The First The First World World WarWar

World War I BeginsWorld War I Begins

Chapter 19, Section 1

Long-Term Long-Term Causes of Causes of

WWIWWI

NationalismNationalism• The term nationalism refers to the

strong feelings people have for their own country.

• It may also refer to the desire of people ruled by others to throw off this foreign rule and create their own nation.

ImperialismImperialism

• The quest for new territories led to intense competition among the countries of Europe.

• France, Great Britain, Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Russia all competed for influence in Europe.

MilitarismMilitarism• Militarism is the policy of

maintaining a strong fighting force in readiness for war.

• As Germany began to expand her army and navy in the late 1890s, other European nations, especially Great Britain, tried to stay ahead of this military expansion (arms race).

System of AlliancesSystem of Alliances• The nations of Europe entered into a

series of alliances to maintain a balance of power if war erupted.

• These alliances helped maintain a balance of power, but they also meant that a minor incident could provoke a war.

• The prewar alliances, with a few exceptions, became the belligerents, or warring nations.

The Triple AllianceThe Triple Alliance• Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy

belonged to the Triple Alliance, later known as the Central Powers.

• The Ottoman Empire, an empire of mostly Middle Eastern lands controlled by the Turks, later joined the alliance.

• In 1915, Italy would join the Allies in return for promised territorial gain.

The Triple EntenteThe Triple Entente• The Triple Entente, later known as

the Allied Powers or the Allies, consisted of France, Russia, and Great Britain.

• Russia would withdraw in 1917 (we’ll talk more of this later).

• Eventually, some 30 nations would take sides in the Great War.

The SparkThe Spark• Many feared that an incident that would

lead to war could take place in the Balkans, a region so unstable that some called it the “powder keg of Europe.”

• On June 28, 1914, Archduke Francis Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife were gunned down during a visit to Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia, a province within the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

• The teenage gunman turned out to be a member of a secret society called the Black Hand, with aims to unite all Serbs under one gov’t.

• Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia for the assassination, and declared war on Serbia one month after the assassination.

• The alliance system pulled one nation after another into the conflict.

The Fighting BeginsThe Fighting Begins• Fighting started on the western front

when Germany invaded Belgium on Aug. 4, 1914.

• The German plan was to defeat France quickly and then turn its attention to Russia (Schlieffen Plan).

• However, Belgium and France were able to resist long enough for Great Britain to come to the aid of France.

• In spite of heavy losses by the Allies, the French finally stopped the German advance at the Battle of the Marne.

• At the same time, the Russians were fighting the Germans on the eastern front.

• By the end of 1914 troops from both sides along the western front had dug trenches that stretched from the North Sea to Switzerland.

• The war on the western front eventually settled into a stalemate, where neither side could win a decisive victory.

• From July to Oct. 1916, the Allies gained 2.5 miles of land at a cost of 1 million lives at the Battle of the Somme River.

The Trial of NeutralityThe Trial of Neutrality• At the outset of the war in 1914,

President Wilson issued a Proclamation of Neutrality and urged Americans to remain “neutral in fact as well as in name.”

• As the war progressed, the US tended to favor the Allies due to a cultural, ancestral, and language ties to Britain.

• America’s freedom of the seas (right to trade with any country) was again challenged.

• The British stopped American ships and forced them into port for inspection. Goods headed for Germany were seized.

• German u-boats sank any ship it suspected of carrying cargo for the Allies.

• The British blockade of the North Sea was brutal and successful.

• US trade with Germany/Austria-Hungary fell from $169,289,775 in 1914 to $1,159,653 in 1916.

• In the same time period, US trade with the Allies rose from $824,800,327 to $3.2billion.

• An estimated 750,000 Germans starved to death at the hands of the blockade.

• German u-boats were responsible for 75,000 deaths.

• Wilson and the American people could stomach the loss of property more than they could the loss of life.

• On May 7, 1915, a German sub torpedoed the British cruise ship the Lusitania, killing 1,198 passengers (128 Americans).

• In March 1916 a German sub sunk the French ship, the Sussex.

• The US threatened to sever diplomatic relations.

• Germany responded by issuing the Sussex Pledge, promising to sink no more merchant vessels without warning, provided the US also compelled the British to observe international law regarding blockade practices.

• America remained neutral, but began expanding its army and navy in preparation for entering the war.

• While neutral, it was clear that the US favored the Allies.

• In addition to increased trading with the Allies, private loans were also extended to the Allies.

• By the time the US entered the war, the Allies had borrowed $2.25 billion.

The Election of 1916The Election of 1916• Wilson narrowly won reelection in 1916

with the slogan, “He Kept Us Out Of The War.”

• In Jan. of 1917, Wilson gave a speech that expressed his hope that the war could end with a “peace without victory.”

• That was not the intentions of the belligerents in Europe.

• Believing that they now possessed enough u-boats to starve Britain into submission, the German leaders took the risk of war with the US and renewed their unrestricted submarine warfare.

