-
Allies
By 1907, The Triple Entente (later known as the Allies) was made up of France, Britain, and Russia; The Triple Alliance- which consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy- were the two major defense allies in Europe. -
Central Powers
Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire made up the Central Powers. The Ottoman Empire was mostly made up of Middle Eastern lands controlled by the Turks. -
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand was going to visit the Bosnian capital Saravejo. As he and his wife were driving in the city, a Serbian nationalist (Gavrilo Princip) shot the Austrian heir and his wife. -
Schlieffen Plan
Germany invaded Belgium with a strategy known as the Schlieffen Plan. This plan called for holding action against Russia, then a quick attack through Belgium to Paris, France. After the fall of Paris, two German armies were to go defeat Russia. -
Sinking of British Liner Lusitania
German forces were attacking the U-boats (submarines) of the Allied forces. One of the worst attacks was the sinking of the British liner off the southern coast of Ireland. 1,198 people were killed, including 128 Americans. The Germans argued that the liner was holding ammunition but the Americans were not listening to their defense- instead, they decided to join the Allies against Germany and the Central Powers. -
Sinking of British Liner Arabic
President Wilson ruled a military response against Germany after the Lusitania attack, 3 months later Germany sunk another ship- the British Liner Arabic which held 2 Americans. Germany promised not to sink anymore ships. -
Food Administration
To help produce and conserve food, Wilson set up the Food Administration under Herbert Hoover. They organized the food consumption of the US population and encouraged farmers to use 40 million acres more for making food. It increased their income by almost 30 percent. American food shipment to the Allies tripled. -
Sinking of French Passenger Liner Sussex
In March 1916, the Germans broke their promise and sunk the French passenger ship the Sussex. 80 passengers including Ameriacns were killed.US said they would break off diplomatic relations unless they stopped, Germany said they would agree if the US would persuade Britain to release their naval blockade against food and fertilizers. -
Battle of the Somme
Began in July and ended mid-November, this was a battle of trench warfare. The British casualties were at 60,000 on the first day. Final casualties went up to 1.2 million, but only seven miles of land was being exchanged between German forces and Allied soldiers. -
Zimmerman Note
A telegram from the German Prime Minister to the German ambassador in Mexico that was intercepted by a British agent. -
Selective Service Act of 1917
To meet the government's need for more fighting power, Congress passed the Selective Service Act that required men to register with the government in order to randomly select them for military services. By the end of 1918, 24 million men had already signed up. Only 3 million were called up for service. -
Espionage and Sedition Acts
Passed by Congress, under these 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. -
Convoy System
German submarines were a problem for the Allies, so the British tried to use a convoy system which was a heavy guard of destroyers escorted merchant ships back and forth across the Atlantic in groups. -
War Industries Board
Established in 1917 and passed by Bernard M. Baruch (prosperous businessman), the board encouraged companies to use mass production techniques to increase efficiency. -
Committee on Public Information
To popularize the war, the government set up the nation's first propaganda agency- the CPI. It was formed under George Creel who created thousands of paintings, posters, cartoons, and sculptures to promote the war. -
Second Battle of the Marne
This was the turning point of the war, the Allies advanced steadily after defeating the Germans. -
Austria-Hungary Surrenders to the Allies
Austria-Hungary surrendered to the Allies on November 3rd,1918. On the same day, the German sailors mutinied against government authorities. -
Establishment of the German Republic
After Austria-Hungary surrendered to the Allies, German sailors mutinied against government authority. This spread quickly, and created groups and councils that wanted to start a revolution. Socialist leaders in Berlin established a German Republic. -
Ceasefire and Armstice
On the eleventh hour, the eleventh day, and the eleventh month of 1918,Germany agreed to a ceasefire and signed the armistice of truce which ended the war. -
National War Labor Board
Established by President Wilson to deal with disputes between management and labor forces. Workers who refused to obey this could lose their draft exemptions. It also pushed for 8 hour workdays, promoted safety inspections, and enforced a child labor ban.
