10/7/2015

1

The World War I Era

1914-1920

Immediate Cause

• World War I began when _________________ was assassinated by __________________, a Serbian terrorist.

Franz FerdinandGavrilo Princip

• On June 28, 1914, Franz Ferdinand and his wife were visiting Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia (annexed by Austria only in 1908), on a state visit. That morning, a bomb struck the roof of their car and exploded behind them. They drove on, planning to visit an officer injured in that attack, but on the way there they took a wrong turn and drove right past Princip.

“As the car came abreast he stepped forward from the curb, drew his automatic pistol from his coat and fired two shots. The first struck the wife of the Archduke, the Archduchess Sofia, in the abdomen…. She died instantly. The second bullet struck the Archduke close to the heart. He uttered only one word; ‘Sofia’ – a call to his stricken wife. Then his head fell back and he collapsed. He died almost instantly.”

– Borijove Jevtic

Underlying Causes

Cause Explanation

M ilitarism

A lliances

Imperialism

Nationalism

Aggressively building up a nation’s armed forces in preparation for war and giving the military more authority over the government and foreign policy

Designed to bolster each nation’s security, treaties bound nations to come to each other’s aid in the event of an attack

Policy by a stronger nation to attempt to create an empire by dominating weaker nations economically, politically, culturally, or militarily

Devotion to one’s nation; often expressed by ethnic minorities seeking independence

Militarism

• Between 1870 and 1914 the combined military spending of France, Italy, Britain, Germany, Russia, and Austria-Hungary increased by 400%

• By 1914, only Britain still had a volunteer army; the rest practiced conscription

Armies (Active and Reserve) Expanded…1880 1914

Germany 1.3m 5.0mFrance 0.73m 4.0mRussia 0.40m 1.2m

10/7/2015

2

Naval Arms Race• British naval policy was expressed as the “two

power standard,” keeping its navy as large as any two other countries’ navies combined

• After Britain threatened to blockade Germany to prevent it from intervening in the Boer War, Germany started to expand its fleet. Britain started building more ships in an effort to maintain its advantage.

• By 1914 Britain had 49 battleships to Germany’s 29, so Germany secretly shifted the naval arms race by switching to building U-boats instead of surface vessels

HMS Dreadnought, 1906

New, largest class of British battleship, built in just 14 months

Alliances• 1882 – Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy

form the Triple Alliance

• 1892 – France and Russia form an alliance

• 1904 – Britain and France sign the Entente Cordiale (“Friendly Understanding”)

• 1907 – Britain and Russia sign the Anglo-Russian Convention

Triple Entente vs. Triple Alliance

1839 Treaty of London

• In 1838 Britain, Austria, France, the German Confederation, Russia, and the Netherlands agreed to recognize Belgian independence

• Signatories supposedly guaranteed

to protect Belgium, which promised

to remain neutral in all future wars

• Germany described this treaty as a

“mere scrap of paper”

Central Powers Imperialism

• German intrigues in Morocco in 1905 and 1911 challenged French (and British) interests

• Germany hoped to acquire

new territories in Africa and

Asia, but relatively little land

was still available, and most

of it was not very desirable

10/7/2015

3

Nationalism• Nationalism inspired the populations of the great

powers to aspire to control over others

• Nationalism also inspired the subjugated peoples to yearn for independence

• Multi-ethnic and multi-linguistic empires were destabilized by nationalism

• The situation in south-eastern Europe was particularly troublesome, where Slav nationalism was encouraged by Russia and Serbia

Austria-Hungary• Contained significant populations of:

Germans, Hungarians, Czechs, Poles, Ruthenians, Romanians, Croatians, Slovaks, Serbs, Slovenes, and Italians

• The war began on July 28, when ___________ _____________declared war on __________.– Austria-Hungary, with Germany’s encouragement,

sent Serbia a list of demands to avoid war. Serbia agreed to all but one (allowing Austro-Hungarian police to patrol the country).

– Russia had encouraged Serbia to accept all of the demands.

• Consequently, several surrounding countries began to __________, or ready their troops.

• The war expanded on August 1, when ___________ declared war on __________.

