World War I Key Facts and Historical Causes

Key Figures and Events of World War I

• Archduke Ferdinand: The person whose assassination led to the start of World War I.
• Neutral Countries: Nations that maintained neutrality throughout World War I.
• Britain: The country that wanted to maintain its naval influence at the beginning of WWI.
• Triple Alliance: A pre-WWI alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy.
• Woodrow Wilson: The President who led the creation of the League of Nations.
• Militarism: A WWI cause that led countries to build more and more weapons.
• Ottoman Empire: The southeastern empire that disappeared after WWI.
• Finland: A country that became independent after the Treaty of Versailles.
• United States: A major power that entered WWI in 1917.
• Kaiser Wilhelm II: The leader of Germany during WWI.
• France: The country that gained ownership of Alsace-Lorraine after the Treaty of Versailles.
• Allied Powers: The name given to Great Britain, France, Italy, Russia, and the US during WWI.
• Czechoslovakia: A country that was part of the Austrian Empire until the end of WWI.
• Isolationism: The foreign policy approach that the US took during the initial years of WWI.
• Trench Warfare: A WWI strategy that caused soldiers to eat, sleep, fight, and die in miserable ditches.
• Central Powers: The name given to Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria during WWI.
• Imperialism: The policy of expanding power by conquering territories.
• Russia: The country that exited WWI in 1917 due to internal conflicts.
• Germany: The country considered to be the culprit of WWI.
• Armistice: A temporary suspension of hostilities by agreement of the parties.
• Belgium: A country located between Germany and France that was the first to be invaded by Germany.
• Austria-Hungary: The first nation that formally declared war in WWI.
• Triple Entente: A pre-WWI alliance between Great Britain, France, and Russia.
• Alliance: An agreement between countries to defend or fight together.
• Militarism (Build-up): The build-up of armed forces to prepare for war.
• Nationalism: The belief of a country in building up an empire and controlling less powerful countries.

Categorized Causes of the Great War

Short-Term Causes

• Militarism
• Nationalist movements

Trigger Cause

• Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand

Long-Term Causes

• Triple Alliance
• Colonial rivalry
• Triple Entente
• Naval rivalry
• Rivalry between France and Germany due to the Franco-Prussian War
• Bosnia, Algeciras, Balkan Wars, and Agadir crises