World War I Vocabulary
Terms
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- Alliance System
- defense agreement among nations
- Shell Shock
- Medical condition caused by prolonged exposure to the distressing experiences of trench warfare.
- U-boats
- German submarine, taken from German "Unterseeboat"
- Schlieffen Plan
- A strategy drawn up by Germany to avoid fighting a war on two fronts.
- Committee on Public Information
- goal of the committee was to persuade Americans the war represented a battle for democracy and freedom.
- American Expeditionary Force (AEF)
- American troops in Europe, led by John J. Pershing
- Croix de Guerre
- French award from bravery (Cross of War); Henry Johnson, an African American soldier, was the first American to receive this honor.
- Lusitania
- British passenger liner sunk off the coast of Ireland by German u-boats on May 7, 1915.
- Triple Entente
- pre WWI alliance between Great Britain, France and Russia
- Central Powers
- World War I alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire
- Militarism
- a rise in military expenditure, an increase in military and naval forces, more influence of the military men upon the policies of the civilian government, and a preference for force as a solution to problems.
- Pacifist
- people who opposed the use of violence and war
- Blockade
- The isolation of an enemy's ports by means of warships to prevent passage of persons or supplies. To block or prevent the import or export of supplies from a port.
- Home Front
- The name given to the part of war that was not actively involved in the fighting but which was vital to it.
- Victory Gardens
- backyard gardens; Americans were encouraged to grow their own vegetables to support the war effort
- Sabotage and Sedition Acts
- passed in 1918 made it a crime to say, print or write almost anything negative about the government.
- Doughboys
- nickname for American troops in Europe
- Selective Service Act
- established a military draft in the United States
- Stalemate
- Term used to describe the deadlock on the Western Front during the First World War.
- Convoy
- team of troops, ships, or equipment
- Propaganda
- Information given to show something or someone in a biased way
- Food Administration
- Agency created to encourage farmers to produce more and to persuade the public to eat less; goal was to assure enough food was available for the troops; encourages "Wheatless Mondays, "Meatless Tuesdays" and "Porkless Thursdays."
- Zimmermann Telegram
- January 1917 the British intercepted a telegram from the German government to the Mexican government offering German support if Mexico declared war against the US; offered to return land Mexico lost the US
- Eastern Front
- Name given to the fighting on the German-Russian, Austro-Russian and Austro-Romanian fronts.
- Allied Powers
- the coalition formed by Britain and her colonies (including Australia, New Zealand, Canada and India), France and Russia from the beginning of the war, and later other countries including Belgium, Italy and the United States.
- Mobilization
- the gathering of resources and preparation for war
- Nationalism
- feeling of intense loyalty to one's country or group
- Western Front
- the name given to the line of trenches which stretched from the English Channel across the battle fields of France and Belgium during WWI. It was called the Western Front because it was west of Germany.
- Sussex Pledge
- German pledge to warn neutral ships and passenger vessels before attacking
- Dissent
- opposition
- Liberty Bonds
- war bond sold to Americans; 2/3 of war budget
- Four Minute Speeches
- short, patriotic talks given before movies or plays; goal was to gain support for the war and sell liberty bonds
- Great Migration
- movement of over 300,000 African American from the rural south into Northern cities between 1914 and 1920
- Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
- a signed agreement between Russia and the Central Powers when Russia withdrew from the War. Russia surrendered Poland, the Ukraine and other territory.
- Rationing
- a limited portion or allowance of food or goods; limitation of use
- Socialist
- person who believes in the political theory supporting collective or government ownership of the means of production and distribution of goods
- National War Labor Board
- board created to ensure the production of vital war materials.
- Treaty of Versailles
- most famous WWI treaty; treaty between Germany and the allied powers in which Germany accepted full responsibility for the war and agreed to pay reparations; the US did not ratify the treaty.
- Triple Alliances
- pre WWI alliance between Italy, Germany and Austria-Hungary
- Fourteen Points
- the war aims outlined by President Wilson in 1918, which he believed would promote lasting peace; called for self-determination, freedom of the seas, free trade, end to secret agreements, reduction of arms and a league of nations
- Bolshevik
- a group of communists who overthrew the democratic Russian government
- Neutrality
- the state of not taking sides, especially in a war or dispute
- Reparations
- compensation or repayment; compensation payable by a defeated nation for damages sustained by another nation as a result of hostilities.
- Armistice Day
- 11am, November 11, 1918 (11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918)
- National Self Determination
- right of the people to decide how they should be governed
- Espionage Act
- 1917 act gave the government new ways to combat spying
- War Industries Board
- supervised the nation's industrial production
- Trench Warfare
- Form of fighting whereby two sides fight each other from opposing trenches
- League of Nations
- a union of countries formed in 1919 by the Treaty of Versailles to uphold peace, security and promote settlements by arbitration.
- Balance of Power
- system that prevents any one country from dominating the others