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Bellwork
How did the use of U-boats almost drag the U.S.
into WWI?
American History
Section 13, Unit 2
WWI Ends
Objectives
• Explain why the U.S. entered the war
• Determine why the U.S. instituted a draft
• List the steps taken by the federal government to
prepare for war
• Describe how the labor force changed during the war
• Explain how the government rallied support for the
war
• Determine why the U.S. senate rejected the Treaty of
Versailles
• Name the four outcomes of the Treaty of Versailles.
• Define “reparations”.
U.S. in WWI
• Americans hoped to stay
out of the war– but our
neutrality was being tested
every day by issues both
overseas and at home.
• President Wilson, by 1916,
launched the National
Defense Act– a program
that increased the number
of soldiers in our military.
• Wilson promised he wasn’t
abandoning neutrality and
hoped to negotiate an end
to the war.
U.S. in WWI
• However, in 1917, Germany began full-scale
use of submarines.
• Germans hoped that their use of U-boats
would defeat the Allies before Americans
joined the war.
• Wilson immediately broke off diplomatic
relations.
U.S. in WWI
• In 1917 British intelligence
had intercepted the
Zimmermann Note, a
message from foreign
secretary Arthur
Zimmerman to the German
minister in Mexico that said
Mexico should enter an
alliance with Germany and
attack the U.S.
• Following the letter, Wilson
could no longer ignore that
the U.S. had to involve itself
and Congress declared war.
Mobilizing the U.S.
• With war coming, the
U.S. government turned
to the people to help
them.
• They needed troops,
moral support and
supplies
Mobilizing the U.S.
• Congress created the Selective Service Act,
which required men from age 21 to 30 to
register with local draft boards.
• 24 million men registered and 2.8 million had
been drafted almost immediately.
Mobilizing the U.S.
• The U.S. need to pay for the war.
• The government raised money by selling
bonds and using propaganda to make those
who do not buy seem like they “support
Germany”.
• In total, the bonds raised $23 billion for the
war, of the total $33 billion it cost.
Mobilizing the U.S.
• The U.S. also needed to
conserve food and fuel.
• The Food Administration
conserved food,
guaranteed farmers high
prices for their food and
urged Americans to
reduce their food
consumption.
• To supplement their diet,
he suggested Americans
plant “victory gardens” to
produce their own foods.
Mobilizing the U.S.
• Energy conservation fell
under the power of the
Fuel Administration.
• Hundreds of other
agencies managed
industrial production
and distribution.
Mobilizing the U.S.
• Unions began to
demand higher wages
and benefits since
workers were so scarce
at the time.
• Women also began to
join the workforce to
make up for the lack of
labor. Women were also
able to use this work as
an advantage for a
political movement–
suffrage.
Mobilizing the U.S.
• African Americans also
greatly benefited from
job opportunities in the
north.
• These new
opportunities what is
known as the Great
Migration of African
Americans to northern
cities.
Mobilizing the U.S.
• Lastly, the government
engaged in a massive
propaganda campaign
to win over dissenters
of the war.
• They created the
Committee on Public
Information (CPI), which
spread propaganda to
sell the war to
Americans.
Mobilizing the U.S.
• CPI warned citizens to
watch for German spies,
pictured Germans as evil
monsters in pamphlets,
and even got Hollywood
to show a negative view
of Germans.
• The CPI targeted anyone
who wanted peace or
criticized the government.
Mobilizing the U.S.
• Actions by the CPI did
take extreme turns, such
as vigilantes mocking
German citizens, the
removal of Germanthemed books or art from
public spaces, and even
the renaming of Germansounding items
(sauerkraut; liberty
cabbage, dachshunds;
liberty pups).
A “liberty pup” or dachshund
(dock-sund)
The War
• American troops sailed to
France as part of the
American Expeditionary
Force (AEF).
• The first troops arrived mid1917.
• Along with the soldiers came
engineers who built
communication and
transportation systems in
France and medical
professionals, such as the
Red Cross.
The War
• Americans also laid out
70,000 mines in the
waters near Germany,
to make life hazardous
for the German Uboats.
The end of the war
• Americans entered the war when the Allies
needed them the most.
• The Allies had just attempted a failed
offensive, shattering morale.
• Italy had almost fallen, and Russia was dealing
with it’s own issues.
The end of the war
• In Russia, the Russian people– tired of their
working and living conditions– had
overthrown the czar in 1917.
• Political turmoil continued until the
Bolsheviks, a branch of the Russian
Communist party, seized power.
The end of the war
• The Bolshevik leader,
Vladimir Lenin, opposed
the war.
• The Bolsheviks signed
the Treaty of BrestLitovsk with the Central
Powers, meaning the
Central Powers could
now focus entirely on
the western front of the
war.
The end of the war
• In 1918, the Germans launched a heavy
campaign against the Allies, but the
introduction of the American force became a
turning point.