The Zimmerman NoteThe Zimmerman Note• A few weeks later, British agents

intercepted a note, written by German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmerman, suggesting to Mexico that a German-Mexican alliance might be arranged which would enable Mexico to recover TX, NM, and AZ.

• It was hinted that Japan might also join in an attack on the US.

The US Enters the WarThe US Enters the War• More American ships were sunk by

the Germans.

• On April 2, 1917, Wilson asked Congress to declare war, stating that, “The world must be made safe for democracy.”

• Congress declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917.

American Power Tips American Power Tips the Balancethe Balance

Chapter 19, Section 2

Military ExpansionMilitary Expansion• The US’s armed forces was small

when the US declared war.

• There were about 200,000 men in the army when the US entered the war.

• The Selective Service Act of 1917 required all men 21-30 to register with draft boards (later extended to 18-45).

• By the end of the war more than 2 million men had gone overseas, of whom some 1.4 million engaged in active fighting.

• Women could not serve in the army, but the navy allowed them to serve as nurses, secretaries, and telephone operators.

• Most of the 200,000 black Americans sent to Europe served in noncombatant roles and were met with discrimination.

• By the end of the war the navy consisted of 500,000 men and 2,000 ships.

• The US navy was instrumental in aiding in the British blockade, attacking German u-boats, and participating in the convoy system (a group of vessels sailing under the protection of an armed escort).

America in FranceAmerica in France• 12 weeks after war had been declared,

the 1st US troops landed in France.

• Leading the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) was General John J. Pershing.

• American soldiers were called “Yanks” or “doughboys” by their allies.

The Eastern FrontThe Eastern Front• After the Russian people overthrew the

czar in March, 1917, political turmoil continued until Nov., when the Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, seized power.

• The Bolsheviks opposed the war and signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with the Central Powers in march 1918, ending the fighting on the eastern front.

Chateau-ThierryChateau-Thierry• With the eastern front collapsed, the

Germans could focus attention on the western front.

• In May 1918, the Germans reached Chateau-Thierry, 40 miles from Paris.

• American forces, aided by French troops, stopped the Germans at this point.

The Marne RevisitedThe Marne Revisited• The turning point in the war occurred

in July-Aug. 1918, with the Second Battle of the Marne, in which the last great German offensive was repulsed decisively by the Allied armies.

• Roughly 85,000 American troops took part in this fighting.

The St. Mihiel SalientThe St. Mihiel Salient• Since the 1st year of the war the Germans

held the town of St. Mihiel and its surrounding region, called the St. Mihiel salient because the Germans controlled a projection into the Allied trench system.

• In Sept. 1918, about 500,000 US troops, in their 1st independent action, engaged in 4 days of bloody fighting that flattened the bulge.

The Meuse-Argonne OffensiveThe Meuse-Argonne Offensive• Sept. 1918: US forces totaling 1.2

million began a major offensive in the Argonne forest along the Meuse River, breaking the German lines.

• The Meuse-Argonne Offensive was an important part of an overall advance of Allied forces.

• It started the Germans on their final retreat.

• It was during this fighting that America’s greatest war hero became famous.

• On Oct. 8, 1918, Corporal Alvin York, armed only with a rifle and a revolver, killed 25 Germans and -- with 6 other doughboys -- captured 132 prisoners.

• As it became evident that the Allies were headed for German territory, resistance collapsed and representatives of a newly established republican gov’t in Germany signed an armistice on the 11th hour of November 11, 1918.

Casualties of the WarCasualties of the War• Roughly 110,000 Americans

died during WWI, half of which were killed by Spanish influenza.

• Approximately 8.5 million people died during the Great War.

New WeaponsNew Weapons• New weapons made fighting in WWI

very destructive.

• The Germans developed a cannon called Big Bertha that could fire a shell 75 miles.

• Zeppelins, gas-filled airships, were used to drop bombs on English cities.

• Machine guns could spray 600 rounds of ammo per minute.

• The 2 most important new weapons were the tank and the airplane.

• Dogfights were air battles between 2 airplanes. Aces were pilots who shot down 5 or more enemy planes.

• Captain Eddie Rickenbacker was the leading American ace (26 downed planes).

• WWI saw the 1st modern use of chemical warfare.

• Both sides made use of chlorine, or mustard gas, as a weapon. Mustard gas burns the skin and attacks the nervous system.

• By 1918, between 20 and 30% of all deaths were caused by this chemical warfare.

The War at HomeThe War at Home

Chapter 19, Section 3

• To fight the war, the US needed the help of industry.

• The economy had to change from making consumer goods to making weapons and war supplies.

• Congress gave Wilson direct control over much of the economy, with the power to fix prices and regulate war-related industries.

Coordinating the EconomyCoordinating the Economy• Wilson named Bernard Baruch to

head the War Industries Board, which had the power to determine which materials could and could not be used by manufacturers.

