World War I Key Terms and Events

A WWI campaign on the Gallipoli peninsula in the Ottoman Empire (25 April 1915 - 9 January 1916). The Allies failed to take control of the Dardanelles.

Naval warfare where submarines sink vessels like freighters and tankers without warning.

The sinking of the Lusitania on 7 May 1915 during WWI turned public opinion against Germany and contributed to the American entry into the war.

A secret diplomatic communication from Germany in January 1917 proposing a military alliance with Mexico if the U.S. entered WWI against Germany.

Military conflict where contenders make any sacrifice in lives and resources for complete victory, unlike limited war.

Controlled distribution of scarce resources, goods, or services, restricting demand and portions.

Biased or misleading information used to promote or publicize a political cause or point of view.

An agreement between opposing sides in a war to stop fighting temporarily; a truce.

On January 18, 1918, President Wilson outlined Fourteen Points for peace and ending WWI, aiming for lasting peace. The U.S. joined the Allies on April 6, 1917.

The 1918-1919 influenza epidemic, the most devastating in recorded history, killed more people in a year than the Black Death over four years.