Causes + Outbreak
Militarism
political orientation to maintain a strong military force
Central powers
Alliances of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and opposing nations
Schlieffen Plan
German strategy to avoid a two-front war
Mechanized Warfare
Warfare relying on gasoline/diesel powered machines
Alliances
Agreements between nations to protect each other
Triple Entente
Pre-war alliance between Britain, France, and Russia
Fighting from trenches dug in the battlefield
Airplanes
Treaty of Versailles
Final peace treaty imposing terms on Germany
Imperialism
Strong nations dominating other countries politically and economically
Kaiser Wilhelm II
Aggressive leader of Germany during the war
No Man's Land
Dangerous territory between rival trenches
Machine Guns
High-velocity weapons causing massive loss of life
War Guilt Clause
Treaty clause blaming Germany for the war
Nationalism
Extreme sense of national pride
Czar Nicholas II
Russian monarch overthrown during the war
Blockade
Cutting off areas to stop enemy supplies
Tanks
Heavy armored vehicles built to cross trenches
League of Nations
Post-war international peace organization
Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Heir whose assassination sparked the war
Woodrow Wilson
American president during World War I
Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
German policy of sinking any vessel
Mustard Gas
Toxic chemical weapon causing severe blisters
War Reparations
Financial payments demanded from Germany