Transcript World War I

World War I
Chapter 14
I. Woodrow Wilson’s Diplomacy
A. Opposed to imperialism and believed that
democracy was necessary to keep the nation
stable and prosperous. Wanted a world free of
revolution and war.
B. 1911 – a revolution in Mexico forced Porfirio
Diaz to flee the country. The new leader,
Francisco Madero, was murdered and replaced
by Victoriano Huerta
C. US refuses to recognize “a government of
Butchers.”
D. 1914 Wilson sent marines to seize the
port of Veracruz to overthrow Huerta.
Anti-American riots broke out in Mexico.
International mediation of the dispute
placed Venustiano Carranza as Mexico’s
new leader.
E. Mexican forces opposed to Carranza
conducted raids into the US, hoping
Wilson would intervene. Pancho Villa led
a group of guerrillas, an armed group that
carries out surprise attacks, into New
Mexico, and a number of Americans were
killed.
F. Wilson sends Gen. John J. “Blackjack”
Pershing into Mexico to capture Villa.
Unsuccessful. Wilson’s Mexican policy
damaged US foreign relations.
II. Outbreak of War
A. The roots of WWI can be traced back
to the 1860s, when Prussia began a series
of wars in order to unite German states.
By 1871, Germany was united. It changed
European politics. France and Germany
were enemies over border disputes.
B. Secret entangling military alliances
developed
– 1. Germany formed the Triple Alliance with
Austria-Hungary and Italy.
– 2. France and Russia formed the FrancoRussian Alliance, which would be the basis
for the Triple Entente.
C. Great Britain remained neutral until the
1900s, when it began an arms race with
Germany. Increasing tensions led to them
joining France and Russia in the Triple
Entente.
D. Nationalism, intense pride in one’s
homeland, was a powerful idea in Europe
in the late 1800s. The right to selfdetermination, the idea that people who
belong to a nation should have their own
country and government, was a basic idea
of nationalism.
– 1. This led to a crisis in the Balkans where
different national groups within the Ottoman
and Austro-Hungarian Empire began to seek
independence. Powder keg of Europe.
E. World War I began on June 28, 1914.
The heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne,
Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife
were on a tour of Kosovo in Serbia. He
was killed by a Bosnian revolutionary
(Gavrillo Principe – member of the Black
Hand). Began a chain reaction
– 1. On July 28, Austria declares war on Serbia
– 2. August 1, Germany declared war on
Russia.
– 3. August 3, Germany declared war on
France
F. The Allies – France, Russia, Great
Britain, and later Italy – fought for the
Triple Entente. Germany and AustriaHungary joined the Ottoman Empire and
Bulgaria to form the Central Powers
G. Germany and France became locked
in a stalemate along 100s of miles of
trenches. Lasted 3 years.
H. Central Powers had treated success
on the Eastern Front, capturing hundreds
of miles of territory and taking hundreds of
thousands of prisoners.
III. American Neutrality
A. Wilson declared the US to be neutral.
He did not want the US pulled into a
foreign war. Americans, however, began
to support one side or the other.
B. Wilson’s cabinet was pro-British, and
thought an Allied victory would preserve
an international balance of power. The
British made effective use of propaganda
to gain support.
C. Companies in the US had strong ties to
the Allied countries. Many American
banks gave loans to the Allies. As a
result, American prosperity was tied to the
war. The money would only be paid back
if the Allies won.
IV. Moving towards War
A. While most Americans supported the
Allies, they did not want to enter the war.
B. The British navy blockaded Germany
to keep it from getting supplies. The
British redefined contraband, prohibited
materials, to stop neutral parties from
shipping food to Germany. To get around
the blockade, Germany deployed U-boats.
C. Germany threatens to sink any ship
that entered the waters around Britain.
Attacking civilian ships without warning
violated an international treaty and
outraged the US. The Lusitania, a British
passenger liner, was hit by the Germans,
killing almost 1200 – including 128
Americans.
D. Germany did not want the US to join
the war, so they issued the Sussex pledge
(not to sink merchant ships)
E. A second cause of US involvement: A
German official, Arthur Zimmermann,
cabled the German ambassador in Mexico
proposing that Mexico ally itself with
Germany. In return, Mexico would regain
territory it had earlier lost to the US. The
Zimmermann telegram was intercepted by
British intelligence and leaked to American
newspapers.
F. In Feb. 1917, Germany resumed
unrestricted submarine warfare. On April
6, 1917, the US declared war on Germany
Bellringer:
Name 2 causes of the US’ entry into WWI.
Chapter 14, Section 2
I. Building up the Military
A. As the US entered the war, it was
necessary to recruit more soldiers. Many
progressives through conscription violated
both democratic and republican principles.
A new system of conscription, selective
service, resulted in about 2.8 million
Americans being drafted. Worked like a
lottery.
B. Black soldiers faced discrimination and
prejudice within the army (racially
segregated units with white officers).
Many Black soldiers won praise from their
commanders and won medals and honors.
C. World War I was the first war in which
women officially served. The navy
enlisted some 11,000 women (clerics,
radio ops, electricians, chemists, etc.).
The army refused to enlist women, but
hired them as temporary employees.
Army nurses went overseas.
II. Organizing Industry
A. President Wilson and Congress agreed
that government should not control the
economy. Instead, they wanted to
establish a cooperative relationship
between big business and government to
ensure efficient use of resources during
the mobilization of the American economy
for war.
