World War I started in Europe in 1914, but the U.S.A. would not get involved until 1917.

There were 4 major causes of why the war happened:

1) Militarism 2) Alliance system 3) Imperialism 4) Nationalism

Militarism – build up of the military.

Europeans were used to seeing people in uniform, even if you were not in the military.

It became a status symbol to wear military gear as military discipline and war became more admired.

Military leaders felt it was better to attack first rather than wait to be attacked, because of the time it took to mobilize troops.

Man I

look

good !

Where

did you

get that

coat ?

Alliance System – agreements between nations to aid one another if they were attacked.

By 1890s, Europe was divided into two alliances, – Central Powers (enemy) - Germany Austria-

Hungary and the Ottoman Empire. – Allied Powers (friends) - Great Britain, France, &

Russia.

Imperialism – controlling a weaker nation as a source of raw materials and as a market for your products.

Many European nations controlled other nations of Africa and Southeast Asia, it was becoming more difficult to find and keep colonial empires.

As nations tried to increase their economic power and influence around the world it led to conflicts and war!

Nationalism – a strong devotion to the culture of one’s own nation.

This belief led to idea that a single nation’s interests are more important than cooperation among nations.

Several ethnic groups within other nations wanted to form their own countries.

Nationalism led to fighting among nations! Map of the Balkans region

in Southeastern Europe

In 1914 the country of Austria-Hungary used imperialism to control several smaller nations located in the Balkans region (outlined in red) of Europe.

Many nations of the Balkans were controlled by other stronger nations.

Serbia was 1 of these nations and didn’t like it. The Balkans were called a “powder

keg” and things were ready to explode!

The “powder keg” exploded in 1914.

Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was touring several nations he exercised imperialism over.

A man from Serbia (country controlled by the Archduke) ran into the street and shot the Archduke and his wife. The Archduke gets capped

Take that

you

imperialist

@#$%@

The assassination of its leader caused Austria-Hungary to declare war on little Serbia.

But, Serbia had made an alliance with Russia. So when Austria-Hungary attacked Serbia, the

Russians came to their defense and declared war on Austria-Hungary.

This brought Germany into the war, because they had an alliance to help Austria-Hungary.

And so on it went as nation after nation was forced to join the war because of alliances they had made.

It’s 1914 and Europe is at war! The U.S.A. remained neutral

(didn’t become involved).

U.S. President Woodrow Wilson was elected as president on the campaign promise of “I’ll keep us out of war”.

Pres. Wilson kept his word until 1917 when a series of events caused America to want war.

Elect me

and I will

keep us out

of Europe’s

affairs

Both sides predicted the war would be over soon, both would be wrong.

New weapons were introduced: – machines guns, poison gas,

submarines, airplanes, & tanks. These weapons made it easier to

defend a position rather than attack.

Trenches were dug along France’s eastern border with Germany, it was called the ‘Western Front’.

The Western Front would become a very deadly area.

Trench Warfare was a new and strange form of war no one had ever seen before.

Men dug trenches that were separated by barbed wire and land mines, the area between them was called ‘no man’s land’ and was a killing zone.

Soldiers would spend years in the trenches because neither side could advance causing a stalemate and drawing out the War.

The death toll would be horrendous.

1. Close ties with both Britain and France 2. Germany declares unrestricted submarine warfare. 3. Germany had promised not to sink neutral ships,

but they were breaking that promise. 4. Allied propaganda played the Germans as

committing atrocities against civilians 5. The ‘Zimmerman Note’ offered Mexico a deal to

join with Germany.

When war broke out in Europe, America would

attempt to remain neutral. But the U.S.A. would

eventually become involved.

Germany sent a telegram from its Ambassador Zimmerman to Mexico.

Germany offered Mexico lands in the southwestern USA if Mexico would attack the USA.

The telegram was intercepted and published in American newspapers.

America screamed for war!

The Zimmerman Note

Coded telegram proposing an alliance

between Germany and Mexico

The Zimmerman Note decoded

Freedom of the Seas was the main reason the U.S.A. finally entered the war.

Britain used a naval blockade against Germany, preventing them from getting food & supplies.

Germany retaliated by sinking merchant ships with their submarines. (U-Boats)

Germany continued to sink ships until America threatened to end relations with Germany.

Germany then made the ‘Sussex Pledge’ not to sink merchant ships without warning or without helping passengers on board.

The British passenger ship the Lusitania was sunk by a German U-boat.

The ship carried 1200 passengers, of which 128 were Americans.

This was the first time that Germany had actually killed an American citizen.

American’s called for war!

Sinking of the Lusitania

The image is a postcard that

Germany printed to show its sinking

of the Lusitania.

Germany was suffering from the British blockade and declared they would again start using Unrestricted Sub-marine Warfare to sink any ships they found.

This violated the principle of “freedom of the seas”, or the right of neutral nations like the USA to ship non-military goods to nations at war.

Pres. Wilson asked Congress to declare war, and they did!

