OVER THERE!!! THE GREAT WAR AND THE

UNITED STATES

ORIGINS OF THE GREAT WAR •  World War I emerged as the result of four distinct causes – imperialism,

nationalism, militarism, and alliance systems •  Imperialism – the process of expanding spheres of influence outside the

defined borders of a country –  European nations were engaging in imperialist efforts in Asia and Africa –  These efforts would lead to competition, conflict, and ill will

•  Nationalism – possession of fierce love and devotion to one’s country, sometimes resulting in extremist actions –  With the recent unification of Germany and Italy, these two nations were looking

for their “place in the sun” –  Nationalistic tendencies also occurred in the Balkan peninsula where Slavic

nationalists were looking for a unified, Slavic state •  Militarism – the process of building up of military force, and making this

process the focus of national activities –  The major European nations were beginning the process of widespread military

buildup with industry, employment and political actions all focused on that goal •  Alliance systems – series of alliances orchestrated by Otto von Bismarck of

Germany that led to outbreak of world war in Europe –  The various alliance systems that were created prior to World War I left two

main alliances at the outbreak of war – the Allies and the Central Powers

THE OUTBREAK OF WAR •  The true outbreak of war came from

the Balkans (the powder keg of Europe)

•  The Balkans, which had a very strong Slavic population were divided between the Austro-Hungarian Empire to the north, and the Ottoman Empire to the south – the desire for freedom was led by Serbia, who desired a large independent Slavic state

•  The Russians supported this move by Serbia (they shared a common Slavic heritage), causing the tensions between Russia (and Serbia) and Austria-Hungary to grow

•  On June 28, 1914, Austrian Archduke Francis (or Franz) Ferdinand and his wife Sophia were visiting Sarajevo, Bosnia when an 18-year-old Bosnian activist named Gavrillo Princip. A m e m b e r o f t h e B l a c k H a n d assassinated Ferdinand and his wife

•  Austria issues an ultimatum to Serbia so extreme there was no way they could adhere to it – Austria turned to Germany where Kaiser Wilhelm II (Emperor William II) issued the famous “blank check” to Austria signaling its full support

•  July 28, 1914 – Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia – on the same day, Czar Nicholas II of Russia orders partial mobilization against Austria

•  July 29, 1914 – Czar Nicholas II orders full mobilization – Germany responded by stating that Russian forces had to demobilize

•  August 1, 1914 – Germany declares war on Russia

•  August 2, 1914 – Germany issues ultimatum to Belgium requiring right of German troops to pass through

•  August 3, 1914 – Germany declares war on France

•  August 4, 1914 - Great Britain declares war of Germany – officially over violation of Belgian neutrality, but really over Britain’s desire to remain a world power

1914-1915 – ILLUSIONS AND STALEMATE •  General Alfred von Schlieffen,

German Chief of Staff, devised a plan designed for a quick German victory – the von Schlieffen Plan called for the majority of the German force to move through Belgium into France, and take Paris, taking France out of the picture

•  After eliminating France, the Germans would then focus their efforts on defeating Russia

•  The war quickly turned to s t a l e m a t e w i t h t h e implementation of trench warfare – this new style of warfare came as a result of new technologies allowing mass destruction of people

1916-1917 – THE GREAT SLAUGHTER •  Troops would remain in a

complex network of trenches separated by “no man’s land” – life in the trenches tended to be boring with little activity going on

•  Soldiers lived in the trenches (eating, sleeping, passing the time) with bodies of dead soldiers lying around, and rats and lice swarming the trenches

•  Trench art become one method of passing the time – soldiers would use the materials around them to create works of art while passing the time in the trenches

AMERICA REMAINS NEUTRAL •  As the Great War raged on, President Wilson

urged Americans to stay out of the conflict “impartial in thought as well as deed” – many Americans sympathized with the Germans, while others (including Wilson) sympathized with the British

•  The United States found it easy to break off trade with the Central Powers, but found it more difficult to do so with the Allies, especially after war orders from Britain and France soared after 1914 – by 1915, the United States was turning from a neutral power to an arsenal for the Allies

•  Wilson ran on the peace platform in 1916 and won by a very narrow margin – with the election behind him, Wilson could then focus on his postwar goals

AMERICA IS PROVOKED AND RESPONDS •  In 1915, the Germans instated submarine

warfare, targeting civilian vessels as well as military vessels – on May 7, 1915, German U-boats sunk the British passenger ship Lusitania, killing 1,198 people (128 Americans)

•  This action continued in 1917 when the Germans began implementing unrestricted submarine warfare making American intervention inevitable

•  On February 25, 1917, the British gave Wilson an intercepted telegram from the German foreign minister, Arthur Zimmerman to the government of Mexico – the telegram proposed an alliance with Mexico to regain their “lost lands” after the war in Europe would end

•  The emergence of the Zimmerman note enraged Americans and made the cause for war even more popular

•  On April 2, 1917, two weeks after German U-boats torpedoed three American ships, Wilson appeared before a joint session of Congress and asked for a declaration for war

•  Wilson urged Americans to wage war “without stint or limit”

