Was it in the best interests of the United States to stay neutral or

declare war in 1917?

WORLD WAR IChapter 29: Wilsonian Progressivism at Home

and AbroadChapter 30: The War to

End War

Militarism - policy of building up strong military forces to prepare for war

Alliances - agreements between nations to aid and protect one another

Nationalism - pride in or devotion to one’s country

Imperialism - when one country takes over another country economically and politically

Assassination - murder of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand

CAUSES OF WORLD WAR I: MANIA

CAUSES OF WORLD WAR I: ASSASSINATION

Archduke Franz Ferdinand (heir to the throne of Austria-

Hungary) and Duchess Sophie at Sarajevo, Bosnia on June 28th,

1914.

European Alliances as World War I Begins

Nations 1914 1915 1916 Britain $594,271,863 $911,794,954 $1,526,685,102 France $159,818,924 $364,397,170 $628,851,988 Germany $344,794,276 $28,863,354 $288,899

Which Side Should the U.S. Take?

•Immigrants (foreign born) in the U.S.• Germany 2.5 million • Austria-Hungary 1.6 million• Ireland 1.2 million • Great Britain 1.2 million • Russia 1.7 million • Italy 1.3 million foreign

•The United States must be neutral in fact, as well as in name.- Woodrow Wilson’s Statement on

Neutrality (1914)

PropagandaU-Boats

DemocracyLusitania

Zimmerman Telegram

PUDLZ (puddles…get it?)

“Neutrality is no longer feasible.”“The right is more precious than

peace.”82 – 6/Senate 373 – 50/House The United States joins the AlliesLafayette, we are here!

“…The world must be made safe for democracy…” – Woodrow Wilson (4/2/1917)

First time the U.S. government committed to sending large numbers of troops across the seaMost Americans thought we’d only send

supplies or foodSelective Service

National draft (all men ages 21-30 had to register)

American Expeditionary Force under Pershing“doughboys” (the first infantry to reach Europe)Separate unit not joined to the Allies because

Pershing disagreed with the defensive, trench warfare

Give the U.S. a greater voice in the after war peace

The Great War and the United States

Thanks to Russian involvement, the Germans had to fight a two front war

In 1918 the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signedCommunist Russia

(now the U.S.S.R.) was out of the war

Central Powers gained territory given up by the Russians

No more war on the Eastern Front

The Russian Revolution of 1917

Peace GroupsPacifists- people who oppose all war for

political, moral, or religious reasons

Conscientious Objectors- people who opposed war for religious or moral reasons and therefore refused to serve in the armed forces (often risking going to prison)

Women’s Peace Party (led by Jane Addams)Feared that U.S.’s entry

into war would diminish support for their reform

How is America’s democracy looking these days?

Government and the WarCommittee on Public Information (CPI)

George Creel led this government created committee in attempt to sell the war to the public.

Films, Books, and Four Minute Men (speakers around the country)

Raising money for the war effort came through taxes and liberty bonds

Taxes funded ¼ of the cost (War Revenue Act)Increased income taxes (16th Amendment) during

WWI

Industry, Food, and Fuel for War

War Industries Board- headed by Bernard Baruch coordinated the work of government agencies, and industry groups To make sure supplies and equipment were

produced and delivered to the militaryNational War Labor Board-

government worked to ensure the cooperation of unions

Food and FuelFood Administration- oversaw the production

and distribution of food and fuelMeatless Mondays, Wheatless Wednesdays,

Gasless Sundays, and Heatless MondaysVictory Gardens (one in front of the White House)

African Americans and Democracy on the Home frontMost supported the war effort and the NAACP

encouraged people to serve in the militaryWEB Du Bois wrote, “Let us, while this war

lasts, forget our special grievances and close our ranks shoulder to shoulder with our own white fellow citizens and the allied nations that are fighting for democracy.”

Great MigrationMass movement of African Americans to the

North.Chicago, New York City, Cleveland saw an

explosion of black residentsRace Riots broke out in 1919

A St. Louis factory owner brought in black workers to break up a strike and a riot broke out causing 30 African-Americans to die and 9 whites

Immigrants, Fear and the LawImmigrants needed to appear “americanized”

Most immigrants supported the warAmerican Protective League-self

appointed patriot group that targeted immigrants for being disloyal

German Americans were often attacked and targeted

Espionage Act (1917)- “spying”- made it a crime to try and interfere with the military draft and set penalties for spying, sabotage, and “obstruction of the war effort.”

Sedition Act (1918)- made it a crime to say anything that was disloyal, profane, or abusive about the government

Speaking Out Against the WarWobblies- members of the Industrial

Workers of the World spoke out against the war.165 arrested, 1 hanged, viewed as disloyal

Schenck v. United StatesCharles Schenck, a socialist, was charged

with espionage for distributing leaflets to recent draftees, urging them to resist the military draft.

