World History World War 1

abdicate

(v.) to resign, formally give up an office or a duty; to disown, discard

Soviets

A Russian council composed of representatives from the workers and soldiers.

Total War

A conflict in which the participating countries devote all their economic resources to the war effort

Bolsheviks

A group of revolutionary Russian Marxists who took control of Russia's government in November 1917

Conscription

A military draft

mandate

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

Airplanes

A new technology in WWI used for reconnaissance then later for fighting and bombing.

Rhineland

A region in Germany designated a demilitarized zone by the Treaty of Versailles; Hitler later violated the treaty and sent German troops there in 1936

Stalemate

A situation in which no progress can be made or no advancement is possible; WWI was an example of this.

War of Attrition

A war based on wearing the other side down by constant attacks and heavy losses

machine gun

An automatic gun that fires bullets in rapid succession for as long as the trigger is pressed.

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.

ANZAC

Australian and New Zealand Army Corps

atrocities

Cruel and inhumane acts that people commit against each other; frequent in wartime

Lenin

Founded the Communist Party in Russia and set up the world's first Communist Party dictatorship. He led the October Revolution of 1917, in which the Communists seized power in Russia. He then ruled the country until his death in 1924.

Tsar Nicholas II

Last Tsar of Russia and the end of the Romanov line. Was executed along with the rest of his family under the order of Lenin.

Trench Warfare on the Western Front

Miles of Trenches where troops would be stationed for weeks at a time with little forward advance. France had built trenches along its German border but Germans went North through Belgium where they had not fortified as much but this also drew the British into the war.

Rasputin

Siberian peasant monk who was religious advisor in the court of Tsar Nicholas II

Russian Revolution of 1917

Spontaneous rebellion that erupted in Russia after the country's defeat at the hands of Japan in 1905; the revolution was suppressed, but it forced the government to make substantial reforms.

Big Four

The Big Four were the four most important leaders, and the most important ones at the Paris Peace Conference. They were Woodrow Wilson- USA, David Lloyd George- UK, George Clemenceau- France, and Vittorio Orlando- Italy.

M.A.I.N.

These are four main underlying causes of World War I. Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism.

Propaganda

These are ideas or information that usually designed by a government to influence public opinion, often times to persuade a people to go to war.

Austria-Hungary

This Central Power empire during WWI, started the war with their invasion of Serbia after the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand on June 28, 1914 . It was made up of Austria, Hungary and several other nations and territories. After World War I it split up into several nations.

Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany

This German Emperor led the Germans during WWI. In 1918 he was forced to step down by German Generals.

The Black Hand

This Serbian rebel group assassinated Archduke Ferdinand after several failed attempts.

Triple Entente

This alliance between Great Britain, France and Russia in the years before WWI. IN BLUE ABOVE

Allied Powers

This alliance during WWI included the United States, Great Britain, France, Russia and Italy (switched to the Allied Powers in 1915). (The blue countries of the East and West on map above)

Triple Alliance

This alliance was made Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy in the years before WWI. IN RED ABOVE

Balkan Region

This area was considered "powder keg of Europe." It was an important area for the following reasons: ~Russia wanted access to Med. Sea ~Germany wanted rail link to Ottoman Emp. ~Austria-Hungary had control of Bosnia, accused Serbia of subverting rule over it

Militarism

This cause of World War I was a policy of building up strong armed forces to prepare for war.

Nationalism

This cause of World War I was based on an intense pride in one's nation.

Causes of World War I Imperialism

This cause of World War II resulted from the competition among European nations for colonies in Africa and Asia from 1880-1914. This created tension, especially between Germany and Great Britain.

Trench Warfare

This style of warfare was common in WWI, due to the invention of the machine gun and heavy artillery. It included digging long trenches, separated by barbed wire and a no mans land.

Shlieffen Plan

This was Germany's military plan at the outbreak of WWl. The plan was for troops to rapidly defeat France and move east to defeat Russia.

Gallipoli Campaign

This was a British/ANZAC military attack in 1915 during World War I against the Ottoman Empire at Dardanelles', to bring supplies to Russia. The mission failed with high casualties by the British as shown in movie with Mel Gibson called "Gallipoli."

Eastern Front

This was a front in WWI. The region of fighting happened along the German-Russian Border where Russians and Serbs battled Germans, Austrians, and Turks.

Central Powers

This was a major alliance at the 'center' of Europe during World War I, made up of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and Ottoman Empire. It was formerly known as the Triple Alliance before the war. SHOWN ABOVE IN RED.

Allied Powers

This was a major alliance during World War I made up of Britain, France, Russia, and the United States. It was know n as the Triple Entente(a French word) before the war.

Causes of World War I Alliances

This was a major cause of WWI. Two major alliances formed the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria, Italy) and the Triple Entente (France, England, Russia). This alliance system made world war likely, by drawing all countries into a small war.

Western Front

This was a major front in World War I. A line of trenches and fortifications in World War I that stretched without a break from Switzerland to the North Sea. This is where most of the fighting happened in World War II.

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

This was the spark that started World War I. Archduke Ferdinand, the Austrian crown prince, was murdered on June 28, 1914, by a Serbian nationalist while visiting Sarajevo, Bosnia. Germany urged Austria-Hungary to fight and they went to war against Serbia; all of this due to Serbia wanting to expand

Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points

Woodrow Wilson had a series of suggestions in order to restore Europe to a prosperous economy after WWI the most important being a call to help Germany be allowed independent development ( a point that was ignored and led to the rise of Hiter) and a call for a "general association of nations" to make sure a world war would never occur again.

Mustard Gas

a new invention in WWI - a yellow colored gas that was fired at the enemy - it caused blindness, damage to the lungs and death

reconnaissance

a survey made for military purposes; any kind of preliminary inspection or examination

League of Nations

an international organization formed in 1920 to promote cooperation and peace among nations

planned economy

economy that relies on a centralized government to control all or most factors of production and to make all or most production and allocation decisions

War Communism

in World War I Russia, government control of banks and most industries, the seizing of grain from peasants, and the centralization of state administration under Communist control

artillery

large-caliber guns used in warfare on land.

Turkey

nation-state that arose from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire, under Ataturk; controlled the Dardanelles (the Bosporus Strait) and Gallipoli.

Mobilization

the process of assembling troops and supplies and making them ready for war

Treaty of Versailles

the treaty imposed on Germany by the Allied powers in 1920 after the end of World War I which demanded costly reparations from the Germans

Tsarina Alexandra

wife of Nicholas II left in power when he joined army on front lines; allowed Rasputin to control government and went into shock when he was assassinated