CHAPTER 31

CAUSES OF WORLD WAR I

• LUSITANIA SINKS• GERMAN U-BOAT ATTACKS• ZIMMERMAN TELEGRAM

U.S and the War in Europe

• U.S. was making money from war production• Trade between Germany and America had

been cut due to British trade rules• German naval improvements brought new

international laws to submarine warfare• Wilson took a pacifist approach to the

Lusitania incident.

Wilson’s reaction

• After Wilson gave his speech about the nature of the war in Europe, Germany announced an “unrestricted submarine warfare” tactic.

• Wilson then broke diplomatic ties with Germany and asked Congress to allow armament of U.S. merchant ships

Zimmerman Note

• March 1st, 1917- Zimmerman telegram was intercepted

• Germany proposed an alliance with Mexico• Vowed to return Texas, New Mexico and

Arizona to Mexico if they teamed up with Germany against the U.S.

Retaliate or Resume?

• The U.S. was being scolded by citizens for not fighting back against the blatant provocation of Germany

• Russian revolution broke the tsarist regime and allowed the U.S. to fight alongside the Allied forces for democracy without being affiliated with a fascist government

• Wilson realized he no longer could reap the benefits of profitable, neutral trade during a time of war

Wilson’s Fourteen Points

1. Abolish secret treaties2. Freedom of the seas3. Remove economic barriers among nations4. Reduce armament5. Adjust colonial claims

*Remaining points illustrated ideas on “self-determination” for minority groups*-Last point was a foreshadowing for Wilson’s League of Nations

Wilson’s Intentions

• Guarantee political independence and territorial integrity for all countries

Task: GAIN SUPPORT FOR THE WAR EFFORTCommittee of Public Information: George Creel- “sell” the idea of American war interest and

Wilson’s aims to the public- 75,000 men distributed the message across the

country delivering “pep talks” to citizens

War Propaganda

Domestic Issues

• Labor Unions & Strikes

• Race Riots

• Suffrage

Espionage Act of 1917

• Prohibited any attempt to interfere with any military operation, promote insubordination, support U.S. enemies during wartime or interfere with military recruitment

• Those convicted under its provisions stated that their 1st amendment civil liberty was violated

• Schenck vs. United States Supreme Court decision ruled in the laws favor stating such speech creates a “clear and present danger” to the safety of the United States

Sedition Act of 1918

• Forbade the use of “disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language” about the United States government

• Essentially, if anyone was caught saying anything that put a negative light on the United States, armed forces or war effort they were to be incarcerated.

Labor Union Organizations

• IWW or “Wobblies” were a radical labor union organization led by William Haywood who opposed the war effort and known for their industrial sabotage tactics

• American Federation of Labor (AFL) leader Samuel Gompers represented his labor organization and supported the war effort

• Eugene Debs was convicted under the Sedition Act and sentence to ten years in prison

Strikes - 1919

• Pittsburgh, PA. • Steel Workers go on strike • Workers resisted the unionization of the steel

industry• Police forced to break up the strikes on the

streets and restore order

Chicago Race Riots 1919

• Labor unions on strike in Chicago• Many industries call upon African American

workers to come into the factories so production would continue

• Integration of beaches and rather tensions caused the death of a young African American man which spurred the Chicago Race Riots of 1919

Wilson helped win the war – Peace?

• Wilson now had the responsibility of maintaining peace in post war time

• Efforts were taken to distribute territories to designated areas in Europe

• Treaty of Versailles and League of Nations were Wilson’s projects after WWI

• June 1919 T of V given to Germany

Treaty of Versailles

• Angered Germans cried out after majority of the 14 points were implemented in the treaty

• Wilson was forced to compromise his 14 points to maintain the League of Nations

• Ended the state of war between the Allied powers and Germany

• Germany was forced to make territorial concessions, disarm and pay war reparations

League of Nations

• Intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference

• Purpose: to maintain world peace• Goals: maintain world peace through 1. Collective security2. Disarmament3. Negotiation and arbitration