B. In 1917, the War Industries Board
(WIB) was created to coordinate the
production of war materials. Reorganized
under Bernard Baruch.
C. Food Administration (Herbert Hoover)
was responsible for increasing food
production and reducing consumption.
Pushed drive for Victory Gardens.
D. Fuel Admin. Encouraged people to
conserve oil and coal. Daylight Savings
Time to conserve energy.
E. To raise money to pay for the war, the
government began selling liberty bonds
and victory bonds. By buying bonds,
Americans were loaning the government
money that would be repaid with interest in
a specified number of years.
III. Mobilizing the Workforce
A. To prevent strikes, the government
established the National War Labor Board
(NWLB) in 1918. In exchange for wage
increases and other concessions, labor
leaders agreed not to disrupt war
production with a strike.
B. The war increased the need for women
in the workforce. They took factory and
manufacturing jobs and positions in the
shipping and railroad industries. After the
war, women returned to their previously
jobs or left the workforce.
C. The war stopped the flow of
immigrants to the US, which allowed Black
Americans wartime jobs. Great Migration
– 300 to 500,000 moved North to find jobs.
Changed makeup of Northern cities.
D. Many Mexicans moved north from
Mexico, providing labor for farmers and
ranchers in the Southwest. Mexicans also
moved to cities to take wartime factory
jobs. They faced discrimination and
hostility from Americans.
IV. Ensuring Public Support
A. The Committee on Public Information (CPI),
was a new government agency that attempted to
“sell” the war to the American people.
Pamphlets and speeches helped deliver patriotic
messages (4-minute men).
B. Espionage, or spying to acquire government
secrets, was addressed in the Espionage Act of
1917. Set up consequences for people who
aided the enemy.
C. Sedition Act of 1918 went a step
further by making it illegal to criticize the
president or the government.
D. Suspicions of disloyalty led to
mistreatment of German Americans. AntiGerman feelings sometimes led to
violence. Radical labor activists,
socialists, pacifists, and anyone appearing
disloyal also came under attack.
E. In the case Schenck vs. US (1919), the
Supreme Court ruling limited an
individual’s speech if the words constituted
a “clear and present danger.”
Chapter 14, Section 3
Did you know?
– By 1917 one in every four ships setting sail
from British ports was attacked by German
submarines. Soon after joining the war,
American warships helped plant
antisubmarine mines in the North Sea. This
action put an end to most German submarine
attacks.
I. Combat in World War I
A. By 1917 World War I had claimed
millions of European lives. Americans,
however, believed their troops could bring
the war to a quick end.
B. Soldiers dug trenches as a means of
protection from modern weapons. “No
Man’s Land” was a space between the
opposing.
C. Soldiers would charge the enemy by
scrambling out of the trenches. This
inefficient military move made soldiers
easy targets. In major battles, both sides
lost several hundred thousand men.
D. To break through enemy lines and
reduce causalities, new technologies were
created. Poison gas, tanks
(unsuccessful), airplanes.
II. The Americans and Victory
A. “Doughboys” was a nickname for
American soldiers. Although
inexperienced, the American soldiers
boosted the morale of Allied forces.
B. American Admiral Wm. S. Sims
proposed convoys, in which merchant
ships and troops transports
Russian Revolution
C. Corruption, lack of military success and lack
of faith in their leadership led Russians to
overthrow the Romanov. The Bolshevik
(Communist) Party led by Vladimir Lenin
overthrew the government and replaced it with a
Communist one. Established the USSR
D. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk removed Russia
from the war and gave Germany what they
wanted
E. March 1918 – Germany launched a massive
attack along the Western Front and pushed
deeply into the allied lines. American and
French troops blocked the advance on Paris
F. September 1918, Gen. Pershing launches
the most massive attack in American history
G. Nov. 11, 1918, Germany signs the armistice,
or cease-fire, ending the war.
III. A Flawed Peace
Jan. 1919. Wilson drafts the 14 points, the
most important element is the League of
Nations, an organization to prevent war.
The Big 4 end the war with the Treaty of
Versailles, signed by Germany, which
placed the blame on that nation. Hurt
Germany’s economy. Had to pay
reparations (war damages).
Opposition to the League of Nations
– Reservationists, led by Henry Cabot Lodge,
supported the league, but wanted more US
control
– Democrats supports it.
– Irreconcilables, mostly Republicans, opposed
it
Section IV
I. Economy in Turmoil
– Inflation increased when US agencies pull out
of economy. Higher cost of living, but wages
didn’t go up!
– Led to General Strikes; Many feared this was
the Communists.
II. Racial Unrest
Summer 1919 – many returning white
soldiers wanted their jobs back, but many
black workers now had them. Same with
housing. Led to trouble.
Worst violence - Chicago
III. Red Scare
A. Defined – Fear of Communism
B. Communism associated with Disloyalty
C. The Palmer Raids – a bomb explodes
on Palmer’s (US Attorney General) front
porch. Leads to raids to arrest accused
radicals. Most were not guilty of a crime.
D. J.Edgar Hoover sets up the General
Intelligence, later the FBI.
IV. End of Progressivism
A. Progressivism is the attempt to fix the
problems of society.
B. Warren G. Harding gets elected in
1920, and pledges “a return to Normalcy.”
Americans liked that.
C. Won by a landslide. Viewed this as a
sign that the nation wanted a simpler time.