Download World War I

President Wilson’s Foreign Policy
• President Wilson was opposed to
imperialism. He wanted a world free
from revolution and war.
• In 1911 a revolution in Mexico forced
its leader, Porfirio Diaz, to flee the
country. The new leader, Fransico
Madero, was a poor administrator.
General Victoriano Huerta took over
Mexico and had presumably had
Madero murdered.
• Wilson refused to recognize the new
government and prevented weapons
from reaching Huerta.
President Wilson’s Foreign Policy
• In 1914 Wilson sent marines to seize the
Mexican port of Veracruz to overthrow
Huerta.
• Anti-American riots broke out in Mexico.
• Mexican forces would lead raids into the
United States hoping that President Wilson
would intervene.
• Pancho Villa led a group of guerillas, an
armed group that carries out surprise
attacks, into New Mexico, and a number of
Americans were killed.
• Wilson sent General John J. Pershing and
his troops into Mexico to capture Villa.
Pershing was unsuccessful.
• Wilson’s Mexican policy damaged U.S.
foreign relations.
Outbreak of World War I
• The roots of WW I can be traced
back to the 1860s, when Prussia
began a new series of wars in order
to unite German states. By 1871
Germany was united.
• The new German nation changed
European politics. France and
Germany were enemies.
• Germany formed the Triple Alliance
with Austria-Hungary and Italy.
Outbreak of World War I
• The Triple
Alliance was
formed by the
following:
• Germany
• Austria-Hungary
• Italy
• The Triple
Entente was
formed in
response:
• France
• Russia
• Great Britain
Outbreak of World War I
• Nationalism, intense pride for one’s
homeland, was a powerful idea in
Europe in the late 1800s.
• Self-determination motivated many
of the people. This is the idea that
people should have their own
country and government.
• This led to a crisis in the Balkans
where different national groups
within the Ottoman and AustroHungarian Empires began to seek
independence.
Nationalism
• Nationalism was
important to the
many people of
Europe.
• This was the
major factor in
starting the
alliances that
would lead to
the war.
Outbreak of World War I
• On June 28, 1914, the heir to the
Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke
Franz Ferdinand, was killed by a
Bosnian revolutionary.
• This act set off a chain of events
that led to World War I.
• On July 28, Austria declared war on
Serbia.
• On August 1, Germany declared war
on Russia. Two days later Germany
declared war on France.
Outbreak of World War I
• The Allies: fought
for the Triple
Entente
• France
• Russia
• Great Britain
• And later Italy
•
•
•
•
•
•
Central Powers
Germany
Austria-Hungary
Ottoman Empire
Bulgaria
The Central
Powers had greater
success on the
Eastern Front,
capturing hundreds
of miles of
territory.
American Neutrality
• Wilson declared the United States to
be neutral. He did not want his
country pulled into a foreign war.
• Many Americans began showing
their support for one side or the
other with many immigrants
supporting their homelands. Most
favored the Allied cause.
• Companies in the United States 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.
Moving Toward War
• The British blockaded Germany to keep it
from getting supplies.
• The British redefined contraband, or
prohibited materials, to stop neutral
parties from shipping food to Germany.
• Germany deployed U-boats or submarines
to get around the blockade.
• Germany threatened to sink any ship that
entered the waters around Britain.
• Attacking civilians ships without warning
was a violation of an international treaty
and outraged the United States.
• The Lusitania, a British passenger ship,
was hit by a torpedo killing almost 1,200
passengers, including 128 Americans.
Moving Toward War
• Americans instructed Germany
to stop U-boat strikes.
• Germany did not want the U.S.
to join the war and strengthen
the Allies.
• The Sussex Pledge, a promise
by Germany to stop sinking
merchant ships, kept the U.S.
out of the war for a bit longer.
Moving Toward War
• The Zimmerman telegram promoted
the cause for the U.S. to enter the
war.
• It was intercepted by British intelligence and
leaked to U.S. newspapers.
• German official, Arthur Zimmerman, cabled the
German ambassador in Mexico, proposing that
Mexico ally itself with Germany.
• Germany went back to unrestricted
submarine warfare in February 1917,
and soon after, sank six American
merchant ships. On April 6, 1917,
the United States declared war on
Germany.
Military Buildup
• More soldiers were needed
• Conscription was forced military
service that was debated upon
• Selective service would be used
instead, this was a new system of
conscription, resulting in 2.8 million
soldiers being drafted
• African American soldiers faced
discrimination in the military, where
they served in segregated units.
• WW I was the first time women
would officially serve.
Organizing Industry
• President Wilson and Congress agreed that
the government should not control the
economy.
• They wanted a cooperative relationship
between big business and government.
• In 1917 the WIB was created in order to
help coordinate the production of war
materials.
• The Food Administration was also added.
It was added to increase food production
while reducing consumption.
• Daylight Savings Time was added to
conserve coal and oil.
• Liberty Bonds and Victory Bonds were sold
to pay for the war.
Ensuring Public Support
• The Committee on Public Information was
formed to “sell” the idea of war to the
American people.
• Espionage, or spying to acquire secret
government information, was addressed in
the Espionage Act of 1917.
• The Alien and Sedition Act made it illegal
to criticize the President or the
government.
• In Schenck v. the United States, the
Supreme Court ruling limited an
individual’s freedom of speech if the words
spoken presented a “clear and present
danger.”
Combat
• By 1917 the war had claimed millions of lives.
• Soldiers used trench warfare due to new
inventions.
• No man’s land – was the area between the
trenches
• New technology was used
• Poison gas
• Tanks
• planes
• Machine gun
• Submarine (u-boat)
• “Doughboys” was a nickname for American
soldiers.
• American Admiral William S. Sims proposed the use
of a convoy to get troops and supplies across the
Atlantic
Russia
• Russians supported the war effort.
• In 1917 V.I. Lenin, leader of the
Bolshevik Party, overthrew the
government and replaced it with a
Communist one.
• Lenin pulled out of the war and
signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk,
removing German armies from
Russian lands in exchange for
territory.
• This act allowed Germany to launch
a major assault on the Western
Front.
A Flawed Peace
• General John J. Pershing put
together the most massive attack in
American history.
• On November 11, 1918, Germany
finally signed an armistice, or ceasefire, that ended the war.
• In January 1919, leaders of the
victorious Allied nations met to
resolve the issues caused by the
war.
A Flawed Peace
• Wilson’s plan was called the Fourteen
Points:
• Eliminating the causes of the war through
trade and disarmament
• Open diplomacy instead of secret
agreements
• The right of self-determination
• The points required the evacuation of the
Central Powers from all countries invaded
during the war.
• The fourteenth point, known as the League
of Nations, called for member nations to
help preserve peace and prevent future
wars.
Economy
• The economy after the war saw
a period of rapid inflation.
• Government agencies removed
their controls from the economy
• This increased the cost of living
– the cost of food, clothing,
shelter, and other essential
needs.
• General strikes took place
often.
Racial Unrest
• In the summer of 1919, race riots
took place in many Northern cities.
• They were caused by the thousands
of soldiers returning home that
needed jobs.
• African Americans, who moved North
to work, were now competing for the
same jobs as the soldiers.
• The worst violence took place in
Chicago.
The Red Scare
• Some Americans, associated with
Communism, began to show
disloyalty and unpatriotic behavior.
• The numerous strikes in the U.S. in
1919 made Americans fear that
Communist or “reds” might take
over.
• This led to a nationwide panic
known as the Red Scare.
• This led to the creation of the
General Intelligence Division,
headed by J. Edgar Hoover. (FBI)
The Soviet Union
• Switching from
a tsarist Russia
to a Communist
nation