The Spark & Causes
This acronym, representing Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, and Nationalism, summarizes the main causes of the war.
What is M.A.I.N.?
This type of warfare, characterized by long, static lines of fighting, defined the Western Front.
What is trench warfare?
These underwater vessels, known as Unterseeboote, were used by Germany to attack Allied shipping.
What are U-boats?
He was the U.S. President who led the nation through World War I.
Who is Woodrow Wilson?
This 1919 treaty officially ended the war and redrew the map of Europe
What is the Treaty of Versailles?
He was the Archduke of Austria-Hungary whose assassination in Sarajevo triggered World War I.
Who is Franz Ferdinand?
This 1915 failed campaign was an Allied attempt to take control of the Turkish peninsula.
What is Gallipoli?
This new weapon, introduced by the British at the Battle of the Somme, was designed to break the stalemate of trench warfare.
What is a tank?
This 1917 intercepted message from Germany to Mexico helped push the U.S. toward joining the Allies.
What is the Zimmermann Telegram?
Fighting ceased on the 11th hour of the 11th day of this month in 1918.
What is November?
This Serbian nationalist group was responsible for the assassination of the Archduke.
What is the Black Hand?
This German military strategy aimed to avoid a two-front war by rapidly defeating France before fighting Russia.
What is the Schlieffen Plan?
This horrific new weapon was introduced at the Second Battle of Ypres in 1915.
What is poison gas?
This was the official name of the American military force sent to Europe, often abbreviated as the AEF.
What is the American Expeditionary Forces?
President Woodrow Wilson proposed this international organization to maintain world peace.
What is the League of Nations?
This country, often considered the "powder keg of Europe," saw rising tensions between Austria-Hungary and Serbia.
What is the Balkans?
This 1916 battle, lasting nearly ten months, was one of the longest and deadliest of the war.
What is the Battle of Verdun?
This type of heavy weapon, such as the German "Big Bertha," was responsible for the most injuries during the war.
What is artillery?
Nicknamed "Black Jack," he was the commander of all U.S. forces on the Western Front.
Who is John J. Pershing?
This term describes the formal agreement to stop fighting while peace terms are negotiated.
What is an armistice?
Germany's assurance to Austria-Hungary that it would support them against Russia became known by this nickname.
What is the "Blank Check"?
The largest WWI battle fought by the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) took place in this French forest.
What is the Argonne?
The Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen, was a famous practitioner of this new form of combat.
What is aerial dogfighting?
In late 1918, over 1 million Americans fought in this massive offensive, the largest in U.S. military history.
What is the Meuse-Argonne Offensive?
Woodrow Wilson outlined his vision for a stable, postwar world in this famous 14-point speech
What are the Fourteen Points?