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

German U-Boat sinking an

unarmed Allied ship

Swim

with

the

fish

In the 1916 election, Wilson balanced contrasting stances: – He appealed to progressives & anti-war voters

with the slogan “He kept us out of war” – But argued for “preparedness” by building up

the military in case the U.S. joins the war Wilson won by affirming 2 goals: freedom

of the seas & neutrality

In December 1916, Germany led a massive European offensive & resumed unrestricted submarine warfare to win the war

In 1917, Wilson hoped for a “peace without victory” but key events made neutrality impossible: – German subs sunk 5 U.S. ships – The interception of Zimmerman Telegram

fueled U.S. anger

Rationale behind the Zimmerman Note: The U.S. & Mexico almost went to war in

June 1916 over events related to the Mexican Revolution (Huerta, Carranza, Pancho Villa)

April 2, 1917, Wilson asked Congress for a declaration of war to “make the

world safe for democracy”

Gen. John J. Pershing Gen. Pershing was selected to

lead the AEF which was the American Expeditionary Force.

Pershing was a decorated war veteran who refused to send American troops into battle until they were well trained.

This led to fewer deaths and the love and respect of his men.

Pershing won a huge victory at the Battle of the Argonne forest in northeastern France.

Alvin York • Alvin York represented the

typical draftee in World War 1, he was underprivileged and uneducated.

• In the Battle of Argonne Forest, Sgt. York singlehandedly was responsible for killing 25 Germans and capturing 132 prisoners of war.

• He earned the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroism.

When the U.S. entered the war in 1917, the Allies were on the brink of defeat

U-boats effectively

limited Allied

supplies

The Russian armistice in 1917 allowed Germany to move its full

army to the western front

Mutinies were common in the French army & the British lost at Flanders, Belgium

Wilson named John Pershing to head the American Expeditionary Force (AEF), but despite Wilson’s preparedness campaign, the U.S. was not prepared for full scale war

Many wanted a volunteer army, but Wilson pressed Congress to pass a Selective Service Act (24 million registered & 2.8 million were drafted to fight in Europe)

The army & navy increased in size but military leaders had not prepared a plan for war (“To plan

for war is to violate the terms of neutrality”)

African-Americans were subject to the draft & fought during WWI in segregated units

American soldiers saw their 1st action in May 1918 at Chateau Thierry outside Paris & helped

resist a last-ditch German offensive

The Allied counter-attack led by the U.S. & France pushed into Germany

The arrival of fresh American soldiers & war supplies raised Allied morale at a crucial time: – By October 1918, the German gov’t knew the

war was over – Turkey, Austria-Hungary, & Bulgaria were all

out of the war – Nov 11, 1918 Germany signed an armistice

with the Allies

The “Great War” was a total war but the U.S. effort paled in comparison to other Allied forces: – The U.S. reluctantly entered WWI after 3 years

of neutrality & played a supportive (not a central) military role in the war

– But, WWI had a huge impact on the American economic, political, & cultural homefront

9 million soldiers & 5 million civilians died

Artillery, poison gas, grenades, machine guns led to trench warfare & war of attrition

American soldiers were only engaged in battle for 8 months

U.S. had only 320,000 casualties (6.8%)

The Allies had 52% casualties; the Central

Powers had 57%

To win over there, the U.S. had to effectively mobilize over here – Wilson consolidated federal authority to

organize U.S. war production & distribution – Wilson began a massive propaganda campaign

aimed at winning over the American public to support the war effort

Wilson formed the Committee on Public Information (CPI) & hired muckraker George Creel to publicize the U.S. war effort: – Voluntary censorship in press – 75,000 “4-minute men” gave speeches (facts

or emotions?) – Propaganda motion picture films

Led to sweeping anti-German sentiment & some vigilantism

“Why We Are Fighting” & “The Meaning of America”

The Prussian Curse & The Kaiser, the Beast of Berlin

Sauerkraut was renamed “Liberty Cabbage” & pretzels were no longer served in bars

Bach, Beethoven, & Brahms were not played in symphonies

Pillaging & Kidnapping

Rape

Murder

Wilson encouraged censorship: – Espionage Act—aiding the enemy,

obstructing troop recruitment, or encouraging “disloyalty” were declared illegal

– Trading-with-the-Enemy Act—censored the foreign press

– Sedition Act—made it illegal to speak “disloyally” towards the U.S. gov’t, the flag, or U.S. troops

Wilson set out to encourage U.S. unity (like Lincoln during the Civil War, Wilson

was willing to use force if needed)

First Amendment restrictions were upheld by the Supreme Court: – 3 cases were decided in 1919: Schenk v US, Debs

v US, Abrams v US that supported gov’t convictions under the Espionage Act of 1917

– The gov’t used the wartime climate to undermine radical labor unions (IWW) & socialism

Schenk was sentenced for conspiracy to circulate pamphlets encouraging soldiers to mutiny

