Causes of
the Great War
the Great War
The assassination of this man on June 28, 1914, in Sarajevo set off a chain reaction among Europe’s complex alliance system.
Who is Archduke Franz Ferdinand?
This president’s Farewell Address warned against foreign entanglements and helped shape a tradition of American isolationism for more than a century.
Who is George Washington?
On this date, the United States officially declared war on Germany.
What is April 6, 1917?
Machine guns, poison gas, and artillery contributed to this deadly style of combat.
What is trench warfare?
The armistice to officially end the fighting in World War I was signed on this date at this time.
What is 11:00 a.m. on November 11, 1918?
This Republican senator led opposition to the Treaty of Versailles in the U.S. Senate.
Who is Henry Cabot Lodge?
Austria-Hungary and Germany belonged to this alliance that opposed Britain, France, and Russia.
What is the Triple Alliance (or Central Powers)?
At the start of WWI, President Wilson issued this address, urging Americans to remain “impartial in thought, as well as action.”
What is the Declaration of Neutrality?
This intercepted message promised Mexico U.S. territory if it joined Germany in the war.
What is the Zimmermann Telegram?
The U.S. used this system to quickly raise an army for overseas combat, growing its volunteer ranks by 2.8 million troops.
What is the draft (Selective Service Act)?
These national leaders dominated the peace negotiations following the war.
Who are the Big Four (Lloyd George, Woodrow Wilson, Georges Clemenceau, and Vittorio Orlando)?
After fierce fighting at Belleau Wood in 1918, the U.S. Marines earned this nickname from German soldiers for their tenacity and courage.
What are Devil Dogs?
This alliance included Great Britain, France, and Russia before the U.S. joined the war.
What is the Triple Entente (or Allied Powers)?
German attacks on American merchant ships challenged U.S. neutrality through the use of this form of naval warfare.
What is unrestricted submarine warfare?
This government agency was created to shape public opinion and promote the war effort through films and posters.
What is the Committee on Public Information?
Allied troops gave this nickname to American soldiers arriving late in the war.
Who are the “Doughboys”?
Wilson’s postwar plan emphasized self-determination, free trade, and this international organization.
What is the League of Nations?
The future of this nation—after its withdrawal from World War I—was of particular concern to Woodrow Wilson, as reflected in his Fourteen Points.
What is Russia?
The sinking of this British passenger ship in 1915 increased American outrage against Germany.
What is the RMS Lusitania?
President Wilson’s 1916 campaign slogan reflected America’s desire to remain neutral in World War I by using this phrase.
What is "He kept us out of war!"?
Known as "Black Jack," this officer commanded the American Expeditionary Forces during WWI, and insisted that they operate separately from Allied troops.
Who is General John J. Pershing?
This weapon was the standard firearm for American troops during WWI.
What is the Springfield M1903 rifle?
This treaty formally ended the war and imposed harsh penalties on Germany.
What is the Treaty of Versailles?
Because of its unprecedented destruction and the hope that it would secure lasting peace, the Great War was given this now-ironic nickname.
What is “the war to end all wars”?
This bloody 1916 battle, featuring over three million combatants and one million casualties, symbolized the stalemate and mass destruction of trench warfare.
What is the Battle of the Somme?
American neutrality—and its desire to maintain expansive transatlantic trade—rested on this diplomatic principle meant to protect U.S. shipping.
What is "freedom of the seas"?
Wilson framed America’s role as fighting not for conquest, but to achieve this ideal.
What is "to make the world safe for democracy"?
This major 1918 offensive, the largest battle in US History, helped bring the war to an end on the Western Front.
What is the Battle of the Argonne Forest (Meuse-Argonne Offensive)?
To promote his plans for peace after World War I, Woodrow Wilson became the first sitting US President to do this, breaking a long-standing tradition.
What is travel to a foreign nation?
These four major empires collapsed as a result of World War I.
What are the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Tsarist Russia?