Transcript Imperialism and WWI - Effingham County Schools

Chapter 18
Imperialism
Precedence of Isolationism
Washington’s Farewell Address
(1796) set the precedent for the
United States to pursue a policy
of isolationism. Isolationism
was the policy of avoiding
involvement in world affairs.
Although in the Monroe
Doctrine (1824) the United
States had declared itself the
protector of the entire western
hemisphere, isolationism
continued to form the basis of
American foreign policy
throughout most of the
nineteenth century.
George Washington at the end of
his presidency. Disturbed by the
war between England and France
and the attempts of both nations to
draw the U.S. into it as an ally,
Washington issued a "Farewell
Address" in which he warned
against permanent alliances with
foreign nations.
Imperialism
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However, as the United States industrialized during the
second half of the 1800s, businessmen and politicians
increasingly looked longingly towards foreign markets as a
potential source of American corporate profits. The desire
to gain this untapped wealth led the United States to
expand its influence in the world during the late nineteenth
century.
Some historians have called this period the age of American
Imperialism, because during this period the United States
gained control over Hawaii, the Philippines, Puerto Rico,
and the Virgin Islands.
Imperialism is the act of one nation gaining political or
economic control over other countries.
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Many business leaders and politicians believed that US
expansion was important because it would provide the
country with more economic markets and greater potential
for economic growth.
Others backed imperialism because they felt that the US
needed to expand (or at least be capable of expansion) in
order to maintain national security.
Others believed it was part of the country’s destiny and
crucial to maintaining a nationalist spirit.
Some people, however, supported Isolationism because
they believed we would be pulled into foreign conflicts if we
practiced Imperialism.
Others believed this policy would be expensive and that
this contradicted the ideas about freedom and self-gov’t
upon which our nation was founded.
Commercial/Business Interests
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Most expansionists turned their attention
towards the Pacific.
Both political and business leaders wanted
to trade with China and other nations in
Southeast Asia. They saw the Pacific Ocean
as the pathway to these markets.
“Seward’s Folly”: 1867
$7.2 million
Secretary of State, William Seward, negotiated the
purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867.
“Seward’s Icebox”: 1867
Aloha Hawaii
In the early 1890s the
United States Marines
helped American sugar
planters depose
(overthrow) the
Hawaiian monarch
Queen Liliuokalani.
In 1898 Congress
agreed to annex
Hawaii or add it to
United States territory.
Queen Liliuokalani (1891-93). American
planters, who had established sugar plantations
in Hawaii beginning around 1820, became
increasingly influential in the economy and
government of Hawaii; Queen Liliuokalani's
desire for a new constitution, restoring her royal
powers, caused a revolt by the planters, and
she was deposed in 1893. In 1894 a republic
was established, headed by lawyer and
missionary son Sanford B. Dole, and
annexation by the U.S. followed in 1898.
To The Victor Belongs the Spoils
Hawaiian
Annexation
Ceremony, 1898
Spanish-American War
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In the late 1800s, Cuba was still under
Spanish rule. In 1895 the Cuban people
rebelled and Spain sent troops to maintain
order.
The Spanish sent thousands of Cubans to
concentration camps, where many died.
As word got out and American newspapers
spread stories of the horrible conditions in
Cuba, the US gov’t decided to get involved.
Spanish-American War
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Asst. Secretary of the
Navy, Theodore
Roosevelt, became a
Lt. Colonel and gained
command of a group
of volunteers known as
“Rough Riders.”
Spanish-American War
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The Spanish-American War officially began
as a result of what happened on Feb.15, 1898.
A US battleship, the USS Maine, exploded
while anchored in the Cuban port of
Havana.
Immediately, US newspapers blamed Spain
and US citizens demanded war.
Congress declared war in April 1898.
“Yellow Journalism”
Joseph Pulitzer
William Randolph Hearst
Hearst to Frederick Remington:
You furnish the pictures,
and I’ll furnish the war!
