Transcript Causes and Actions of World War 1

Causes and Actions
of World War 1
Sparks of War
June 1914, Sarajevo, Bosnia –
Assassination of Archduke Francis
Ferdinand
 Dominion effect of Alliances– Countries
come to the aid of one another. (Russia,
Britain, France assisted Serbia
&
Germany assisted
Austria-Hungary
 United States continued the practice of
neutrality by exercising the Monroe
Doctrine

New type of War
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Trench Warfare -- Strategy of defending a
position by fighting from deep, protected
ditches.
2 Major front systems formed in Europe
– Eastern Front -- Extended from the Black
Sea to the Baltic Sea
– Western Front -- Extended from
Switzerland to the North Sea
No Man’s Land – Area seated between the
trenches. Most of the fighting occurred here
With each side “dug in,” their trenches, a
stalemate occurred along the western front
Causes of American Involvement
 1.
Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
 2. British propaganda
 3. Zimmerman Telegraph
 4. Russian Revolution
Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
 Germany
created new submarine
called the ”U-Boat”
 May 7th, 1915-British passenger liner
the “Lusitania” sunk off the coast of
Ireland
 Killed 128 Americans
 The Sussex, an unarmed
passenger ship is sunk
 America threatens to cut off
diplomatic relations
British Propaganda
 The
British sent news of the war to
US newspapers everyday
 Full of Propaganda
 Led the American public to be
sympathetic toward the British
British Propaganda
(Use Attachment A)
Zimmerman Telegram
 March
1917-British authorities gave
to the US a telegram that was
supposedly sent to Mexico from
Germany
 It had been decoded by the British
 It asked Mexico to declare war on
the US and they would be supported
by Germany
Russian Revolution
 March
1917-Russia left WWI due to a
Revolution in their own country
 Germany now would concentrate
totally on the Western Front
 Pleas from Great Britain and France
to join the war effort
Declaration of War
 April
2, 1917-Wilson asks Congress
to declare war on Germany
 “The World must be made safe for
Democracy”
 April 6th-Congress votes and declares
war
Mobilization
Europe needed
munitions and
supplies-immediate
action
 Encouraged people
to eat less meat
and bread
 Invented Daylight
Savings to
conserve fuel

Mobilization
Convinced
Americans to put
savings into
“Liberty Bonds”
 Increased income
tax, business tax,
and excise tax

US Propaganda (Use
Attachment A)
Civil Liberties
 Espionage
Act of 1917-imprisoned
for 20 year if caught inciting a riot or
obstructing the draft
 Sedition Act of 1918-Prohibited from
making disloyal remarks
Minorities
 Women-Entered
the workforce in
mass, took the jobs of soldiers
fighting in Europe
 Mexicans-immigrating in mass to get
agricultural work in the southwest
 African-Americans-400,000
volunteered for the armed services,
served in non-combat roles, and in
segregated units
Armistice
 November
11, 1918 at 11am
 “On the 11th day of the 11th month at
the 11th hour”
 Memorialized-Veterans Day
Wilson’s Plan
 Called
the 14 points
 Points 1-5-Remove the Causes of
War
 Points 6-13-Boundary Changes
 Point 14-League of Nations
– Most valued-heart of peace plan
– Peace association-solve problems by
diplomatic means instead of war
Treaty of Versailles
 January
1919-Paris (Officially Will
End the War)
 Big Four
– Woodrow Wilson-US
– David Lloyd George-Great Britain
– Georges Clemenceau-France
– Vittorio Orlando-Italy
Wilson
Treaty of Versailles
 Wilson
wanted this to be the “war to
end all wars”
 Others wanted revenge
 Wilson compromised on all of his 14
points except one
Treaty of Versailles
Provisions
 1.
Germany was disarmed, stripped
of colonies, forced to admit guilt, pay
reparations (war debt) to England
and France
 2. Many boundary changes
 3. Established a League of Nations
Boundary Changes
Weakness of Treaty
 Central
Powers not invited
 Russia not invited-took land away
 Germany blamed
 Led to three wars
– WWII
– Cold War
– Vietnam War