World War I & Russian Revolution: Essential Historical Terms

History1 Jul 20253.15 KB

Key Terms of World War I

Triple Entente
A diplomatic agreement formed in 1907 between Britain, France, and Russia.
Triple Alliance
An alliance signed in 1882 between Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary, serving as a cornerstone of international policy until the outbreak of World War I in 1914.
Algeciras Conference
A conference held in 1906 to resolve the conflict between France and Germany over Morocco. This conference thwarted German aspirations to establish a protectorate, instead establishing Morocco as a Franco-Spanish protectorate.
Treaty of Versailles
The peace treaty signed by the victorious Allied Powers and Germany in 1919. It was widely considered harsh and unfair to Germany.
War Reparations
Payments Germany was required to make to the Allied Powers as compensation for war costs. These were stipulated in the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
A treaty signed by the Bolshevik government and the Central Powers in 1918, leading to Russia's withdrawal from World War I and the creation of several new states in Western Russia.
League of Nations
An international organization created after the Treaty of Versailles to ensure future peace and foster international collaboration, aiming to prevent another major conflict. Its headquarters were established in Geneva.

Mensheviks
A faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party that believed a socialist revolution could only occur after a bourgeois revolution in Russia. They advocated for a broad-based, mass socialist party.
Bolsheviks
A faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party that favored Russia transitioning directly to a socialist society without a prior bourgeois-capitalist phase. They advocated for a party composed of a small group of professional revolutionaries.
Soviet
A Russian word for 'council.' These were grassroots organizations bringing together delegates from workers, peasants, and soldiers, first created during the 1905 Revolution.
Economic Planning
A system where political power controls the economy, setting prices and production standards.
Vladimir Lenin
The leader of the Bolsheviks and the primary inspiration behind the 1917 Russian Revolution. He was imprisoned and exiled, spending time in Switzerland before his return to Russia.
Leon Trotsky
A radical socialist and key figure alongside Lenin. He created the Red Army and was a strong proponent of spreading the revolution.
Comintern
Also known as the Third International, founded in Moscow in 1919. This organization promoted communist ideology and set out 21 conditions for member parties.