Transcript WWI battles and more

CHAPTER 23 – America & the Great War (1914-1920)
SEC. 1 - WORLD WAR I BREAKS OUT
I.
THE ORIGINS OF THE WAR
A.) There were many reasons for the quick spread of war. Among them were:
1.) NATIONALISM - 2 definitions apply to this time period.
a.) pride in ones own country.
b.) the desire of people ruled by others, to throw off this foreign rule and
to create their own nation. (Ex.: Serbs, Croats, Slovaks, Czechs, etc
2.) IMPERIALISM - the struggle for colonies (could lead to war among imperialistic
countries)
a.) “Have” Nations - countries with large colonial empires (Great Britain)
b.) “Have-Not” Nations - countries who did NOT HAVE large colonial
empires but who wanted colonies. (Germany & Italy)
3.) ARMS RACE - encouraged each nation to equate its own preservation with its
military strength.
4.) BALANCE OF POWER SYSTEM (AKA: ALLIANCE SYSTEM) - every nation tries to
increase its own strength by securing as many allies as possible.
a.) TRIPLE ENTENTE - England, France & Russia
b.) TRIPLE ALLIANCE - Germany, Austria-Hungary & Italy
B.) The Spark that led to war was the Assassination of the
Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sofie on June
28, 1914. They were killed in Sarajevo the capital of
Bosnia-Herzegovina by a member of the BLACK HAND.
1.) The Archduke was the heir to the AustrianHungarian Throne.
2.) Bosnia-Herzegovina - a province that was taken
over by A-H in 1878. They wanted their
independence.
3.) The Black Hand - a secret Serbian Nationalistic
Society that used terrorism to win
independence for all Serbs. (Serbia was an
independent Slavic country to the south of
Bosnia-Herzegovina)
a.) Gavrilo Princip - the assassinator of the
archduke. He was 19 years old &
caused the death of 7 million soldiers.
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, his wife Sophie & their
children
Gavrilo Princip said he “looked away” when he took his pistol & killed the
Archduke & the Archduchess.
C.) Austria, with Germany’s support, declared war on Serbia on July 28, 1914. By Aug.
12th all of Europe was at war.
1.) Russia “Protector of the Slavs” - moved into protect Serbia from the Austrian
attack.
2.) Germany - Austria’s ally, declared war on Russia on Aug. 1, 1914.
3.) France, prewar ally of Russia, did not declare its neutrality - so Germany
declared war on France on Aug. 3, 1914.
4.) Great Britain - prewar ally of France & Russia, declared war on Germany on
Aug 4th and on Austria-Hungary on Aug. 12th.
5.) Italy - a prewar ally of Germany & A-H, declared its neutrality until it signed
the Treaty of London in 1915 w/ France, Gr. Br. and Russia, in which
Italy was promised overseas colonies in exchange for going to war
with Austria.
******NOTE: the King of England was the cousin to both the Czar and the Kaiser. The
Czar’s wife, Alexandria was also a cousin to the Kaiser & the cousin to the King of
England.
King, Kaiser and Czar
Queen Victoria
Bertie, King Edward VIII
m. Alexandra
of Denmark
2nd Son =
King George V
Victoria, Princess Royal
m. Fritz,
Crown Prince of Prussia
Son =
Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany
m. Prince Louis of Hess
(Germany)
m. Czar Nicholas II
Czar of all the Russias
Nicholas’ parents were
Czar Alexander III
And Minnie (Marie) Princess of Denmark
(sister of Alexandra
wife of King Edward and mother of King George V)
Princess Alice
Alexandria
Of Hess
II. THE EARLY WEEKS OF THE WAR
A.) The German plan of attack was called the SCHLIEFFEN PLAN which was
to knife through Belgium into Northern France & with a great right hook
surround Paris and trap the French armies. After capturing Paris, there
would be a quick transfer of troops to the Eastern Front for what was
expected to be a longer fight against the Russians.
1.) the Plan failed because it took 18 days to cross Belgium not the
planned for 6 days. This gave the British time to arrive & then the
Germans in their rush to reach Paris exposed their Right Flank.
B.) The French High Command used FRENCH WAR PLAN 17 - this plan
had a 2 prong offensive – no defense !!!!
1.) 1 prong would strike into ALSACE-LORRAINE
2.) the Second prong would join up with the BEF (BRITISH
EXPEDITIONARY FORCES) & move
into Belgium and counter the German offensive there.
