Name _____________________________ Period ______
U.S. History WWI Study Guide
Nationalism: Feeling of intense pride of one’s homeland. Promoting your homeland’s culture and interests above those
of other countries. “Patriotism on steroids”.
Alliance: Promising another country you will come to their aid when needed. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
Which countries allied with each other in WWI?: France, Russia, Great Britain, U.S. on one side. Austria-Hungary,
Germany on the other.
Serbia: Slavic people who were taken over by Austria-Hungary. They had more in common with the Russians than the
Germans.
Black Hand: The revolutionary organization of Serbs who wanted the Austria-Hungarian empire out of Serbia. They
assassinate Franz Ferdinand.
Franz Ferdinand: The future leader of Austria-Hungary. He was assassinated by members of The Black Hand while he
was touring with his wife. This event was the spark that started WWI.
Western Front: the battle lines between France and Germany.
No-man’s land: the area between enemy trenches. It was marked by craters from bombs, and laced with barbed wire
Trench foot: Soldiers would get this while serving in the trenches. It was a fungus that caused some to lose their feet.
Shell shock: A nervous breakdown. A mental condition caused by stress experienced during combat.
Chlorine gas: First used by the Germans. Would attack the mucus lining of the body. Slow death.
Mustard gas: Would attack the mucus lining of the body as well as the skin. Cause death or blindness.
Red Baron: German combat pilot. Most successful war pilot in history. Killed 80 planes before being shot down.
The British Blockade: England used its ships to try and block all goods trying to reach Germany. They hoped to starve the
Germans into quitting the war.
List 4 reasons U.S. entered World War 1
Common heritage with Britain
British use of propaganda
U.S. banks were worried they wouldn’t get their loans paid back from England and France
German U-boats had sunk American ships
Zimmerman Telegram
German U-boats: German under-sea boats (submarines). These were used to try and stop all supply ships from getting
to Britain. The Germans hoped to starve the British to end the war.
Zimmerman telegraph: Secret message sent from German official to the German Ambassador to Mexico. Promised
Mexico land they lost in the Mexican/American War if they would attack the U.S. if the U.S. entered WWI.
Propaganda: Information that is designed to influence opinion.
Lusitania: Passenger ship sunk by German submarine. It was sunk without warning. Nearly 1,200 passengers died. It was
believed to be carrying ammunition for the British.
Sussex Pledge: Germans promised to not sink any more merchant ships without warning. Give the passengers a chance
to get off the boat.
Victory Gardens: Citizens were encouraged to plant their own garden in their yard. This would reduce their dependence
on buying groceries at the store. The remaining food could be sent to the troops.
Liberty Bonds: Americans loaned the government money to pay for the war effort. The government promised to pay it
back in the future, with interest.
Bolshevik Revolution: Led by Lenin, they led a revolution that removed the Russian Czar and took control of the country.
The Great Migration: Largest migration of African-Americans to the North. They came to escape racism and to look for
economic opportunities.
Daylight savings time: introduced during WWI to make better use of the daylight during work hours.
Treaty of Versailles: Germany stripped of its army, forced to pay $33 billion in damages to the Allies, they had to take
full responsibility for starting the war. This help set up the conditions that led to WWII.
League of Nations: Proposed by Pres. Wilson. The members would work to help preserve peace and prevent future wary
by pledging to respect and protect each other’s territory and political independence.
Woodrow Wilson: President of the U.S. during World War I. Proposed his 14 points proposal at the end of the war.
When did World War 1 start? When did it end? July 1914/November 1918