WWI: Key Figures and Events

Key Figures and Events in WWI

• Sam Hughes served as the Canadian Minister of Militia during WWI
• Hughes was responsible for mobilization
• Hughes received criticism for inefficiency and poor equipment choices such as the Ross Rifle.
• The Battle of Ypres in 1915 marked the first major battle for Canadian troops.
• Germany used chlorine gas for the first time at The Battle of Ypres
• Billy Bishop was a Canadian flying ace.
• Bishop was credited with 72 aerial victories.
• War of Attrition involved wearing down the enemy through continuous losses over time.
• "A Place in the Sun" by Bernhard von Bülow symbolized Germany’s imperial ambitions before WWI.
• The Battle of the Somme in 1916 resulted in over a million casualties.
• Tank warfare was introduced at The Battle of the Somme.
• Chlorine Gas was first used by Germany at Ypres.
• Chlorine Gas caused blindness, suffocation, and death.
• The Battle of Gallipoli in 1915 marked a failed Allied campaign against the Ottoman Empire.
• Mutiny involves the refusal to obey military orders.
• Mutiny often happened due to poor conditions or leadership.
• Arthur Currie was the first Canadian commander of the Canadian Corps.
• Currie led troops at Vimy Ridge.
• The Battle of Beaumont-Hamel during the Somme was a devastating loss for the Newfoundland Regiment.
• "Shock Troops" refers to elite Canadian soldiers who led assaults in the later years of WWI.
• Vimy Ridge in 1917 marked a major Canadian victory.
• Vimy Ridge became a symbol of national pride and military success.
• Nationalism is a strong identification with one’s nation.
• Nationalism was often a cause of WWI.
• The Battle of Passchendaele in 1917 was muddy and brutal.
• Canadians captured key territory at a high cost at The Battle of Passchendaele.
• Isolationism is avoiding political or military involvement with other countries.
• Alfred Zimmermann was a German diplomat.
• Zimmermann sent the Zimmermann Telegram
• The Zimmermann Telegram encouraged Mexico to join WWI against the U.S.
• Unrestricted Submarine Warfare was Germany’s policy of sinking ships without warning.
• Unrestricted Submarine Warfare was a key reason for U.S. entry into WWI.
• Rasputin was a Russian mystic.
• Rasputin influenced the Russian royal family before the 1917 Revolution.
• "Peace, Bread, and Land" was the slogan of the Bolsheviks.
• The slogan "Peace, Bread, and Land" promised solutions to Russia’s problems.
• The 1917 Treaty of Brest-Litovsk marked Russia’s exit from WWI.
• Russia ceded territory to Germany as part of The 1917 Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.
• Kaiser Wilhelm II was the German Emperor.
• Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated in 1918.
• The Armistice in 1918 was a ceasefire ending WWI on November 11, 1918.
• The "14 Points" was Woodrow Wilson’s peace plan for post-WWI Europe.
• Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles is also known as the "War Guilt Clause".
• Article 231 blamed Germany for WWI and imposed reparations.
• The Victoria Cross is the highest British military honor awarded for bravery.

Political Ideologies

• Feudalism was a Medieval social system.
• Feudalism was based on land ownership and hierarchy.
• Capitalism is an economic system.
• Capitalism is based on private ownership and profit.
• Liberalism is a political ideology.
• Liberalism emphasizes individual freedoms and democracy.
• Socialism is an economic system.
• Socialism involves production being controlled by the community or state.
• Communism is an ideology.
• Communism advocates classless society and common ownership of resources.
• Anarchy is the absence of government or authority.