Download Name: Date: Class: Study Guide: World War I Part A: Important

Name:__________________________________________ Date:________________ Class:_______________
Study Guide: World War I
Part A: Important Terms: Instructions: For each term below, on a separate sheet of paper, write at least one
sentence that explains the historical significance of that term.
1. Thomas Edison
2. George Westinghouse
3. Telegraph
4. Bessemer Process
5. The Wright Brothers
6. Alexander Graham Bell
7. Imperialism
8. The Spanish American War
9. John Hay
10. The Boxer Protocol
11. William McKinley
12. William Jennings Bryan
13. Wilhelm II
14. The Ottoman Empire
15. Archduke Franz Ferdinand
16. Gavrilo Princip
17. Nationalism
18. Militarism
19. The Triple Entente
20. The Central Powers
21. The Balkan Peninsula
22. The Schlieffen Plan
23. U-Boat
24. Tanks
25. The Zimmerman Note
26. Victory Gardens
27. George Creel
28. The Great Migration
29. Eugene V. Debs
30. The 19th Amendment
31. Vladimir Lenin
32. Vice Admiral William Sims
33. Woodrow Wilson
34. Vittorio Orlando
35. David Lloyd George
36. Georges Clemenceau
37. The 14 Points of Woodrow Wilson
38. Henry Cabot Lodge
39. Communism
40. The Red Scare
Part B: Open Response: Instructions: Answer the questions below. If you need more space, use the back or
another sheet of paper.
1. What were the Open Door Notes? Who created them? What did they try to achieve?
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2. What were some weaknesses of the Treaty of Versailles?
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3. What was the League of Nations? Who created it? Why didn’t the USA join the group?
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ANSWERS:
Study Guide: World War I
Part A: Important Terms: Instructions: For each term below, on a separate sheet of paper, write at least one
sentence that explains the historical significance of that term.
1. Thomas Edison: He invented the light bulb
and pioneered uses of electricity.
2. George Westinghouse: He helped Edison
make safe ways to use electricity.
3. Telegraph: This invention, invented by
Samuel Morse, could send beeping sounds
over long distances.
4. Bessemer Process: This was the process to
mass produce steel and led to the building of
skyscrapers.
5. The Wright Brothers: They invented the first
flying plane.
6. Alexander Graham Bell: He invented the
telephone.
7. Imperialism: This is when a large nation
controls another region in the world.
8. The Spanish American War: This was a
conflict in which the USA gained Guam,
Puerto Rico, and Guam from Spain.
9. John Hay: He created the Open Door Notes.
10. The Boxer Protocol: This agreement ended
the Boxer Rebellion.
11. William McKinley: He won the election of
1900 and supported imperialism.
12. William Jennings Bryan: He lost the election
of 1900 and was against imperialism.
13. Wilhelm II: He led Germany to become a
naval power.
14. The Ottoman Empire: This was a Muslim
Empire that joined the Central Powers in WW
I.
15. Archduke Franz Ferdinand: He was an
Austrian royalty member who was
assassinated before WW I.
16. Gavrilo Princip: He assassinated Archduke
Franz Ferdinand.
17. Nationalism: This is the belief that your
nation is superior to others.
18. Militarism: This is the desire to make yourself
militarily superior to other nations.
19. The Triple Entente: This was an alliance of
Britain, France, and Russia, also called the
Allies. The USA joined them later in WW I.
20. The Central Powers: This was an Alliance of
Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. Italy
dropped out and the Ottoman Empire joined
them in WW I.
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21. The Balkan Peninsula: This was a heavily
disputed area in Europe that had a warm sea
port. Russia and Austria-Hungary had
conflicts over the region.
22. The Schlieffen Plan: This was a German
military plan to attack France first and then
attack Russia in WW I.
23. U-Boat: These were submarines used by
Germany in WW I.
24. Tanks: These were mobile machines that
were heavily armored and could fire guns.
25. The Zimmerman Note: This was a request
sent to Mexico from Germany. In the
message, Germany asked Mexico to attack
the USA.
26. Victory Gardens: These were gardens grown
by American citizens so that mass produced
food could be sent to troops fighting in WW I.
27. George Creel: He was an artist that created
large amounts of Propaganda for the USA in
WW I.
28. The Great Migration: This was the mass
movement of African Americans out of the
South in the early 20th Century.
29. Eugene V. Debs: He was arrested for
speaking out against WW I.
30. The 19th Amendment: This gave women the
right to vote.
31. Vladimir Lenin: He led the Communist
takeover of Russia during and after WW I.
32. Vice Admiral William Sims: He came up with
the idea to use convoy systems against
German U-boats.
33. Woodrow Wilson: He was president during
WW I.
34. Vittorio Orlando: He led Italy during WW I.
35. David Lloyd George: He led Britain during
WW I.
36. Georges Clemenceau: He lead France
during WW I.
37. The 14 Points of Woodrow Wilson: These
were goals Wilson had to avoid another World
War after WW I ended.
38. Henry Cabot Lodge: He was an American
Senator who strongly opposed the League of
Nations.
39. Communism: This is a government system in
which the government has massive control
over the people and the economy.
40. The Red Scare: This was the fear that
Communism and Anarchism were spreading
to the USA.
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Part B: Open Response: Instructions: Answer the questions below. If you need more space, use the back or
another sheet of paper.
1. What were the Open Door Notes? Who created them? What did they try to achieve?
European and American businesses wanted to gain wealth by pursuing business endeavors in
China. US Secretary of State, John Hay, feared that the European nations would damage the
USA’s involvement in China. Hay issued the Open Door Notes to try and maintain peace. This
policy suggested that the USA and various European powers share China. This meant each
nation could trade in China equally. The European nations accepted the request.
2. What were some weaknesses of the Treaty of Versailles?
The Treaty of Versailles had many weaknesses. First, it placed on Germany a war guilt clause
and massive debt; it also took away their imperialistic territories leaving them no way to pay off
their debts. This meant that Germany would have no way to pay back the debt. Also, the debt
would ruin their economy. This meant they may rise up again in the future. Second, Russia, an
ally, lost more land than Germany! Russia quickly fell into a Communist Revolution and was not
a big player in forming the treaty, despite the fact that they were in the Allies. Third, it denied
imperial territories self-determination. The Vietnamese and others were already seeking their
independence. The problem of imperialism persisted after the conflict.
3. What was the League of Nations? Who created it? Why didn’t the USA join the group?
A problem that occurred before World War I was the occurrence of Alliance Systems. Before
World War I, Britain, France, and Russia formed the Allies. Germany, Austria-Hungary, and
Italy formed the Central Powers. Italy dropped out and the Ottoman Empire joined later. Since
teams were already formed, world war would occur when any two nations on either side went to
war. When Russia went to war with Austria-Hungary, world war broke out. Woodrow Wilson
created the League of Nations to fix this problem of Alliance Systems. Instead of various teams,
he wanted a global alliance where nations could talk out their problems, not fight each other.
Many in the USA felt America would provide the group with money, military aid, and stability;
yet, the USA would get nothing in return. Likewise, many claimed the League of Nations was
too weak and would never achieve the peace Wilson claimed it could achieve. As a result, the
USA never joined the League of Nations.
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