Austria-Hungary Serbia

mobilize

Germany Russia

The March Toward World WarJune 28 – Franz Ferdinand assassinatedJuly 23 – Austria-Hungary issues ultimatum to Serbia; Serbia agrees to all but two of the termsJuly 28 – Austria-Hungary declares war on SerbiaJuly 29 – Russia starts mobilizing its troopsAugust 1– Germany declares war on Russia; Germany and the Ottoman Empire sign an alliance; Italy declares neutralityAugust 2– Germany invades France via Luxembourg and BelgiumAugust 3– Germany declares war on FranceAugust 4– Britain declares war on Germany; United States declares neutralityAugust 6– Austria-Hungary declares war on RussiaAugust 11 – France declares war on Austria-HungaryAugust 12 – Britain declares war on Austria-Hungary

10/7/2015

4

Problem: Enemies on Both Sides • Germany, facing enemies on both sides, developed a first-strike strategy known as the __________________.

• Unfortunately, this plan required Germany to attack through __________, a neutral country.

• This aggression brought __________ into the war on August 4.

• Within months, the war entered into a ___________, a situation where neither side could advance.

Schlieffen Plan

BelgiumBritain

stalemate

The Schlieffen Plan: Six Weeks to Win

Why did the German plan fail?• The Belgians slowed the Germans more than

expected, giving the French and British time to deploy their troops

• The Russians mobilized more quickly than expected, prompting the Germans to divert units to the eastern front

• After the Battle of the Marne (September 5-11, 1914) saved Paris, the opposing armies dug trenches from Switzerland to the North Sea

World War or Family Squabble?

Kaiser Wilhelm IIGermany

Czar Nicholas IIRussia

King George VUnited Kingdom

Defensive Trenches• Soldiers dug trenches to provide cover from enemy

fire.

• Over time, the trenches became extremely unpleasant – full of filth, vermin, lice, fungus (Trench Foot), mud, etc.

• Soldiers would rotate out of the trenches from time to time, but that brought little relief.

Trench Foot

10/7/2015

5

Machine Gun• 450 rounds/minute

...the enemy started to advance in mass down the railway cutting, about 800 yards off, and Maurice Dease fired his two machine-guns into them and absolutely mowed them down. I should judge without exaggeration that he killed at least 500 in two minutes. The whole cutting was full of bodies and this cheered us all up...

- Lieutenant K. Tower, Royal Fusiliers, 1914

Rapid Fire Artillery

• Enormous projectiles could strike targets at a significant distance

• Barrages of artillery would often last for days before an infantry assault

• In spite of the enormous damage they could cause, artillery barrages were often ineffective at “softening” an enemy’s defenses –defenders just went underground for protection

“Big Bertha”

Weighed 43 tons

Fired 2200lb shell over9 miles

Transported by tractors

“Paris Gun”

75 mile range

Weighed 138 tons

Failed as a military weapon -Payload was minusculeBarrel needed replacing after 65 shotsPoor accuracy

Hand Grenade

• Provided infantrymen with a highly explosive indirect fire weapon, either thrown or fired from a rifle into enemy trenches

Poison GasThe French used tear gas in 1914

The Germans used chlorine gas in 1915

Germany first used mustard gas in 1917 –colorless and odorless

Symptoms - Severe burning to the

skin, blisters, pain in the eyes,

vomiting, internal and external

bleeding and severe lung damage

10/7/2015

6

Problems with Gas Attacks

• Delivering a gas attack was difficult because the wind could shift and blow gas back at the attackers (this happened several times in 1915)

• Gas cannisters fired from artillery were most effective

Casualties from Gas AttacksCountry Total Casualties Deaths

Austria-Hungary 100,000 3,000

Britain 188,706 8,109

France 190,000 8,000

Germany 200,000 9,000

Italy 60,000 4,627

Russia 419,340 56,000

USA 72,807 1,462

Submarine• Changed naval warfare

• Could attack without notice and sneak away

Tank• The British developed the first tank, “Little

Willie” (similar to an armored car on top of a tractor), referring to it as a “water tank” to confuse spies

• Tanks were dangerous to drive and slow, and

although they did help win several battles, they had a limited effect

on the war

WWI Tanks Airplane• Airplanes were first used for reconnaissance

• Bombing became an important function

• Aerial duels became fascinating spectacles– Aces included the “Red Baron” and American

Eddie Rickenbacker

Voisin III (Fighter), 1914 Voisin V (Bomber), 1915

Zepplins• From January 1915 to war’s end the Germans

launched nearly 100 bombing raids on Britain

• Attacked at night

• Very inaccurate

• Killed about 1,500

• Mostly civilian deaths

• Replaced by planes• The German J-1 “Blechesel” (“Sheet Metal Donkey”)

was the world’s first all-metal airplane. Built as a prototype in 1915, only one was produced.

