PEOPLE

Wilfred Owen

. British poet and soldier who fought in WWI

. Killed in battle on 4 November 1918, one week before the end of fighting

. His poems still help readers understand life on the warfront during WWI

John J. Pershing

. Commanding general of U.S. Army during WWI

. Had nearly 2 million men under his command by the end of the war

. Refused to allow his soldiers to enter the line before they were properly trained, thus credited with saving many American lives

Gavrilo Princip

. 19-year-old Serbian nationalist who assassinated Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand, June 1914, providing the catalyst for World War I

. Too young to face the death penalty; sentenced to maximum 20 years in prison

. Died of disease in prison in April 1918

Manfred von Richthofen

. Most successful flying ace of WWI, popularly known as the "Red Baron"

. German fighter pilot instrumental in developing techniques of aerial combat

. Painted his plane red to help fellow Germans identify him

. Killed in action in April 1918

Woodrow Wilson

. Democratic U.S. President from 1913 to 1919, pledged to keep America out of WWI during his 1916 reelection campaign

. Then asked Congress for a declaration of war against Germany in spring 1917

. Authored the Fourteen Points, which advocated for human rights and self-determination for all nations

. Failed to gain Congress's ratification of the Treaty of Versailles, meaning U.S. failed to join League of Nations

EVENTS

1914 Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

. Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip shot and killed Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand, in Sarajevo, 28 June 1914

. Assassination set into motion a series of events that eventually led to the beginning of WWI

1915 Lusitania Incident

. British passenger ship sunk by German submarine

. Resulted in death of 1200 people, including 128 Americans

. Press coverage steered public opinion in favor of the Allied side in the war

1917 Zimmermann Telegram

. British intercepted telegram from German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmermann to the German ambassador in Mexico

. Telegram urged Mexico to fight with Germany against U.S.

. Promised Mexico that when the war was won, it would recover the territory it lost to the U.S. in the Mexican-American War (the American Southwest)

. Mexico declined the offer, but the leaked telegram was published in the American press, spurring anti-German sentiment in U.S.

1917 U.S. Enters WWI

. After 3 years of fighting in Europe, U.S. entered the war

. Declaration came after series of events that convinced the American public and the government that Germany was a significant threat to the U.S.

. Shortly thereafter, Congress passed the Selective Service Act to draft soldiers

1917 Espionage Act

. Federal law passed in June 1917, just a few months after the U.S. entered WWI

. Imposed fine of $10,000 and 20 years in prison for any interference with the draft or any act that encouraged national disloyalty

1918 Sedition Act

. Federal law passed in May 1918

. More repressive than the Espionage Act

. Criminalized production of antiwar materials and the delivery of any speech deemed unpatriotic or detrimental to the war effort

. Imposed fine and imprisonment on anyone who discouraged military recruiting or criticized the government, the flag, or the military uniform

1919 Treaty of Versailles

. Officially ended WWI

. Treaty terms included the creation of new League of Nations

. U.S. Congress refused to ratify treaty and thus didn't join League of Nations

GROUPS

Black Hand

. Serbian nationalist group

. Included 19 year old Gavrilo Princip, assassin of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Central Powers

. WWI alliance of the German Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Ottoman Empire

. Bulgaria joined later in the war

. Became enemy of U.S. after 1917

League of Nations

. International deliberative body originally proposed as part of the Fourteen Points, authored by President Woodrow Wilson

. Created by the Treaty of Versailles, which ended WWI

. U.S. Congress refused to ratify it, thus the U.S. didn't join

Triple Entente

. WWI alliance originally comprised of Britain, France, and Russia (a.k.a the Allies)

. Fought against the Central Powers in WWI

. Italy joined after the war began

. After Bolshevik Revolution, Russia pulled out

. U.S. joined in April 1917, just before Russia withdrew

CONCEPTS

Barbed Wire

. Fencing material invented in 1873 by Joseph Glidden

. First used by farmers and ranchers in the American Great Plains

. Used by both sides during WWI to protect trenches and slow enemy attacks

. Many died in WWI, killed by barbs or trapped in them and then shot by enemy gunners

"Flying Circus"

. A German military strategy utilized during WWI

. Developed with the help of pilot Manfred von Richthofen, a.k.a the "Red Baron"

. A mass air attack that confused Allied air forces

Fourteen Points

. President Wilson's ambitious plan for a just peace at war's end

. Most significant portions called for "self-determination" for all nations, formation of League of Nations to resolve disputes

. Wilson presented the Points at the Paris Peace talks in 1919, but other Allies insisted upon a more punitive final treaty

No Man's Land

. Term used to describe the area between opposing trenches

. Could be as wide as several miles or as narrow as a few hundred feet

. Extremely dangerous area with flying bullets, artillery shells, and poison gas

"Rape of Belgium"

. British propaganda term for alleged German atrocities committed after 1914 invasion of Belgium

. According to Allies, German armies raped and plundered their way through the country; propaganda tilted American opinion against Germany

. Debate still rages today over the truth of the Allies' claims

War of Attrition

. Type of military strategy based on wearing down the enemy through continuous warfare

. In these conflicts, the power with the greatest resources usually prevails

PLACES

The Somme, France

. Site of extraordinarily bloody WWI battle, 1916

. British army suffered 60,000 casualties in one day in failed attack on German trenches

Belleau Wood, France

. Site of first major battle to feature American soldiers, 1918

Versailles, France

. Location of sprawling palace complex built by French royalty

. Site of peace talks that ended World War I