Download US History, March 18 ENTRY TASK

US History, March 18
ENTRY TASK: Discuss with your table: how
much SHOULD public opinion matter in
war (examples: entrance into war, level of
involvement, and exit)?
Announcements:
- QUIZ coming up
- Study guide – we will be filling out several
answers today!
A Multi-Front War
Causes of World War I - Assassination
Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Duchess Sophie
Sarajevo, Bosnia - June 28th, 1914.
Causes of World War I - Assassination
Causes of World War I - Assassination
Austrian
Archduke
Franz
Ferdinand
was killed in
Bosnia by a
Serbian
nationalist
who believed
that Bosnia
should belong
to Serbia.
Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s Assassination
• Group Suspected: BLACK
HAND – military secret
society in Serbia. Objective:
Unite all territories with
South Slav populations in
territories annexed by
Austria-Hungary.
Details: June 28,
1914 (Serbian
National Holiday)
• There were 7 assassins ready: including Gavrilo
Princip, Nedjelko Cabrinovic (suffering from
tuberculosis – going to die soon!) – they had
revolver, bombs, cyanide
• Royal Party Headed to City Hall on Appel Quay
• At 10.15. Cabrinovic hurled a bomb at the car (2
were seriously wounded, but not Franz Ferdinand) –
assassin swallowed cyanide and jumped in the river
but was arrested and lived
• On the way to the hospital, the driver turned: "What
is this? This is the wrong way! We're supposed to
take the Appel Quay!".
• Gavrilo Princip was
standing on the corner (6)
• Franz Ferdinand was hit
in the neck and Sophie
von Chotkovato in the
abdomen.
• "Sophie dear! Sophie
dear! Don't die! Stay alive
for our children!"
• Princip tried to shoot
himself, but was arrested
by police.
Causes of World War I - Assassination
Gavrilo Princip after his
assassination of Austrian
Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
The Point of No Return:
The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Austria blamed Serbia for Ferdinand’s death and declared war
on Serbia.
Germany pledged their support for Austria -Hungary.
· example of Pan-German nationalism (blank cheque)
Russia pledged their support for Serbia.
· example of Pan-Slavic nationalism
The Point of No Return:
The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Germany declares war on Russia.
France pledges their support for Russia.
Germany declares war on France.
Germany invades Belgium on the way to France.
Great Britain supports Belgium and declares war on Germany.
Allied Powers:
Central Powers:
Germany
Great Britain
France
Austria-Hungary
World War I
Russia
Ottoman Empire
Italy
Allied Powers:
Central Powers:
Germany did not want to fight a two front
war against France and Russia
• Germany’s military
plan to defeat France
and Russia
• “Knock out blow”
• Germans thought
Britain would not
intervene
• Kaiser Wilhelm II:
“Paris for lunch, dinner
at St. Petersburg”
battle fronts
• Gave French
and British
enough time to
mobilize
• Belgium puts up
a strong fight
Western
Front – over
400 miles of
trenches
across
Belgium and
France
· Most offenses
resulted in
heavy
casualties but
gained little
territory.
Trench Warfare
Trench Warfare – type of fighting during World War I in
which both sides dug trenches protected by mines and barbed
wire
Cross-section of a front-line trench
An aerial
photograph of the
opposing trenches
and no-man's land
in Artois, France,
July 22, 1917.
German trenches
are at the right and
bottom, British
trenches are at the
top left. The
vertical line to the
left of centre
indicates the
course of a pre-war
road.
“Problems” soldiers may run into:
The British government
wanted to encourage men
to enlist for war.
They said the war would be
safe, hardly any fighting, a
good lark and over by
Christmas.
On an individual level, a typical
British soldier's year could be
divided as follows:
15% Front Line
10% Support Line
30% Reserve Line
A picture of soldiers going
‘Over the Top’
20% Rest
25% other
The reality of ‘going over the top’ was
very different!
How the uniform and equipment changed
after just three weeks in the trenches…
WARNING!
• Something gross is on the next slide…
A photograph of a man suffering from trench foot.
Sacrifices in War
U.S. Trade
with
Belligerents
• What is the trend of
U.S. trade from 1914
to 1917? Why do you
think this was the
case?
Effects of Allied blockade
•1914, $70 million in trade
with Central powers
•1916, trade reduced to
$1.3 million
Allied trade
•Grew from $825 million to
$3.2 billion in same time
period
•WWI transformed the US
from a debtor to a creditor
nation
•Value of U.S. loans by 1917:
$ 2.5 billion to Allies
$ 27 million to Central Powers
American
Neutrality
· Officially, the U.S.
was a neutral
country.
