World War I

Luisitania

-A neutral, British passenger ship that was torpedoed by a German U-boat in 1915 -1200 people died and 128 Americans died.

Trench Warfare

-A new style of warfare developed in WWI that occurred in the Western Front after miles of trenches were dug in an attempt to protect themselves from the enemy. -Trench life was brutal. Soldiers had to live in murky waters and most eventually developed Trench Foot, which is an infection of the feet caused by cold, wet and insanitary conditions. In the trenches, men stood for hours on end without being able to remove wet socks or boots. The feet would gradually go numb and the skin would turn red or blue. If untreated, trench foot could turn gangrenous and result in amputation.

Food Administration

-Agency created to encourage farmers to produce more and to persuade the public to eat less -goal was to assure enough food was available for the troops -encourages "Wheatless Mondays, "Meatless Tuesdays" and "Porkless Thursdays."

War Industries Board

-Agency established during WWI to increase efficiency & discourage waste in war-related industries. -Headed by Bernard Baruch, could order businesses to support war by building more plants, etc.

German U-Boats

-German submarines -Germans used these which made them victorious on the seas

Archduke Ferdinand

-He was the archduke of Austria who was assassinated in 1914 by a Serbian terrorist, Gavrilo Princp. This was the starting point of WWI.

Committee on Public Information

-It was headed by George Creel. The purpose of this committee was to mobilize people's minds for war, both in America and abroad. -Tried to get the entire U.S. public to support U.S. involvement in WWI. Creel's organization -employed 150,000 workers at home and oversees.

MAIN Causes of World War I

-M- Militarism means that the army and military forces are given a high profile by the government. -A- An alliance is an agreement made between two or more countries to give each other help if it is needed. When an alliance is signed, those countries become known as Allies. -I- Imperialism is when a country takes over new lands or countries and makes them subject to their rule. -N- Nationalism means being a strong supporter of the rights and interests of one's country. -Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand- was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary. In June 1914, a Serbian nationalist assassinated him and his wife while they were in Sarajevo, Bosnia. This was in protest to Austria-Hungary having control of this region. Serbia wanted to take over Bosnia and Herzegovina. This assassination led to Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia.

American Neutrality

-President Wilson issues a proclamation of neutrality. Most Americans supported this. America had a wide diversity of immigrants. -Some men looked at it as a great adventure, and that they should be prepared because the war was a threat.

Convoy System

-The protection of merchant ship from U-boat (German Submarine) attacks by having the boats travel in large groups escorted by warships

Propaganda

-The systematic use of mass media to influence the opinions, knowledge, and behavior of a population.

Central Powers

-They fought against the Allies, and consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria. -The name Central Powers is derived from the location of these countries; all four were located between the Russian Empire in the east and France and the United Kingdom in the west.

Selective Service Act

-This 1917 law provided for the registration of all American men between the ages of 21 and 30 for a military draft. -By the end of WWI, 24.2 had registered; 2.8 had been inducted into the army. Age limit was later changed to 18 to 45.

Espionage Act

-This law, passed after the United States entered WWI, imposed sentences of up to twenty years on anyone found guilty of aiding the enemy, obstructing recruitment of soldiers, or encouraging disloyalty. -It allowed the postmaster general to remove from the mail any materials that incited treason or insurrection.

Zimmerman Note

-Written by Arthur Zimmerman, a German foreign secretary. In this note he had secretly proposed a German-Mexican alliance. He tempted Mexico with the ideas of recovering Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. -The note was intercepted on March 1, 1917 by the U.S. government. This was a major factor that led us into WWI.

Allies

-consisted of Great Britain, France, and Russia. They came together to fight the Central Powers in World War I.

British Blockade

-in 1914, when the British tried to prevent American provisions from getting to the enemy (Germany) -shot down German ships in a specific military zone

Sedition Act

-made it a crime to criticize the government or government officials. -Opponents claimed that it violated citizens' rights to freedom of speech and freedom of the press, guaranteed by the First Amendment .