3.) This plan failed because it did not account for defending any
ground - just attacking German lines. The loss of life was
extremely high.
C.) Among the opening battles of the war were:
1.) BATTLE OF MONS - 30,000 British fought against 90,000
Germans. The British held the Germans - some say Angels from
heaven came down to protect the British soldiers. Eventually
the British had to retreat into France.
2.) 1ST BATTLE OF LE MARNE (MIRACLE OF LE MARNE) Once the Germans exposed their right flank the French were
ready w/ an attack. SEPT. 7, 1914 – GENERAL GALLIENI, the
military governor of France, commandeered the Paris Taxicabs to rush
troops to the front. the French army under the command of GEN.
JOFFRE were able to stun the Germans who then tried to retreat.
Because roads & bridges were closed behind them, the Germans had to
“DIG-IN” to fight & so began the TRENCH WARFARE that was to
last for 4 years.
Battle of Le Marne – Paris Taxis arriving at
the front
D.) AMONG THE
MOST IMPORTANT
BATTLES OF THE
WAR BEFORE U.S.
INVOLVEMENT
INCLUDED:
• 1.) TANNENBURG - The Germans
crushed the Russians at this battle
on the Eastern Front. The
Russians lost over 30,000 men &
more than 92,000 more
surrendered to the Germans. The
Russians fought on for another 3
years until the Second Revolution
pulled them out of the war.
• (The first Revolution replaced the
Czar w/ a “republican” form of gov’t.
The second Revolution created a
communist gov’t. who renamed
Russia the Soviet Union & who
made peace w/ Germany.)
General Samsonov came out highly
critical of Rennenkampf at the
Battle of Mukden in
1905. Samsonov would again have
cause to critique Rennenkampf's
lack of assistance at the Battle of
Tannenberg in 1914.
• 2.) CAPORETTO - Took
place on the front
between Italy & Austria.
It was fought in the fall of
1917 when a group of
Austrians & Germans
defeated a force of
Italians in the Alps. the
Italian losses were so
high they retreated into
Italy to protect it from any
future attacks.
3. VERDUN - this battle lasted nearly 1
year –
• the Germans were “trying to Bleed the
French White” & capture the supply
lines.
• (Sacred Way - nickname given to the
French supply line).
• the French were ordered by GEN.
PETAIN –
• “THEY SHALL NOT PASS !”
• the French were able to hold the
Germans & they did NOT pass so the
French won TECHNICALLY.
• However, the French lost approx..
315,000 men & the Germs. lost
approx.. 337,000 men of that 150,000
were never buried • (that’s why people say the ground is still
soft there because of all the rotting
bodies.)
The battle, which lasted from 21
February 1916 until 19
December 1916 caused over
an estimated 700,000 dead,
wounded and missing. The
battlefield was not even a
square ten kilometers. From a
strategic point of view there can
be no justification for these
atrocious losses.
www.wereldoorlog1418.nl/.../fot
okerkhofo1.jpg
The Cemetery at Verdun today. This is the WWI portion of the
cemetery. The obelisk in the background is where 150,000
unknowns are buried.
4. LE SOMME - (near Amiens) Bombardment began July 1, 1916 –
• the British were trying to capture the
German supply lines
• no land was gained by either side &
the casualties were very high for both
sides.
• British lost 60,000 men the first day
alone
• (at one point there was a young
lieutenant kicking a soccer ball on the
battle field) –
• at the end of the battle the British lost
a total of 420,00, the French (who
came to reinforce them) lost 195,000
and the Germans lost 650,000.
The bloodiest battle in human history was going to be fought from
July 1916 to November 1916 near the River Somme in northern
France. Here the Allied forces tried to break throughout the German
lines and at the same time draw some of the German forces away
from the Battle of Verdun . However with more than one million
casualties in the Battle of Somme the losses would exceed those at
Verdun.
firstworldwar.olemarius.net
E.) By March 1918 - the Germans were counting their successes and were
ready to attack the Western Front before American Troops could become
involved in the war.
1)TREATY OF BREST-LITOVSK - was signed in
March 1918 between Germany & the new
“Soviet Union” according to this treaty:
a.) German received all of Poland & the
Ukraine
b.) Soviets had to help feed the German
Army
2) TREATY OF BUCHAREST - was signed
between Germany & Rumania - Rumania had to
give Germans money & food as part of this
treaty.
