Causes & Alliances
This 1914 event directly triggered the chain of mobilizations that led to World War I.
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (June 1914).
The United States president who kept the nation neutral through 1916 and later asked Congress for a declaration of war in 1917.
Woodrow Wilson.
The term for fighting from long, fortified ditches on the Western Front.
Trench warfare.
The agreement that ended fighting on November 11, 1918, is called the ____.
Armistice (Armistice Day), November 11, 1918.
The military movement of many Black Americans from the rural South to Northern industrial cities during WWI is called the ____.
Great Migration.
Name the pre‑war alliance that included Italy, Austria‑Hungary, and Germany.
Triple Alliance.
What sinking in May 1915 killed nearly 1,200 people, including 128 Americans, and increased tensions with Germany?
Sinking of the Lusitania.
What was the nickname for the dangerous area between opposing trench lines?
No Man's Land.
Name the group of four major leaders who dominated the Treaty of Versailles negotiations.
The "Big Four": Woodrow Wilson (U.S.), David Lloyd George (U.K.), Georges Clemenceau (France), Vittorio Orlando (Italy).
Name the famous segregated African American regiment that fought under French command and earned recognition.
Harlem Hellfighters (the 369th Infantry Regiment).
The German plan to quickly defeat France by attacking through neutral Belgium is called the ____ Plan.
Schlieffen Plan.
Name the secret German communication that proposed a Mexico–Germany alliance and helped push the U.S. toward war.
Zimmermann Telegram (Zimmermann Note).
Why did Germany launch the 1918 spring offensive (also called the Peace Offensive)? Provide the main reason.
Because Russia withdrew after the Bolshevik Revolution, Germany moved troops west to attempt a decisive offensive before American troops arrived.
What clause in the Treaty of Versailles assigned full blame for the war to Germany (give the article number or common name)?
War Guilt Clause — Article 231.
Define "reparations" in the context of WWI settlements.
Reparations are payments imposed on the defeated country to compensate for damage and costs caused by the war.
Explain how militarism contributed to the outbreak of war (one or two sentences).
Militarism led nations to build large armies and make war plans; military leaders had strong influence and countries prepared for conflict, increasing the chance of war.
Give two domestic changes on the U.S. home front during WWI (examples: laws, jobs, or campaigns).
Liberty bonds to fund the war; Espionage and Sedition Acts limited speech; women took factory jobs; victory gardens.
Describe one major characteristic of trench warfare that led to high casualties.
Heavy artillery barrages followed by mass infantry charges across open ground into barbed wire and machine‑gun fire, causing massive casualties.
List two territorial or military restrictions placed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles.
Demilitarization of the Rhineland; loss of overseas colonies; return of Alsace‑Lorraine to France; territorial losses to Poland and Czechoslovakia; limits on German armed forces.
What were Wilson’s "Fourteen Points" intended to achieve? Give two specific aims.
End secret treaties; arms reduction/disarmament; self‑determination for nations; creation of the League of Nations to preserve peace.
List two ways imperial competition and nationalism increased tensions in Europe before 1914.
Imperial competition—European powers competed for colonies in Africa/Asia, causing rivalry; Nationalism—ethnic groups and nations felt intense pride and tensions grew between nations and subject peoples.
Describe how the British naval blockade affected U.S. trade and the Central Powers by 1917 (one or two sentences).
The British blockade cut off Central Powers' supplies, effectively starving them and disrupting trade; it also redirected much U.S. trade toward Britain and the Allies, strengthening Allied economies.
Explain how Russia’s exit from the war in 1917 (Brest‑Litovsk) affected Germany’s strategy on the Western Front.
With Russia out, Germany could shift forces from the Eastern to the Western Front to try to win a quick victory in 1918.
Explain why the United States Senate rejected the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations (one or two sentences).
Senators feared the League’s mutual defense obligations would drag the U.S. into future European wars and violate traditional isolationism; concerns about sovereignty and Article X contributed to rejection.
Explain the meaning of "peace without victory" as Wilson used the phrase and why Allied leaders rejected that idea.
"Peace without victory" meant a peace that did not punish the defeated harshly; Allied leaders wanted to punish Germany for damages and were unwilling to accept a lenient settlement.