• Only 41 of the J-9 model were in service by November 1918.

Flamethrowers

• Germany employed them to terrorize the French and British in 1914 and 1915

• Locally effective, little impact on broader war

10/7/2015

7

How did the military strategies of this era fail to account for these technological advances?

Generals assumed that superiority in troop numbers would bring them victory. They repeatedly ordered soldiers to go “over the top” of the trenches to attack the enemy. This produced a mounting pile of dead infantry.

Dulce et Decorum est by Wilfrid Owen, 1917Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,

Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs,And towards our distant rest began to trudge.

Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots,But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame, all blind;

Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hootsOf gas-shells dropping softly behind.

Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! An ecstasy of fumbling,Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time,

But someone still was yelling out and stumblingAnd floundering like a man in fire or lime.

Dim through the misty panes and thick green light,As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,

He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams, you too could paceBehind the wagon that we flung him in.

And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood

Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud

Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,My friend, you would not tell with such high zest

To children ardent for some desperate glory,The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est

Pro patria mori.

• Although many American immigrants, particularly the ___________ and __________, favored the Central Powers, most opposed them.– Why did the Irish favor the Central Powers?– The Irish were tied up in their own efforts for

independence from the UK; they weren’t so much pro-German as anti-British; many enlisted in Allied armies anyway

• This perspective was reinforced by British ______________, information intended to sway public opinion.

GermansIrish

propaganda

• On August 4, 1914, President __________ officially proclaimed that the United States would remain neutral and try to act as a ______________.

Wilson

peacemaker

• Many Americans supported the idea of ________________ and urged the government to get ready for war.

• They created the _______________________ in December of 1914 to “promote patriotic education and national sentiment and service.”– Teddy Roosevelt and Leonard Wood were big

boosters

– The Army held voluntary training camps from 1913-1916; the first were held at Gettysburg; participants paid $27.50 for the training

– Between 1915 and 1916, some 40,000 men (all college graduates) received training

preparedness

National Security League

• In 1915, they persuaded the government to set up __________ to train men for combat.camps

• Simultaneously, a peace movement sprung up. It consisted mainly of ___________________, _________________________, and ___________________.

• In November 1915, they founded the __________________________________ to promote peace.

former PopulistsMidwest progressivessocial reformers

American Union Against Militarism

10/7/2015

8

• In 1916, President Wilson and Congress agreed on increases in the _______________. armed forces

• Throughout the early years of war, most Americans favored a policy of neutrality. Gradually, public opinion shifted in favor of declaring war. Each of the following factors contributed to that shift. Please explain how.

Big Business & Foreign Trade

• Between 1897 and 1914, American commercial investments overseas grew from $700 million to $3.5 billion; German and British naval war threatened those investments

• American banks lent huge sums to the Allies between 1914 and 1917; if the Allies became unable to pay it would cause an economic crisis in the United States

British Propaganda• The British cut the transatlantic cable

connecting Germany and the United States, so all news of the war had to flow through Britain

• The British focused on alleged

atrocities to make the Germans

look like barbarians – in 1917 they

even produced stories of Germans

recycling corpses into pig feed,

glue, etc.

Russian Revolution

• The fall of the Russian czar brought a (temporarily) republican form of government into power

• The leading Allied Powers were now all democratic, while the Central Powers were now all autocratic

• War advocates could argue that this would be a war “to make the world safe for democracy”

Still Fighting Wars for Democracy?• “The survival of liberty in our land increasingly

depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world.”

• “So it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.”

• “In the long run, there is no justice without freedom, and there can be no human rights without human liberty.”

- President George W. Bush, 2005

Submarine Warfare• Britain and Germany tried to blockade each

other during the war; since Britain had the superior surface fleet, the Germans had to rely on its U-boats to prevent England from importing needed supplies

• U-boats had the advantage of surprise attack; submarines that warned ships prior to attack revealed their location and became easy targets

• Germany warned all ships to stay away from Britain but the US insisted it had the right to sail where it wanted since it was neutral

10/7/2015

9

Zimmermann Note• Germany’s foreign secretary, Arthur Zimmerman,

proposed an alliance with Mexico in the event that the US joined the Allies; Germany would help Mexico recover the lost territory in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona

• Britain intercepted, decoded,

and published the telegram

What were the Lusitania, Sussex, City of Memphis, Illinois, and Vigilancia?

