20th Century World History: World War I

Georges Clemenceau

"tiger of France", the French prime minister who wanted to ensure that Germany would never again threaten France; at the Paris Peace Conference., An effective and almost dictator-like leader of France, who would not take defeat as an answer

Battle of Verdun

(1916) the longest battle of World War I; it ended in stalemate, with both sides suffering hundreds of thousands of casualties

Treaty of Versailles

(WW) 1918, , Created by the leaders victorious allies Nations: France, Britain, US, and signed by Germany to help stop WWI. The treaty 1)stripped Germany of all Army, Navy, Airforce. 2) Germany had to rapair war damages(33 billion) 3) Germany had to acknowledge guilt for causing WWI 4) Germany could not manefacture any weapons.

jingoism

(n) extreme and emotional nationalism, or chauvinism, often characterized by an aggressive foreign policy, accompanied by an eagerness to wage war. Iran and Israel's extreme jingoism creates fear for its inhabitants.

Otto von Bismark

- Germany's chancellor. He was successful in unifying Germany. He wanted to make sure he est. alliances to keep the peace in Europe, so he started making alliances w/ other countries, which led to war. He felt France was the biggest threat, so aimed to isolate France. Formed "dual alliance" w/ Austria-Hungary. 13 yrs. later Italy joins the alliance to form the "triple alliance". In 1887, Germany forms a separate alliance with Russia

Gavrilo Princip

-third assasin that escaped and hid out in a coffee bar -starts chasing his coffee with Slivovitz (100 proof) -shot Ferdinand and his wife Sophie with one shot -tried to poison himself but it just made him throw up and he later died under mysterious circumstances, 19 year old Bosnian Serb; member of the Black Hand (a serbian terrorist organization that wanted Bosnia to be free of Austria- Hungary and to become part of a large Serbian kingdom); succeeded in fatally shooting both the archduke and his wife

Woodrow Wilson

..., 28th president of the United States, known for World War I leadership, created Federal Reserve, Federal Trade Commission, Clayton Antitrust Act, progressive income tax, lower tariffs, women's suffrage (reluctantly), Treaty of Versailles, sought 14 points post-war plan, League of Nations (but failed to win U.S. ratification), won Nobel Peace Prize

Battle of the Marne

40 miles northeast of Paris, the French and British armies stopped the German advance in this battle, A major French victory against the invading German army at the start of WWI. In reality lost Germany the war.

Battle of the Somme

A 1916 WWI (1914-1918) battle between German and British forces. Ending in a stalemate, the bitter three-month conflict is notable for the high number of casualties- 1.25 million men killed or wounded - and the first use of tanks in warfare.

Lusitania

A British passenger ship that was sunk by a German U-Boat on May 7, 1915. 128 Americans died. The sinking greatly turned American opinion against the Germans, helping the move towards entering the war.

Battle of Tannenberg

A German victory over Russian troops in August of 1914 which led to the liberation of East Prussia and began a slow, steady German advance eastward.

Pan-Slavism

A movement to promote the independence of Slav people. Roughly started with the Congress in Prague; supported by Russia. Led to the Russo-Turkish War of 1877.

mandates

A nation governed by another nation on behalf of the League of Nations

Fourteen Points

A peace program presented to the U.S. Congress by President Woodrow Wilson in January 1918. It called for the evacuation of German-occupied lands, the drawing of borders and the settling of territorial disputes by the self-determination of the affected populations, and the founding of an association of nations to preserve the peace and guarantee their territorial integrity. It was rejected by Germany, but it made Wilson the moral leader of the Allies in the last year of World War I.

White Man's burden

A poem by Rudyard Kipling written in 1899. It is also the name given to the idea that the culture of the native populations where European imperialism was occurring were inferior to western nations. Some interpreted Kipling's poem to mean that it was the duty of imperializing nations to bring western culture and sensibility to the savage native populations that were encountered in far off lands.

Black Hand

A secret society that was organized for terrorism for the unification of Serbia

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

A signed agreement between Russia and the Central Powers when Russia withdrew from the War. Russia surrendered Poland, the Ukraine and other territory.

armistice

A state of peace agreed to between opponents so they can discuss peace terms

Schliefen Plan

A strategy drawn up by Germany to avoid fighting a war on two fronts;hook movement through Belgium, defeat France before Russia mobilizes; then defeat Russia to fight only a one front war

Polish Corridor

A strip of German territory awarded to newly independent Poland by the Treaty of Versailles. It was 20-70 meters wide and gave Poland access to the Baltic Sea and separated East Prussia from the rest of Germany. Although originally Polish, a large minority of the population was German-speaking, an the entire situation caused friction between Poland and Germany, ultimately culminating in the German invasion of Poland in 1939 and World War II.

