World War I terms
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Transcript of World War I terms
World War I
Tension in Imperial Europe During Imperial Age, European nations
sought power through acquisition of colonies Countries competed with each other for relative
power They began to get paranoid about their
neighbors—If a war broke out, would they be strong enough to survive?
Nations began to look for ways to ensure their security
Militarism
Policy of aggressively building up a nation’s armed forces in preparation for war
Alliances
Secret treaties or informal understandings between nations that promised they would side together in the event of war
Gavrilo Princip
Bosnian-Serb terrorist and nationalist who assassinated Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Heir to the Austria-Hungarian throne. His assassination was the spark that ignited the war.
Brinksmanship
A strategy where a country seeks an advantage by creating the impression that they are willing and able to push a situation to the point of war in order to get their demands
Mobilization
The readying of troops for war
Ultimatum
A statement, especially in diplomatic negotiations, that expresses or implies the threat of serious penalties if the terms are not accepted
Road to war
Kaiser Wilhelm II
German leader during World War I. He declared war on Russia and invaded France.
Allied Forces
The group of nations that opposed the Central Powers; originally consisting of Great Britain, France and Russia and later joined by the U.S., Italy and others
Central Powers
The group of nations--led by Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire--that opposed the Allied Forces
Military Alliances before the war
Schlieffen Plan
German plan of attack to avoid a 2-front war: first quickly take out France, then focus troops on Russia
“Rape of Belgium”
German war crimes committed during the march through neutral Belgium on the way to Paris
Race for the Sea
Early in the war when both sides tried to outflank each other; resulted in a front line of trenches over 200 miles long
Trench warfare
A form of warfare where opponents occupy static (non-moving) fighting lines, especially fortified trenches in the ground.
No Man’s Land
Area between the two opposing lines of trenches
Barbed wire
Formed a barrier to attacking soldiers attempting to cross no man's land
Mustard gas
First used by Germans in 1917; one of several poison gases used during the war
Machine Guns
Tanks
Aircraft
Manfred von Richthofen
a.k.a. The "Red Baron," a German fighter pilot who shot down 80 enemy planes and commanded the Flying Circus
Stalemate
A situation in which neither side can gain the advantage
Shell shock
Battle fatigue; a range of behaviors brought on by exposure to combat and acute psychological stress
The “Thousand-yard stare” --
Total war
The organization of entire societies for war in a social, economic, and even spiritual sense.
War of attrition
A war that is won by slowly wearing down the enemy through prolonged casualties and loss of resources
Woodrow Wilson
U.S. President during World War I
Isolationism
Foreign policy of neutrality and non-involvement
Wilson made a declaration of neutrality just days into the war
Blockade An effort to cut off food, supplies, war
material or communications from a particular area by force
England used their powerful navy to cut off Germany
Some estimate 750,000 Germans died of starvation
U.S. Exports
•After war began, U.S. traded even more Allies•U.S. economy boomed from supplying Allies with war materials and extending credit
U-boat German submarine (Unterseeboot)
Germany began targeting merchant ships
Lusitania
British passenger ship sunk off coast of Ireland by German submarine; 128 Americans dead, led to U.S. outrage
American Reaction Wilson issues warning to
Germany He affirms Britain’s right to
blockade Germany but demands Germany stop attacks on ships
Secretary of State, William Jennings Bryan, resigned in protest of U.S. non-neutrality
Germany Resumes Attacks
Germany declares they will attack without warning after all
Submarine attacks seen as unfair tactic by Americans
Zimmerman Telegram Telegram intercepted by
British intelligence German ambassador asks
Mexico to enter the war on the German side
In return Germany promises to help them recover territory they lost in the Mexican War
Autocrat A ruler with unlimited power
Russian Revolution ends their autocracy Makes it easier for U.S. to justify war “to make the
world safe for democracy” Russia out of war, leaving France and Britain
vulnerable Wilson declares war on April 6, 1917
American Expeditionary Force
American forces sent to Europe
Harlem Hellfighters 369th (Colored)
Infantry Regiment integrated into the French Army
Received France's highest combat medal
Selective Service Act of 1917
Act that authorized the draft
Draft began almost immediately
"Four Minute Men" 75,000 volunteers
recruited by the Committee on Public Information
Gave 4-minute speeches in support of the war effort
Helped turn public opinion
Espionage Act of 1917
Made it illegal to oppose the draft
Sedition
Speech or actions meant to incite rebellion against a government
Sedition Act of 1918
Made it illegal to obstruct the sale of Liberty Bonds or to discuss anything "disloyal" to the U.S. government
Charles Schenck
Anti-war activist who was arrested for distributing pamphlets urging men to avoid the draft.
Schenck v. United States
Established restrictions of freedom of speech in cases of "clear and present danger"
OliverWendellHolmes
Liberty bonds
Bonds sold to promote the war effort; heavily-promoted by the government
Women on the Homefront
Shortage of male labor led to women being hired to do work traditionally done by men
Workers were especially needed to produce war supplies
Great Migration
Massive numbers of African-Americans also migrated North for jobs previously closed to them
Armistice Cease-fire
November 11, 1918
Fourteen Points President Woodrow Wilson
drafted 14-point plan for peace in 1918
First presented to joint session of Congress before war to justify entry in moral terms
Later presented at Versailles peace conference after the war, but failed to win approval of all 14 points into final treaty
Wilson advocated “Peace without victory”
Main Points No secret alliances Freedom of the seas Removal of trade barriers
(tariffs, etc.) Reduce military to just
what’s necessary to protect your own country
Let go of some colonies Create a League of Nations
Treaty of Versailles
Treaty that ended the war
June 28, 1919
Big Four Countries at
the table:*U.S. *Italy *France*Great Britain
Germany and Russia excluded
Reparations
Payments from an enemy for economic costs of war
Terms of the Treaty Germany humiliated:
--Charged with war crimes--Forced to accept guilt for the war--Must drastically reduce military --Allow France to occupy the Rhineland for 15 years--Give up territory--Pay reparations
France wanted revenge and security against any future German threat
League of Nations
International body proposed by Woodrow Wilson to ensure peace and stability after the war through cooperation and accountability
Ratification
Congressional approval of a bill
Wilson tours country making speeches
Failure to Ratify
Congress fails to ratify
League is weak without U.S.
Wilson collapses from stroke
Irreconcilables
Would not accept U.S. membership in the League of Nations, no matter what
Reservationists
Would accept the League of Nations with reservations
Henry Cabot Lodge
Dulce Et Decorum Est
Poem written by British poet and solider Wilfred Owen, famous for its horrific imagery of war
Owen died in battle shortly before the armistice