“Remember the Maine
and to Hell with Spain!”
Funeral for Maine
victims in Havana
Yellow Journalism
The wreck of the U.S.S. Maine,
February 15, 1898.
The war for Cuban independence
coincided with a press war between
William Randolph Hearst and Joseph
Pulitzer for the largest newspaper
circulation in New York City. Both
papers emphasized similarities between
Cuba's independence war and the
American Revolution. Then Hearst sent
the famous artist, Frederic Remington
(1861-1909), to Cuba. Remington cabled
Hearst that there was nothing to paint,
to which the publisher supposedly
replied, "You supply the pictures and
I'll supply the war." On February 15,
1898, the U.S.S. Maine exploded in
Havana harbor.
An original investigation concluded that the ship was destroyed by an
external explosion, probably a Spanish mine. This was refuted in a carefully
documented 1976 study by Adm. Hyman G. Rickover, which demonstrated
that an internal explosion caused the loss of the ship.
Spanish-American War
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Upon hearing the declaration of war, US
Commodore George Dewey set sail for another
Spanish colony, the Philippines.
Dewey quickly destroyed the Spanish fleet there
and took control of the Philippine Islands.
John Hay, a good friend of Roosevelt and future
Secretary of State, referred to the taking of the
Philippines as “a splendid little war.”
Spanish-American War
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The US maintained control of Cuba, the Philippines,
Puerto Rico, and Guam throughout and after the war.
The Spanish-American War officially ended with the
signing of the Treaty of Paris 1898.
Many people believed we were wrong to keep control of the
Philippines after the war.
Eventually Filipinos, under the command of Emilio
Aguinaldo, launched a resistance movement which led to 2
years of fighting.
Finally in 1902, the Philippines became an “unorganized
territory” of the US and in 1946 they became an
independent nation.
Emilio Aguinaldo
Leader of the Filipino
Uprising.
July 4, 1946:
Philippine independence
Our “Sphere of Influence”
Panama Canal
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Following the assassination of President William McKinley
in 1901, Theodore Roosevelt became president.
In order to enable US ships to move more quickly b/t the
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, Roosevelt envisioned a canal
across the isthmus of Panama.
The canal would serve US military and economic interests
by allowing ships to travel back and forth b/t US territories
without having to go around South America.
Unfortunately, the Colombian gov’t which controlled the
territory absolutely refused to sell or lease the land
necessary for the project.
Panama Canal
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In 1903, the Panamanian people revolted against the
Colombian gov’t.
Roosevelt responded by providing US naval support that
would eventually help the Panamanians win their
independence.
In return, the Panamanians allowed the US to lease the
land needed for the canal.
Construction got underway in 1905, and in 1914, workers
completed the Panama Canal.
The US continued to control the canal until President
Jimmy Carter signed a treaty in 1977 authorizing the
transfer of the canal to Panama. They finally took control of
the canal in 1999.
• U.S. workers first
sprayed tons of insecticide
across Panama in order to
destroy the mosquito eggs
in an attempt to limit cases
of malaria and yellow
fever.
1905 fumigation car eradicating the mosquitoes - Panama City
Panama Canal
TR in Panama
(Construction
begins in 1904)
Animation:
How the
Panama
Canal
Works
Panama
Canal
Timelapse
Roosevelt Corollary
In 1904, Roosevelt issued a statement that came to be known
as the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine. Corollary
means “what naturally follows from.”
 It was a statement which expanded upon the Monroe
Doctrine; Monroe had said that the US would not allow
European nations to colonize the newly independent nations
in the Western Hemisphere, nor would the US intervene
with such nations.
 Roosevelt added to this saying that the US had the right to
intervene in the region if a nation had trouble paying its
debts (these nations were very poor and had taken out loans
from European nations).
 This doctrine came to be known as Roosevelt’s “big stick
diplomacy.”