· However, we traded
food, weapons, oil,
steel, and other goods
far more with the
Allied Powers than
with the Central
Powers.
Group Question
• How can any country
COERCE (convince, trick)
people to be patriotic? Make a
list.
· Both the Allied Powers and
Central powers used
propaganda in order to
support their cause by making
their enemies seem savage.
Freedom of the Seas
· The U.S., as a
neutral nation,
claimed the right to
trade with either side
in the war.
· However, Britain
and Germany set up
blockades around the
British and German
coasts.
In 1909, an international law was agreed upon that
differentiated between "contraband" and "noncontraband" shipping. "Contraband," defined as
weapons and other materials used in military
manufacturing, could be controlled and blockaded
during a war. "Non-contraband" cargoes like food,
cloth, and raw goods could not be regulated through
a blockade; countries could still import and trade
these items.
· German submarines, called U-boats, torpedoed enemy ships
and neutral ships trading with the enemy.
Germany used u-boats to create a
naval blockade of England
war zone
A German U-boat Torpedoes a Steamer, circa 1916
The Cunard vessel, steaming from New York to
Liverpool, was sunk eight miles off the Irish coast
by a U-boat: the great ship sank in only 18
minutes
· In 1915, a German submarine torpedoed the Lusitania, a
British passenger ship, killing approximately 1,200 people,
including 128 Americans.
Lusitania
Lusitania had 48
lifeboats, more than
enough for all the
crew and
passengers, but only
six were successfully
lowered, all from the
starboard side.
· Americans were infuriated with the destruction of the
Lusitania.
There were over 1,248
cases of shells on board
It was in the interests of the British to
keep US passions inflamed, and a
fabricated story was circulated that
in some regions of Germany,
schoolchildren were given a holiday
to celebrate the sinking of the
Lusitania.
• Cross-English Channel passenger ferry SS Sussex was
severely damaged in 1916 – around 50 were killed (no
Americans, but Wilson threatened to break diplomatic ties with
Germany) – leads to Sussex Pledge by Germany
In February
1917,
Germany
rescinded the
Sussex
Pledge and
declared
unrestricted
submarine
warfare.
Immediately
the sinkings
went up to
520,000 tons.
U.S. Losses to German
Submarines, 1916-1918
I Dare you to come, 1917……The Kaiser defies American rights,
national honor, freedom of the seas and international law……….
U-boat threat
• In all, 123 U-boats were destroyed in the last two years of the
Great War. With new U-boat production at a plodding six per
month, Germany could no longer make up her losses in subs
and crews.
• Allied losses to U-boats totaled some 5,000 freighters, tankers,
and sailing ships -- in all, an astounding 11 million tons of
shipping sent to the bottom in WWI.
–the British
regarded the
submarine as
"underhanded,
unfair, and dashed
un-English."
Election of 1916
• In the 1916 election, Wilson balanced
contrasting stances:
– He appealed to progressives & anti-war
voters with the slogan “He kept us out of war”
– But argued for “preparedness” by building up
the military in case the U.S. joins the war
• Wilson won by affirming 2 goals: freedom
of the seas & neutrality
Moving Toward War
Zimmermann telegram:
– secret message from
Germany to Mexico
urging Mexico to attack
the U.S. if the U.S.
declared war on
Germany
– Germany promised to
help Mexico regain land
it lost to the U.S. in the
Mexican War.
* The U.S. declared war
on the Central Powers
in 1917.
(above) Zimmermann Telegram as
Received by the German Ambassador to
Mexico, 01/19/1917 (right) decoded words
Zimmermann
Telegram:
Decoded
Message
• Wilson proclaimed
American
entrance into WWI
as a crusade to
make the world
“safe for
democracy”
Moving Toward War
Zimmermann telegram:
– secret message from
Germany to Mexico
urging Mexico to attack
the U.S. if the U.S.
declared war on
Germany
– Germany promised to
help Mexico regain land
it lost to the U.S. in the
Mexican War.
* The U.S. declared war
on the Central Powers
in 1917.
(above) Zimmermann Telegram as
Received by the German Ambassador to
Mexico, 01/19/1917 (right) decoded words
Zimmermann
Telegram:
Decoded
Message
Review: Why did America join the
Allies in WWI?