III. AMERICAN NEUTRALITY
A.) When war broke out Pres. Wilson wanted the U.S. to remain neutral - “in thought and
deed”. This proved to be impossible.
1.) the U.S. is a country of Immigrants & each group had its own reasons to
support the ALLIES (FR., GR.BR., & RUSSIA) OR THE CENTRAL
POWERS (GER., A-H., BULGARIA, TURKEY.)
a.) Majority of Americans - supported the Allied Powers because of our
traditional ties with Britain & France.
b.) German-Americans - supported the Central Powers because they felt
Germany was protecting itself from French & Russian aggression.
c.) Irish Americans - supported the Central Powers because they hate the
British for taking over Ireland.
d.) Eastern European Jews - supported Central Powers because of their
hatred of the Czar of Russia.
2.) Propaganda was used by both sides to influence public opinion.
a.) ALLIES - used the major American newspapers to get point of view
across.
b.) CENTRAL POWERS - used immigrant newspapers
B.) Both the British Blockade & German Submarine warfare challenged
American Neutrality.
1.) British Blockaded all countries in the War Zone (North
Sea). Any articles that could give direct
or indirect aid to Germany were subject to lawful
seizure at sea. These articles of war are called
CONTRABAND.
a.) Among the neutral countries Britain blockaded:
NORWAY, SWEDEN, DENMARK, &
THE NETHERLANDS
b.) included in the list of contraband was food &
medical supplies.
c.) to get through the blockades ALL SHIPS had to
have their Cargoes searched & in some
cases seized.
d.) the U.S. protested Great Britain & said they
were violating the “rights of neutrals” to sail
the high seas.
2.) German Submarine Warfare was an even bigger problem to the U.S. than
the British Blockade.
a.) There was no Precedent for the use of U-Boats in war. U-Boats
were easily sunk if they surfaced.
b.) Germany declared the area around the British Isles a War Zone.
(1) All enemy ships would be sunk WITHOUT WARNING
(2) Neutral ships sailing in war zone would not be safe.
(3) Americans were warned not to travel on the ships of
BELLIGERENT COUNTRIES.
(4) Pres. Wilson protested saying that Americans had the right
to “FREEDOM OF THE SEAS”
3.) THE LUSITANIA - WAS A BRITISH PASSENGER LINER that was sunk off
of the Irish coast on May 7, 1915 by German U-Boat # 20.
a.) The Lusitania was carrying war materials therefore, it was logical
target of the Germans.
b.) It sunk in less than 20 mins. & over 1,198 people killed - of that 94
were children and 128 were Americans.
c.) this changed American feelings about the war more than any other
incident. In addition, Sec. of State William Jennings Bryan resigned
and Robert Lansing who was pro-British became the new Sec.
of State.
Torpedo hitting Lusitania – forward of the 1st funnel.
Lusitania at the bottom of the ocean.
SEC. 2 - THE UNITED STATES GOES TO WAR
I.
THE ROAD TO WAR
A.) In March, 1916 - the Germans sunk a French passenger liner, the Sussex , wounding
Americans. Pres. Wilson shot off an ultimatum stating that if German submarines did not stop
sinking passenger liners than the U.S. would be forced to break off diplomatic relations with
Germany.
1.) The Germans, in response, signed the SUSSEX PLEDGE, this pledge stated:
a.) Germany would NOT sink any more passenger liners without warning
b.) The U.S. was responsible to force Great Britain to keep international law
& not allow them to block the transport of food and medical supplies
for the civilian population.
2.) the U.S. population broke into 2 groups after the passenger liner sinking's.
a.) PREPAREDNESS ADVOCATES –
led by Teddy Roosevelt wanted the U.S. to prepare for war - just
in case !
b.) PEACE-MINDED PROGRESSIVES led by William Jennings Bryan wanted the U.S. to remain neutral
no matter what.
3.) As a result of these debates, Congress passed the
NATIONAL DEFENSE ACT which:
a.) increased the size of the army from 90,000 men to
175,000 men
b.) established Reserved Officer Training Camps
(ROTC)
c.) set aside $313 Million to build up the navy.
d.) Council of National Defense - was established to
mobilize the country’s resources and to
begin a ship building program.
4.) In the Election of 1916 - Pres. Wilson won reelection with
the slogan “HE KEPT US OUT OF WAR”. His opponent,
Charles Evans Hughes ran on the Republican ticket as a
Preparedness Advocate.