Nationalism

A strong feeling of pride in and devotion to one's country

League of Nations

A world organization established in 1920 to promote international cooperation and peace. It was first proposed in 1918 by President Woodrow Wilson, although the United States never joined the League. Essentially powerless, it was officially dissolved in 1946.

Triple Entente

Alliance among Britain, Russia, and France at the outset of the 20th century; part of European alliance system and balance of power prior to World War I

Triple Alliance

Alliance among Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy at the end of the 19th century; part of European alliance system and balance of power prior to World War I., Italy added to the Dual Alliance in 1882. Italy was upset at France for taking Tunisia. Arrangement was that if any member of the alliance was in a war with two or more adversaries, allies should come to its aid. The Triple Alliance would last until 1914. France now more isolated than ever.

Gallipoli Campaign

Allied invasion of the Gallipoli Peninsula in the Straits, unprofitable fighting for months, huge casualties but the allies had to withdraw, so a large victory to Turkish forces

war guilt clause

Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles, which declared Germany and Austria were responsible for starting the war and ordered Germany to pay reparations

reparations

As part of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was ordered to pay fines to the Allies to repay the costs of the war. Opposed by the U.S., it quickly lead to a severe depression in Germany.

demilitarization of Rhineland

At Versailles, German fortifications and troops were banned from a wide belt in the Rhineland. Allied troops would occupy the Rhineland for 15 years to assure German compliance with the treaty. (but they don't)

Franz-Josef

Austrian emperor at the start of WWI

Wilhelm II

Became king of Germany in 1888. Dismissed Bismarck and took over policy making. Wanted to strengthen the army. Resulted in the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria, Italy) vs. Triple Entente (France, Russia, Britain)

Ethnocentrism

Belief in the superiority of one's nation or ethnic group.

David Lloyd George

Britain's prime minister at the end of World War I whose goal was to make the Germans pay for the other countries' staggering war losses

Ottoman

Centered in Constantinople, the Turkish imperial state that conquered large amounts of land in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Balkans, and fell after World War I., 1280-1914: declined because of war and debt (to Britain and France), economy suffered when Europeans found new trade routes

Henry Cabot Lodge

Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he was a leader in the fight against participation in the League of Nations

Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg

Chancellor of Germany at start of war. He gave Austria a blank check as his 'unconditional' support.

Joffre

French commander. Orders counterattack on Germany w/ help of British. Battle of Verdun, French commander. Regrouped forces on the Western Front with support from the British. Ordered counterattack to the Schlieffen Plan. This resulted in the Battle of the Marne.

Gallieni

French military commander in French Colonies and WWI, credited with being the intelligence that won the First Battle of the Marne in 1914.

Plan 17

French mobilization plan to recapture Alsace-Lorraine; attack Germany, then come back to attack Austria-Hungary

Von Schlieffen

German chief-of-staff 1891-1905. Military plan based off the assumption of two-front war with France and Russia. Minimal troop deployment against Russia to rapidly clear France before Russia could become effective and British could come to help. Advance through Belgium.

Weltpolitick

German foreign policy which aimed to transform Germany into a global power through aggressive diplomacy, the acquisition of overseas colonies, and the development of a large navy.

Von Kluck

German general in the Battle of the Frontiers, General of Germany- guy who turned too soon

Hohenzollern

German royal family who ruled Brandenburg from 1415 and later extended their control to Prussia (1525). Under Frederick I (ruled 1701-1713) the family's possessions were unified as the kingdom of Prussia.

Haig

Haig was Britain's commander-in-chief during the Somme battle and took much criticism for the sheer loss of life in this battle.

Pershing

He was a U.S. General who led the landings in France in huge numbers; was an American general who led troops against "Pancho" Villa in 1916. He took on the Meuse-Argonne offensive in 1918 which was one of the longest lasting battles- 47 days in World War I. He was the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe during World War I.

Vittorio Orlando

He was the Italian representative at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. He pushed for a revenge-based treaty at Versailles, hampering the 14 points.

Austrian Ultimatum

Issued to Serbia by Austria that included extreme demands which they could not accept. Austria declared war on Serbia on July 28. To arrest all Black Hand members, official apology and right to send Austrian troops to enter Serbia (which they did not agree)

Ludendorff

Junior German officer who captured or destroyed entire Russian armies at Tannenberg and Masurian Lakes

Romanov

Michael Romanov was elected the new hereditary tsar in 1613 of Russia. Michael's election was a real restoration, and his reign saw the gradual reestablishment of tsarist autocracy. The Romanovs brought about total enserfment of the people, while the military obligations on the nobility were relaxed considerably. Nobility gained more exemptions from the military service, while the peasants were further ground down. (581)

Erich von Falkenhayn

Most associated with the Battle of Verdun in 1916 - one of World War One's bloodiest battles. Falkenhayn was criticised for his tactics at Verdun and after the war he tried to justify the tactics that he used - that led to the deaths of tens of thousands of German soldiers.

