking Turkey, with the goal of controlling a waterway separating Europe and Asia.
Gallipoli
A failed attempt from the Allies to control the sea route from Europe to Russia.
Somme
An Allied attack on the Western front in 1916
Verdun
Longest single battle of WW1; a German attack on France
Marne
Battles in 1914 AND 1918…First battle was French victory, ended German hope of quickly ending conflict in France (according to the Schlieffen Plan). Second battle was also an Allied victory; it was Germany’s last major offensive.
Hapsburgs
The ruling dynasty of the former Habsburg Empire, now Austria.
Czar Nicholas II
The last emperor of Russia; czar during WW1
David Lloyd George
British prime minister and a secretary of war.
Francis Ferdinand
Heir to the Austria-Hungary throne. His assassination in Sarajevo, Bosnia was one of the causes of the war.
Woodrow Wilson
The 28th president of the United States, leader during WW1, proposed the Fourteen Points and a League of Nations.
Vittorio Orlando
Italian Prime Minister who represented Italy in the Paris Peace Conference. Resigned in 1919 for failing to secure Italy’s interests.
Kaiser Wilhelm II
The last German emperor, emphasized importance of militarism.
Georges Clemenceau
French politician who led the nation during WW1 and a representative at the Paris Peace Conference who argued for the destruction of Germany.
T. E. Lawrence
British army officer who assisted the Arabs in revolting against the Ottoman Empire.