– The Lusitania was a British passenger ship sunk by a U-boat on May 7, 1915; among its 1,200 passengers were 128 Americans; the British were also smuggling weapons and ammunition on it

• The British did not reveal the presence of weapons and ammunition to the passengers, but Germany knew of it

• The British used the passengers as human shields hoping that Germany would not attack, but knowing that an attack would make the US more sympathetic to the Allies

What were the Lusitania, Sussex, City of Memphis, Illinois, and Vigilancia?

– The Sussex was a French passenger ship sunk by a U-boat on March 24, 1916; among its 80 passengers were 2 Americans

• The US threatened to cut diplomatic ties with Germany unless it agreed to stop attacking ships without warning (in theory, non-combatants were supposed to have a chance to get off the ship before the Germans sunk it)

• The Germans agreed to this “Sussex Pledge” but subsequently announced they would no longer honor it on January 31, 1917

What were the Lusitania, Sussex, City of Memphis, Illinois, and Vigilancia?

– The City of Memphis, Illinois, and Vigilanciawere American ships sunk by U-boats between March 16 and 18, 1917

• After the sinking of these ships, the President’s cabinet voted unanimously for war on March 20th

• On April 2nd, Wilson delivered a war message to Congress

Event

The Russian Revolution occurs

The US breaks off diplomatic relations with Germany

President Wilson asks Congress to declare war

The British reveal the Zimmermann Note

Germany informs the US that it would end the Sussex Pledge

President Wilson signs the declaration of war

President Wilson asks Congress for permission to arm merchant ships

5

2

6

4

1

7

3

3/8/17

1/31/1917

4/6/17

2/3/17

4/2/17

3/1/17*

2/2617

*Technically, the British revealed it on 2/19/17, but Wilson did not make it public until 2/28, and most Americans learned of it the next day

10/7/2015

10

US War Resolution• Approved 82 to 6 in the Senate

• Approved 373 to 50 in the House– Among House dissenters was Jeannette Rankin,

the first female member of the House

– Rankin lost her reelection bid in 1918 but was reelected in 1940, when she was the only Representative to vote against war with Japan

• In April of 1917, the United States military was unready for war. Please identify one problem facing each of our armed forces at the start of the war.

Service Size Situation

Marines 15,500

Regular Army

100,000

National Guard

132,000

Far from Europe, patrolling Central American and Pacific possessions

Smaller than the armies of 16 other countries

In need of training

• In June of 1917, in spite of these deficits, President Wilson decided to send 14,500 soldiers to Europe under the command of General __________. Pershing

• The main purpose of this small force was to show American commitment and boost Allied __________.

• This force was called the AEF, short for _____________________________________.

morale

American Expeditionary Force

• With so few troops, the US agreed to support the cause in other ways: _________________, __________, __________, and __________.

naval supportsupplies arms loans

• Plans were made for the AEF to grow to __________ soldiers by 1918 and __________ by 1919.1 million 3 million

• To fill the ranks, Congress passed the _________________________ in May of 1917, authorizing a draft. A total of __________ men were drafted.

Selective Service Act

3 million

Men who refused to fight for religious or other reasons were known as conscientious objectors. Most of them still served, but in noncombat positions.

10/7/2015

11

• These draftees went to training camps to learn such skills as ________________________ _____________, ______________________, ______________________, and ___________ ______________.

how to use a bayonetand a rifle dig a trenchput on a gas mask throw agrenade

• Members of the AEF were nicknamed _____________. doughboys

• Thousands of women also served in uniform as __________, _________, or __________. nurses drivers clerks

• More than __________ African-Americans also served in segregated units.– Many segregated units served under French

command because the French, with their colonial experiences in Africa, were less prejudiced than the American officers

The "Harlem Hell fighters“ - American 369th RegimentThe longest fighting American unit in WWI

Received 171 Croix de Guerre decorations (1918)

300,000• German submarines made sailing to Europe

very dangerous, so the Allies developed the __________ system to protect its ships. convoy

• Germany’s prospects boomed when ____________________, having promised to make peace with Germany, seized power in Russia in November 1917.

Vladimir Lenin• By terms of the peace concluded on March 3,

1918, Germany acquired much of Russia’s __________, including its industry and farmland.

