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Allies
The Triple Entente; consisted of France, Britain, and Russia -
Central Powers
The Triple Alliance; consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy -
1914 Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
As the royal entourage drove through the city, Serbian nationalist
Gavrilo Princip stepped from the crowd and shot the Archduke and his wife Sophie. -
Schlieffen Plan
called for a holding action against Russia, combined with a quick
drive through Belgium to Paris; after France had fallen, the two German armies would defeat Russia -
sinking of British liner Arabic
Despite this provocation, President Wilson ruled out a military response in favor of a sharp protest to Germany. Three months later, in August 1915, a U-boat sank another British liner, the Arabic, drowning two Americans. Again the United States protested, and this time Germany agreed not to sink any more passenger ships. -
sinking of the British liner Lusitania
Germany responded to the British blockade with a counterblockade by U-boats. -
Germany blockades the North Sea
The Germans defended their action on the grounds that the liner carried ammunition. Despite Germany’s explanation, Americans became outraged with Germany because of the loss of life. American
public opinion turned against Germany and the Central Powers. -
trench warfare
armies fought for mere yards of ground -
sinking of British liner Sussex
Germany broke its promise and torpedoed an unarmed French passenger steamer, the Sussex. It sank, and about 80 passengers, including Americans, were killed or injured. Once again the United States warned that it would break off diplomatic relations unless Germany changed its tactics. Again Germany agreed, but there was a condition: if the United States could not persuade Britain to lift its blockade against food and fertilizers, Germany would consider renewing unrestricted submarine warfare. -
Battle of the Somme
British suffered 60,000 casualties the first day alone. Final casualties totaled about 1.2 million, yet only about seven miles of ground changed hands -
Wilson's "peace without victory" speech
The president called for “a peace without victory. . . . a peace between equals,” in which neither side would impose harsh terms on the other. Wilson hoped that all nations would join in a “league for peace” that would work to extend democracy, maintain freedom of
the seas, and reduce armaments. -
Zimmermann Note
a telegram from the German foreign minister to the German ambassador in Mexico that was intercepted by British agents -
Bolshevik Revolution
The Bolsheviks, led by Lenin and Trotsky, overthrew the provisional government. They set up a Communist state and sought peace with the Central Powers. -
Selective Service Act of 1917
The act required men to register with the government
in order to be randomly selected for military service. -
convoy system
a heavy guard of destroyers escorted merchant ships back and forth across the Atlantic in groups -
369th Infantry Regiment
Most African Americans were assigned to noncombat duties, although there were exceptions. The all-black 369th Infantry
Regiment saw more continuous duty on the front lines than any other American regiment. -
American Expeditionary Force and General John J. Pershing
doughboys; included men from widely separated parts of the country -
Second Battle of the Marne
U.S. troops played a major role in throwing back German attacks at Château-Thierry and Belleau Wood. -
conscientious objector
a person who opposes warfare on moral grounds, pointing out that the Bible says, “Thou shalt not kill.” -
War Industries Board
The board encouraged companies to use mass-production techniques to increase efficiency. It also urged them to eliminate waste by standardizing products—for instance, by making only 5 colors of typewriter ribbons instead of 150. -
National War Labor Board
Workers who refused to obey board decisions could lose their draft
exemptions. “Work or fight,” the board told them. However, the board also worked to improve factory conditions. It pushed for an eight-hour workday, promoted safety inspections, and enforced the child labor ban. -
Food Administration
Instead of rationing food, he called on people to follow the “gospel of the clean plate.” He declared one day a week “meatless,” another “sweetless,” two days “wheatless,” and two other days “porkless.” -
Committee on Public Information and the "four minute men"
spoke about everything relating to the war: the draft, rationing, bond drives, victory gardens, and topics such as “Why We Are Fighting” and “The Meaning of America.” (bias) -
Anti-German sentiment in America
The main targets of these attacks were Americans who had emigrated from other nations, especially those from Germany and Austria-Hungary. The most bitter attacks were directed against the
nearly 2 million Americans who had been born in Germany, but other foreign born persons and Americans of German descent suffered as well. -
Espionage and Sedition Acts
a person could be fined up to $10,000 and sentenced to 20 years in jail for interfering with the war effort or for saying anything disloyal, profane, or abusive about the government or the war effort. -
Eugene V. Debs arrest
Eugene V. Debs was handed a ten-year prison sentence for speaking out against the war and the draft. -
Emma Goldman
The anarchist Emma Goldman received a two-year prison sentence and a $10,000 fine for organizing the No Conscription League. When she left jail, the authorities deported her to Russia. -
Big Bill Haywood and the IWW
“Big Bill” Haywood and other leaders of the Industrial Workers of
the World (IWW) were accused of sabotaging the war effort because they urged workers to strike for better conditions and higher pay. Haywood was sentenced to a long prison term. -
Victor Berger
joined the Socialist Labor Party -
shell shock, trench foot, and trench mouth
Shell shock: a term coined during World War I to describe a complete emotional collapse from which many never recovered.
Trench foot: caused by standing in cold wet trenches for long periods of time without changing into dry socks or boots.
Trench mouth: a painful infection of the gums and throat -
raising money for the war
through public borrowing by selling “Liberty Loan” and “Victory Loan” bonds -
Wilson's Fourteen Points
Wilson's plan for world peace -
Austria-Hungary surrenders to the Allies
That same day, German sailors mutinied against government authority. The mutiny spread quickly. Everywhere in Germany, groups of soldiers and workers organized revolutionary councils. -
establishment of the German Republic
Although there were no Allied soldiers on German territory and no truly decisive battle had been fought, the Germans were too exhausted to continue fighting. -
cease-fire and armistice
truce -
reparations and the war guilt clause
reparations: war damages
war guilt clause: forced Germany to admit sole responsibility for starting World War I -
agreements made in the Treaty of Versailles
established nine new nations—including Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia—and shifted the boundaries of other nations. It carved five areas out of the Ottoman Empire and gave them to France and Great Britain as mandates, or temporary colonies. Those two Allies were to administer their respective mandates until the areas were ready for self-rule and then independence.