B.) After the election of 1916, Pres. Wilson made a speech in January 1917
in which he stated that there must be “ONLY A PEACE BETWEEN
EQUALS CAN LAST .... THIS MUST BE A PEACE WITHOUT
VICTORY”. He also sent his personal friend, Colonel Edward M. House,
to negotiate a peace between the warring nations.
1.) FEB. 1, 1917 - Germany resumed Unrestricted Submarine
Warfare - the U.S. responded by breaking off diplomatic relations.
2.) March 1, 1917 - a secret cable - decoded by the British - from
German foreign Secretary - ALFRED ZIMMERMAN, to the German
Ambassador in Mexico was made public.
According to the ZIMMERMAN NOTE:
a.) Unrestricted Submarine Warfare was resuming
b.) If the U.S. should join the war on the side of the Allies,
than Mexico should join on the side of Germany.
c.) If Mexico joined Germany then Germany would help them
get back TEXAS, ARIZONA, & NEW MEXICO.
Mexican
territories. In Dark
Green
American
territory promised
to Mexico. In lighter
Green
American
territory that was
once Mexican
territory. Outlined in
lighter green
C.) On April 2, 1917 - Pres. Wilson addressed Congress and asked for a declaration of
war.
“IT IS A FEARFUL THING TO LEAD THIS GREAT
PEACEFUL PEOPLE INTO WAR, INTO THE MOST
TERRIBLE AND DISASTROUS OF ALL WARS,
CIVILIZATION ITSELF SEEMING TO BE IN THE BALANCE.
BUT, THE RIGHT IS MORE PRECIOUS THAN PEACE, AND
WE SHALL FIGHT FOR THE THINGS WHICH WE HAVE
ALWAYS CARRIED NEAREST OUR HEARTS.... THE
WORLD MUST BE MADE SAFE FOR DEMOCRACY”
1.) On April 4, 1917 - the U.S. Senate approved the war message 82 to 6:
April 6, 1917 - the House voted 373 to 50 for war.
2.) Few Americans volunteered for military service. On May 18, 1917 congress
passed the SELECTIVE SERVICE ACT which required men between ages 21
& 30 to register for the draft.
a.) to get even more men the age limits were changed to 18 to 45
years old.
b.) 2.8 million men had been drafted by the end of World War I.
c.) African-Americans, Native Americans & others served in
segregated units with white officers. A few (1,400) AfricanAmericans were trained as officers and the 10,000
Americans Indians in the army were offered citizenship
in the United States.
II. AMERICAN TROOPS AND IDEALS HELP THE ALLIES WIN
THE WAR
A.) Americas entry into the war came none to soon because the
Allies were facing enormous losses.
1.) French suffered ghastly losses & 10 divisions of the
army mutinied.
2.) The Allied offensive in the Balkans - at the Battle of
Gallipoli - failed.
3.) German U-Boats were sinking 1 out of 4 Allied ships.
4.) Russia was out of the war as a result of the TREATY
OF BREST-LITOVSK signed in March,1918
(Feb. 1917 - Czar Nicholas II abdicated the throne
and a provisional gov’t. run by the Duma took over.
The Provisional Gov’t. was overthrown in Oct. 1917
by the Bolsheviks led by Nikolai (V.I.)Lenin and a
Communist state was formed and called the
Soviet Union.)
B.) The
U.S. Navy had been building up its strength since
early 1916 & under the command of ADMIRAL WILLIAM
S. SIMS they were able to help the Allied cause.
1.) the U.S. established 45 naval bases around the world.
(as far north as MURMANSK,RUSSIA and as far south as
GREECE.
2.) The U.S. & British Navies patrolled the NORTH SEA
& bottled up the Germans.
3.) The Navy laid a mine barrier that stretched across the
NORTH SEA - caused many submarines not to make it
out of the North Sea.
4.) THE CONVOY SYSTEM - was so effective that only 1
American transport ship was sunk by German U-Boats.
a.) CONVOY - when merchant & transport ships are
protected by destroyers & other naval ships.
C.) Pres. Wilson appointed GENERAL JOHN J.
“BLACK JACK” PERSHING as Commander in
Chief of the American Expeditionary Forces
(A.E.F.). (Pershing served in Cuba, the
Philippines, & as commander of a force that went
into Mexico's after Pancho Villa)
1.) Pershing landed in France early in June, 1917
and on July 4, 1917 led his troops in a march
through Paris to the grave of the MARQUIS de
Lafayette where his aide said ”LAFAYETTE WE
ARE HERE !!!” “LAFAYETTE NOUS VOCI !”. to
the Heartfelt cheers of the French people.
