10.2 - Fighting the Great War, 10.1 - World War I Begins, 10.3 - World War I Ends
Battle of Verdun
(1916) Offensive launched by Central Powers; the longest battle of World War I; it ended in stalemate, with both sides suffering hundreds of thousands of casualties
T. E. Lawrence
1888 - 1935, also known as Lawrence of Arabia, was a British archaeologist, writer, and expert on Arabia who helped lead an Arab rebellion and guerilla war against the Ottoman Turks during World War I. In 1926, he published a memoir of his activities in those years, The Seven Pillars of Wisdom.
Trench Warfare
A form of warfare in which opposing armies fight each other from trenches dug in the battlefield.
Schlieffen Plan
A strategy drawn up by Germany to avoid fighting a war on two fronts. Plan was to defeat France quickly and then turn attention to Russia
Allied Powers
Alliance of Russia, France, and Great Britain (Triple Alliance) during WWI. Eventually joined by USA
Battle of the Somme
Allied Offensive; 1916 WWI (1914-1918) battle between German and British forces. Ending in a stalemate, high number of casualties 60,000 British died first day- 1.25 million men killed or wounded in total
How did Germany's invasion of Belgium bring Britain into the war?
Belgium was a neutral country that did not want to be involved in war. Britain had signed a treaty guaranteeing Belgian neutrality. After Germany violated Belgium's neutrality, Britain declared war on Germany
Lusitania
British liner torpedoed by a German submarine in May 1915
How did the refusal of the United States to join the League of Nations weaken the League's power?
By entering World War I and significantly affecting its outcome, the United states proved itself to be an international power. The League o Nations could not easily implement policies and enforce decision if one of the most powerful countries of the world was not a participating member.
How did Imperialism heighten tensions in Europe?
Countries with overseas empires needed a strong military to protect their colonies from other imperial powers. So , they increased the size of their navies and armies. This arms race made countries more tense and nervous.
Stalemate
Deadlock in which neither side is able to defeat the other
Kaiser Wilhelm II
Emperor of Germany during World War I, supported Austria,gave them the "blank check"
Tanks
First seen in WWI. armored vehicles with mounted machine guns created by British to cross No Man's Land.
U-boat
German submarine
Blank Check
Germany swears to support Austria-Hungary in any actions it takes against Serbia
Convoy
Group of merchant ships protected by warships
Why did President Woodrow Wilson think the World War I was the "war to end all wars"?
He thought the war was so horrible that nations would never go to war again.
Zeppelin
Large gas-filled balloon
Gavrilo Princip
Serbian Nationalist. The assassin of Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria, a member of the Black Hand
What evidence shows that soldiers' morale declined and negatively affected the war effort?
Soldiers were disobeying their officers and leaving the fighting. For example, French troops mutinied, Italian soldiers deserted, and Russian soldiers left the front to join the revolution against their government.
How can total war increase the power of government and have a lasting political impact?
TO achieve total war, governments take a stronger role in directing the economic and cultural lives of their people. They may raise taxes, increase borrowing, regulate the economy, and more. After the war ends, governments may keep some of those powers.
No Man's Land
Territory between rival Trenches, very dangerous
How was the Eastern Front different from the Western Front?
The Eastern Front did not involve trench warfare. Battle lines shifted over large areas. Armies on the Easter Front suffered higher casualties than those on the Western Front.
What were the major features and immediate effects of war in the Middle East?
The Middle East was the Ottoman Empire's third front. Aided by the British, Arab nationalists revolted against Ottoman rule and waged a guerrilla war. The Ottoman enore kist a great deal of territory to the Arabs.
How did the failure of Germany's Schlieffen Plan to quickly defeat France affect the future course of the war?
The failure of the Schlieffen Plan meant the Germans had to fight the war on both the Western and Eastern fronts. The opposing armies began to dig defensive trenches, and the war bogged down into a long, deadly stalemate.
Machine Guns (WWI)
The machine gun typically required a six to eight-man team to operate: one fired, one fed the ammunition, the rest helped to carry the weapon, its ammunition and spare parts. Led to mass numbers of casualties
Why did the European nations form opposing alliances?
They wanted to protect themselves from their enemies,and the alliances made them stronger both militarily and economically.
Why might the war cause an economic recession of depression in Europe?
Total war can leave a nations' economy broken and bankrupt. Citizens may go without many necessities, including food. The cost of reconstruction, reparations, and paying off war debts will leave European economies very fragile, increasing the likelihood of a recession or depression.
Dardanelles
Vital strait connecting the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea in present-day Turkey
How did the goals of the Big Three Leaders - Wilson, Lloyd George, and Clemenceau - conflict?
Wilson wanted peace without revenge, Lloyd George wanted to reward the heroic British people by punishing Germany and using reparation money for rebuilding projects at home. Clemenceau wanted to weaken Germany so it could never threaten France again.
mandate
after World War I, a territory administered by a Western power
armistice
agreement to end fighting in a war
Long Range Artillery
allowed for shelling of enemies from more than a mile away. Accounted for most casualties in the war.
alliance
an agreement between nations to work together for common interests and support each other in the event of conflict.
Alsace and Lorraine
border provinces lost by France to Germany in the Franco-Prussian War
total war
channeling of a nation's entire resources into a war effort
contraband
during wartime, military supplies and raw materials needed to make military supplies that may legally be confiscated by any belligerent
ultimatum
final set of demands
Airplanes
first time used in warfare in WWI. Early used for recon and surveillance, eventually became fighter planes
militarism
glorification of the military
Archduke Franz Ferdinand
heir to the Austria-Hungarian throne, was assassinated in Sarajevo, started World War I.
Atrocity
horrible act committed against innocent people
Ottoman Empire
joined the Central Powers in WWI
Fourteen Points
list of terms for resolving WWI and future wars outlined by American President Woodrow Wilson in January 1918
poison gas
most dreaded weapon of WWI. Led to choking, burns, blinding of soldiers. Led to introduction of gas masks. Banned by Geneva Convention
entente
nonbinding agreement to follow common policies
radical
one who favors extreme changes
reparation
payment for war damage or damage caused by imprisonment
neutrality
policy of supporting neither side in a war
mobilize
prepare military forces for war
European Colonies
provided troops, manpower, and materials for the European countries at war
self-determination
right of people to choose their own form of government
pandemic
spread of a disease across a large area, country, continent, or the entire world
propaganda
spreading of ideas to promote a cause or to damage an opposing cause
Balkan Powder Keg
state of unrest in the balkans that allowed the assassination of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian thrown to WWI
collective security
system in which a group of nations acts as one to preserve the peace of all
Central Powers
the alliance between Austria-Hungary and Germany and later the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria
conscription
which required all young men to be ready for military or other service