World War I 1914-1920

Part II: American Mobilization• Prior to reviewing this Power Point...

1) Read pages 653-6572) Answer the Part I guide questions:

• View the Power Point, explore the related links, complete the “tasks” and take detailed notes on the content. Be prepared to discuss the content and ask questions designed to refine your understanding.

American MobilizationObjective… Describe how the U.S. government prepared

civilians for the war.

Mobilizing hearts & minds with propaganda…

The Committee on Public Information (CPI) or “Creel Committee”…

• The CPI was a government agency created to influence public opinion through the use of propaganda during WW I. The CPI it used every type of media available (newspapers, posters, radio, telegraph, cable & movies) to spread its message and create a positive image of the war.

• The leader of CPI (George Creel) once remarked that his goal was to mold America into... “one white hot mass... With fraternity, devotion, courage, and deathless determination.”

• Common themes of the CPI...-World War I is a crusade to bring about world peace-The enemy is despicable & less than human-America must be unified & patriotic-Ethnic Americans (immigrants) must become patriotic Americans

Examples of CPI posters....Examine each poster. How do each of these posters reflect a propaganda message?

CPI: The Four-Minute Men• A volunteer group with 75,000 members• Presented patriotic speeches in more than 5,000 communities • Made more than 750,000 speeches

• Movies were produced picturing the Germans as evil monsters…– The Claws of the Hun,– The Prussian Cur, – The Kaiser, the Beast of Berlin

CPI & Hollywood

Do the movie titles reflect propaganda?

The CPI encourages patriotic organizations…

– The American Protective League (APL)...Private citizens who worked with law

enforcement to identify German sympathizers, radicals, anarchists and anti-war

activists. The APL looked for traitors by wiretapping phones & opening

mail. ....APL: 250,000 members in 600 cities.

– The American Defense Society (ADS)...

- A political group advocating that America go to war with Germany during WW I. The

ADS called for...

- The internment of German-Americans & German sympathizers

- Mandatory military training for men 18-21

- Elimination of the German language instruction in schools

What do these two groups have in common?

The influence of the CPI & the wave of patriotism that sweeps the country

creates anti–German hysteria…• No German in schools• Hostility against German• German books & music banned…• Name changes…

Sauerkraut… Liberty Cabbage Dauschund… Liberty Pup

Hamburger… Salisbury Steak Frankfurter… Hot Dog

Treatment of German Americans…• Lost jobs• Public humiliation….

-Forced to kiss the American flag in public

-Recite the Pledge of Allegiance

-Buy war bonds.

Article: Anti-German Hysteria Swept Cincinnati in 1917

Who are the “Progressives?”... A powerful political movement in the early 1900s. The Progressives advocated social reform and new liberal ideas that change the previous

practices of society. Progressives believe that government can be used to improve the

lives of everyday Americans.

Why do Progressives support the war?... WW I increased the role of government in

the lives of Americans. Increasing the role of government would allow Progressives to

achieve the social changes they were seeking in American society. ...i.e. “broader social

democracy”

Why do women’s organizations support the war?... Support for the war would

allow women to demonstrate equality & ultimately win them the right to vote.

American MobilizationObjective… Describe how the U.S. government mobilized

soldiers for the war.

Camp Dodge, Iowa... 18,000 men preparing for WWI

“You’re in the Army Now”

• The U.S. needed a larger army to participate in WW I.

• The Selective Service Act…

Authorized the government to raise an army through conscription. The act gave "liability for military service of all male citizens“ between the ages of 21 & 45.

The US military was “Woefully unprepared”...Lacking in numbers, lacking the necessary equipment and an aging officer corp.

General “Blackjack” Pershing... The U.S. Army General who led the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) during WW I.

A.E.F…American Expeditionary Force

“Doughboys”… The nick name given to American soldiers during WW I

Racism in the Military The circumstances under which African

Americans served in the U.S. military during World War I...

• 400,000 Blacks served in WW I • Segregated military service• Tolerated Verbal abuse & racial slurs• Generally assigned to support services ...Stevedores &

cooks ...Less than 10% assigned to fight in combat • Less than 1% of all African American enlisted were officers

What did Americans initially expect their role to be in W WI?... Most American’s believed that we would play a limited role through economic aid and providing the supplies necessary for fighting the war.

Why do we become fully engaged in the war?

American MobilizationObjective… Describe the military situation on the

western front in 1917.

Trench Warfare... Opposing armies dig trenches that become defensive positions and offensive positions to attack. The trenches protect soldiers from gun fire & artillery. Trench warfare was used during WW I & is responsible for the “stalemate” during the war.

Fighting on the western front from 1914 to 1917...

STALEMATE IN THE TRENCHES

• “the most gigantic, tenacious, grim, futile and bloody fight ever waged in the history of war.”

… David Lloyd George

• Trench warfare… “cold, wet, lice ridden”

....“fear, exhaustion, fatigue”

No man’s land… The open area of land between two enemy trench systems. In order to attack the enemy you would cross over “No mans Land” and expose yourself to enemy gun fire.

No man’s land

Crossing No man’s land

A forward trench

Life in the trenches....

Stalemate

“Trench foot”… A common ailment during WW I. The wet, cold and unsanitary conditions of the trenches produced trench foot.

Shell shock/ PTSD victims….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc7ehb8agWY

In class activity:A review of the Shell Shock Article….

Row 1: Identify alternative names for shell shock.Row 2: What caused shell shock if you didn’t get it from front line action?Row 2: What are the earliest beliefs about shell shock?Row 3: What are the symptoms of shell shock?Row 4: How were the earliest victims treated?Row 4: What was the miracle cure?Row 5: What was the military's attitude toward shell shock?

…Why did the military take such a hard stand?

Objective... Describe the medical condition know as shell shock.

American Mobilization

Objective…Identify the new weapons of war.

“necessity is the mother of invention”

WW I Tanks

Machine Guns – 90% of the soldiers in combat were killed by machine guns.

Long range artillery…

WW I large artillery & “train guns”…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-QX_SZwDeE

Combat aircraft...

The Flamethrower

Depth charges…

Gas attacks... (Chlorine, Phosphegene & Mustard) – German were the first to use gas warfare.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=uP_0DkpFOKs Color video of WW I fighting

Soldiers blinded by gas ...

American MobilizationObjective… Describe the military situation on

the eastern front in 1917.

Why do the Russian people revolt?...

Vladimir Lenin…What effect did the Russian Revolution have on World War I?

Allied Powers: Mobilization, Dead, Wounded & Casualties

Country Dead Tot. Casual./ % of

Mobilized Wounded

Russia 12m 1.7m 5.0m 9.2m/ 76%

France 8.4m 1.4m 4.3m 6.2m/ 73%

Britain 8.9m 900k 2.1m 3.2m/ 36%

Italy 5.6m 650k 947k 2.2m/ 39%

USA 4.4m 126k 234k 350k/ 8%

Central Powers Mobilization, Dead, Wounded & Casualties

Country Dead Tot. Casual./ % M

Mobilized Wounded

Germany 11m 1.8 4.2 7.1m/ 65%

Aust-H 7.8m 1.2m 3.6m 7m/ 90%

Turkey 2.8m 325k 400k 1m/ 34%

Bulgaria 1.2m 87.5k 152k 267k/ 22%