Chapter 9, 2014 Content Vocabulary Key People, Events, Acts, Plans, and Organizations

Content Vocabulary

nationalism  intense loyalty to one’s country or group  caused tension in Europe

alliance system  agreements to defend other alliance countries if they were attacked  posed a great danger because an attack on one nation could trigger a war involving many countries

entente  French for “an understanding among nations”

U-boat  German submarine

balance of power  The alliance system was supposed to keep peace by creating this.  prevents any one country from dominating the others

militarism  the strengthening of armies and navies to protect a nation’s interests  in turn threatens rivals to build up their military

ethnic group  people who share a common language and traditions

propaganda  information used to influence public opinion

autocracy  one person with unlimited powers rules  This is the type of government that existed in Russia prior to their revolution in  The temporary government promised free elections and to continue the fight against Germany.

convoy  teams of navy destroyers escorting groups of merchant ships across the Atlantic

armistice  an agreement to end fighting  began on November 11:  11 th hour on the  11 th day of the  11 th month  Germany had to withdraw land forces and its fleet along with surrendering huge amounts of equipment.

kaiser  emperor  German kaiser stepped down as revolution against him spread in Germany  This led to Germany being declared a republic.  New leaders agreed to Wilson’s terms for armistice.

mobilization  gathering of resources  preparation for war

ration  limited use of food  led to Americans using less food, expanding food production, and increasing food export

socialists  people who believe industries should be publicly owned  They thought war would only help rich business owners and hurt working people.

pacifist  people opposed to the use of violence  They were obviously against war in general.

dissent  disagreement  opposition

national self-determination  the right of people to decide how they should be governed

reparations  payments for damage caused in war

Key People

Archduke Franz Ferdinand  next in line to the throne in Austria-Hungary  He and his wife were assassinated by Serbian nationalists/terrorists.  This was the spark that led to the chain reaction of European countries declaring war with one another.

Bolsheviks  group of Communists  overthrew the democratic government of Russia

Vladimir Lenin  leader of the Bolsheviks

John J. Pershing  Supreme commander of the American Expeditionary Force

doughboys  American soldiers fighting for the Allies

Henry Cabot Lodge  powerful opponent of the Treaty of Versailles  longtime foe of President Wilson  delayed a vote on the treaty  Played a major role in the rejection of the treaty by the U.S. Senate

Key Events, Acts, Plans

Battle of Verdun  German offensive (attack)  One of the longest and bloodiest battles of the war

Battle of the Somme  Allies begin their offensive

Great Migration  thousands of African-Americans moved from the rural south to Northern cities  huge population movement  thousands of Mexicans migrated to the U.S. in search of jobs

Food Administration  headed by Herbert Hoover  encouraged American farmers to produce more  persuaded the public to eat less  Price controls on agricultural products to encourage voluntary rationing

War Industries Board  supervised industrial production  oversaw the changeover of factories to produce war-related goods  set prices for key consumer products

Fuel Administration  managed the nation’s coal and oil  introduced Daylight Savings Time  called for “Heatless Mondays”

Committee on Public Information  promote the war as a battle for democracy and freedom  launched a massive propaganda campaign  Distributed millions of pro-war pamphlets, posters, articles, and books  Provided newspapers with government accounts of the war and advertisements  Hired speakers, writers, artists, and actors to build support for the war

Effects of the War at Home  helped the American economy  Hurt American society  government silenced opposition  Some Americans became intolerant of those who were different.

Battle of Argonne Forest  Allied offensive  defeated the Germans  most massive attack in American history  7 weeks long  turns the war in favor of the Allies

Lusitania  British passenger liner torpedoed by German U-boats  killed more than 1000 people, including 128 Americans

Selective Service Act  set up a military draft to raise an army quickly  Men aged must register to serve, then a portion of those registered are called to serve

Zimmerman Telegram  sent by a German foreign minister to Mexico  offered an alliance with Mexico against the U.S.  Germany offered financial support and lost territory in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk  between Russia and Germany  allowed Russia to focus on their new communist government  gave Germans substantial territory  Allowed Germans to move troops from the Eastern Front to the Western Front and almost win the war by taking Paris

Great Migration

Espionage Act  People against the war were seen as unpatriotic.  stiff penalties for spying  People who aided the enemy or interfered with army recruiting could be penalized, too.

Sabotage Act & Sedition Act  It became a crime to say, print, or write any criticism perceived, or recognized, as negative about the government.  It was considered sabotage – secret action to damage the war effort.  Thousands were convicted.  Most believed we needed to take action against traitors and disloyal Americans.

Fourteen Points  Wilson’s peace plan  adjusted boundaries in Europe  created new nations  included principles for conducting international relations with free trade and freedom of the seas  end to secret treaties or agreements  Limits on arms  peaceful settlement of disputes over colonies

League of Nations  the 14 th point of Wilson’s 14 points  to improve peace and prevent future wars  respect and protection of one another’s independence

Treaty of Versailles  signed by the Allies and Germany  dealt harshly with the Germans  Germany had to take full responsibility for the conflict  Germany had to disarm completely and give up its overseas colonies along with territory in Europe  Carved up Austria-Hungarian and Russian Empires  New nations created, old nations restored

Europe After World War I  Changed boundaries of Europe  Dividing land weakened Central Powers  Germany’s land area greatly reduced  New nations emerged in Eastern Europe: Poland Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia  Economic depression aided the rise of dictatorships in Europe and Japan  France, Britain, and U.S. sent troops to Russia to fight the Bolsheviks.