1st Amendment rights can be restricted when it presents a “clear & present danger” (Like “yelling ‘fire’ in a crowded theater”)

Eugene V. Debs was jailed when his Socialist newsletter Appeal to Reason

encouraged Americans to resist enlisting in the military to fight a “capitalists’ war”

Defendants passed out documents that denounced the sending of U.S. troops to Russia (to resist the

Bolshevik Revolution) & that called for a general strike & other “revolutionary actions”

To coordinate the war effort, 5,000 new gov’t agencies were created: – War Industries Board (WIB) oversaw all

factories, determined priorities, fixed consumer prices

– Food Admin supplied food to soldiers by appealing to civilians

– Fuel Admin rationed coal & oil – RR Admin, War Shipping Board, & War Trade

Board helped move resources to troops

Imposed “gasless” days & shut down factories for days to divert or conserve fuel

Asked for a spirit of self-sacrifice, imposed “meatless” & “wheat-less” days & encouraged

Americans to plant “victory gardens”

WIB director Bernard Baruch became the “dictator of the American economy”

WWI was expensive, costing the U.S. $32 billion, but was paid for by – Liberty Bonds (raised $23 billion) – A boost in personal & corporate income taxes

(led to $10 billion)

The partnership between business & the gov’t met the war demand & increased business profits 300%

WWI led to a new alliance between the gov’t & labor unions: – AFL headman Gompers was named to the

Council of Nat’l Defense to help enlist union support for the war effort

– War Labor Board (WLB) was formed to standardize wages & hours, protect union rights, & give equal pay for women

“Keeping

Warm”

Los Angeles

Times

The war called for more laborers: –8 million women found new,

better-paying jobs in war industry (but few housewives entered the workforce, unlike WW2)

–450,000 Southern blacks moved north for new industrial jobs & better pay (led to race riots)

–100,000 Mexican laborers worked in SW farms & ranches

Wilson believed WW1 presented an opportunity for the USA to take the lead towards world peace: – Wilson saw moral diplomacy as the antidote

to imperialism & military aggression – Wilson’s plan for peace was the Fourteen

Points based on progressive liberalism & improved international relations

Wilson’s Fourteen Points contained 3 main themes: – To create new nations out of weakened

empires based on “national self-determination”

– To create new internat’l rules: freedom of the seas, no more secret treaties, reduce militarism

– To create a League of Nations to solve future problems

Austria Hungary Yugoslavia

Poland Czechoslovakia Turkey

Wilson traveled to the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 to help create the Treaty of Versailles: – He hoped his Fourteen Points would become

the framework for the peace treaty – But, Wilson had to compromise some of his

14 Points if he wanted a League of Nations

Wilson made a mistake by not including any key Republicans in his Paris

delegation

The treaty was a compromise: – Poland, Czech, Yugoslavia were formed but

Germany’s colonies were split up by the victors

– Germany had to accept the “war guilt clause” & pay $33 billion

– The treaty did not mention free trade or freedom of seas

– Despite calls for open covenants, the treaty was drafted in secret

But, the “Big Four” agreed to Wilson’s League of Nations: – Created a General Assembly of 27 nations &

Executive Council – A Court of International Justice – Arbitration & economic sanctions would be

used to settle conflicts against nations that resort to war

– Article X asked nations to protect each other’s independence

Executive Council consisted of the “Big Four,” Japan, & 4 other elected nations

On June 28, 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed by Germany & officially ended WWI

Unfortunately for Wilson, many Senators did not like the treaty

because of the League of Nations

But, Wilson could not sign the treaty & formally end America’s involvement in WWI; According to Article I of the Constitution, the U.S. Senate has the power to ratify all treaties

All the major European powers signed the treaty & joined the League, but not the U.S.

Polls showed U.S. support for the treaty, but the Senate wanted to amend the League’s covenant to keep the U.S. from being forced to fight in future foreign wars

Wilson refused to compromise & weaken the League of Nations

2/3 of the Senate was needed for the U.S. to approve the treaty: – The “mild reservationists” wanted changes to

slightly weaken the League – The “strong reservationists” led by Henry

Cabot Lodge wanted major changes to Article X

– The “irreconcilables” refused to allow the U.S. to join the League

Senate majority leader Lodge led the attack on the treaty & League: – Instead of compromising, Wilson tried to

pressure the Senate with a cross-country speaking tour

– The tour was popular but ineffective in pressuring Lodge

– During the tour, Wilson had a stroke & remained bedridden

For the rest of his presidency, Edith Wilson served as de facto president

Wilson’s failure to compromise led the “irreconcilables” & “strong reservations” to defeat the treaty

The United States never signed the Treaty of Versailles nor joined the League of Nations

In 1920, the Republican Warren Harding won in a landslide signaling a “return to normalcy”

“Compromise? Let Lodge compromise… Better a thousand times to go down fighting than to dip

your colors to a dishonorable compromise.” —Woodrow Wilson

U.S. signed its own peace treaty with Germany in 1921