WW1

Armenian Genocide, April 1915

Definition: Armenians killed by Ottoman empire because they were suspected of siding with russians and young turks in taking down the ottoman empire Significance: 1.5 million Armenians killed; marked a predecessor for the Holocaust

Lawrence of Arabia

Definition: British army officer who helped the Arabs revolt against the Ottoman Empire; wrote about his experiences Significance: example of the sense of unison between triple entente and the Arabs who are revolting the ottoman empire

Lusitania

Definition: British passenger ship attacked by German ships; Germans hit ship with a torpedo and it sank in 18 minutes outside Ireland; 1,200 died; led to US joining war against Germany Significance: highlighted that all population is part of war; Germans are willing to attack passengers; US joined the war

Alliance System

Definition: Europe breaks into two armed camps of triple entente and triple alliance

Triple Entente

Definition: French, British, and Russia (Russia drops out in 1917 and the US replaces them) Significance: Germany was viewed as a threat and countries needed to unite against it

Triple Alliance

Definition: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy

Battle of Verdun, February 1916

Definition: Longest battle of WW1; Germans attacked France to get rid of ally powers and hostilities; Many casualties and lots of need for manpower; Germany has chemical weaponry (phosgene gas) and they advance; France sets out to create a diversion with the battle of Somme Significance: Many casualties lost

Black Hand

Definition: Pan-slavic secret terrorist society; aimed to unite Serbia with violence; 2500 members killed the Austrian archduke (Franz Ferdinand) Significance: led to continued conflict and a war between serbia and Austria-Hungary

Austrian Ultimatum

Definition: Serbia initiates the death of Austrian archbishop --> Austria-Hungary gives Serbia ultimatum which makes demands to Serbian gov't --> orders to remove Bosnia from A-H, cut military in half, etc. --> Serbia doesn't agree Significance: a war between Austria-Hungary and Serbia starts; the Germans are happy and offer a blank check to cover all costs; Russia helps Serbia

Gallipoli

Definition: a disaster plan by Winston Churchill; entente attacked turks to get Germans to split their army; entente wanted constantinople; many casualties and did not succeed Significance: Renewed Turkish ideas of an empire

Schllieffen Plan

Definition: a plan by Alfred Von Schllieffen to attack France (Germans believed that France must be defeated to get Britain and Russia to withdraw from war); Germans travelled around france through belgium to avoid ready allied forces at west-France border Significance: caused Britain to start playing a more central role in the war

DORA (Defense of Realms Act), 1914

Definition: controles civil lives of all British during WW1; examples include no-one was allowed to buy brandy or whisky in a railway refreshment room no-one was allowed to ring church bells

total war

Definition: country moves entire population to war effort; all men go to military and female fill in in production positions

Planned Economy

Definition: economic plan; decisions regarding production and investment are embodied in a plan formulated by a central authority Significance: shows more power to the gov't rather than people

Conscription

Definition: in US under Woodrow wilson; all male 21-30 are required to enlist in war

Militarism

Definition: military leaders wear uniforms in public and military men have elevated status Significance: the military starts advocating for war over diplomacy (more violence); less government control and more military control

Trench Warfare

Definition: military lines remain in a trench for protection from small artillery shells; rat infestations and diseases spread through trenches Significance: people expected the war to last for much less time than it did; trenches were not for long term living

War of Attrition

Definition: military strategy in which a aggressive side attempts to win a war by wearing down its enemy to the point of collapse through continuous losses in personnel and materiel. The war will usually be won by the side with greater such resources Significance: war is much slower and torturous on the participants

Battle of Somme

Definition: starts July 1st, 1916; Overall British army has 420,000 casualties; French have 200,000; Germans have 500,000; purpose of the war was to force some Germans to leaver Verdun and thus relieve the French Significance: symbolized the horrors of war in ww1 and trench warfare; many casualties

Mobilization

Definition: to prepare and organize troops for action Significance: mobilization orders were very permanent and powerful

Brinkmanship

Definition: when one country pushes the other to the point of either having to fight, or having to break down; pushing something to the verge of disaster