Transcript Goal_8_WWI - Public Schools of Robeson County

Goal 8
World War I
Causes of the War in Europe




Nationalism
Militarism
Imperialism
Entangling Alliances
Nationalism






France wanted to recover Alsace-Lorraine.
Nations wanted to express the nationalism of a
single ethnic group.
Minorities were not appreciated.
Spread of the theory of Social Darwinism also
impacted the rise of nationalism.
Multinational empires (Austria-Hungary,
Ottoman Empire) were destabilized.
This spilled over into economics (industrial
output, trade led to the desire for overseas
empire).
Europe
Militarism



Arms race
Germany and Britain competed at sea.
Machine guns, mobile artillery, tanks,
submarines, and airplanes would change
the nature of war.
Alliances




European leaders prepared for war by forming
alliances.
Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy joined
together in the Triple Alliance (Italy never fought
with it).
France, Russia, and Great Britain formed the
Triple Entente.
European leaders thought less of the advantage
of peace since they knew powerful armies were
backing them.
Spark in Europe


The assassination of the Archduke Franz
Ferdinand occurred in Sarajevo, the
capital city of Austria-Hungary.
Gavrilo Princip shot the archduke because
he believed that Bosnia belonged to
Serbia.
Chain Reaction








When Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia (July 28,
1914), Germany vowed to support Austria-Hungary.
Russia mobilized for war to help Serbia against Austria.
Germany declared war on Russia.
France declared war on Germany.
Germany declared war on neutral Belgium.
Great Britain, who had treaties with France and Belgium,
declared war on Germany.
Allied Powers: Britain, France, Russia, Serbia
Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, and later
the Ottoman Empire
Battle of the Marne





After the Battle of the Marne, the Germans settled onto
high ground, dug trenches, and fortified their position.
When attacked by Britain and France, the Germans fired
into them killing thousands.
Britain and France dug their own trenches and used the
same deadly weapons to counterattack.
450 miles of trenches stretched from the coast of
Belgium to the border of Switzerland.
The Western Front in France became the critical battle
front.
The war became a stalemate in this area.
The Marne
Deadly Technology






Machine guns were improved and could fire 600 bullets
per minute.
Artillery field guns were long-range cannons and caused
more causalities than any other type of weapon.
Poison gas such as chlorine, phosgene, and mustard gas
could kill, blind, or burn their victims
Submarines used torpedoes as well as on-deck guns to
sink ships
Tanks and armored cars were used to go over the rough
ground and barbed -wire barricades of no man’s land.
Airplanes were used for reconnaissance, bombing , and
fighting , but did not prove decisive.
New Technology
Wilson and Neutrality




President Wilson asked Americans to be “impartial in
thought as well as action”.
In 1914, 1/3 of Americans were foreign-born. This
made it difficult to stay impartial.
Most Americans sided with Britain and France.
Three positions eventually developed in America:
Isolationists believed that the war was none of America's
business; Interventionists felt that the war did affect
American interests and the U.S. should intervene on the
side of the Allies; Internationalist believed the U.S.
should play an active role in world affairs and work
toward achieving a just peace but not enter the war.
The Picture of Neutrality in America
Britain Blockades Germany




British leaders decided to use the navy to
blockade Germany to keep essential goods from
reaching the other country.
International law allowed contraband goods to
be confiscated legally by any belligerent nation.
Noncontraband goods (food, medical supplies,
nonmilitary supplies) could not be confiscated.
Britain expanded the list of contraband items
until it included items such as gasoline, cotton,
and even food – even this was a violation of
international law.
German U-Boats


May 7, 1915- Lusitania – Germany
promised not to fire on passenger ships
1916- Sussex – fired on another
passenger ship- Sussex Pledge- did not
last very long
Zimmerman Note
Wilson’s Preparation for War





National Defense Act – expanded the size
of the army
Naval Construction Act – ordered the
building of more warships
1916 Election – “He kept us out of war!”
1917-January – Zimmermann Note –
proposed an alliance with Mexico
April 2, 1917 – Wilson called for a
declaration of war against Germany
Election of 1916
The Home Front



Selective Service Act
War Industries Board led by Bernard
Baruch – regulated all industries engaged
in the war effort.
Food Administration – Herbert Hoover –
set prices for wheat and other food items
to encourage farmers to increase
production. Called for “meatless” and
“wheatless” days

Committee on Public Information – George
Creel- combined education and
widespread advertising to “sell America”;
CPI designed, printed, and distributed
millions of posters that dramatized the
needs of America and its allies. They also
stressed the cruelty and wickedness of the
enemy – especially Germany.
American Involvement in WWI
Opposition


Conscientious objectors – people whose moral
or religious beliefs forbid them to fight in wars
Women who worked for peace; Women’s Peace
Party (Jane Addams), Women's International
League for Peace and Freedom, Jeanette Rankin
(first woman to serve in the House of Rep.)
voted against the declaration of war
Cracking Down on Dissent


Espionage Act, June 1917- allowed the postal
authorities to ban treasonable or seditious
newspapers, magazines, or printed materials
from the mail; enacted severe penalties for
anyone engaged in disloyal or treasonable
activities
1918- Sedition Act – made it unlawful to use
disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive
language” about the American form of
government, the Constitution, or the military
forces.
Schenck vs. US, 1919

