Chapter 22: World War I

AP United States HistoryWest Blocton High School

Mr. Logan Greene

Chapter Objectives

• Analyze the beginning of the war in Europe.

• How was U.S. neutrality during World War I underminded?

• Why did the United States join the conflict on the side of the Allies?

• How did the war effort threaten civil liberties?

• What were the terms of the Treaty of Versailles?

• What was the post-war backlash?

The War in Europe

• World War I was caused by four major factors coming together– Alliances: Major European powers had allied

into two main groups (Triple Entente: Great Britain, France, & Russia Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria Hungry, and Italy) If one went to war all went to war

– Nationalism: Growing pride in one’s country–Militarism: Coupling pride in country with size

of military– Imperialism: Competition over foreign power

and influence

Franz Ferdinand

• The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria Hungary brought the situation to a head

• Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo, Bosnia by Serbian rebels

• Austria Hungary declared war on Serbia• Serbia was backed by Russia• Within a month the entire continent was

at war• America pledged neutrality

American Attitudes

• Although America was diplomatically “neutral” the country was hardly unbiased

• Most Americans simply sided with ancestral ties (German Americans sided with Germany, British Americans sided with Britain)

• Due to economic ties most Americans sided with Britain and France

• Woodrow Wilson and his cabinet were HEAVILY pro-British

• Despite this Americans did NOT want in the war

Economy of War• The impressive naval blockade of the Allies

prevent America from trading with the Central Powers even though it was legal to sell to all countries

• Allied orders for steel, explosives, and weapons helped spur the American economy

• Some congressmen and many Americans worried this policy of trading with the Allies would eventually drag America into the war

• Loans, trades, and the feelings of the government heavily tied America to the Allies

Diplomacy of Neutrality

• The British broke the Declaration of Neutrality by not allowing America to trade with the central powers

• Although Wilson did not agree with the blockade he left the issue alone

• Wilson did not even argue with the British prevented food from being delivered to Germany further tying America to Britain

• As well this forced Germany to adopt unrestricted submarine warfare

Submarines and The Lusitania

• Germany felt she had to use the only advantage over the British she had: submarines

• Submarines attacked shipping and tried to break the British blockade

• In May 1915 the passenger liner Lusitania was sunk by a U-Boat, killing over 1,000 (include 128 Americans)

• Many Americans wanted war but Wilson stayed the neutrality course and demanded Germany halt submarine warfare

The Sussex Pledge

• Germany did not immediately halt submarine warfare

• In April 1916 the Germans sunk the French liner Sussex. Wilson threatened war

• Germany agreed to the Sussex Pledge and to halt submarine warfare but only if Britain also agreed to international law

Preparedness

• Theodore Roosevelt, older but not slowing down, spoke about preparedness

• This was the idea that the United States MUST be ready for the eventuality of America getting involved in World War I

• This involved strengthening the navy, stockpiling weapons, and increasing the army

• Wilson originally protested but began to agree after the Lusitania and Sussex crisis

1916 Election

• Wilson ran in the 1916 election on the popular platform of “He Kept Us Out of War”

• Roosevelt attacked Wilson for staying out of war while also asking the progressive party to rejoin the Republicans

• In the end the Republican candidate, Charles Even Hughes was defeated by Woodrow Wilson in a surprisingly close race

• Many observers blamed TR for Hughes’ loss

Descent into War• Wilson knew war was growing ever more likely• He tried to talk both sides into an armistice but

both the Allies and the Central powers had invested to much to quit without an all out victory

• Several incidents moved American opinion against Germany

• By January 1917 Germany had resumed all out submarine warfare

• The Zimmerman Telegram, intercepted in March 1917 was attempting to rally Mexico to attack the United States on Germany’s behalf

War

• With anti-German sentiment growing Germany sank 4 American freighters in late March

• On April 2, 1917 Wilson wrote Congress requesting a declaration of War against Germany

• On April 6, 1917 the Congress approved and America came into the war on the side of the Allies

Managing the War Economy

• The most important agency for controlling the economy was the War Industries Board (WIB) that reorganized industry for maximum efficiency and productivity during World War I

• The WIB helped business make more money, employ more workers, and streamline the selling of materials

• America turned into a military industrial behemoth

Women and Minorities

• Women took many of the jobs vacated by men fighting in the war

• The ability of women to take these jobs and do them well helped push through women’s suffrage and prohibition