 This phrase came from a West African proverb which said,
“Speak softly and carry a big stick.” It meant that the US did
not intend to be a threatening presence in the Western
Hemisphere, but neither would it hesitate to forcefully
protect its own interests.
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Constable of the World
The Roosevelt Corollary to the
Monroe Doctrine: 1905
Chronic wrongdoing… may
in America, as elsewhere,
ultimately require
intervention by some
civilized nation, and in the
Western Hemisphere the
adherence of the United
States to the Monroe
Doctrine may force the
United States, however
reluctantly, in flagrant
cases of such wrongdoing
or impotence, to the
exercise of an
international police power .
Chapter 19
World War I
1914-1918
World War I
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In 1914, war broke out in Europe. Although it
originally began as a conflict b/t European
powers, it eventually involved the US and many
other nations.
The causes of the war were in place long before
the first shots were ever fired.
The M.A.I.N. Causes of the First World War
M- Militarism- Glorification of military strength and getting ready for war.
A- Alliances- An agreement between countries to support each other in case of war.
I- Imperialism- Trying to build up an Empire.
N- Nationalism- Strong loyalty and devotion to one's country and culture.
“Entangling
Alliances”
World War I
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The spark that ignited the “Great War” happened on
June 28, 1914.
The Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand
and his wife were assassinated in Sarajevo, Bosnia by a
member of the Serbian terrorist organization known as
the “Black Hand”.
Austria-Hungary accused Serbia of being involved in
the assassination and threatened to go to war.
Russia, which was allied with Serbia, vowed to
intervene if Austria-Hungary attacked.
This brought Germany into the mix b/c of their
alliance with Austria-Hungary.
The Assassination of the Archduke
1. The first attempt using a grenade missed the Archduke and exploded behind the
royal car.
2. On the second attempt, they were killed by a Serbian student, Gavrilo Princip.
a. The Archduke was shot in the neck and his wife was shot in the stomach.
The Archduke’s blood soaked tunic.
The Assassination of the Archduke
Because of his age (19
yrs, 11 months), Princip
could not be executed
for this crime. The law
required an individual
to be at least 20 years
old. Princip died in
prison during the war of
tuberculosis.
Today, Princip is considered a Serbian national hero
and there are two embedded footprints on the
sidewalk where he stood when he fired the two fatal
shots, which triggered WWI.
Despite being the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne,
Ferdinand was not liked because he married Sophia, a
person not of royal blood. She was considered a
commoner.
World War I
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Due to existing alliances, Europe was divided
and at war.
Great Britain, France, and Russia formed an
alliance known as the Triple Entente/Allied
Powers.
Germany and Austria-Hungary formed an
alliance known as the Triple Alliance/Central
Powers.
United States in WWI
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At first, the US did not get involved in the war.
In fact, in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson
officially declared the US neutral (not backing
either side).
Many in the US still believed in isolationism (the
belief that the US should stay out of
international conflicts) and did not see the war
in Europe as being any concern to the US.
United States in WWI
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Others supported “preparedness”, which
supported neutrality while taking steps to
prepare for war just in case it became necessary.
US policy towards the war became the key issue
in the Election of 1916; Wilson narrowly won a
second term with his slogan, “He kept us out of
war!”
United States in WWI
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Despite Wilson’s original desire for neutrality,
several factors led to US involvement in the war.
While many German immigrants favored the
Central Powers, most of the country’s public
supported the Triple Entente.
As time passed, people came to view Germany
as a ruthless aggressor out to destroy democracy
and freedom.
United States in WWI
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One of Germany’s finest and fiercest weapons
were their U-boats (Unterseeboot=submarine)
The Germans warned all nations that they would
attack any ships entering or leaving British ports.
President Wilson rejected the warning, arguing
that no warring party could be allowed to
disrupt neutral shipping in the Atlantic.
In reality the US was not entirely neutral; it had
begun shipping military supplies aboard
commercial cruise liners!
