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United States History Topic 4: World War I and the 1920s (1914-1929) 4-1 – America Enters World War I Key Terms The Causes of World War I (1914-1918) Causes – in 1914, nationalism, militarism, imperialism, and entangling alliances combined with other factors to lead the nations of Europe into a brutal, global war Nationalism – devotion to one’s nation; in the late 19th century many Europeans began to reject the earlier idea of a nation as a collection of different ethnic groups; instead, they came to believe that a nation should express the nationalism of a single ethnic group Alsace-Lorraine – territory lost to Germany by France in 1871; France longed to avenge its humiliating defeat by regaining Alsace-Lorraine Social Darwinism – biologist Charles Darwin’s ideas of natural selection and “survival of the fittest” applied to human society; adherents believed that the fittest nation would come out ahead militarism – glorification of the military; fueled an arms race between European countries leading up to WWI; Germany and Britain at sea; Germany, France, and Russia on land Alliance System – two sides developed; led to the rapid escalation of World War I Triple Entente/Allied Powers – Great Britain, France, Russia, Serbia (later the U.S.) Triple Alliance/Central Powers – Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy (dropped out before WWI), Bulgaria (later the Ottoman Empire) Francis Ferdinand – (1863–1914) aka Franz Ferdinand, was an archduke and heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary. His assassination (June 28) in Sarajevo was an immediate cause of World War I The Great War Begins The Chain Reaction – 1914 1. July 28 - Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia 2. July 28 - Russia mobilized to help Serbia 3. August 1 - this caused Germany to declare war on Russia 4. August 3 - France, Russia’s ally declared war against Germany 5. August 4 - Germany declared war on neutral Belgium so that it could invade France through Belgium. 6. August 4 - Britain, which had treaties with France and Belgium declared war against Germany. Kaiser William II – (1859–1941) aka Kaiser Wilhelm II, was the German emperor and king of Prussia until the end of World War I in 1918 Western Front – critical battle front between the Allies and Central Powers in Western Europe (France) during World War I; the side that won there would win the war; stalemate led to trench warfare Weapons of WWI – artillery, machine guns, rifles, etc. – the defensive weapons of the time were better and more devastating than the offensive ones. trench warfare – combat in which opposing troops fight from trenches; gruesome conditions led to higher casualties and poor conditions for soldiers Casualties – a soldier killed, wounded, or missing; the casualties of WWI were shocking to people; almost 1 million French soldiers were killed or wounded in just the first 3 months of the war; the Germans lost only slightly fewer. The United States Remains Neutral neutrality – President Woodrow Wilson called for Americans to be “impartial in thought as well as action”; Wilson did not want the war to set Americans against one another; at first most Americans wanted no part of the war Americans Choose Sides – in 1914, 1/3 of Americans were foreignborn; many thought of themselves in terms of their former homelands many immigrants from Germany or Austria-Hungary thought that the Central Powers were justified; many Irish immigrants harbored a grudge against Britain; many Jewish immigrants who had fled Russia hoped for Russia’s defeat; most Americans, however, sided with Britain and France, both of which had strong historic ties with the US US Opinion Solidifies – the vicious German invasion of neutral Belgium swayed American opinion; Americans might not have understood the causes of the war, but they clearly understood the human cost of the war for Belgium 3 groups – eventually, three distinct positions crystalized - Isolationists – the war is none of America’s business - Interventionists – felt that the war did affect American interests and the US should intervene on the side of the Allies - Internationalists – the US should play an active role in world affairs, but not fight in the war Reasons for U.S. Entry into the War contraband – goods prohibited by law or treaty from being imported or exported; international law generally allowed these goods to be legally confiscated by any belligerent nation; Britain defined almost every product as contraband U-boats – German submarine; because Germany lacked the conventional naval forces to do so, Germany attempted to blockade Britain by sinking British ships with U-boats Unterseeboot Lusitania – May 7, 1915 - British passenger liner sunk by a German U-boat during World War I; nearly 1,200 people died, with 128 Americans included. After the American outcry, Germany promised not to sink any more passenger ships to keep the US out of the war Sussex – March 24, 1916 – unarmed French passenger ship sunk by German U-boats; again, Germany pledged not to sink unarmed ships (Sussex Pledge) Zimmermann note – January 1917 - telegram written by German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann proposing an alliance between Germany and Mexico against the United States during World War I; shortly after, Germany announced unrestricted submarine warfare against Britain; caused President Wilson to ask Congress to declare War on Germany (they did so on April 6, 1917)