AMERICA ENTERS THE FRAY •  Within weeks of American naval intervention,

the balance was changing – the American destroyers were aiding the British navy in its assault on the U-boats, while others were dropping anti-submarine mines in the North Sea

•  The standing American forces were not enough to wage the ground war necessary, and did not have enough combat experience – despite opposition, the Selective Service Act was instituted in May 1917 bringing nearly 3 million new soldiers into the army, with another 2 million joining various branches of the armed services creating the American Expeditionary Force (AEF)

•  By spring 1918, the AEF was ready for battle and arrived in Europe under the command of General John J. “Black Jack” Pershing who was ready to push straight into Germany

•  The soldiers were exposed to horrible conditions and in their free time, would often pass up the Red Cross facilities and check out local bars and brothels leading to widespread breakout of venereal disease

THE WAR BEGINS TO WIND DOWN •  The American arrival helped raise morale and

break the stalemate that had developed – in early June 1918, American and French forces at Chateau-Thierry repelled a German offensive that had brought German forces within 50 miles of Paris

•  Six weeks later, over a million American troops flooded into France and turned away another German assault at Rheims – by July 1918, they had halted a German advance and put the Germans on an offensive of their own

•  On September 26, 1918, the American forces advanced on the Germans in the Argonne Forest as part of a 200 mile attack (the Meuse-Argonne offensive) that lasted seven weeks – as a symbol of the changing times and improvements in weaponry, more ammunition was used in this single campaign that in all four years of the Civil War

•  Once the American offensive threatened advancement into Germany, the German military leaders sought an armistice – the armistice was signed on November 11, 1918 at 11:00 a.m. in a railroad car, bringing the Great War to a close

CHANGES IN WARFARE

•  World War I had demonstrated the new technologies that were available during this time – new machine guns, higher powered artillery, tanks, flamethrowers, and mustard gas allowed for the mass destruction of troops

•  These new technologies were designed specifically to fight in the new trench warfare style – troops could no longer fight out in the open, therefore new styles of fighting and tools were needed

•  Airplanes also played an effective role as bombers, fighters, and reconnaissance aircraft – the planes were not very maneuverable, but since there was no anti-aircraft weaponry, they were also very effective

•  Naval vessels also played a significant role in World War I – new technologies such as battleships with turbine engines, electricity, and hydraulic gun control, as well as submarines driven by diesel power allowed naval warfare to be very advanced and successful

THE HOMEFRONT

•  War Industries Board – organized industry to develop all materials needed for the war

•  Victory Gardens – added food to the food supply

•  Espionage and Sedition Acts – prohibited any actions that impeded the war effort

•  Propaganda – posters would support the war effort

•  Great Migration – large movement of African-Americans from the South to the North

•  Flu epidemic – killed about 500,000 Americans before it was eradicated – possibly as many as 30 million worldwide

WILSON AND THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

•  Woodrow Wilson had the goal of creating a new world order in which countries would unite to maintain lasting world peace – January 8, 1918, Wilson appeared before Congress and presented his Fourteen Points which were the aims for the war stil l in progress and the proposed outcomes of the war

•  The Fourteen Points were divided up into three different categories – the first concerned the adjustment of postwar boundaries, the second concerned international conduct in the future, and the third concerned the creation of a League of Nations t h a t wou l d h e l p imp l emen t international policies and help resolve future controversies

THE PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

•  On December 13, 1918, Wilson entered Paris to the cheers of the French people – they viewed him as a savior that would ensure world peace

•  The leaders of the negotiations were the “Big Four”, the four victorious leaders – Wilson (United States), David Lloyd George (England), Vittorio Orlando (Italy), and Georges Clemenceau (France

•  The idealistic peace Wilson hoped for wasn’t going to happen the way he wanted – the most notable departure came in the issue of reparations, which Wilson was against, but finally gave in to ($56 billion)

•  This number was debated for a decade, and in the end Germany only had to pay $9 billion which still crippled their economy

•  Wilson was able to put many imperial possessions in the control of the League, stopped France’s attempt to divide up Germany, oversaw the creation of Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia , and oversaw the creation of the League of Nations, whose covenant was approved on January 25, 1919

WILSON SEEKS APPROVAL OF THE LEAGUE •  Wilson then set out to win approval by the United

States – there was fierce opposition for various reasons including isolationism and the new idea of internationalism

•  Wilson presented the Treaty of Versailles to the Senate in July 10, 1919 to fierce opposition – among those was Henry Cabot Lodge who fiercely hated Wilson and everything he did

•  Despite his failing health, Wilson then embarked in a nationwide trip by train to rally support for his cause – toward the end of the trip, Wilson collapsed and was suffering from severe headaches

•  He rushed back to Washington where he suffered a major stroke a few days later – he fought back and eventually regained some control of himself, enough to maintain a limited schedule (rumors stated that for a short period of time his wife was running the country)

•  Wilson refused to waiver on his position and ordered that the treaty was to be approved only as it was – on November 19, 1919, the amended treaty was rejected, with the original treaty being rejected in a later vote