Unit 8: The Great War and the Transformation of Europe

Militarism

The aggressive build-up of armed forces and the influence of military leaders on government policy.

Anglo-German Naval Race

Germany attempted to build a navy to rival Britain's, threatening British naval supremacy.

Schlieffen Plan

Germany's military strategy to quickly knock out France before turning to Russia by invading through Belgium.

Alliances

A tangled web of agreements that turned a regional conflict into a continental war.

Triple Alliance

An alliance formed in 1882 between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy.

Triple Entente

The alliance formed in 1907 between France, Great Britain, and Russia.

Central Powers

The alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire during WWI.

Allied Powers

The alliance that included France, Great Britain, and Russia during WWI.

Imperialism

Competition for colonies that caused diplomatic friction among European nations.

Moroccan Crises

Incidents in 1905 and 1911 when Germany challenged French control in Morocco.

Nationalism

The belief that each nation should have its own state, leading to conflicts.

Pan-Slavism

Russia’s belief that it was the protector of all Slavic people, particularly Serbia.

Balkans

Region known as the 'Powder Keg of Europe' due to overlapping territorial claims.

Gavrilo Princip

The assassin of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, a member of the Serbian nationalist group Black Hand.

Blank Check

Germany's unconditional support to Austria after the assassination of Franz Ferdinand.

Total War

A conflict in which combatants make any sacrifice for complete victory, affecting civilians.

Trench Warfare

A type of fighting characterized by armies digging elaborate systems of trenches.

Machine Guns

Heavy firearms that made attacking across open ground, like 'No Man's Land,' extremely deadly.

Poison Gas

Chemical weapons introduced during WWI to cause terror and break stalemates.

Tanks

Armored vehicles introduced by the British to cross trenches by 1918.

U-Boats

German submarines used to disrupt Allied supply lines during WWI.

Planned Economies

Government control of the economy to manage wartime resources effectively.

War Raw Materials Board

A German government entity that rationed resources during WWI.

April Theses

Lenin’s promises of 'Peace, Land, and Bread' upon his return to Russia.

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

The 1918 treaty that ended Russia's involvement in WWI, ceding territory to Germany.

Russian Civil War

Conflict from 1917 to 1922 fought between the Bolshevik Reds and anti-Bolshevik Whites.

Article 231

The War Guilt Clause in the Treaty of Versailles assigning sole responsibility for the war to Germany.

Reparations

Compensation Germany was required to pay, totaling about $33 billion, crippling its economy.

Mandate System

The system where territories of the Ottoman Empire were placed under British and French control.