• The WIB set priorities and prices, and increased industrial production 20%.

• Other federal agencies also regulated the economy.

• The Railroad Administration controlled the nation’s railroads.

• The Fuel Administration watched over the use of coal, gasoline, and heating oil.

• Another new agency, the Food Administration, headed by Herbert Hoover, was established to help produce and conserve food supplies.

• Hoover encouraged Americans to clean their plates, eat less (“meatless Mondays” and “wheatless Tuesdays”), and grow their own food (“victory gardens”).

• As a result, more food could be sent to the Allies.

Selling the WarSelling the War• The gov’t raised money to finance the

war by raising taxes (1/3) and by selling war bonds (2/3).

• All told, the gov’t ran four great “Liberty Loan” drives and one “Victory Loan” drive raising about $21 billion.

• Women were very influential in the success of these drives.

• To popularize the war, the gov’t created the Committee on Public Information -- the nation’s 1st propaganda agency.

• The agency was headed by the muckraking journalist George Creel.

• He used artists and advertising to create thousands of posters, paintings, cartoons, and pamphlets to promote the war.

Attack on Civil LibertiesAttack on Civil Liberties• The war brought out anti-immigrant

feelings, especially against all things German.

• Americans with German-sounding names lost their jobs.

• Orchestras refused to play German music.

• “liberty measles”, “Salisbury steak”, “liberty cabbage”

• The Espionage Act made it a crime to aid enemy nations or to interfere with the recruiting of soldiers.

• The Sedition Act made it a crime to speak or write anything critical of the government’s war effort.

• Penalties for breaking either law were severe, and there was little war opposition.

• Creel organized Loyalty Leagues, which encouraged Americans to spy on their neighbors and report those who might be “disloyal.”

• Thousands were imprisoned for opinions expressed in private conversations.

• Eugene Debs was arrested and sentenced to 10 years in prison for telling an audience to “resist militarism wherever found.”

• Members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), also known as the Wobblies, were arrested for staging a strike in 1917.

• After the war, the Supreme Court agreed in Schenk v. United States (1919) that the gov’t could censor speech or writing during wartime only if there was a “clear and present danger” that the war effort might be harmed.

Social Changes During the WarSocial Changes During the War• The war sped up the Great

Migration, the movement of thousands of African Americans from the South to cities of the North.

• They wanted to escape racial discrimination and to find jobs in northern industries.

Women’s Roles ExpandWomen’s Roles Expand• American women played new roles

during the war.

• They worked as truck drivers, cooks, dock workers, and builders.

• They were not paid the same as men, but their expanded roles made them more visible, and Congress passed a women’s suffrage amendment shortly after the war.

Wilson Fights for Wilson Fights for PeacePeace

Chapter 19, Section 4

The Fourteen PointsThe Fourteen Points• In Jan. 1918, Wilson went before

Congress with his Fourteen Points to present his goals and objectives for a lasting peace.

• Wilson hoped to establish a new world order with his plan which was based on “the principle of justice to all peoples and nationalities.”

• The President proposed to eliminate the general causes of war through disarmament, freedom of the seas, and open diplomacy instead of secret agreements.

• Wilson also addressed the rights of people to live under a gov’t of their own choosing.

• In the 14th point, Wilson proposed an international peacekeeping organization called the League of Nations.

• Although Wilson’s plan appealed to a world weary of war, the other Allied leaders did not support the League.

• They wanted German territory and to see Germany punished.

• On June 28, 1919, the leaders of the Allies (the Big Four: Great Britain, France, Italy, and the US) and the Central Powers met at the Palace of Versailles outside of Paris, France to sign the Treaty of Versailles.

The TreatyThe Treaty• The treaty created new national

boundaries by:

• 1) establishing 9 new nations including Poland, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia

• 2) shifting boundaries of other nations

• 3) carving out parts of the Ottoman Empire to create colonies (mandates) in the Middle East for Great Britain and France

• The treaty also took away Germany’s army and navy.

• It forced Germany to pay reparations, or war damages, to the winners.

• In addition, the treaty contained a war-guilt clause -- Germany had to admit that it was responsible for causing the war.

• Wilson brought the treaty back to the US for approval and found several groups who opposed it.

• Some thought it was too harsh or that it favored the imperialists; other ethnic groups objected to the way the treaty treated their homelands.

• The main opposition to the treaty was over the League of Nations.

• Conservative senators, headed by Henry Cabot Lodge, did not like the idea of working with other countries to take economic and military action against aggression.

• They wanted the treaty to include the constitutional right of Congress to declare war.

• Wilson refused to compromise on the League, and wouldn’t accept amendments proposed by Republican leaders.

• As a result, the Senate failed to ratify the treaty and the US never entered the League of Nations.

• The US finally signed a separate treaty with Germany in 1921, when Wilson was no longer President.