First Amendment? Freedom of Speech?Unanimous decision- Schenck’s

publications created a clear and present danger to a nation engaged in war.

From “Lafayette, we are here! -1917…

…To on the Eleventh day, of the Eleventh month at the Eleventh hour = armistice -1918

The End to the "War to End All War"

The U.S.’s main contributions to the ultimate victory:Foodstuffs and munitions Oil for this first mechanized warAnd manpower, but not battlefield victories

Yanks found only two major battles—at St. Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne, both in the last two months of the four-year war

It was the prospect of endless U.S. troop reserves rather than America’s actual military performances that eventually demoralized the Germans

CountriesTotal

Mobilized Killed

& Died Wounded

Prisone

rs&

Missing

TotalCasualties

Casualties % of Mobilized

Allied Powers            Russia 12,000,000 1,700,000 4,950,000 2,500,000 9,150,000 76.3

France 8,410,000 1,357,800 4,266,000 537,000 6,160,800 76.3

British Empire 8,904,467 908,371 2,090,212 191,652 3,190,235 35.8

Italy 5,615,000 650,000 947,000 600,000 2,197,000 39.1

United States 4,355,000 126,000 234,300 4,500 364,800 8.2

Japan 800,000 300 907 3 1,210 0.2

Romania 750,000 335,706 120,000 80,000 535,706 71.4

Serbia 707,343 45,000 133,148 152,958 331,106 46.8

Belgium 267,000 13,716 44,686 34,659 93,061 34.9

Greece 230,000 5,000 21,000 1,000 17,000 11.7

Portugal 100,000 7,222 13,751 12,318 33,291 33.3

Montenegro 50,000 3,000 10,000 7,000 20,000 40.0

Total 42,188,810 5,152,115 12,831,004 4,121,090 22,104,209 52.3

Central Powers            Germany 11,000,000 1,773,700 4,216,058 1,152,800 7,142,558 64.9

Austria-Hungary 7,800,000 1,200,000 3,620,000 2,200,000 7,020,000 90.0

Turkey 2,850,000 325,000 400,000 250,000 975,000 34.2

Bulgaria 1,200,000 87,500 152,390 27,029 266,919 22.2

Total 22,850,000 3,386,200 8,388,448 3,629,829 15,404,477 67.4

Grand Total 65,038,810 8,538,315 21,219,452 7,750,919 37,508,686 57.6

Wilson’s Vision for World Peace Presented at the Paris Peace Conference at Versailles

Fourteen Points- Wilson’s blueprint for peaceDo you remember what caused World War I in

the first place? Woodrow Wilson remembered.End to Secret AlliancesFreedom of SeasEuropean Reduction of Armaments (weapons)Right to Self DeterminationCreation of the League of Nations –an

international peace keeping organization in which countries would protect territorial integrity

The TREATY OF VERSAILLES was signed June 18th, 1919 by the BIG FOUR

Big Four-: W. Wilson (US), D. Lloyd George (GB),

G. Clemenceau (France) and V. Orlando (Italy)

Paris Peace ConferenceThe European victors were not really

buying what Woody was selling…

Germany will respect the independence of Austria, the complete independence of Czechoslovakia and of Poland.

Germany surrenders all her rights and titles over her overseas countries.

The German military forces shall be demobilized and reduced not to exceed 100,000 men.

The German navy must not exceed 6 battleships, 6 light cruisers, 12 destroyers, and 12 torpedo boats. No submarines are to be included.

The Armed Forces of Germany must not include any military or naval air forces.

Germany and her Allies accept the responsibility for causing all the loss and damage to the Allied Powers.

Germany will pay for all damages done to the civilian population and property of the Allied Governments. [The figure was later set at $33 billion].

The German territory situated to the west of the Rhine River will be occupied by Allied troops for fifteen years.

In case you forgot the conditions of this treaty for Germany…

Wilson brings the Treaty home to ratify…Wilson (a Democrat) needed 2/3 vote to ratify

the treaty but the Republicans were hesitantPartisanship (rivalry between the parties)

defeats the treatyMany Senators felt the treaty would drag us

into world affairs (the League of Nations) and war

Some Democrats turned on Wilson and voted the treaty down.

The treaty is rejected by 7 votes Wilson takes his case to the public in hopes of

saving his treaty in the election of 1920 (a “solemn referendum”) and suffers a massive stroke

By 1921 the League of Nations was running without the U.S. as a member (whose president had created it)

A return to isolationismCould WWII have been avoided if the US

joined the League of Nations?