US History
WW I Study Guide
1. Who was the US President during WWI?
Woodrow Wilson
2. Who were the members of the Triple Alliance?
Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire
3. The spark that started WWI was caused by what?
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
4. Great Britain declared war after Germany invaded what country on the way to Paris, France?
Belgium
5. What countries made up the Triple Entente?
England, France, Russia
6. The main type of fighting on land was known as what?
Trench Warfare
7. What gave the German navy the advantage in WWI?
U-boats (submarines)
8. What famous British passenger liner was sunk by a German U-Boat?
Lusitania
9. Who did America trade with before they were involved in the war?
Both sides
10. Describe trench warfare
Dirty, nasty, disease ridden,
11. Why did America have little success early in the war?
Unexperienced at fighting
12. What is the Liberty Bond?
Bonds that were sold to Americans to finance the war effort
13. Explain the Zimmerman Note and how it impacted the US?
Telegram to Mexico from Germany to attack the US
14. What is a victory garden and why did Americans use them?
Garden grown at home to help conserve food for the war effort
15. Who was George Creel and what did he do for the war effort?
Led the Committee on Public Information – created propaganda
16. What was the name of the Kaiser (Germany’s Emperor) who fled to Holland in 1918?
Wilhem II
17. American policy at the beginning of the war was to stay out. What was this policy called?
Isolationism
18. What was the convoy system and why was it needed?
US ships sailed in large groups to avoid U-Boats
19. What is an armistice?
Cease fire
20. On what date was the armistice signed between the Allies and Germany?
November 11, 1918 (Armistice Day, later becomes Veterans Day in US
US History
WW I Study Guide
21. Who were the Big Four?
Britain – George, France – Clemenceau, Italy – Orlando, US - Wilson
22. What was Wilson’s plan for peace?
14 point plan
23. Why did the German delegation to Paris refuse to sign the treaty?
Would not accept Clause 231 Guilt Clause
24. Which country pulled out of the war because of revolution?
Russia
25. Who was the most decorated American soldier of WWI?
Alvin York
26. Why was the League of Nations never a powerful peace keeping body?
The US never joined
27. What was a major disadvantage the Central Powers had during the war?
Fighting a two front war
28. Historians generally cite four long-term causes of WWI? What were they? Cite as much info as
you can?
Imperialism, Militarism, Nationalism, Secret Alliances
29. Explain the Espionage and Sedition Acts?
Silence critics of the war or the war effort
30. What did Serbia and Russia have in common in the early 1900’s?
Common heritage (Slavic ancestry)
31. President Wilson disagreed with many of the terms of the Versailles Treaty, why did he decide
to go along with it?
So he could create the League of Nations
32. What are other names for WWI?
The Great War, The War to End all Wars
33. Define propaganda
One sided information to persuade your opinion
34. What was a direct result for Germany when Russia pulled out of WWI?
Sent all of their forces to fight the Allies on the Western Front
35. What act legalized the draft in the US for WWI?
Selective Service Act
36. Who were the members of the Central Powers?
Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire
37. Name the commander of the American Expeditionary Force sent to France?
John J. Pershing
38. What was no man’s land?
Area in between the trenches
39. Which country became rich and powerful after WWI?
United States
40. What disease during the war caused infection and sometimes loss of limb?
Trench Foot