1 – US was supplying war materials to the Allies – not
a “neutral” move
2 – American public opinion turned against Germany
3 – Sinking of the Lusitania (British liner), declaration of
unrestricted submarine warfare, & sinking of 7
American merchant ships
4 – Zimmerman Telegram
5 – Britain’s soft manipulation of the US to join
6 – Economic interests & debt (Allies owed $2 billion;
Central Powers owed $27 million)
7 - American military wanted a chance to fight the
“Huns”
April 2, 1917, Wilson asked
Congress for a declaration of war to
“make the world safe for democracy”
WWI
& Battlefronts,
1914When Alliances
the U.S. entered
the war in 1917,
the
Allies were on1917
the brink of defeat
Mutinies were common in the French army &
the British lost at Flanders, Belgium
U-boats
effectively
limited
Allied
supplies
The Russian armistice in 1917
allowed Germany to move its
full army to the western front
General John J. Pershing, commanding general of the
AEF. Referred to as the Doughboys and Yanks.
Mobilization
The army & navy increased in size but military
leaders had not prepared a plan for war (“To plan
• for
Wilson
named
John
Pershing
to
head
the
war is to violate the terms of neutrality”)
American Expeditionary Force (AEF), but
despite Wilson’s preparedness campaign,
the U.S. was not prepared for full scale war
• Many wanted a volunteer army, but Wilson
pressed Congress to pass a Selective
Service Act (24 million registered & 2.8
million were drafted to fight in Europe. A
total of 1.4 million Americans saw combat)
The 1st U.S. troops arrived via convoy in June
1917 but did not see action until early 1918
The U.S.
on the
Western
Front,
1918
WWI
& Battlefronts,
1914When Alliances
the U.S. entered
the war in 1917,
the
Allies were on1917
the brink of defeat
Mutinies were common in the French army &
the British lost at Flanders, Belgium
U-boats
effectively
limited
Allied
supplies
The Russian armistice in 1917
allowed Germany to move its
full army to the western front
• To win over there, the U.S. had to
effectively mobilize over here
– Wilson consolidated federal authority to
organize U.S. war production & distribution
– Wilson began a massive propaganda
campaign aimed at winning over the American
public to support the war effort
“Emotional” Wartime Propaganda
Murder
Pillaging &
Kidnapping
Rape
Alvin C. York
• Pacifist, semi-literate
soldier from Pall Mall, TN
• Most celebrated
hero of the war
- October 1918 (MeuseArgonne) – shot 17
gunners (sniping) and 7
Germans approached –
he killed them all with his
revolver + brought in 132
German prisoners
• The “Great War” was a total war but the
U.S. effort paled in comparison to other
Allied forces:
– The U.S. reluctantly entered WWI after 3
years of neutrality & played a supportive (not
a central) military role in the war
– But, WWI had a huge impact on the American
economic, political, & cultural homefront
“The Flag of Liberty represents us all”
GUNS
• Rifles: ever-present infantry weapon (Lee
Enfield and Mauser were most common)
• Rapid-fire Machine Guns were used
Early machine guns:
• were big & heavy
• needed a crew of four to six people to
operate
• lacked cooling
mechanisms
• shot 400-600 small
caliber rounds per
minute
British Vickers machine gun crew, western front, World War I.
POISON GAS
• Use of gas prohibited
Hague Convention
• Used by French first;
Germans used it
effectively first
• Chlorine gas –
attacked lungs
• Phosgene gas –
slower acting attack
on lungs
• Mustard gas – Nearly
odorless blister agent
Soldiers digging trenches while protected against gas attacks
TANKS
• first developed in Great Britain
– France & the US soon became interested
• not very reliable or useful at first
• used later in the war
– November 1917,
Battle of Cambrai
AIRCRAFT
Uses of aircraft:
• observe enemy positions
• armed with machine guns & bombs
• attacked battlefields & cities
• attacked enemy planes
(“dogfights”)
• useful from beginning of war
SUBMARINES
• U-boat: submarines used by Germans in
WWI and WWII
– developed by Germans
• unrestricted submarine warfare (Jan.
1917)
– any ship traveling in water around Great
Britain was subject to attack
· German submarines, called U-boats, torpedoed enemy ships
and neutral ships trading with the enemy.
MISCELLANEOUS WEAPONS
• flamethrower
– spread fire by launching burning fuel
• grenade
– detonate two different ways: impact or timedfuse
• bayonet
– had more of a psychological use
• mortar
– could be fired from inside a trench
Artillery
• Played a
prominent role in
trench warfare
• “Big Bertha”
effective range: 8
miles (but could
shell 74 miles
away)