WORLD WAR I BEGINSChapter 11 Section 1 Pages 370-407

OBJECTIVES

1. Identify the long term causes and the immediate circumstances that led to World War I.

2. Describe the first two years of the war.

3. Summarize U.S. public opinion about the war.

4. Explain why the United States entered the war.

CAUSES OF WORLD WAR IMany Americans wanted to stay neutral and out of

the war but neutrality was difficult to maintain4 LONG-TERM CAUSES OF WORLD WAR I•Nationalism-a devotion to the interests and culture of one’s nation•Imperialism-the policy of extending a nation’s authority over other countries by economic, political or military means•Militarism-the development of armed forces and a tool of diplomacy•Alliance System- originally the Triple Entente, later known as the Allies (France, Britain, Russia) and the Triple Alliance later known as the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Otttoman Empire)

ASSASSINATION LEADS TO WARJune 14 Archduke Franz Ferdinand visited

the Bosnian capital Sarajevo, he and his wife Sophie were shot by Serbian

nationalist Gavrilo Princip• July 28-Austria-Hungary declared war on

Serbia• August 1-Germany declared war on

Russia• August 3-Germany declared war on

Russia’s ally France• August 4-Britain declared war on

Germany and Austria Hungary

Serbian Gavrilo Princip(above)

Archduke Franz Ferdinand (left)

Archduke with his wife Sophie

(top)

THE FIGHTING STARTSThe Schlieffen Plan- holding action against

Russia combined with a quick drive through Belgium to Paris; after France has

fallen the 2 German armies would defeat Russia.

Look at your textbook page 375 (MAP)TRENCH WARFARE

(page 376)3 Main kinds of

trenches-Front Line-Support-Reserve

THE BATTLE OF SOMME•1st Battle- Began July 1, 1916•British suffered 60,000 casualties in the first day alone•1.2 million total•Only 7 miles of ground exchanged because of trench warfare

TRENCH WARFARE• “NO MAN’S LAND”-a barren expanse of mud

with shell craters and filled with barbed wire

Americans Question Neutrality• Public opinion was strong-but divided• Socialists criticized the war as capitalist and

imperialist struggle between Germany and England to control markets

• Pacifists believed that war was evil and the US should set an example for world peace

• Millions of naturalized citizens followed the war closely because they still had ties with other nations

• America had strong economic ties to the Allies• During the first two years of war the Allies

flooded American markets with supply orders

THE WAR HITS HOME• In 1917 America had mobilized for war for 2 reasons

– To ensure Allied repayment of debts to the U.S.– To prevent the Germans from threatening U.S. shipping

THE BRITISH BLOCKADE•Made use of naval strength•Blockaded German coast to prevent weapons and other supplies from getting through•Americans were angry b/c blockade threatened freedom of the seas

GERMAN U-BOAT RESPONSE•Germans responded with a counterblockade •May 7, 1915 U-Boat sank the British liner Lusitania off the coast of Ireland•128 Americans were lost•Americans became outraged and public opinion turned against Germany

1916 Election• Democrats renominated Woodrow

Wilson• Republicans nominated Charles

Evans Hughes• Wilson campaigned under the

slogan “He Kept Us Out Of War”• Wilson was elected and hoped that

all nations would join a “league for peace” which would work to extend democracy, maintain freedom of the seas and reduce armaments

The United States Declares War• Germans ignored Wilson’s call for peace

and threatened to sink all ships entering British waters

• Zimmerman Note-telegram from the German foreign minister to the German ambassador in Mexico that was intercepted by British agents– Telegram promised that if war with the

United Sates broke out, Germany would support Mexico in recovering “lost territory in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona”

–Four more US merchant ships were sunk with 36 lives lost

–Russia replaced there monarchy with a representative government

Now the United States could justify that this war was a war of democracies against brutal

monarchies“Make the World Safe For Democracy”