• The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk cost Russia:– About 1/4 of its territory (1.3 million square

miles), including important agricultural areas

– About 1/3 of its population (62 million people)

– About 3/4 of its iron and coal reserves

– 6 billion marks (war indemnity owed to Germany)

territory

10/7/2015

12

• More importantly, peace in the east freed Germany from the _________________ it had been fighting. It sent hundreds of thousands of troops to the west, hoping to defeat the French and British before the Americans could provide significant reinforcements.

two-front war

• A terrible __________ epidemic helped to blunt the German offensive.

• Over __________ Americans and perhaps as many as ___________ people worldwide died from the outbreak – more than died in all of the war’s battles combined.

influenza

500,00030 million

Battle of the Somme, 1916Allied offensive from July 1 – November 18

The British suffered approximately 20,000 KIA and another 37,000 WIA on the first day alone

Over 1,000,000 soldiers killedSome 600,000 Allied, 500,000 German

War of Attrition – kill so many enemy soldiers that they can no longer fight

The Allies advanced about 6 miles

Notable for the introduction of the tank

Battle of Jutland, 1916• The German High Seas Fleet made its only

attempt to enter the North Sea

• The British engaged it north of Denmark and fought to a draw, though the British did lose more ships and twice as many sailors

• The Germans decided to keep their fleet in port for the remainder of the war

• Submarine warfare became the only available option for Germany to fight at sea

Battle of the Chateau-Thierry, 1918

July 18, 1918 – the first major battle for the AEF

Americans helped the French army block a German offensive

10/7/2015

13

Second Battle of the Marne, 1918

German offensive from July 15 – August 6

The last German offensive of the war

From this point forward the Allies continued to drive toward Germany

Battle of St. Mihiel, 1918

Allied offensive from September 12 – 15

One of the first American-led offensives, it improved the AEF’s reputation among the French

The Meuse-Argonne Offensive, 1918

Final Allied offensive of the war, fought from September 26 to November 11

Largest battle in US military history, it involved 1.2 million American soldiers

Alvin York – American Hero• A Tennessee farmer with little formal education

who considered serving as a conscientious objector, York became one of the most celebrated heroes of WWI

On October 8, 1918, after a German machine gun company killed nine of his fellow soldiers, including his superior, York killed at least 20 Germans and accepted the surrender of another 132, earning him the Medal of Honor

• Sensing imminent defeat, Kaiser Wilhelm fled to ___________________ on November 10, 1918.– Wilhelm had to confront an uprising in Berlin,

mutiny in the Navy, and concerns that the Germany Army would not fight to protect Wilhelm from a revolution

– With the Allies likely to punish him if he fell into their hands, Wilhelm sought asylum from the neutral Dutch, then led by a distant relative, Queen Wilhelmina.

the NetherlandsThe End of Kaiser Wilhelm

• The Allies tried to extradite him but the Netherlands refused

• A group of American soldiers attempted to kidnap him in January 1919, but the plot failed

• Wilhelm wrote his memoirs,

remarried, and lived in comfort

until his death in 1941 (still

maintaining some hope of being

restored to his throne)

• On __________________ at ___________, an armistice officially ended the fighting of World War I.

November 11th 11:00 am • Altogether, an estimated __________ soldiers and sailors died during the war.

8 million Country Killed Wounded

France 1,358,000 4,266,000

Germany 1,809,000 4,247,000

Russia 1,700,000 4,950,000

United Kingdom 908,000 2,090,000

United States 51,000 206,000

Austria-Hungary 923,000 3,620,000

Italy 462,000 954,000

Turkey 325,000 400,000

Bulgaria 76,000 152,000

10/7/2015

14

In Flanders Fieldsby Major John McCrae, 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blowBetween the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the skyThe larks, still bravely singing, flyScarce heard amid the guns below.We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throwThe torch; be yours to hold it high.If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies growIn Flanders fields.

Green Fields of Franceby Eric Bogle (1976)

Well how do you do, young Willie McBride, The sun now it shines on the green fields of France do you mind if I sit here down by your graveside There's a warm summer breeze, it makes the red poppies dance And rest for a while 'neath the warm summer sun And look how the sun shines from under the cloudsI've been working all day and I'm nearly done. There's no gas, no barbed wire, there's no guns firing now I see by your gravestone you were only nineteen But here in this graveyard it's still no-man's-land when you joined the dead heroes of nineteen-sixteen. The countless white crosses in mute witness stand I hope you died well and I hope you died clean To man's blind indifference to his fellow manOr Willie McBride, was it slow and obscene. To a whole generation that were butchered and damned.