• As well, large numbers of blacks migrated to the north to try and take some vacated jobs; however, they were faced with racism and discrimination

Financing the War

• To help pay for the war the government raised taxes and put forth loan programs– Liberty Bonds: Certificates sold by the United

States to citizens that accrued interest

• Liberty Bonds helped finance the growing cost of fighting a mechanized global war

Conquering Minds

• The government also heavily sponsored a propaganda campaign to help generate war fervor

• The Committee of Public Information (CPI) shaped public opinion through regulation of newspapers, movies, and radio

• Thee constant themes: national unity, bad character of the enemy, and war as a grand crusade for liberty

Suppressing Dissent

• Anti-war sentiment was growing as the US entered the war

• The Espionage Act levied fines and threatened jail time for obstructing the war effort

• The Sedition Act restricted any criticism of the war effort, its government, flag, military, taxes, or officials

• Schenck vs. US (1917) showed the Supreme Court was willing to support such acts during wartime

The War to End All Wars

• One of the first acts to prepare for the war was the passing of the Selective Service Act of 1917 which instituted a draft

• Citizens were transformed into soldiers into quickly constructed training camps

• The American Expeditionary Force began arriving in Europe in June 1917

• Once full scale American intervention occurred in July the Allies were on the verge of victory

The War to End All Wars

• Events in Russia complicated the war further

• The Imperial government under Tsar Nicholas collapsed in March and a provisional government was set up

• A new revolution occurred late in the year and the communists under Vladimir Lenin prevailed and created the USSR and pulled out of World War

• This allowed Germany to commit all her troops to the Western front

The War to End All Wars

• By 1918 the German’s had one offensive push left

• However, they were stopped short of their goal of Paris by 40 miles at the Second Battle of the Marne

• Allied forces, Americans included, counter attacked at the only major battle Americans took part in: The Argonne Forest

• On November 11, 1918 at 11 AM Germany surrendered

The 14 Points

• The ceasefire was only the first step to peace

• In preparation for the peace talks Woodrow Wilson drafted the 14 Points as a primer for what he saw as the perfect post war world

• His 14 points called for self determination for countries, freedom of the seas, disarmament, and an international body designed for countries to air grievances and prevent war

The Paris Peace Conference• The Peace Conference opened on January 18,

1919 in Paris, France• The Conference was dominated by the big four

(Britain, France, America, and Italy) USSR and Germany were not invited

• Overall Wilson’s idealistic 14 Points were ignored

• This was mainly due to the staggering losses Britain and France had suffered

• Germany begrudgingly signed the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919

The Treaty

• The treaty placed total blame on Germany for the war

• Germany was stripped of its army, navy, and air force

• Germany was forced to pay $33 Billion in reparations (war payments)

• As well, Germany had to give up the territory of Alsace-Lorraine to France

• The League of Nations was created to try and prevent future wars

Battle over Peace at Home• Most Democrats favored ratifying the Treaty

and joining the League• Republicans were staunchly against the treaty

fearing it would hamper American independence as the League required all countries to get involved in conflicts

• (Republicans split into two groups of opposition, the Irreconcilables opposed ratification totally while Reservationists wanted amendments)

• Wilson refused to compromise on the treaty or the League of Nations

• In 1920 the Senate rejected the Treaty

Economic Readjustment and Social Conflict

• The US had never had to readjust the economy the way it needed to after World War I

• 600,000 troops returned home to few jobs and massive competition from recently discharged war time workers

• Inflation struck as well crippling many peoples economy

• At the same time the great influenza epidemic struck killing over 700,000 Americans

• Socially African-Americans were disappointed by little post war gains

The Red Scare

• The emergence of the Soviet Union (USSR) during World War I led to a phenomenon known as the Red Scare

• Americans feared the anti-capitalism of Communism

• The Red Scare targeted labor activism, radical dissenters, and ethnic groups

• Suspected people were arrested and even deported as the scare reached panic levels

The Election of 1920

• The election of 1920 featured Republican Warren Harding running on a ticket of a return to “normalcy” versus Democrat James Cox

• Harding was an old guard conservative who promised a simpler approach to government

• Harding won as the country rolled into the 20’s with optimism of a calmer decade ahead

Chapter Objectives

• Analyze the beginning of the war in Europe.

• How was U.S. neutrality during World War I underminded?

• Why did the United States join the conflict on the side of the Allies?

• How did the war effort threaten civil liberties?

• What were the terms of the Treaty of Versailles?

• What was the post-war backlash?