2.) Fall, 1917 there were more than 2 million
American forces in France. To supply & maintain
this huge army the Americans built:
a.) huge docks & R.R. lines.
b.) telephone & telegraph lines
c.) had over 17,000 Freight cars &
more than 40,000 trucks
shipped over
d.) built training camps, hospitals,
storage houses, & ammunition
dumps.
3.) Pershing insisted that American troops
have time for training behind the lines & that the
American Army would fight under ITS OWN
TOP COMMAND – not as reinforcements for
the British & French.
Field Marshall Foch
General John J. “Black Jack” Pershing
D.) On March 21, 1918 the Germans launched a powerful campaign called the
“PEACE OFFENSIVE” - to end the war before American troops could get
involved. By the end of May they were at the Marne River only 37 miles from
Paris.
1.) Allied troops were unified to meet the German advance under the
command of French General FIELD MARSHALL FOCH. FIGHTING
DESPERATELY, FRENCH, BRITISH, BELGIAN & AMERICAN TROOPS
finally stopped the German Advance.
a.) May 28, 1918 - American First Division captured the town of
CANTIGNY
b.) May 31 to June 1, 1918 - American Third Division w/ help from the
French were able to hold the Germans only 40 miles away from Paris at
the BATTLE OF CHATEAU-THIERRY
c.) June 6 to 25, 1918 - The Second Division & the 4th Marines Brigade
held back the Germans & eventually cleared the wood of enemy forces
at THE BATTLE OF BELLEAU WOOD.
d.) July 15, 1918 near Reims the American 30th and 38th infantry
regiments of the 3rd Division were able to hold the German offensive at
the SECOND BATTLE OF THE MARNE
e.) July 18, 1918 - Field Marshall Foch planned an Allied counterattack
spearheaded by the First & Second American Divisions w/ the French
Morocco Division. the Germans began to Fall Back.
German soldiers at CANTIGNY notice the “flame
thrower” on the back of the German solider. It was
consider part of the chemical warfare used by the
Germans in the war.
U.S. Marines at
Belleau Wood
Americans in
the Second Battle of
Le Marne
2.) In the MEUSE-ARGONNE OFFENSIVE - a separate American army under
Pershing’s command (500,000 men) supported by French troops & British planes
launched a powerful counterattack.
a.) Sept. 1918 - near Verdun - THE BATTLE OF ST. MIHIEL was
fought - After 3 days of savage hand to hand combat this key section
of the Southern front was safely under American control.
(1) the Americans captured 16,000 German P.O.W.’s & over 400
German artillery pieces.
b.) THE BATTLE OF SEDAN - Americans against heavy artillery &
machine gun fire were able to capture the city of Sedan
(47 day battle)
c.) the fighting in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive involved 1.2 million
Americans.
We suffered 120,000 casualties, but we were able to push the
German line back & capture 28,000 prisoners & large supplies of
war materials.
III. ALLIED VICTORY
A.) Under such hammer blows, German morale began to sag & Germany’s allies lost heart.
1.) Sept. 1918 - Bulgaria surrendered unconditionally
2.) Oct. 1918 - Turkey surrendered
3.) Nov. 3, 1918 - Austria signed an armistice w/ the Italians
B.) Convinced that the war was lost, KAISER WILHELM II fled to the Netherlands. leaving his
country in the hands of revolutionaries.
1.) NOV. 11, 1918 - THE 11TH HOUR OF THE 11TH DAY OF THE 11TH MONTH
Germany signed an armistice w/ the Allies in a R.R. car in Compiegne
a.) Kaiser Wilhelm died in Doorn, Holland in 1941 - living to see his
Germany conquer France.
2.) According to the Armistice signed by the Germans:
a.) German evacuation of FRANCE, BELGIUM, LUXEMBOURG,
& ALSACE-LORRAINE
b.) German surrender all war materials including the whole NAVY
c.) Prisoners, money, & property from occupied territories must be
returned.
d.) Germany gave up all gains from the TREATIES OF BRESTLITOVSK & BUCHAREST
e.) Allies occupied all German Territory WEST of the Rhine River
f.) Allies occupied an 18 mile strip of land on the EAST side of the
Rhine River. (the Rhineland)
Title: Armistice Carriage
Caption: 11th November 1918: The interior of Marshall Ferdinand Foch's railway
carriage in which the armistice was signed, at Compiegne.
(Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Date created: 11 Nov 1918
Hitler entering the RR car at Compiegne where he had the French surrender in WWII.
Then he blew the whole thing up.
SEC. 3 - THE WAR AT HOME
I. MOBILIZING INDUSTRY, LABOR, AND CONSERVING FOOD
& FUEL
A.) Once the U.S. entered the war, the gov’t. set up programs to finance the
war, conserve scarce resources, & to redirect industry and labor toward
wartime production. A huge propaganda campaign to support the war and
intolerance of antiwar opinions also spread across the nation.
1.) Money for the war effort was raised by taxes and by selling war bonds
(borrowing from the people).
a.) Taxes were put on CORPORATIONS, TOBACCO, AMUSEMENTS,
ALCOHOLIC DRINKS, R.R.TIX., TELEPHONE &
TELEGRAPH MESSAGES. These taxes raised
about 1/4 of the cost of the war.
b.) War Bonds were sold and raised about $23 billion for the war
(almost 2/3rds of the cost)
(1.) LIBERTY LOAN DRIVE & VICTORY LOAN DRIVE were
the largest.
circa 1918: Actors Douglas Fairbanks (1883 - 1939) and Mary Pickford (1892 1979) look over their shoulders and smile while holding telegrams. The
telegrams were sent to accept their offer to campaign for the Liberty Loan War
Bond drive during World War I. (Photo by Hirz/Getty Images)
2.) The government also set up an intricate system of administrations to mobilize the country’s
resources.
a.) WAR INDUSTRIES BOARD - established in 1917 by war’s end the Board had
regulated the production of 30,000 commodities.
Controlled American manufacturing.
b.) WAR FINANCE CORP. - loaned public funds to businesses
manufacturing war materials.
c.) EMERGENCY FLEET CORP - built ships faster than German U-Boats
could sink them.
d.) THE R.R. ADMINISTRATION - operated the R.R.’s as a single system reorganized the lines, controlled rates & wages.
e.) THE FUEL ADMINISTRATION - urged a larger production of coal & oil
and encouraged greater economies in their use.
f.) NATIONAL WAR LABOR BOARD - established in April, 1918 - arbitrated
disputes between workers and employers.
g.) THE WAR LABOR POLICIES BOARD - established general policies
affecting wages, hours & working conditions.
h.) FOOD ADMINISTRATION - headed by Herbert Hoover - was responsible
for civilian & military supply of food. Encouraged VICTORY
GARDENS, WHEATLESS
WEDNESDAYS & MEATLESS
MONDAYS, limited the sale of sugar & other commodities.
i.) COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC INFORMATION - was a PROPAGANDA APPARATUS
used to convince the country of the necessity of war & the depth of
German depravity.
3.) Congress also adopted measures to control those who spoke out against the war
effort.
a.) ESPIONAGE ACT - passed in June, 1917 - a person could go to jail for up
to 20 years and face a $10,000 fine if they:
(1) interfered w/ the draft
(2) tried to provoke disloyalty
b.) SEDITION ACT - passed in May, 1918 - was to strengthen the Espionage
Act. a person faced the same penalties if they:
(1) obstructed the sale of war bonds
(2) incited insubordination
(3) discouraged recruiting
(4) said or printed anything “considered” disloyal
4.) Under these laws the justice dept. arrested over 1,000 people. 200 IWW members
including their Pres. “Big Bill” Haywood were arrested. Among the others were:
a.) VICTOR BERGER - a socialist congressman from Wisconsin received a
20 year sentence for publishing antiwar articles in his newspaper,
the Milwaukee Leader.
b.) EUGENE V. DEBS - Socialist Party Leader & Pres. of the American Railway
Union received a 10 year sentence for making a speech against the
war.
c.) SCHENCK V. UNITED STATES, 1919 - the supreme Court found these
laws to be constitutional during times of war.
John Meintz, punished during World War I -- tarred and
feathered for not supporting war bond drives, ca. 1917
- ca. 1918 (NARA)
SEC. 4 - THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS
I. WILSON’S FOURTEEN POINTS
A.) After the communists seized control of Russia, they published a series of secret treaties that had been
signed by the Allied powers before the war began. These treaties outlined in detail how the Allies planned
to divide the spoils of war if they won. Pres. Wilson chose this opportunity to lay before the world what he
firmly believed was ”THE ONLY POSSIBLE PROGRAM FOR WORLD PEACE” - his 14 points.
