Transcript World War I – (American Hist)

World War I
Causes of the War
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Balance of Power in Europe
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Franco-Prussian War (unification)
German Industry
Tensions in SE Europe
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Sick Man of Europe
Power Struggle
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Failed Alliance System
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Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy)
Triple Entente (France, Russia, England)
Push into the Balkans
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Balkans wanted autonomy
Russia and Austria-Hungary come close to war
Archduke Assassinated
The dominoes fall
People believed it would be a quick war, lasts from 1914-1918
American Neutrality (1914 -1917)
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Americans
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Some pro-German
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Irish
Some pro-British
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Wilson issued a Proclamation of Neutrality
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Important to note: Germans are not Nazis
U.S. Commercial Interests in Europe
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1914 - US had 800 million dollars in trade
with allies
1914 - Only 169 million dollars in trade with
the central powers.
1916 – 3 billion dollars in trade with the
allies.
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US had a financial stake in the war on the British
side.
British Propaganda
British cut the Atlantic cable from
Germany to America.
 English dramatized German brutality
Submarines – barbaric
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Stealth
Left survivors to die
Germans invaded neutral Belgium
German/American Tensions
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German Uboats:
unrestricted
submarine
warfare
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Lusitania – 128
Americans die
Sussex Pledge
– Germans halt
sub war
American Attitudes
Some Americans Preparedness
 Neutrality
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Woman’s Peace Party –
1915
William J Bryan
Wilson’s Reactions
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Wilson didn’t want to go to war, but he wanted
the allies to win.
Campaign of 1916
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Reelected on the “He kept us out of War”
“Peace Without Victory” Speech
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Neither side could save face
Reasons for US entry
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Most people were pro-allies
Economic investment in the allies
Unrestricted Sub Warfare
Zimmerman Telegraph
Germans Resume Unrestricted Sub
Warfare.
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German officials believed it was their best
chance for victory
They made two judgments…
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Cut allied supplies – 1917 offensive
US couldn’t mobilize quickly
Zimmerman Telegram
From Germany to Mexico.
 Germans invited Mexico
into war
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Return Mexican land
Brits intercepted this letter
 Outraged the US
population.
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Mobilization
 US
is pretty unprepared at start of US
involvement.
 Wilson centralizes economic power.
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Railway Administration – standardize/prioritize
railroads.
War Industry Board – fixed prices & managed
production goals
Committee on Public Information – propaganda
to support war effort
American Propaganda
Funding the war effort
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Raised income tax
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Excess profits tax
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Graduated rate between 2%-15%
Tax on profits in excess of prewar profits
Liberty bonds
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4 installments
4% - 4.5% interest
Draft
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May 1917 –Selective Service Act –
established conscription
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24 million Americans registered for the draft
3 million entered the armed forces
Drawn from a national lottery
Anti-War Dissent, Civil Liberties and
Constitutional Rights
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Suppression of Anti-War Dissent
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Espionage Act - 1917
 Make false reports to interfere with military
operation
 Cause insubordination/mutiny
 Fined up to $10,000 and up to 20 years in prison
Sedition Act 1918 (amendment to espionage act)
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crime for use of disloyal language against the US
Prosecuted dozens
Attack on all things German
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People of German dissent or
German names were
harassed
German was once a required
language
Sauerkraut was nicknamed
“victory cabbage”
The U.S. Military Effort
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U.S. enters war
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By 1917 – allies were in tough shape.
Morale and economic boost.
German two front war ends
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Czarist Russia falls - Nov of 1917.
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Germany focuses on West.
Spring 1918, American Expeditionary Force in France
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Gen John J Pershing – commander of the Army
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Americans fight in their own units
Americans involved in fighting at…
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Chateau-Thierry – fight back a German thrust toward Paris – June 1918
Belleau Wood – June, 1918
Second Battle of the Marne – July 1918
Rheims – July 1918
Meuse-Argonne – Sept-Nov 1918
Germany asks for Peace
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Nov 11, 1918 – Armistice ends the war
More than 115,000 Americans were killed
Peace Conference opens in Jan 1919 at
Versailles
Fourteen Points
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Wilson tries to define the specific war objectives of the allies.
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System of secret alliance be ended
Freedom of Seas for neutrals
Eliminate tariff barriers – free trade
Reduction of national armaments
Partial adjustment of colonial claims
Self-determination used in redrawing the map of Europe (Poland)
Formation of League of Nations
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Political independence and territorial integrity of members
Vision of the 14 Points
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New world order based on international law and collective security
This is very idealistic and also quite visionary.
Treaty of Versailles
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Clemenceau (France),
Lloyd-George (England)
Orlando (Italy)
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Pragmatic, vindictive
Concerned about Germany in future
Signed by Germany under protest on June 28, 1919
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War Guilt clause
Germany to pay the full cost of war for themselves and enemies
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Impossible number to expect Germany to pay
Territorial losses as well
US & the Treaty of Versailles
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He fights hard to get the League of Nations (LON) included in
Treaty of Versailles
US Senate has to approve the Treaty of Versailles
Factions in Senate
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Irreconcilables – opposed US participation in (LON) – perpetuated power
of imperialists (LaFollette)
Reservationists – Felt it limited Congressional authority to declare war
(now we would have to answer to an international congress, which doesn’t
have American interests in mind) (Henry Cabot Lodge)
Wilson appeals to the people and campaigns for the signing of the
treaty. He suffered a stroke and is disabled
US never ratifies the Treaty of Versailles. The US signed separate
treaties to end the war with Germany and Austria in 1921-22.
Middle East
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From Dec 1917-Nov 1918, British army stormed
through the Middle East as the Ottoman Empire
crumbled.
After the war, the British carved up the Middle
East and created many of the nations that exist
today
Saudi Arabia went to the Arabs
Iraq, Palestine, Trans-Jordan became British
mandates
Syria became a French mandate