Allies
* A coalition of countries that opposed the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire) during World War I. It included the British Empire, France, Russia, and later on the United States and Italy joined.
Pacifists
* A person who believes that war and violence are unjustifiable
Socialists
* economic and political theories or movements advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods
Lusitania
* British passenger ship, sunk by the Germans that carried 128 Americans who played a part in motivating the United States to join the War.
Militarism
* a policy of aggressive military preparedness
Nationalism
* An ideology that elevates one nation or nationality above all others and that places primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations, nationalities, or supranational groups
Imperialism
* a policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force.
Trench warfare
* warfare in which the opposing forces attack and counterattack from a relatively permanent system of trenches protected by barbed-wire entanglements
Central Powers
* A military alliance of countries that fought in World War I against the Allies. It included Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria.
"No man's land"
* An area not suitable or used for occupation or habitation, disputed ground between the frontlines or trenches of two opposing armies.
Woodrow Wilson
* 28th President of the United States and led the U.S during WWI
Zimmermann note
* Coded telegram sent by German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmermann to the German minister in Mexico. The note revealed a plan to renew unrestricted submarine warfare and to form an alliance with Mexico and Japan if the United States declared war on Germany
Archduke Franz Ferdinand
* Next in succession to the Austro-Hungarian throne, his assassination is noted as the catalyst for World War I
Count Alfred von Schlieffen
* German officer and head of the general staff who developed the plan of attack (Schlieffen Plan) that the German armies used, with significant modifications, at the outbreak of World War I
Fourteen Points Plan
* 14 points as a blueprint for world peace that was to be used for peace negotiations after World War I
Spanish Flu
* a global influenza pandemic that occurred between 1918 and 1919, causing an estimated 50-100 million deaths worldwide
U-boat
* The German submarine ship that was their most effective advantage in the early part of World War I
Selective Service Act
* U.S. federal laws that instituted conscription, or compulsory military service.
Espionage Acts
* 1917 prohibited obtaining information, recording pictures, or copying descriptions of any information relating to the national defense with intent or reason to believe that the information may be used for the injury of the United States or to the advantage of any foreign nation
Sedition Acts
* permitting the deportation, fine, or imprisonment of anyone deemed a threat or publishing “false, scandalous, or malicious writing” against the government of the United States
Assassin
* one who murders a politically important person either for money or from fanatical adherence to a cause
Empire
* a major political unit having a territory of great extent or a number of territories or peoples under a single sovereign authority
Annexed
* to incorporate (an additional geographic area) within the domain of a country, state, etc
Propaganda
* the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person
Liberty Bonds
* a debt obligation issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury in conjunction with the Federal Reserve, to finance the U.S.' participation in World War I
Draft
* To choose people for compulsory military service, especially when the armed forces need more soldiers
War Crimes
* Serious violations of international law that occur during war or conflict. They include murder, torture, rape, and the destruction of civilian property
Genocide
* the deliberate and systematic destruction of a group of people because of their ethnicity, nationality, religion, or race.
Isolationism
* a policy of remaining apart from the affairs or interests of other groups, especially the political affairs of other countries.
Treaty of Versailles
* A peace treaty signed on 28 June 1919. As the most important treaty of World War I, it ended the state of war between Germany and most of the Allied Powers.