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Allies
Originally called the Triple Entente, this group was composed of France, Britain, and Russia. -
Central Powers
Originally called the Triple Alliance, this group was composed of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. The Ottoman Empire eventually joined the Central Powers as well. -
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne, visited the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo. As he drove through the city, Gavrilo Princip, a member of the Serbian nationalist group the Black Hand, shot both the Archduke and his wife. This event caused a diplomatic crisis that led to the start of the Great War. -
Schlieffen Plan
The plan which Germany used in its invasion of Belgium. One German army was to hold off Russia while another was to invade France through Belgium. Once France fell, the two armies would combine to fight against Russia. -
Germany Blockades the North Sea
Germany responded to the British naval blockade of the North Sea with a U-boat counter-blockade because the British blockade was causing starvation. Any British or Allied ship found in the waters around Britain would be sunk. The U.S. economy was hurt by this by not being allowed to send goods to German ports. -
Sinking of the British Liner Lusitania
1,198 people died in the sinking of the Lusitania, 128 of which were Americans. The Germans defended their action on the grounds that the ship carried ammunition, but Americans were still outraged by the loss of life and turned public opinion against the Central Powers. -
Sinking of the British Liner Arabic
2 Americans died in the sinking of the Arabic. The U.S. protested Germany's action, and Germany promised to not sink any more passenger ships. -
Sinking of French Passenger Liner Sussex
Germany broke its promise to not sink any more passenger ships and sunk the Sussex, drowning 80 passengers, including Americans. The U.S. warned it would break off diplomatic relations with Germany again unless it changed its tactics. Germany agreed, but expected the U.S. to persuade Britain to end the blockade or it would consider renewing unrestricted submarine warfare. -
Battle of the Somme
A battle that lasted around two and a half months with an extremely high casualty rate; the British lost 60,000 soldiers in the first day. 1.2 million total casualties resulted from this battle, but only 7 miles of ground changed hands. -
Trench Warfare
The war strategy used by the Allies and the Central Powers in World War I. Front line, support, and reserve trenches were connected by communication trenches. Bloody battles were fought for mere yards of ground using trench warfare. -
Wilson's "Peace Without Victory" Speech
President Woodrow Wilson gave a speech before the Senate calling for "peace without victory . . . a peace between equals," in which neither side would impose harsh terms on the other. Wilson hoped that all other 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. It proposed that if the United States were to enter the war, Germany would help fund Mexico and aid them in reclaiming lost territory in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. -
Bolshevik Revolution
The oppressive Russian monarchy was replaced by a representative government. -
Raising Money for the War
The U.S. spent about $35.5 billion on the war effort. It raised about one third of the money through taxes. It raised the rest through selling "Liberty Loans" and "Victory Loan" bonds. Movie stars advertised war bond purchases and the Secretary of Treasury said that "only a friend of Germany" would refuse to buy war bonds. -
Anti-German Sentiment in America
Once America joined the war, German immigrants and people of German descent were attacked. Many Americans with German last names lost their jobs. Orchestras refused to play the music of Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms. Some towns with German last names changed them. Schools stopped teaching the German language, and librarians removed books by German authors from the shelves. Some German Americans were victims of violence. German words were modified to be more American. -
Committee on Public Information and the "Four-Minute Men"
The organization the government created to popularize the war. The CPI was the first propaganda agency, headed by former muckraker George Creel. It recruited about 75,000 men to serve as "Four-Minute Men" who 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." Creel also printed millions of copies of propaganda pamphlets to distribute to the public. -
Convoy System
The system in which a heavy guard of destroyers escorted merchant ships across the Atlantic in groups. This system cut shipping losses in half. -
Selective Service Act of 1917
A law that required all men to register with the government in order to be randomly selected for military service. 24 million men had registered under this act by the end of 1918. -
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. -
American Expeditionary Force and General John J. Pershing
The force led by General John J. Pershing that was composed of Americans from widely separated parts of the country. -
War Industries Board
The main regulatory body of the U.S. economy during World War I under the leadership of Bernard M. Baruch. It encouraged companies to use mass-production techniques to increase efficiency and eliminate waste by standardizing products. -
Food Administration
The administration set up by President Woodrow Wilson to help produce and conserve food led by Herbert Hoover. Instead of rationing food, it declared one day a week "meatless," another "sweetless," two days "wheatless," and two other days "porkless." -
369th Infantry Regiment
All-black regiment that saw more continuous duty on the front lines than any other American regiment. -
Shell Shock, Trench Foot, and Trench Mouth
These were some of the terrible health problems caused by trench warfare. Shell shock is a complete emotional collapse from which many never recovered. Trench foot eventually caused feet to rot. Trench mouth was a painful infection of the gums and throat. -
Eugene V. Debs' Arrest
Labor leader Eugene V. Debs was arrested and given a 10 year prison sentence for speaking out against the war and the draft. -
Emma Goldman
Anarchist Emma Goldman received a two year prison sentence and a $10,000 fine for organizing the No Conscription League. When she left jail, authorities deported her to Russia. -
Big BIll Haywood and the IWW
"Big Bill" Hollywood and other leaders of the Industrial Workers of the World 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. (He later skipped bail and fled to Russia.) Under such federal pressure, the IWW faded away. -
Victor Berger
The House of Representatives refused to seat Victor Berger, a socialist congressman from Wisconsin, because of his antiwar views. -
Wilson's Fourteen Points
Wilson's speech about his plan for world peace. The first five points were that there should be no secret treaties among nations, freedom of the seas should be maintained, tariffs should be lowered to foster free trade, arms should be reduced, and colonial policies should not ignore the colonial people. The next eight points dealt with boundary changes and were based on self-determination. The 14th point was to create a League of Nations to settle international issues diplomatically. -
National War Labor Board
The board President Woodrow Wilson established to deal with disputes between management and labor. Workers who refused to obey board decisions could lose their draft exceptions: "Work or fight." However, the board also worked to improve factory conditions. It pushed for an eight-hour work day, promoted safety inspections, and enforced the child labor ban. -
Second Battle of the Marne
The fourth battle which American forces helped tip the balance of. -
Conscientious Objector
A person who opposes warfare on moral grounds. -
Austria-Hungary Surrenders to the Allies
Austria-Hungary's surrender caused German sailors to mutiny against government authority. -
Establishment of the German Republic
A socialist government was established in Germany after the citizens overthrew the kaiser. -
Cease-fire and Armistice
Germany agreed to sign the cease-fire and armistice that ended World War I at 11 am on November 11th, 1918. -
Reparations and the War Guilt Clause
Germany was to pay reparations totaling $33 billion to the Allies. Germany was also to take full responsibility for starting World War I. -
Agreements Made in the Treaty of Versailles
The treaty established nine new nations and shifted the boundaries of other nations. It carved five areas out of the Ottoman Empire and gave them to France and Britain as temporary colonies until they could become independent. Germany was forbidden from maintaining an army and forced to return the region of Alsace-Lorraine to France. Wilson conceded on most of his Fourteen Points in return for the establishment of the League of Nations.
