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Triple Entente/Allies
The Triple Entente, later known as the Allies, consisted of France, Britian, and Russia. The Triple Alllience consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary. and Italy. -
Central Powers
Germany and Austria-Hungary, together with the Ottoman Empire-an empire of mostly Middle Eastern lands controlled by the Turks-were later known as the Centeral Powers. -
1914 Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand heir to the Austrian throne, visited Bosnian capital Sarajevo. As he drove through the city, Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip stepped from the crowd and shot the Archduke and his wife Sophie. Princip was a memeber of the Black Hand, an organization promoting Serbian nationalism. The assassinations set off a diplomatic crysis. -
Schlieffen Plan
Germany invaded Belguim, following a stragedy known as the Schliffen Plan. This called for quick aciton against Russia, combined with a quick drive through Belguim to Paris; after France had fallen, the two German armies would defeat Russia. -
Sinking of the British liner Lusitania
Germany responded to British blockaid with a counterblockade by U-boats. Any British or Allied ship would be sunk. One of the worst disasters was when a U-boat sank the British liner Lusitania off the southern coast of Ireland. Of 1,198 people lost, 128 were American. The Germans claimed that the liner had been carrying ammunition. Despite the explaination, American public opinion became outraged and turned against Germany and the Centeral Powers. -
Sinking of the British liner Arabic
In response to the sinking of the Lusitania, 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 French passenger liner Sussex
Germany broke its promise and torpedoed an unarmed French passenger steamer, the Sussex. The Sussex sank and, and about 80 passengers, including Americans, were killed or injured. Once again the United States warned that it would break of diplomatic relations, and again, Germany agreed. However there was a condition, if the United States could not convice Britians to lift its Blockade, Germany would consider renewing unrestricted submarine warfare. -
Battle of the Somme
The British suffered 60,000 casualties alone on the first day. Final casualties totaled about 1.2 million, yet only seven miles of ground changed lands. -
War Industries Board
Established in 1917 and reorganized in 1918 under leadership of Bernand M. Baruch, a wealthy bussiness man. The board encouraged companies to use mass-production techniques to increase efficency. Also urged them to eliminate waste by standerdizing products. Under the WIB, industrial production in the US increased by about 20%. They also controlled prices at an wholesale level, and as a result retail prices soared, and in 1918 they were almost double what they had been before the war. -
Convoy System
German U-boat attacks on merchant ships in the Atlantic were a serious threat. American Vice Admiral William S. Sims convinced the British to try the convoy system, in which a heavy guard of destroyers escorted merchant ships back and fourth across the Atlantic in groups. By fall of 1917, shipping losses had been cut in half. -
Zimmermann note
Telegram from German foreign minister to German ambassador in Mexico that was intercepted by British agents. The telegram proposed an alliance between Mexico and Germany and promised that if war with the United States broke out, Germany would support Mexico in recovering "lost territory" in New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona. Next came the sinking of four unarmed American merchant ships, with a loss of 36 lives. -
Committee on Public Information
To populize the war, the government set up the nation's first propagandy agency, the Committe on Public Information. Propaganda is a kind of biased communication designed to influence people's thoughts and emotions. The head was a former muckraking journalist named George Creel. Creel persuaded the nation's artists and advertising agencies to create thousands of paintings, posters, cartoons, and sculptures promoting the war. -
Selective Service Act of 1917
The Act requred men to register with the government in order to be randomly selected for military service. By the end of 1918, 24 million men had been registered under the act. Of this, almost 3 million were called up. About 2 million troops reached Europe before the truce was signed, three-fourths of them saw actaul combat. -
Espoinage and Sedation Acts
Under the Espoinage and Sedation 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 something disloyal, profane, or abusive about the government or the war effort. Espoinage and Sedation Acts targeted socialist and labor leaders. These laws clearly violated the spirit of the first amendment. -
Second Battle of the Marne
Americans had arrived just in time to help stop the German advance at Catigny in France. Several weeks later, U.S. troops played a major role in throwing back German attacks at Chateau-Thierry and Belleau Wood. In July and August, they helpd in the Second Battle of the Marne. -
Food Administration
To produce and conserve food, Wilson set up the Food Administration under Herbert Hoover. 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." -
National War Labor Board
To deal with the disputes between management and labor, President Wilson established the 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 pused for a eight-hour workday, promoted safety inspections, and enforced the child labor ban. -
Austria-Hungary surrenders to the Allies
Austria-Hungary surrendered to the Allies on November 3, 1918. -
Establishment of the German Republic
On November 3, German sailors mutinied against government authority. Everywhere in Germany, groups of soldiers and workes organized revolutionary councils. On November 9, socialist leaders in the capital, Berlin, established a German republic. The kaiser gave up the throne. -
Cease-fire and armistice
Although there we no Allied soldiers on German territory and no truly decisive battle had been fought, the Germans were too tired to continue fighting. Germany agreed to a cease-fire and signed the armistice, or truce, that ended the war.
