World War I Introduction Flashcards

Grade 8 · Social Studies · Flashcards

Essential vocabulary and concepts for understanding the causes and events of World War I.

Flashcards

World War I (1914–1918)

A global conflict involving most major powers; killed approximately 17 million people; also called the Great War.

MAIN (causes of WWI)

Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism — the four underlying causes of the First World War.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne; his assassination in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914 triggered WWI.

Triple Alliance

Pre-war military alliance among Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy (Italy later sided with the Allies).

Triple Entente (Allied Powers)

Alliance of France, Britain, and Russia; became the Allied Powers fighting against Germany and Austria-Hungary.

Trench Warfare

Fighting from dug-in trenches along fixed lines; dominated the Western Front and created a deadly stalemate.

Western Front

The main battlefront in Western Europe stretching from Belgium to Switzerland where trench warfare was waged.

No Man's Land

The contested ground between opposing trench lines, swept by machine gun fire and covered with barbed wire.

Zimmermann Telegram (1917)

German offer to Mexico of an alliance against the U.S.; its exposure helped bring America into WWI.

Poison Gas

A new chemical weapon first used on a large scale in WWI, causing terrible injuries and mass casualties.

Armistice (Nov. 11, 1918)

The ceasefire agreement that ended WWI fighting; now commemorated as Veterans Day in the United States.

Nationalism

Strong pride in one's nation or ethnic group; drove tensions in Europe, especially in the Balkans before WWI.

Central Powers

WWI alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire fighting against the Allies.

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