Chapter 21:World War I

United States History

Causes of the War World War I, or the Great War, was fought from June 1914 to

November 1918 There were many causes to this conflict

Nationalism: ethnic groups fought for centuries over control of eastern Europe

Militarism: countries competed with one another over military strength

Alliances: to protect themselves, nations entered agreements with neighboring nations, promising aid if their allies were attacked

The complicated web of alliances came to a head in June 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to Austria-Hungary’s throne, visited

Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia A Serbian national, Gavrilo Princip fired two shots that killed

Ferdinand and his wife Sophie

The War Begins Immediately, A-H declared war on Serbia

Germany offered support, with Russia honoring Serbia Eventually, Britain, France and Russia made up the Allied Powers Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire

made up the Central Powers Later in the war, Italy and the United States joined the Allies

Germany felt they could win a quick war by eliminating France, then Russia According to the Schlieffen Plan, Germany would invade

Belgium, then defeat France from the north However, the Belgians put up a tough fight, allowing the Allies to

stop the Germans at the First Battle of the Marne in Sept. 1914 Very quickly, the war came to a stalemate, with no hope of a

quick victory for either side

Stalemate New types of warfare prevented either side from gaining any type

of ground Trench warfare: long series of ditches were the majority of fighting was

done▪ Areas between trenches were considered no man’s land because of the mines and

the constant barrage of machine gun fire, a new weapon of warfare Chemical warfare: poisonous gases were fired into trenches, causing

untold pain and death if soldiers could not get gas masks on in time Submarines: boats that traveled under water and wreaked havoc on ships,

civilian and military alike Airplane: limited effect, but introduced dogfighting and aerial bombing to

warfare Numerous battles from 1914-1916 caused millions of casualties,

but no clear victory for either side Battle of the Marne (Sept. 1914) Verdun (Feb.-July 1916) Somme (July-Nov. 1916): over 1 MILLION deaths in 4 months)

World War I Weaponry

America and World War I President Wilson declared the United States neutral when the war

broke out in 1914 Worked to help bring the war to an end diplomatically throughout 1915-16,

but to no avail Because so many were immigrants from nations fighting, citizens of the

nation had their own thoughts Some backed the Central Powers, but most backed the Allies

The US came closer and closer to war because of the German submarine campaign of the Atlantic American ships were stopped and searched and also torpedoed and sunk The deadliest incident occurred May 7, 1915, when 128 Americans died after

the Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat Wilson demanded the German military cease, or else

Germany pledged to stop sinking boats without warning Issued the Sussex Pledge in March 1916

Prepare for War! As German attacks continued, the US began to prepare for

war Loans and aid were sent to Britain and France National Defense Act of 1916 authorized the building of the

army and navy, almost costing Wilson reelection Broke diplomatic relations with Germany in February 1917 after

Germany resumed full scale attacks of civilian ships Zimmermann Note: March 1, 1917▪ German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmermann’s promise to Mexico▪ Proposed Mexican alliance with Germany▪ Promised aid to help Mexico recover “lost lands” from the US

On April 4, 1917, Congress declared war on Germany Urged by President Wilson Not a unanimous vote, as 50 representatives and 6 senators

opposed

Mobilizing for War Because the US military was small and unprepared, the

government had a lot of work to do to get America ready for war Selective Service Act: May 18, 1917▪ Required all men 21-30 years old to register for the draft▪ Later changed to 18-45 years old▪ 2.8 million men eventually drafted to fight▪ All different backgrounds and races fought, but were segregated

Soldiers, drafted and enlisted, were sent off to training Learned basic military drill, shooting, fighting Fought under General John J. Pershing in Europe Soldiers were nicknamed “Doughboys” To protect troops and supplies heading to Europe, the Allies devised a

convoy system of military and civilian ships However, because of the need for infrastructure and organization,

American troops did not do any actual fighting until 1918

The Home Front To produce the goods needed for war, the government started programs to

oversee American industry Money was raised by selling Liberty bonds during the war and Victory bonds after the

war Taxes were increased Resources, such as food, fuel, metals, and other scarce materials, were rationed and

conserved War Industries Board set prices and told companies what to produce

Millions of people worked in wartime industries Union membership soared Women worked in factories with men off fighting A Great Migration of African Americans from the south went north looking for work,

but were met with discrimination and racial violence Mexican immigrants came looking for work and escape from the Mexican Revolution

Volunteerism increased greatly People conserved energy and materials, recycled and planted victory gardens People bought Liberty bonds Juliette Gordon Low formed a group based on the Boy Scouts called the Girl Guides,

eventually the Girl Scouts, in 1915, who worked heavily in the war effort

Propaganda Posters

Government Actions The government worked hard to convince all Americans to

support the war Committee on Public Info (CPI): propaganda campaign to convince the

public Used posters, movies and pamphlets Turned attitudes against German Americans

Americanization campaign taught new immigrants English, US History and gov’t courses

Laws were passed making it a crime to be against the war effort Espionage Act: outlawed acts of treason against the gov’t Sedition Act: made it a crime to speak out against the gov’t Hundreds were imprisoned for breaking these laws Schenck v. United States (1919) upheld the laws as necessary against a

“clear and present danger” and that sedition was like “yelling fire in a crowded theater” and not protected speech

America’s Arrival American came in the nick of time

Allies were having a tough time fighting in the West The Russian Revolution of 1917 spelled the end of the war for the

Russians▪ Communists, led by Vladimir Lenin, overthrew a democratically elected gov’t that

had overthrown Czar Nicolas II Germany launched a massive offensive in March 1918

The Allies were pushed back within 50 miles of Paris However, American troops stopped the Germans at Chateau-Thierry and

Belleau Wood in June This turned the Germans back, meeting for the final battle at Argonne

Forest in October 1918 Germany’s military fell apart, causing German leader Kaiser

Wilhelm to resign on November 9th

Two days later, at 11 AM of 11/11/1918, a cease fire went into effect Today, we celebrate this day as Veteran’s Day The peace conference was held in January 1919 in Paris, France

Armistice President Wilson met with Georges Clemenceau of France, David Lloyd

George of Britain and Vittorio Orlando of Italy to negotiate a peace Several issues were addressed at the peace conference

Wilson proposed the Fourteen Points▪ Most points dealt with nations governing themselves, others dealt with causes of the war

and how to prevent another war▪ The last point was the League of Nations, proposed as a world wide organization to

prevent wars in the future Large reparations, punishment for the war, were levied on Germany, who was

blamed for the war Finally, in the summer of 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was finalized

▪ The treaty divided Central Powers’ lands and colonies among the Allies ▪ Created Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Poland, Finland, and the Baltic states▪ Outlawed German armament and billions in fines

Wilson brought the treaty to the Senate, but the Senate refused to ratify the treaty, led by Mass. Senator Henry Cabot Lodge In rejecting the treaty, the US rejected the League of Nations, which formed

without US support

Aftermath of the War In September 1919, President Wilson had a

massive stroke that crippled him for the rest of his presidency

Europe struggled to recover, as infrastructure, agriculture, and the economy was in ruins

Allies colonized the Middle East, causing issues that are seen still today

8.5 million were killed, with another 21 million injured in the fighting

Eventually, the aftermath of the war led to the rise of dictators in Europe like Adolph Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Josef Stalin

Europe Before WWI

Europe After WWI