1.) OPEN NEGOTIATIONS
2.) FREEDOM OF THE SEAS
3.) REMOVAL OF TRADE BARRIERS
4.) REDUCTIONS OF ARMAMENTS
5.) IMPARTIAL ADJUSTMENT OF ALL COLONIAL CLAIMS
6.) EVACUATION OF & NONINTERVENTION IN RUSSIA
7.) RESTORATION OF BELGIUM
8.) RESTORATION OF FRANCE
9.) ADJUSTMENT OF THE ITALIAN FRONTIER
10.) AUTONOMOUS DEVELOPMENT FOR THE VARIOUS
NATIONAL GROUPS OF THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN EMPIRE.
11.) RESTORATION OF RUMANIA, SERBIA, & MONTENEGRO
12.) SETTLEMENT OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE, INCLUDING SELFDETERMINATION FOR ALL SUBJECT PEOPLE.
13.) REESTABLISHMENT OF POLAND W/ ACCESS TO THE SEA.
♥♥♥♥
14.) FORMATION OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS.
II. THE PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE
A.) The Paris Peace Conference met from January 18, 1919 until June 28,
1919, all the major decisions to come out of the conference were made by
the “BIG FOUR”.
1.) GREAT BRITAIN = PRIME MINISTER DAVID LLOYD GEORGE He wanted a vindictive peace and promised the British voters that they
would “get-even” with Germany for starting the war. He also had no
intention of cutting down Britain’s navy to accept Wilson’s idea of
“FREEDOM OF THE SEAS”.
2.) FRANCE = PREMIER GEORGES CLEMENCEAU - He believed
the only way to protect France was to crush German. He though Wilson was
a hopeless innocent.
3.) ITALY = PRIME MINISTER VITTORIO ORLANDO - wanted to
acquire territory that had been secretly promised to Italy when it joined the
Allied side in 1915.
4.) UNITED STATES = PRESIDENT WOODROW WILSON - He
wanted a continuing peace & democratic development. He wanted his 14
points adopted and he wanted the formation of the League of Nations.
The Big Four
B.) Most of the conference was hampered by the Secret
Treaties made between the Allies when the war first
began. Under these treaties the Allies agreed to
divide the spoils of victory.
1.) GREAT BRITAIN - was to take over all of
Germany’s colonies except those in the Pacific. some
of the Pacific colonies went to Japan.
2.) FRANCE, RUSSIA, SERBIA, & ITALY - were
to enlarge their national boundaries at the expense of
Germany & Austria-Hungary.
3.) GERMANY - was to make huge payments
(REPARATIONS) to the Allies to compensate for
damages resulting from the war.
III. THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES, JUNE 28, 1919
A.) The Treaty of Versailles showed the results of bargaining between Wilson o one side
& Lloyd George, Clemenceau, & Orlando on the other. This treaty & other related
treaties, made important changes in the map of the world.
1.) Germany lost all of its colonies in AFRICA, THE FAR EAST, ALSACELORRAINE, & THE SAAR BASIN. But these colonies were to be under a
MANDATE SYSTEM.
a.) Mandate System - required the new owners to account for their colonial
administration to the League of Nations.
2.) France received all rights to the Saar basin, with its coal deposits, for 15 years at
which time the people who lived there would vote as to which country they wished to
belong.
3.) Territory was taken from Germany & given to POLAND to form the POLISH
CORRIDOR TO THE BALTIC SEA. Poland itself became a newly independent
state ( Along w/ LATVIA, LITHUANIA, & ESTONIA)
4.) Germany had to pay large reparations for war damages ($33 Billion) - these
reparations were one of the causes of the worldwide depression of the `1920’s.
5.) WAR GUILT CLAUSE - forced Germany to acknowledge full responsibility for
starting the war. It stripped German of its navy & merchant marine & allowed
Germany an army of only 100,000 men.
6.) The COVENANT OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS was written into the Treaty of
Versailles.
B.) There were related treaties made with Germany’s
allies which also helped to reshape the map of
Europe.
1.) AUSTRIA- would not initiate or consent to
union with Germany.
2.) HUNGARY - cut down its borders by 3/4ths
and its people by 2/3rds to form the new states of
CZECHOSLOVAKIA & YUGOSLAVIA some also
went to RUMANIA
3.) BULGARIA - lost territory to GREECE,
YUGOSLAVIA & TO RUMANIA
4.) TURKEY (OTTOMAN EMPIRE) - had to
liberate all Arab States. Most of these came under
English & French Mandates.