Chorus:Did they beat the drum slowly, did they play the fife lowly, did they sound the dead-march as they lowered you down. did the band play the Last post and chorus. Did the pipes play the 'Flowers of the forest'.

Did you leave a ere a wife or a sweetheart behind Now Willie McBride I can't help wonder whyIn some faithful heart is your memory enshrined Do all those who lie here know why they died? Although you died back in nineteen sixteen did they believe when they answered the cause In that same faithful heart are you forever nineteen Did they really believe that this war would end wars?Or are you a stranger without even a name Well the sorrows, the suffering, the glory. the pain Enclosed and forever behind the glass frame The killing and dying was all done in vain In a old photograph, torn and battered and stained For young Willie McBride it all happened again And faded to yellow in a brown leather frame. And again, and again, and again, and again.

• Millions of civilians also lost their lives through ____________, __________, _______________________, and even __________. – The Ottoman Empire targeted ethnic Armenian and

other Christians for systematic killing due to their suspected Russian sympathies

– Estimates for the number of deaths range from 600,000 to 1.5 million

starvation diseasewar-related injuriesgenocide

• Americans helped to support the war effort by purchasing about $20 billion of _____________. war bonds

• The US raised enough money to cover its own expenses and still loan $10 billion to the Allies

Civilian Contributions to War• Americans purchased war bonds in large

quantities• Many businessmen volunteered to work for

new government agencies for a “dollar-a-year”• Popular artists produced patriotic posters• Famous actors led public rallies• People grew food gardens• Volunteer groups like the Red Cross, Salvation Army, and Knights of Columbus donated items to help the troops

War Industries Board

• Headed by Bernard Baruch

• Responsible for doling out raw materials, telling manufacturers what and how much to produce, and even fixing prices

• Industry switched from producing consumer goods to making war materials– Henry Ford, formerly devoted to neutrality,

allowed his automobile plants to produce tanks, tractors, and anti-submarine ships for the war

War Trade Board

• Led by a board chaired by Vance C. McCormick

• Licensed foreign trade and punished firms suspected of dealing with the enemy

Vance C. McCormick• Born June 19, 1872 in Harrisburg, PA• Served as Harrisburg Mayor (1902-1905)

– Built the steps along the river

• Publisher of The Patriot newspaper• Chairman of the Democratic National

Committee (1916-1919)• Chairman of the American delegation to the

Paris Peace Conference in 1919• Died in 1946 at his estate, Cedar Cliff Farms,

near Camp Hill, and was buried in Harrisburg

10/7/2015

15

National War Labor Board

• Led by former President William H. Taft

• Responsible for settling labor disputes that might disrupt the war effort

• Assisted by AFL Leader Samuel Gompers’ promise to limit labor problems in war production industries

War Labor Policies Board

• Led by Felix Frankfurter

• Responsible for setting standards for wages, hours, and working conditions in the war industries

Food Administration

• Led by Herbert Hoover

• Responsible for increasing farm output and reducing waste

• Avoided price controls and rationing in favor of encouraging voluntary efforts

• “Gospel of the Clean Plate”

Fuel Administration

• Led by Harry A. Garfield

• Sponsored “gasless days” and instituted Daylight Savings Time to conserve energy

Committee on Public Information

• Led by a board chaired by George Creel

• Responsible for promoting American support for the war (propaganda?)

• Recruited more than 75,000 “4 Minute Men” to give speeches for the administration

• Used every available form of media

• Occasionally caught spreading false info

• Americans began to express hostility to the Germans in many ways:– People referred to them as “Huns”

– Many schools stopped teaching German

– Books by German authors disappeared from libraries

– Music by German composers were banned from concerts

– German measles became “liberty measles,” hamburgers became “liberty sandwiches” and “Salisbury steak,” and German shepherds became “police dogs”

10/7/2015

16

• Two laws, the _________________ (1917) and the ________________ (1918) were viewed as militarily necessary infringements on American liberties.

