wwi vocabulary

WWIVocabulary

Industrial Revolution –

Example: The Steam Engine was a major invention during the Industrial Revolution.An era of change in the 1700s characterized by the replacement of hand tools with machines and growth of factories.

Capitalism – Example: The United States’ economy is capitalist. An economic system in which private individuals control the means of production, product, and profits. The opposite of government-run business.

Kaiser Wilhelm II – Example: Egotistical and power-hungry, he built up Germany’s military.

The ruler of Germany (1888-1918).

Archduke Franz Ferdinand – Example: His assassination sparked WWI.

The man who would have become the ruler of the Austro-Hungarian empire.

Trench Warfare –

Example: Trench warfare characterized the battlefields of World War I.Combat in which each side occupies a system of protective, dug-in ditches.

Chemical Weapons –

Example: Mustard GasToxic weapons made with chemicals used to kill or injure the enemy.

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Mustard gas did not need to be inhaled to be effective — any contact with skin was sufficient. Exposure was enough to cause massive blisters. Higher concentrations could burn flesh to the bone. It was particularly effective against the soft skin of the eyes, nose, armpits and groin, since it dissolved in the natural moisture of those areas. Typical exposure would result in swelling of the eyelids, forcing them closed and rendering the victim temporarily blind. Where it contacted the skin, moist red patches would immediately appear which after 24 hours would have formed into blisters. Other symptoms included severe headache, elevated pulse and temperature (fever), and pneumonia (from blistering in the lungs).

The Allies and The Central Powers

Example: The Russians were allied with the French and the Austro-Hungarians were allied with the Germans.

The two alliances that fought during WWI.

11/11/18 Armistice

Example: Germany signed an armistice with the Allies on November 11th, 1918.The agreement that ended combat in WWI.

The Fourteen Points

Example: President Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points included the creation of the League of Nations.

US President Woodrow Wilson’s plan for lasting peace in Europe.

The Treaty of Versailles

Example: The Treaty of Versailles angered many Germans.

The treaty forced on Germany by the Allied powers at the end of World War I which demanded massive reparations from the Germans.

Reparations

Example: The Treaty of Versailles required Germany to pay reparations to the allies.

Money, material, labor, etc., paid by a defeated country to another country for losses during war.

Nationalism

Example: Adolf Hitler promoted nationalism to convince Germans to support aggression.

Strong support, devotion and loyalty to one's own nation.

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