C.) Another part of the Treaty of Versailles was the Covenant of the League of Nations. According
to this covenant:
1.) the League would have headquarters at Geneva, Switzerland and would provide
international machinery to make war less likely.
2.) SECRETARIAT = an administrative & secretarial staff
3.) ASSEMBLY = each member nation had one vote
4.) COUNCIL = executive body w/ 5 permanent members & other nations were also
represented by means of rotating membership. (5 PERMANENT
MEMBERS WERE TO BE: FRANCE, GREAT BRITAIN, ITALY, JAPAN, & THE U.S.)
5.) PERMANENT COURT OF INTERNAL JUSTICE and other agencies associated
w/a the League dealt w/ such issues a reducing armaments & improving conditions of
health & labor throughout the world. Trying to abolish slavery & the narcotics trade, supervise
the welfare of people from colonies that head been taken away from their former rulers.
6.) GERMANY & THE SOVIET UNION were excluded from League Membership.
7.) The Covenant of the League DID NOT outlaw war, but each member nation had
to agree to the following terms of the covenant.
a.) to recognize the right of each member to bring any threat to peace to
the attention of the League.
b.) to submit dangerous disputes to ARBITRATION
c.) to refrain from war until 3 months AFTER THE ARBITERS rendered
their decision.
d.) to renounce war w/ nations NOT complying w/ the decisions of the
league
e.) ARTICLE 10 - each member guarantees the existing political
boundaries of the other members.
D.) The League of Nations was NOT a perfect organization. It had several serious
weaknesses. Among them were:
1.) Taking action against an aggressor was almost impossible because:
a.) the term “AGGRESSOR” was not clearly defined.
b.) the council could only RECOMMEND that nations take action but
could not compel them to act.
c.) any council member could block the wishes of the other members
(UNANIMOUS VOTE NEEDED)
2.)Guarantee of existing political boundaries was a problem because when the
map of Europe was redrawn some people found themselves as
citizens of another nation.. If they didn’t want to
belong to their new country that had no way to secure changes in the
national boundaries.
3.)It’s failure to provide adequate machinery for recommending solutions to
economic problems that might lead to war
a.) TARIFF BARRIERS, TRADE RIVALRIES, & IMPERIALISM - still
existed & the league could do no more than to study the
problem.
4.) Failure to include the Soviet Union and Germany as member nations.
5.) the League was not able to tackle problems of reducing armaments.
IV. THE SENATE REJECTS THE TREATY & THE LEAGUE
A.) In July, 1919 Pres. Wilson returned to the United States & asked the U.s. Senate to approve the
Treaty of Versailles thus brining the U.S. into the League of Nations.
1.) Republican Senators led by SENATOR HENRY CABOT LODGE OF
MASSACHUSETTS, head of the FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE, opposed the League of
Nations.
2.) These senators said that Article Ten of the League Covenant would involve the U.S.
in European Affairs. (Article 10 is the one that said each member guarantees the existing
political boundaries of the other members).
3.) The Senate offered amendments to the Treaty to allow the U.S. to be a member of
the League without getting the U.S. involved in Another European War.
a.) Pres. Wilson refused to accept the Senate’s Compromises to the treaty.
b.) Wilson began a country wide tour trying to get the people to support the
league & vote for the Democrats in the next congressional election.
(1) during the tour Pres. Wilson suffered a stroke & became bedridden.
4.) the Senate DID NOT ratify the Treaty & the U.S. stayed out of the League of Nations.
a.) the war w/ Germany officially ended on JULY 2,1921 when Congress
passed a joint resolution stating that hostilities were over. It was at
this time that American troops were called home from occupied
Allied territory & from Russia (Soviet Union) where they had
been helping the White Army in its civil war against the Communist Red Army.
B.) In the ELECTION OF 1920 Wilson hoped the people
would vote for the democrats and the major
difference between the two party candidates was their
stand on the Treaty & the League.
1.) REPUBLICANS - WARREN G. HARDING,
Senator from Ohio who opposed U.S. entry into the League.
2.) DEMOCRATS - JAMES M. COX, Governor of
Ohio who fought vigorously for the League.
3.) RESULTS: Harding = 66% of the popular vote
& 404 Electoral votes
Cox = 34 % of the popular vote &
127 electoral votes