• The government prosecuted

about 1,500 people and won

convictions against 1,000

• Eugene Debs was sentenced

to ten years in jail for telling

people to resist “militarism”

Espionage ActSedition Act

• Political radicals such as the __________ were suppressed. – The IWW opposed the war at its November 1916

convention, proclaiming that wars were plotted by capitalists to get richer while killing their enemies in the working class (paraphrasing)

– After the US entered the war in 1917, the group toned down its rhetoric but still encouraged members to be conscientious objectors

– Government and vigilante action severely impacted IWW members (even jail, death, etc.)

IWW War’s Impact on Civilian Life• Patriotic organizations such as the National

Security League also helped to spread nativism

• The government censored publications and banned some material from the postal system

• Military styles and activities became more acceptable and popular– Children rushed to join scouting programs

– Many schools offered military drill

– By 1918, all able-bodied college men had become privates in the US Army

War’s Impact on Minorities and Women

• The drop in immigration and deployment of so many soldiers to Europe opened job opportunities in American factories

• Some factory owners who previously discriminated against minorities began recruiting them

• At least 500,000 African Americans migrated from the rural South to Northern cities seeking jobs (“The Great Migration”)

• About 400,000 women joined the industrial work force for the first time

• On January 8, 1918, President Wilson outlined ___________________ he hoped would be the basis of peace.Fourteen Points

• Among his various points were several key provisions:– 1. An end to ___________________

– 2. Removal of ____________________

– 3. Reduction of ____________________

– 4. Right of ethnic groups to ____________________

Wilson could afford to be more generous with his terms for peace because the people of the United States had not suffered as much as the other allies; European allies wanted to punish Germany.

secret treatiestrade barriersmilitary forces

self-determination

10/7/2015

17

• Wilson led the American delegation to the ____________________________ in 1919. – Wilson shortsightedly decided not to include any

senior Republican senators in the delegation, even though the Republican-controlled Senate would have the final say on ratifying the treaty

Paris Peace Conference• Wilson was joined by _________________, the

Prime Minister of Britain, ___________________, the Prime Minister of France, and ______________, the Prime Minister of Italy.

David Lloyd GeorgeGeorges Clemenceau

Vittorio Orlando

Leaders’ Differing Attitudes

• George publicly supported punishing Germany but privately worried that a too-weakened Germany would be unable to check Russia

• Clemenceau simply wanted Germany crippled so it would never again become a threat

• Orlando hoped to acquire pieces of Austrian territory (and had worked out a secret agreement with George to that end)

• Although Wilson denied any interest in __________, his allies were eager to divide up Germany’s colonies.

spoils

• Wilson compromised on most of his agenda, but convinced the other leaders to adopt a plan for a _____________________ to secure peace for the entire world.

League of Nations

• Wilson was less successful selling his plan to ______________ senators, who feared that the collective security requirements would drag the United States into foreign wars.

Republican • The Allies redrew the maps of __________ and the _______________, creating many new countries in the process.

EuropeMiddle East

10/7/2015

18

• France and Britain insisted that Germany pay the Allies ______________ in reparations.

• In addition to losing territory (including all overseas colonies) and paying reparations, Germany had to admit responsibility for causing the war (“War Guilt Clause”)

• The German Army would be limited to 100,000 troops; Germany could not acquire tanks, airplanes, submarines, or more than 6 battleships

• France would occupy the Rhineland, which would be permanently demilitarized

$33 billionGermany was humiliated and angered by the Treaty, but had no choice but to sign. • Germany accepted the peace terms on

_______________, and the Allies signed the treaty on ________________. May 7, 1919

June 28, 1919

• Wilson suffered a paralyzing __________ shortly after travelling the US to build support for the treaty.– Wilson became paralyzed on his left side and lost

most of his vision in his right eye

– For weeks, Wilson’s wife Edith became his intermediary to the world

– The full extent of his disability remained somewhat secret until roughly February 1920

– Historians still debate how much executive authority Edith assumed as “Acting President”

stroke Edith Wilson

• The Senate voted against the treaty __________ times, but Wilson refused to accept any alternative.

three

10/7/2015

19

• War officially ended when _______________, Wilson’s successor, was in office.

• Congress declared the war

over on July 2, 1921.

• Terms of the peace were

finalized on August 25, 1921.

Warren G. Harding Postwar Gloom• Many artists and intellectuals in the US entered the

postwar years gloomily

• The carnage of the war had shaken their confidence in mankind’s progress… perhaps we were no better than barbarians, and technology only made us more lethal?

• Many veterans suffered from

long-term trauma from their service

but received no support