WWI vocab

Question 1

Armistice

Answer 1

an agreement made by opposing sides in a war to stop fighting for a certain time; a truce.

Question 2

Big Four

Answer 2

Lloyd George of Britain, Vittorio Emanuele Orlando of Italy, Georges Clemenceau of France, and Woodrow Wilson of the U.S.
Met for the first time in Paris to negotiate the treaty

Question 3

Chemical Warfare

Answer 3

Poison gas was utilized to inflict higher casualty numbers on the enemy while they were in their trench.

Question 4

Committee of Public Information

Answer 4

Led by George Creel, created posters, pamphlets, billboards, news releases, news reels, and other forms of propaganda in favor of the war effort

Question 5

Conscientious Objectors

Answer 5

Those that refused to fight in the war.
Around 16,000 men refused to take up arms or fight during the First World War for any number of religious, moral, ethical or political reasons.

Question 6

Convoys

Answer 6

vessels sailing under the protection of an armed escort.

Question 7

Dissenters

Answer 7

Opponents of WWI. Those that did not agree with getting involved with the war.

Question 8

Entangling Alliances

Answer 8

Starting in the 1890s, Europe was divided into two separate alliance systems.
Germany, Austria Hungary, and Italy made up the Triple Alliance
Russia, France, and Great Britain made up the Triple Entente.
This was a major cause of WWI

Question 9

Espionage Act

Answer 9

Passed in 1917, created procedures for detecting and imprisoning spies. It allowed the federal government to censor mail and arrest anyone interfering with the draft.

Question 10

Home Front

Answer 10

Area of civilian activity during the war. Those involved in the war at home.

Question 11

Imperialism

Answer 11

a policy of extending a country’s power and influence through diplomacy or military force.
Major cause of WWI

Question 12

League of Nations

Answer 12

an organization of nations that would defend each other against aggressors. It was designed to discourage aggression and prevent future wars. It was dependent on members to help other members facing aggression.

Question 13

Lusitania

Answer 13

British Passenger Ship (Carries people)
On May 7, 1915 a German submarine sank the British passenger ship the Lusitania, traveling from New York to Britain. Thousands were killed and 128 Americans.

Question 14

Militarism

Answer 14

Glorification of the military, military planning, and an arms race
Major cause of WWI

Question 15

Nationalism

Answer 15

Pride in one’s nation and belief in its superiority

Major Cause of WWI

Question 16

Propaganda

Answer 16

information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.

Question 17

Reparations

Answer 17

Payment to those you have hurt or inured.
Germany had extensive reparations to pay to the Allied forces and had to make payments for 96 years! (Final payment was made in 2010!)

Question 18

Sedition Act

Answer 18

Passed in 1918, made it a crime to use disloyal or abusive language about the government, flag, or constitution.

Question 19

Selective Service Act

Answer 19

Wilson decided to implement conscription, as known as the draft to increase the size of America’s army.. Almost 3 million men were drafted, an additional 2 million men volunteered for military service.

Question 20

Sussex Pledge

Answer 20

After sinking the French passenger ship, the Sussex, Germany pledged not to sink any more ocean liners or merchant ships without warning or making provisions for passengers.

Question 21

Total War

Answer 21

Involvement of the governments, economies and populations of participating nations to an extent never seen before in history. This was distinct from how wars had been previously been fought

Question 22

Treaty of Versailles

Answer 22

The final terms of the Treaty of Versailles was extremely harsh on Germany and the other defeated Central Powers:
Germany lost territory to France and Poland and lost all of its colonies.
Germany lost its navy, while its once powerful army was reduced to the size of a police force
Germans were forced to sign the “War Guilt” clause, accepting blame for starting the war. For this reason, they were required to pay huge reparations to the Allies.
Austria-Hungary was divided into several smaller national states.
The Tsar (Russia), Kaiser (Germany), and Sultan (Ottoman Empire) were replaced. Turkey became a republic and loses most of its Middle Eastern territories. Most were given to Britain or France as “mandates”.

Question 23

Trench Warfare

Answer 23

Dug to protect from machine gun fire, extended for hundreds of miles
Conditions were difficult in trenches: loud shelling, rats and lice, dampness, trench foot, and disease.
Separated by an area of barbed wire, landmines, and bombed out earth called “no man’s land”, which was nearly impossible to cross while fired upon by machine guns

Question 24

U-Boats

Answer 24

Submarines
Germany didn’t have enough battleships to defeat the British so they responded by using U-boats (submarines) to keep supplies from reaching Britain

Question 25

War Bonds

Answer 25

Known as “Liberty Bonds”, paid low interest rates. Government propaganda encouraged people to buy them, making them a patriotic act.
People would buy these to help the government pay for the war,but there was very little interest and people did not make a profit off of them.

Question 26

War Industries Board

Answer 26

Headed by Bernard Baruch, coordinated America’s wartime manufacturing. Hoped for voluntary action from businesses, offered higher prices for products, using profits as the incentive as opposed to state controls to stimulate production. They also set standard specifications for goods.

Question 27

Zimmerman Telegram

Answer 27

A secret telegram was discovered, in it German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmerman promised the return of New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas to Mexico if it allied with Germany against the U.S. The telegram was printed in American newspapers March 1, 1917.