Court ruled that there are times when the
need for public order is so pressing the
First Amendment protection of speech do
not apply; clear and present danger
Prejudices Against Germans





Movies portrayed Germany as a cruel enemy.
German was no longer taught in public schools.
German music was no longer played.
German measles were renamed “liberty
measles”.
Hamburgers became “liberty steaks”, and
dachshunds became “liberty pups”.
New Opportunities for Women







Women moved into the workforce for the first time.
Worked in munitions factories, on railroads, telegraph
operators, trolley conductors, and other jobs that
previously were opened only to men.
Red Cross
American Women’s Hospital Service
Doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers
Army Corps of Nurses was created in 1918.
Finally women won the right to vote in 1920 with the
ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment.
The Great Migration

During WWI and after, several push
factors caused thousands of African
Americans to decide to move from their
homes in the South. A handful of pull
factors drew them to new homes in the
North
The Great Migration
Pushed/Pulled




Jim Crow segregation
laws
Lynching and other racial
violence
Low-paying jobs as
sharecroppers or servants
Ruined cotton crops due
to boll weevil infestations



Economic prosperity in
northern cities
Job openings due to
reduced immigration
Aid from African
Americans in the North
Mexicans Move North of the Border




Many faced violence and poverty.
Wanted better lives for themselves and their
children
Most immigrated to the American west to work
on ranches and farms in Texas and the Pacific
Coast.
Some migrated to factory jobs; many stayed in
California and formed barrios in Los Angeles and
smaller California cities.
America Helps the Allies


The Allies were strengthened when
America joined the war. The Allies were
then able to demoralize the Central
Powers and win.
The Fourteen Points further encouraged
Germany to end the war, but the
European Allies did not accept Wilson’s
plan.
The Doughboys
The Fourteen Points




Sought to change the world by promoting
openness, encouraging independence, and
supporting freedom.
Wilson called for open diplomacy, no secret
treaties.
He insisted on freedom of the seas, a move
toward ending colonialism, free trade, a
reduction of armaments, and self-determination
for nations.
His biggest point was the League of Nations.
Wilson and the Negotiations



Wilson crossed the Atlantic Ocean himself to
represent the U.S. at the peace conference,
something no other president had ever done.
He did not invite leading Republicans to the
conference. Henry Cabot Lodge, the Republican
foreign policy expert, was left behind.
Wilson wanted “peace without victory”.
Allies Reject Wilson’s Ideas



British prime minister David Lloyd-George and
French premier Georges Clemenceau wanted
both peace and victory. Britain insisted on
protecting the existing colonial status quo and
punishing Germany.
France wanted to make Germany pay dearly for
what it had tone to France. They wanted
reparations and the return of Alsace-Lorraine.
The other Allies also had goals of their own and
did not support Wilson’s vision.
League of Nations


Although Wilson lost most of his 14 Points,
he was unwilling to compromise on the
League of Nations.
The other delegates finally voted to make
the League a part of the treaty.
Problems with the Peace


The new map was violated.
The Ottoman Empire fell and new states
were formed with ethnic groups clustered
together randomly. For example, Iraq
was made up of Basra, Baghdad, and
Mosul. Basra had links to India, Baghdad
to Persia, and Mosul to turkey and Syria.
Map Before and After WWI
America Rejects the Treaty




Many Americans did not favor the “war guilt”
clause.
Irish Americans wanted an independent Ireland.
The Republican-controlled Senate Foreign
Relations committee had to approve the treaty
and then the Republican-controlled Senate had
to ratify it.
Henry Cabot Lodge and the “reservationists”
were opposed to the treaty as it was written.
Reservationists






Many felt that the League could lead the
U.S. into war without consent of Congress.
They felt the language was too vague.
They were willing to vote for the Treaty
with some changes.
Wilson refused to compromise.
His health failed him.
The senate rejected the Versailles Treaty.
Effects of WWI






Flu pandemic
Women were forced back out of the
workforce.
African Americans were still victims of
racism and discrimination.
Inflation
Red Scare/Palmer Raids
Sacco and Vanzetti are executed.
1918 Flu Pandemic
Normalcy





Warren G. Harding wins the election of 1920
U.S. became the largest creditor nations in the
world.
Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires ceased
to exist.
German and Russian monarchies were toppled.
New forms of government were created.
Warren G. Harding
Video Clips



http://www.history.com/videos/world-wari-soldiers-learn-to-pack#world-war-isoldiers-learn-to-pack
http://www.history.com/videos/causes-ofworld-war-i#causes-of-world-war-i
http://www.history.com/videos/cominghome-from-world-war-i#coming-homefrom-world-war-i


http://www.history.com/videos/treaty-ofversailles-end-world-war-i#treaty-ofversailles-end-world-war-i
http://www.history.com/videos/george-spatton#george-s-patton
Remaining Questions for America



How could the U.S. exert its moral
authority in the world?
Could America retreat in to isolationism in
political but not economic affairs?
The answers were not to come quickly.