World War I Flashcards

Grade 9 · Social Studies · Flashcards

Key terms and concepts for studying World War I.

Flashcards

Archduke Franz Ferdinand: Heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne; his 1914 assassination triggered WWI.
Triple Entente: Pre-war alliance of Britain, France, and Russia; became the basis of the Allied Powers.
Triple Alliance: Pre-war alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy; became the basis of the Central Powers.
Western Front: The main WWI front in western Europe, famous for trench warfare stretching from Belgium to Switzerland.
Trench warfare: Military strategy of digging and defending long ditches; caused massive casualties with little territory gained.
No Man's Land: The dangerous ground between opposing trenches that neither side could safely cross.
Poison gas: Chemical weapon (chlorine, mustard gas) used extensively in WWI, causing horrific injuries and deaths.
Treaty of Versailles: 1919 peace treaty ending WWI; blamed Germany, required reparations, stripped territory.
War Guilt Clause: Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles forcing Germany to accept blame for WWI.
Armistice: Agreement to stop fighting; WWI ended with an armistice on November 11, 1918.
Zimmermann Telegram: 1917 German message to Mexico proposing an alliance against the US; helped push America into WWI.
Reparations: Payments Germany was forced to make to Allied nations to compensate for war damage under the Versailles treaty.