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U.S. declared war on Germany in April, 1917 With more and better-prepared troops plus war materiel, we were able to help break the stalemate England and France were in great need of help because Russia pulled out of the war in 1917 The Russian Revolution had started in Russia and the people wanted out of World War I Vladimir Lenin had made a deal with Germany that said if Lenin came to power in Russia, he would pull Russia out of the fighting In return, Germany would help transport Lenin back into Russia; Lenin had been in Europe Lenin also had to sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany • This gave Germany a good third of western Russia where the population was great, resources were plentiful, and factories were concentrated Russian people wanted peace and bread Lenin promised them this and got into power The Tsar had abdicated would soon be killed along with his family The final great battle of the war was along a 24-mile line in the Argonne Forest near the French – German border Over 1 million American “doughboys”, as they were called, were there on 11 November 1918 when Germany surrendered That day became known as Armistice Day Germany surrendered because their Kaiser fled, her people were starving, and sailors were mutinying After the armistice was signed, Germany was placed in the hands of democratic leaders who formed the Weimar Republic The winners of the war generally wanted revenge They wanted to destroy Germany’s military and economic strength They wished to totally blame Germany for the war Peace Talks Began in January 1919 They were held at Versailles The three main leaders at the conference were Georges Clemenceau of France, David Lloyd George of Great Britain, and Woodrow Wilson of the United States Clemenceau and George wanted revenge Wilson wanted a just peace; he felt if Germany was backed into a corner, that at a future date, she would lash out again Wilson wanted his 14 Points for how to conduct world affairs accepted However, the only point of the 14 Points that Wilson got into the treaty was the one promoting a League of Nations (precursor to the United Nations) Generally, the treaty was out for revenge and was harsh Terms of the Treaty of Versailles German army was limited to 100,000 men who would serve long stints in the army Germany could not have an air force or submarines Austria could not merge with Germany Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire were broken up and new boundaries were set: Czechoslovakia, Poland etc. Germany had to pay reparations – pay for the entire cost of the war - $33 billion or 132 billion gold marks Germany was blamed totally for the war Germany was humiliated Germany felt forced to sign; her people were starving All nations that took part in the peace conference with the exception of the U.S. signed the treaty The U.S. did not sign primarily because it did not like the idea of a League of Nations; U.S. didn’t want to join an alliance and this seemed like an alliance Wilson went on a whistle stop tour of the United States urging the people to write Congress and tell them to sign the treaty The stress proved too great and Wilson suffered a massive stroke; he then returned to Washington debilitated Results of World War I Weakened League of Nations because U.S. was not in it Communist Russia Shaky S.E. Europe; the newly formed nations were unstable U.S. isolationism Britain refused to help France in future conflicts France was alone sharing a border with Germany; no support Germany was disarmed and humiliated Germans did not like the Weimar Republic that had formed upon the signing of the armistice U.S. Home Front Some were for going to war; others were against it Teddy Roosevelt wanted to fight and lead men into battle Republican Progressives wanted neutrality After war was declared, most supported it even if they thought it was a mistake Government grew ; new agencies were created to conduct the business of the war 5,000 new agencies were set up over a 20-month period; some were effective and some were useless • Aircraft Production Board – failure because it • • could not produce the 22,000 planes ordered in one year; it did produce 1500 Shipping Board – successfully produced vessels twice as fast as the Germans could sink them U.S. Railway Administration – Wilson’s sonin-law efficiently reorganized the railroads War Industries Board • Headed by Wall St. millionaire, Bernard • Baruch Many production boards were housed under this agency Food Administration • Headed by millionaire, Herbert Hoover • Successful agency • Organized food production, distribution, and • • consumption American farms were to feed the U.S., Allied Armies, and European civilians Hooverized • No rationing took place in U.S. • Hoover established Wheatless Mondays, • • • • • Meatless Tuesdays, Porkless Wednesdays The savings were sent overseas He promoted ways of fixing leftovers He asked Americans to plant Victory Gardens Farmers bought and cultivated more land Foodstuffs greatly increased Selective Service Act was passed in May of 1917 • Registration was compulsory for all men • • between 21 and 45 (age lowered to 18 in 1918) 2 million volunteers and 3 million drafted 21,000 draftees claimed conscientious objectors status on religious grounds • 4,000 of those were assigned to non• combatant duty 500 were imprisoned for refusing any service; they were treated poorly and some remained in jail until1933 Labor • Samuel Gompers, head of the AFL, was given • • • a seat on the War Industries Board He agreed to a no-strike policy during the war Business boomed and wages rose There was a rise in union membership African-Americans Wartime jobs in the north prompted a massive migration of Southern Blacks to northern cities Race riots resulted in some northern cities • “Red Summer of 1919” – race riots in 2 dozen cities and towns in the U.S. African-Americans also served in the army • in segregated units • Some with Black leaders saw combat • Most dug trenches and loaded trucks Women Armed forces inducted woman as nurses and clerical workers They also worked in factories in jobs formerly closed to them They worked as trolley operators, delivery truck drivers, street cleaners, directors of traffic, Built planes etc. Was controversial for some men who remained at home • Women worked faster • Women produced more • This made the men look bad When the war was over, women were expected to return to the home, their “proper sphere” Women’s war efforts resulted in the passage of women’s suffrage, the 19th Amendment; it was presented on 4 June 1919 and ratified in 1920 Carrie Chapman Catt said that war had liberated women Prohibition Gained strength during the war Liquor used needed grain Many Germans ran U.S. breweries • Germans wished to show they were 100% American, so they voluntarily cut back on grain used or stopped brewing beer during war Hooverizing, moralism, and insistence on being 100% American resulted in the passage of the 18th Amendment in December of 1917 -- Prohibition Attack on Civil Liberties Committee on Public Information • Propaganda agency created by Wilson • Used to shape and mobilize public opinion • Wrote anti-German tracts • Promoted self-censorship of press • Encouraged spying on a person’s neighbors Espionage and Sedition Acts • Loosely worded laws that gave the • government wide authority to prosecute critics of the war ( walked on our freedom of speech) There were numerous arrests, mainly newspaper editors There was also vigilantism ; people were intimidated into silence During the war, the Wilson Administration concentrated on suppressing the IWW and the Socialist Party The Supreme Court upheld the Espionage and Sedition Acts Red Scare After the Bolshevik Revolution in late 1917, American hatred for Germany was transferred to the Communists of Russia Many applied the term “Red” to all radicals, war critics, union leaders, and reformers After the war, a wave of labor strikes stimulated the “Red Scare” Attorney General, A. Mitchell Palmer, created the F.B.I. to fight it Inspired more vigilantism Palmer Raids, January of 1920 showed blatant disregard for civil liberties in raids without search warrants Palmer soon lost credibility with his exaggerated tactics Experience of the War Exposed the differences of the American people and deep divisions among them The government intervened in the economy and influenced people’s lives as never before Left the U.S. the world’s leading economic power and largest trading nation The military became more professional The international system that took hold was unstable It undercut progressivism and reform Election of 1920 Warren G. Harding ran against James M. Cox Harding won with his “Return to Normalcy”