• The American marines counterattacked,
halting the German advance and the Allied
lines held and the Allies counterattacked,
forcing the Germans back.
The end of the war
• In the late summer of
1918, the Allies seized
the initiative and
ordered a major
offensive against the
German western front.
• The Allies began to push
deep into German
territory and began to
hammer them
repeatedly.
The end of the war
• The Central Powers
began to disintegrate.
• Mutinies broke out and
German civilians went
to the streets
demanding food.
The end of the war
• In November 1918, German emperor Wilhelm
II fled Germany and the new German
government agreed to an armistice or ceasefire.
• On November 8th, 1918, German
representatives met with Allied forces to hear
the terms of surrender.
The end of the war
• As part of the surrender, the Germans must:
– Evacuate areas under their control or areas they
invaded.
– Germany must surrender a massive amount of
their war materials.
– Allies have the right to occupy Germany
• Germany reluctantly agreed to the terms.
• At long last, the war was over.
Forming Peace
• While the Allied and Central powers formally
signed the armistice, the new issue they must
confront is creating long lasting peace.
Break
• Take 2 minutes to breathe.
Forging Peace
• With war over,
President Wilson knew
that the next step was
forging a lasting peace.
• Since 1917, Wilson had
worked on his Fourteen
Points, since it
contained 14 principles
based on peace.
Forging Peace
• Of the fourteen, nine of
the points dealt with
the issue of selfdetermination– the
right of the people to
govern themselves.
Forging Peace
• Many of Europe’s leaders
were unwilling to accept
Wilson’s plans, as some
only wanted territory or
to punish the Germans.
• Wilson expressed
enthusiasm for peace, but
other leaders heavily
pressed for Germany to
pay reparations, or huge
payments to pay for the
financial cost of the war.
Forging Peace
• Wilson had opposed the reparations, viewing
them as more harmful than good.
• However, he refused to leave the meeting,
believing it would be akin to declaring failure
on his part and that it might harm his creation
of a League of Nations.
Treaty of Versailles
• Within six months, the
peace conference
passed the Treaty of
Versailles.
• Publicly, it was a
success, but some
delegates felt that the
plan was
“disappoint[ing]”.
Treaty of Versailles
• The Treaty of Versailles did the following to
Europe:
1. Divided the spoils of war amongst Allied nations.
2. Created Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia (other
Eastern European nations would later be carved
out, such as Finland and Poland).
3. Germany was disarmed and had to pay
reparations– compensation
4. Created the League of Nations
League of Nations
• The League of Nations (as a
precursor to the United
Nations), was designed to
help end conflicts
peacefully amongst
member nations.
• Member nations could be
punished by other nations if
they choose not to follow
procedure and nations are
to respect the
independence and integrity
of other member nations.
League of Nations
• In part due to
disagreements amongst
Congress, the U.S. did not
join the League of
Nations.
• Both Congress and the
public were concerned
that the League could pull
the U.S. into another war
and Americans wanted to
leave “troublesome”
Europe behind.
Impact of WWI
• All in all, the destruction of WWI was
immense.
• Over 8.5 million died in battle while 21 million
were wounded.
• The use of new weaponry destroyed much of
Europe’s industrial and agricultural resources.
Businesses that did survive could barely keep
up with the new demand growing for goods.
Impact of WWI
Question: What were “reparations” and how might
they affect Germany?
• Germans specifically
seethed with unrest.
• Between the
reparations and other
harsh punishments,
Germans felt bitter
towards the Allied
powers.
Impact of WWI
• Middle Eastern nations– who had believed
they would gain independence following the
war– now were under the control of French
and British governments.
– Many of these nations had hoped to gain freedom
from the Ottoman Empire (and some like Saudi
Arabia did), but many only ended up being
occupied by European nations.
Impact of WWI
• All in all, the new world order that Wilson had
hoped for never came to fruition.
• As one historian noted, “the old order reasserted
its will, distributed the spoils of war, and left
unresolved the problems which had led to… war
in 1914.”
• But while the rest of the world was dealing with
the turmoil following WWI, the U.S. would soon
move on to a new and frighteningly different
decade that it had ever seen before.
Closure Activity
• Answer the following questions in your
notebook– you may work in groups:
– Describe the propaganda used during the war.
– What were four concessions of the Treat of
Versailles
– What was the impact of WWI
– Why did the U.S. join the League of Nations?
Review Objectives
• Explain why the U.S. entered the war
• Determine why the U.S. instituted a draft
• List the steps taken by the federal government to
prepare for war
• Describe how the labor force changed during the war
• Explain how the government rallied support for the
war
• Determine why the U.S. senate rejected the Treaty of
Versailles
• Evaluate the impact of the war of Europe and the
Middle East
Questions
• If you have any questions, please ask now
Next lesson
• In the next lesson, we will be discussing the
Roarin’ Twenties
Review
• Please read the “The Global Effect of World
War I” and answer the questions at the end.