United States in WWI
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One of these liners, the Lusitania, was torpedoed by a
German U-boat in 1915.
1200 people died in the attack, including 128 American
citizens.
People in the US were furious! Anti-German feeling
swept across the country.
Not wanting to pull the US into the war, Germany
agreed not to attack anymore US passenger ships.
In 1917, however, they resumed unrestricted submarine
warfare.
The decision
to enter the
war resulted
from
continuing
German
submarine
warfare
against
American
merchant
shipping and
American
cultural and
historical ties
to Great
Britain.
American neutrality was put to the test in May 1915, when the German
submarine U-20 sank the British luxury liner Lusitania, which was carrying
1200 passengers and a cargo of ammunition for British rifles. The German
embassy had warned Americans that Allied vessels in the war zone were fair
targets, but 128 Americans had ignored the warning and met their deaths.
Wilson accused the Germans of brutality, demanded that they stop submarine
warfare, and refused to ban American passengers from sailing on Allied vessels.
United States in WWI
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It was also in 1917 that the US intercepted the
Zimmermann Telegram.
Arthur Zimmermann, the German Foreign
Minister, sent a telegram to the German
embassy in Mexico in which he told embassy
officials to ask Mexico to attack the US if it
declared war on Germany.
In return, Germany promised to help Mexico
win back land the US had acquired as a result of
the Mexican-American War.
Zimmermann's message was:
FROM 2nd from London # 5747. "We intend to
begin on the first of February unrestricted
submarine warfare. We shall endeavor in spite
of this to keep the United States of America
neutral. In the event of this not succeeding, we
make Mexico a proposal of alliance on the
following basis: make war together, make peace
together, generous financial support and an
understanding on our part that Mexico is to
reconquer the lost territory in Texas, New
Mexico, and Arizona. The settlement in detail is
left to you. You will inform the President of the
above most secretly as soon as the outbreak of
war with the United States of America is certain
and add the suggestion that he should, on his
own initiative, invite Japan to immediate
adherence and at the same time mediate
between Japan and ourselves. Please call the
President's attention to the fact that the ruthless
employment of our submarines now offers the
prospect of compelling England in a few
months to make peace." Signed,
ZIMMERMANN
United States in WWI
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Anti-German sentiment increased even more
when news of the telegram got out and
President Wilson broke off all diplomatic
relations with Germany.
In March 1917, Wilson made an idealistic case
for war before Congress, claiming that the world
“must be made safe for democracy.”
Congress passed a war resolution and in April
1917 the US officially entered the war.
Wilson delivering his War
Message. The final break with
Germany came in the wake of
two incidents.
First - The Germans announced
early in 1917 that they would
resume unrestricted submarine
warfare. At first, horrified that
his policy of "strict
accountability" seemed now to
demand war, Wilson did nothing.
Second - Then in February, the British
revealed the contents of the
"Zimmermann Telegraph," proposing a
German-Mexican alliance under which
Mexico would recover all the territory it
had lost to the U.S. in the 1840s. Wilson
began arming merchant ships, and on
April 2, 1917, Wilson appeared before
the Congress asking for a declaration of
war against Germany.
Weapons of the
Great War:
Tanks
 Poison gas
 Dogfights
 Machine guns
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World War I
By the time the American troops arrived in substantial numbers in the spring of
1918, British and French units had endured more than three years of increasingly
costly trench warfare. These British troops are shown on the front line in the
Somme area in August 1916. The Battle of the Somme, in the summer and fall of
1916, achieved almost no changes in the positions of the German and Allied
armies, but 420,000 British, 200,000 French, and 450,000 Germans lost their lives,
and the area was almost totally destroyed.
World War I
“No Man’s Land”
United States in WWI
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The US was not prepared to send a large army
to Europe right away.
In order to boost the number of US soldiers,
Congress passed the Selective Service Act
authorizing a draft of young men for military
service.
US soldiers played a vital role in helping the
Triple Entente and its allies defeat the Central
Powers.
