Transcript world war i - Biloxi Public Schools

WORLD WAR I
1914-1918
EVENTS LEADING UP TO WORLD WAR I
A. Militarism- aggressive building up of a
nations military. This means to prepare
for war. Austria-Hungary, France, Germany,
Russia and Great Britain were the major world
powers of the time and they were all competing
militarily.
B. Alliances (Secret) —nations wanted to bolster
their security and they entered numerous
entangled alliances which led to war. The alliance
system in1914 looked like:
C. Imperialism—there was a scramble for colonies
in the late 1800’s this created bitter rivals
and a need to out do other nations.
D. Nationalism—2 kinds: (1) countries were prideful
and acted in their own self interest, and (2) In
countries with diverse populations—many ethnic
minorities declared independence.
E. June 28, 1914, Archduke Francis Ferdinand and
his wife Sophie are assassinated. This was the event
that “sparked” World War I.
F. Alliances start to form.
G. One week after war started there were 2
sides:
(1) Central Powers - Germany and Austria-Hungary
(2) Allies - Russia, France, Serbia and Great Britain
H. America’s Reaction
1. U.S. Sympathetic to Central Powers –
The U.S. had a natural alliance to Great Britain,
however many living in the U.S. were
sympathetic with the Central Powers due to
a large number of immigrants from
Germany, Bulgaria, Turkey, etc.
2. Freedom of the Seas – U.S.
military action during this time was
intended to protect the U.S. neutral
rights at sea.
3. President Wilson officially
announced American neutrality in
August, 1914.
4. “Preparedness” – The U.S. wanted
to be in a position to aid Great
Britain if the need arose.
5. National Security League was
formed to promote patriotic
education.
6. By the summer of 1915—Wilson had
men being trained for the US military.
7. 1916 Congress increased income taxes.
8. Wilson authorized American bankers to
make huge loans to the Allies.
WHY DID THE U.S. ENTER THE WAR?
1.
German u-boats were sinking U.S. merchant
ships. This has a direct impact on American
shipping…$$$$$$...Got it?
2. A U-boat sank the British ship Lusitania,
killing more than a thousand people,
including 128 Americans.
3. Germany violated the Sussex Pledge by
announcing it would sink all ships in
British waters on sight whether they
were hostile or neutral.
4.
Arthur Zimmerman, Germany’s foreign
secretary made a secret offer to Mexico. He
asked Mexico to join the Central Powers and
invade the U.S. This would keep the U.S. out
of World War I. Germany promised Mexico to
recover lost territory in Texas, New Mexico
and Arizona. The Zimmerman Telegram was
captured by intelligence and caused the U. S.
to move closer to war.
5.
Russian Revolution – Tsar Nicholas was driven
from the throne and executed a communist
government was installed under Lenin.
This started a Red Scare in the U.S.
6. On April 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson
asked the United States Congress for and
received a Declaration of War against Germany.
On April 6, 1917 The United States declared war
on Germany.
7.
Wilson no longer spoke merely of neutral
rights. He said: “ The world must be safe for
democracy. Americans must fight for the
rights and liberties of small nations and bring
peace and safety to make the world itself, free
at last.”
The U.S. at War
1.
Election of 1916
Wilson (D) was the “peace candidate .” He
reminded the U.S. that he was the incumbent
President that had kept the nation out of war
thus far.
Hughes (R) attacked Wilson’s foreign policy.
Hughes felt like the Atlantic violations of US
neutrality needed to be taken more serious.
2. Selective Service Act: When WWI started,
the USA had only 110,000 enlisted men.
Initially Wilson thought that patriotism
alone would have men step forward and
serve their country, but only 32,000
thousand men volunteered. So May 1917,
Congress passed the Selective Service Act
drafting men, ages 21-31, for military
service. Over 24 million men registered for
the draft and nearly 3 million served as a
result of the draft.
3. American Expeditionary Force - The U.S.
troops that were sent to Europe and were
under the command of General Pershing.
4. Over 11,000 women volunteered to serve as
nurses, drivers and clerks; 14,000 women
served abroad working with the government.
5.
Home Front: used to describe the civilian
populace of the nation at war as an active
support system of its military.
Liberty Bonds - were sold to finance the war.
Over $20 million dollars was raised and over
$10 billion was loaned to the Allies.
• The Food and Fuel Administrations were agencies
formed to conserve resources during the war.
FYI: It was urged but not mandatory.
• Victory Gardens were also a popular program in
which Americans grew their own food.
• Daylight savings time was also started to conserve fuel.
•
Three acts were passed during the war that
definitely raised questions concerning whether or
not civil liberties/rights of the American people
were being jeopardized:
1.
2.
3.
Espionage Act
Sedition Act
Trading with the Enemies Act
They were strictly enforced. Because the war was so
controversial and divisive within the U.S.A.
the federal government viewed these acts as being
“absolutely essential” to winning the war.
(Espionage means to spy for the enemy. Sedition is
any act that can incite a movement to overthrow
the government).
K. Schenck v. United States: this was a Supreme
Court case that stated that 1st Amendment
rights to free speech can be limited when the
government is placed in “Clear and Present
Danger.” Schenck sent 16,000 letters to drafted
men, encouraging them not to show up. He was
arrested and said that his actions were
protected under the 1st Amendment. He was
found guilty of sedition. (The government went
after Schenck using the Sedition Act)
L. Herbert Hoover, the Director of the Food
Administration, urged food conservation.
M. The War Industries Board was given
complete control of the nation’s
industries, in order to prepare for war.
For the first time, women and AfricanAmericans filled opened jobs due to a
growing need for labor.
N. The Committee on Public Information was created
to build support for the war at home. The government
issued propaganda to encourage Americans to support
the war effort. Slogans like “Loose Lips Sink Ships”
and “Uncle Sam Wants You” were popular. Americans
became anti-German during the war. The movies
portrayed Germans as the villains and German food,
like sauerkraut, became liberty
cabbage.
The Great War
1. New weapons and tactics made WWI very destructive.
2. Trench Warfare- WWI became a war of trenches
fought almost exclusively on the Western Front.
3. Problems that soldiers had to face during
trench warfare were: (1) isolation, (2) suicidal
charges into “no man’s land”, (3) diseases
caused by life in the damp, unsanitary
trenches (trench foot, trench mouth, trench
fever), (4) use of new, little understood
poisonous gases, and (5) the problems
associated with shell shock—now labeled Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder.
P. Armistice Day (Veterans Day): On November
11, 1918, Germany was the last of the Central
Powers that stopped fighting: the eleventh
hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh
month (the war technically lasted an
additional seven months, until the signing of
the Treaty of Versailles).
Wilson Fights for Peace
Q. Fourteen Points – Wilson’s plan
for peace that was presented to
Congress in 1918 for ratification.
The fourteenth point called for a
League of Nations – this
international organization would
address problems between countries
before they led to war
R. The Treaty of Versailles ended WWI in 1919.
Its weaknesses will be a major cause of WWII.