Battle of Ypres

October 19, 1914- November 22, 1914, First World War battle fought in western Belgium, A World War One battle where poison gas was be used, by the Germans, for the first time. Canadians fought hard to close the gap.

Blank cheque

On 6 July 1914 Germany gave Austria-Hungary a guarantee of almost unconditional support in any war arising from its dealings with Serbia following the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand. This guarantee, which encouraged the hawks in Vienna, is often referred to as a 'blank cheque'.

Battle of Jutland

Only real naval battle of the war. May 1916. German Baltic fleet met Brits of coast of Denmark. Germans inflicted heavy Brit losses but failed to break Brit blockade. German fleet retreated to Baltic and stayed there. Brit naval supremacy confirmed but Brits unable to defeat German fleet completely in order to service Russia through the Baltic.

Hidenburg

Paul von Hindenburg(1847-1934) German field marshal during World War I and second president of the Weimar Republic (1925-1934).Hindenburg had no love of republics and was a monarchist at heart He was re elected to serve a second term, but appointed Hitler as chancellor of Germany in 1933.

Paris Peace talks

Peace talks that began in 1968 between North and South Vietnam that failed to produce any results until 1973, when they agreed on a peace settlement that essentially made the war a complete draw.

Petain

Replaced Nivelle and restored discipline in the French army. Waiting for the Americans and tanks to arrive. British resumed a major part of the burden in maintaining the Front.

Nicholas

Russia's last tsar, he witnessed the fall of Russia from great power, to the entering into WWI and total collapse, (r. 1894-1917) Tsar who took the throne after Alexander II's assassination, a weak ruler who used expansionist ventures to delfect attention fro domestic issues and neutralize revolutionary movements

Plans A and G

Russia's plans; Plan G entailed a massive German invasion. The reponse was the traditional Russian strategy of sacrificing lborder territory and withdrawing into the vastness of Russia buying time to mobilize a huge conscript force. Plan A-It involved a Russian offensive drive into East Prussia and Silesia to prevent the Germans from focusing its forces on France. This was precisely what occurred. The Germans had to withdraw forces from the West.

Social Darwinism

The application of ideas about evolution and "survival of the fittest" to human societies - particularly as a justification for their imperialist expansion.

Indigenous people

The native people from a conquered region

Sick Man of Europe

The phrase is used to describe economic poverty in a European country. This term was coined when the Ottoman empire was in decline and increasingly began to lose territory to the Europeans through defeats in battle.

Imperialism

The policy of extending a nation's authority over other countries by economic, political, or military means

Cordon Sanitaire

The ring of small anti-communist states on the border of U.S.S.R which was established in 1919 and seen as preventing the communist infection from spreading. Ran from Finland to Rumania.

Hapsburg

This was the royal dynasty of Austria that ruled over a vast part of Central Europe while battling with the Turks over Hungary

War of attrition

Trench warfare between Germany and France. Called War of Attrition(wearing down) because the goal was to break down the enemy. There was no winner after 3 years of fighting.

Currie

Two business partners who produced colored prints of everyday American life in the nineteenth century.

Tirpitz

top admiral in brand new German navy, said they need to build battle ships (type of battle ship is this term) now in order to protect colonies and build a battle-fleet.

Moltke

changed the shlieffen plan

July Crisis

diplomatic crisis among the major powers of Europe in the summer of 1914 that rose from the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, leading to the First World War.

Leopold Berchtold

he was Austria's foreign minister who was known to be a war hawk and favored war with Serbia. Most historians feel he made the Serbian ultimatum following the assassination of Archduke Frances Ferdinand purposely difficult to meet

Long Peace

long-lasting periods of peace between any of the militarily strongest great powers

Mission Civilisatrice

missionaries goal to implant french culture, language and religion, equivalent to white man's burden

Windsor

the British royal family since 1917

Armenian Massacre

turkish troops killed tens of thousands of armenians (1890s), armenians supported enemies of the turks in WWI, 2 million armenians are deported, 600,000 are killed by turkish troops or starved to death.

Albert of Belgium

young ruler of Belgium that defied the Kaiser of Germany; rejected the German ultimatum