Vocabulary

World War I

1. Militarism

A policy of glorifying military power and keeping a standing army prepared for war.

Before WWI, Germany built up its navy to compete with Great Britain

2. Alliance

• A formal agreement between two or more nations to cooperate for specific purposes.

• There were 2 alliances in Europe before WWI- Triple Alliance and Triple Entente

3. Nationalism

• devotion and loyalty to one's own country; patriotism

• Nationalism caused rivalries between European countries

4. Neutrality

• The state of not supporting or helping either side in a conflict, disagreement, etc.; to be impartial

• Spain, Switzerland and the Netherlands were neutral during WWI

5. Stalemate

• A situation in which neither side can gain a clear advantage.

• Trench warfare, the machine gun, and landmines created a stalemate on the Western Front

6. Attrition

• The act of weakening or exhausting by constant harassment, abuse, or attack

• France vs. Germany- each tried to kill enough of the enemy and destroy enough of their equipment that the other couldn't afford to keep fighting.

7. Propaganda

• Information or material spread to advance a cause or to damage an opponent’s cause

8. Total War

• A conflict in which countries devote all their resources to the war effort

• Men fight, women produce weapons, food rationing; attacks on cities and civilians

9. Armistice

• An agreement to stop fighting

• The Germans agreed to stop fighting WWI on November 11, 1918 (at 11:00 AM)

10. Treaty

• A formal agreement between two or more states, as in reference to terms of peace

• Ex.- Treaty of Versailles outlined settlement terms of the war