The The First First World World WarWar

Long-Long-Term Term Causes Causes of WWIof WWI

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 System of AlliancesAlliances

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 The Triple AllianceAlliance

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 The Triple EntenteEntente

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 SparkMany 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 The Fighting BeginsBegins

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 Trial of The Trial of NeutralityNeutrality

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.

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.

The Election of The Election of 19161916

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 The Zimmerman NoteNoteA 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 The US Enters the WarWar

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 American Power Tips the Power Tips the BalanceBalance

Chapter 11: Section 2

Military Military ExpansionExpansionThe 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 America in FranceFrance

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 The Eastern FrontFrontAfter 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.

The Marne The Marne RevisitedRevisited

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.

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 Casualties of the WarWar

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 WeaponsNew 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 The War at HomeHome

Chapter 11: 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.

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 WarThe 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.

Attack on Civil Attack on Civil LibertiesLiberties

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.

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.”

Social Changes During Social Changes During the Warthe 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 ExpandAmerican 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 11: Section 4

The Fourteen The Fourteen PointsPoints

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.”

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 TreatyThe 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.

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.