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America: The Last Best Hope, Volume IIE, Chapter 3—America and the Great War 1914-1921
Chapter Overview Handout for Students
Key Historical Points
1.
War broke out in Europe in 1914, caused by the reaction of entangling alliances to forces such as imperialism, nationalism,
and militarism.
2. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson encouraged Americans to be neutral in thought as well as action.
3. Wilson sought to keep the U.S. out of the war so as to continue the implementation of progressive reforms at home.
4. Both the Allies and Central Powers violated U.S. freedom of the seas, eventually pulling America into the war on the Allied
side.
5. Once the U.S. entered the war in 1917, all aspects of American culture were mobilized. The Sedition Act and powerful
government propaganda suppressed resistance to the war.
6. Millions of fresh American troops led by General Pershing broke the stalemate on the Western Front in 1918, forcing
Germany to seek an armistice.
7. Wilson headed to the Paris Peace Conference, hoping to draft a treaty based on his Fourteen Points.
8. Other allied leaders were much more interested in seeking vengeance against Germany than in Wilson's ideal of "peace
without victory."
9. The Treaty of Versailles punished Germany severely, leading to long-term bitterness and the eventual rise of Adolf Hitler
in reaction to its harsh terms.
10. Wilson failed to involve his political opponents in the treaty process. He thus faced stiff resistance to the treaty in the
U.S. Senate.
11. With Wilson's refusal to compromise on any aspects of the treaty, the Senate failed to ratify the document and the U.S.
never joined the League of Nations.
Timeline of Key Events
1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand is assassinated; The Great War Begins; Belgium is invaded by Germany
1915 The Lusitania is sunk by Germany
1916 Sussex Pledge; Easter Rebellion in Ireland; Wilson is re-elected President on a slogan "He Kept Us Out of War";
Jeannette Rankin is the first woman elected to Congress
1917 Zimmerman Telegram; U.S. declares war on Germany; First Russian Revolution; Bolshevik Revolution in Russia
1918 Woodrow Wilson issues his 14 Points; World-wide flu epidemic kills over 20 million people; Armistice Declared
1919 Theodore Roosevelt dies; First Red Scare; Palmer Raids begin; XVIII "Prohibition" Amendment Ratified; Woodrow Wilson
Suffers a stroke; Treaty of Versailles is rejected by the U.S. Senate
1920 U.S. Population reaches 106,000,000; XIX "Women's Suffrage" Amendment Ratified; Warren G. Harding pledges a
"return to normalcy."
1921 Warren G. Harding inaugurated
Historical Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
When World War I began in Europe, President Wilson strongly urged American neutrality. What key factors led to the
failure of his aim?
Evaluate the success of Woodrow Wilson as a progressive president. In what ways did his administration implement goals of
the progressive movement?
In what ways was the American home front impacted by the U.S. entry into World War I?
Which of Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points were reflected in the Treaty of Versailles and which met resistance from
other Allied leaders? What impact did Wilson have on the overall treaty?
Key People
A. Mitchell Palmer
Calvin Coolidge
Colonel Edward House
David Lloyd George
Eddie Rickenbacker
General Ferdinand Foch
General John J. Pershing
Georges Clemenceau
Governor James Cox
Eugene V. Debs
Hapsburgs
Henry Cabot Lodge
Hohenzollerns
Jeanette Rankin
Kaiser Wilhelm II
Louis Brandeis
Otto von Bismarck
Pancho Villa
Vladimir Lenin
Sergeant Alvin York
Warren Harding
William Jennings Bryan
President Woodrow Wilson
Key Events
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Battle of Jutland
Battle of the Somme
Bolshevik Revolution
Boston Police Strike
Meuse-Argonne Offensive
Historical Terms and Places
Big Stick Diplomacy
Schlieffen Plan
Central Powers
Allies
Unrestricted Submarine
Warfare
"Hun"
Zimmermann Telegram
Sussex Pledge
Laws and Legislation
"Peace Without Victory"
"He Kept Us Out of War"
"Yellow" Press
"The world must be made
safe for democracy"
American Expeditionary
Force (AEF)
Leathernecks
Doughboys
Spanish Influenza
Palmer Raids
Paris Peace Conference
Deux ex machina
"Lafayette, we are here!"
Fourteen Points
Hindenburg Line
Hall of Mirrors
Alsace-Lorraine
Rhineland
"Self-Determination"
League of Nations
"Article X"
"Irreconcilables"
"Reservationists"
Weimar Republic
Reparations
Bitter ender
"war guilt" clause
"Stab in the Back"
Federal Trade Commission Act (1914) This act created the Federal Trade Commission (FTC); the commission is a bipartisan
board appointed by the president and given the power to stop unfair trade practices by major corporations
Sixteenth Amendment (1913) this amendment established clearly the authority of the Congress to levy an income tax
Seventeenth Amendment (1913) U.S. senators would from that time on be directly elected by the people of each state, rather
than chosen by state legislatures
Eighteenth Amendment (1919) this amendment ushered in the "noble experiment" of Prohibition during the 1920s
Nineteenth Amendment (1920) granted women in all states the right to vote
Zimmermann Telegram (1917) secret message from Germany invited Mexico to attack the southern United States in the event
the U.S. joined the Allies in the war against Germany
Fourteen Points (1918) President Wilson’s aims for the war; these points included a call for freedom of the seas, free trade, an
end to imperialism, and self-determination for ethnic populations of Europe
Sedition Act (1918) made it a crime to use "disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language" about the American government,
flag, or armed forces during the war
Treaty of Versailles (1919) this treaty formally ending hostilities between the Allied Powers and Germany was signed in the
Hall of Mirrors at Versailles on June 28,1919
French Guarantee Treaty (1919) never ratified by the United States Senate, Britain and the United States promised to aid
France in the event of Germany aggression
Covenant of the League of Nations (1919) established Woodrow Wilson's dream – a body of nations that would collectively
solve disputes and prevent future wars
Five Themes of Geography
Location Western Front, Paris, Versailles
Place Germany, Russia, Great Britain, France, Austria-Hungary, Italy, Belgium, Mexico, Ireland, Alsace-Lorraine
Human/Environment Interaction The global spread of the Spanish influenza, ongoing danger of unexploded ordinance on
Western Front
Movement Naval blockades during the war, Teddy Roosevelt’s trip through the Amazon, the movement of opposing armies during
World War I
Region The Rhineland, Brazilian rainforest, maps of Europe in both 1914 and 1919, States ratifying the 18th amendment
Key Economic Points
1.
2.
3.
4.
Disruption of the “freedom of seas” (sinking of American merchant ships) led to the United States involvement in World
War I (compare to reasons for entering War of 1812)
Mass production of weapons and supplies makes possible the deadly war in history (up to that point)
With mass mobilization of men for participation in World War I, women gain opportunities in factories and jobs normally
performed by men
World War I leads to more regulation and organization of industry