By the guidelines set down by the Selective
Service Act, all males aged 21 to 30 were
required to register for military service. At
the request of the War Department,
Congress amended the law in August 1918 to
expand the age range to include all men 18 to
45, and to bar further volunteering. By the
end of World War I, some 2 million men
volunteered for various branches of the
armed services, and some 2.8 million had
been drafted. In fact, more than half of the
almost 4.8 million Americans who served in
the armed forces were drafted.
Due to the effort to incite patriotic fervor, the
World War I draft had a high success rate,
with fewer than 350,000 men “dodging” the
draft.
United States in WWI
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Although the fighting took place overseas, WWI
had a huge impact on life in the US.
The war meant an increased role for gov’t in the
US:
Using powers granted to him by Congress,
President Wilson helped establish federal
agencies to oversee the nation’s wartime
economy and to encourage public support for
the war.
United States in WWI
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Through movies, pamphlets, newspapers, and
magazines the gov’t showed the Germans as evil.
Wilson asked Herbert Hoover to lead the Food
Administration to encourage Americans to conserve
food that could be used in the war effort.
The gov’t also tried to conserve fuel nationwide.
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http://www.firstworldwar.com/posters/usa.htm
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The gov’t also passed laws that limited freedom.
Congress passed the Espionage and Sedition
Acts which made it illegal to interfere with the
draft, obstruct the sale of Liberty Bonds, or
make statements considered disloyal to or
critical of the gov’t.
Socialist union leader, Eugene V. Debs, was
actually sentenced to 10 years in prison under
these laws for criticizing the US gov’t!
United States in WWI
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The nation’s enlarged military needed supplies
and demand for products combined with a lack
of workers led many African Americans living in
the South to move to northern cities.
This is called the Great Migration.
Ending WWI
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In 1918, Germany finally signed an armistice
(cease-fire agreement) ending hostilities.
Leaders of the warring nations met for a peace
conference in Paris, France.
President Wilson went to the conference with
no desire to punish Germany for the war.
He put forth his peace proposal known as the
Fourteen Points, which called for reduction in
armaments (weapons) and the right to selfdetermination (power to govern oneself).
World War I
The Versailles Peace Conference was led by the Council of Four nicknamed the
“Big Four”:
 American President, Woodrow Wilson
 British Prime Minister, David Lloyd George
 French Premier, George Clemenceau
 Italian Prime Minister, Vittorio Orlando
Ending WWI
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Wilson also proposed founding the League of
Nations, which would provide a place for
countries to peacefully discuss solutions for their
differences instead of going to war.
A number of nations joined, but the US never
did join b/c the US was moving back towards
isolationism and Congress refused.
Ending WWI
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Finally the Treaty of Versailles was agreed upon,
but the US never signed.
It made Germany take full responsibility for the
war and required them to pay war reparations
(money to compensate for losses from the war).
These conditions led to economic depression
and great bitterness in Germany.
This resentment would ultimately lead to the rise
in power of a leader named Adolf Hitler.
World War I
The Treaty of Versailles, which ended World War I, recognized these three principles. However,
it also included the mandate system, which violated the idea of national self-determination.
Under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, a mandate was a region administered by another
country until it was judged ready for independence. The Versailles Treaty divided the Ottoman
Empire (Turkey) into mandates, lands to be supervised or governed by the Allies under the
direction of the League of Nations. France received Syria, and Britain received Palestine and
Iraq.
The Treaty of Versailles also
provided for the punishment of
Germany. Against the wishes of
President Wilson, Great Britain
and France had insisted that the
treaty hold Germany responsible
for the war. Finally, the Treaty of
Versailles redrew national
boundaries in Europe, which
created many new nations
including Finland, Latvia,
Lithuania, Estonia, and Poland.
In short, the Treaty of Versailles
recognized the principle of national
self-determination in Europe, but
not in the Middle East, Africa, or
Asia.