Download Chapter 15, Section 3 and 4 Guided Notes America Gives the Allies

Chapter 15, Section 3 and 4 Guided Notes
I)
America Gives the Allies the Edge
a. When the United States joined WWI, they gave the Allies a crucial advantage over the Central Powers.
i. Unrestricted submarine warfare by German U-boats had led to many merchant supply ships
being sunk.
ii. Allied forces began using the technique of convoy to combat this problem. In this technique,
larger merchant ships would be surrounded by faster, smaller warships and even
smaller boats that detected torpedoes.
b. In 1917, peasants rebelled and overthrew Czar Nicholas II of Russia, led by Vladimir Lenin in what
became known as the Bolshevik Revolution.
i. Russia was out of the war officially on March 3rd, 1918. The ending of the fighting on the Eastern
Front allowed Germany to concentrate their soldiers more on the Western Front.
c. The leader of American troops in Europe was John Pershing. Large numbers of troops did not join
the fight until early 1918, but little by little, the Germans weakened.
d. American troops were known as doughboys. The troops fought bravely and valiantly on the
battlefield, in decisive battles on the Western Front.
i. The troop advantage finally shifted to the Allies and on November 11th, 1918,
Germany surrendered.
ii. In total, 13 million troops and 6.5 million civilians had died during the conflict.
II)
Wilson Promotes Peace Without Victory
Chapter 15, Section 3 and 4 Guided Notes
a. Some leaders, such as Vladimir Lenin, saw the war as an imperialistic land-grab.
i. President Wilson, though, believed in the idea of ‘peace without victory’. (Using the quote on
p.509, explain what this phrase means): He wanted there to be peace between
the countries without a 'winner' of the war because having a
winner and loser creates hostilities because the 'winner' sees
themselves as superior.
ii. After the war, Wilson outlined his Fourteen Points plan. They are outlined here:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
There should be no secret alliances between countries.
Freedom of the seas in peace and war.
The reduction of trade barriers among nations.
The general reduction and eventual elimination of armaments.
The adjustment of colonial claims in the interest of the inhabitants as well as of the colonial powers.
The evacuation of Russian territory and a welcome for its government to the society of nations.
The restoration of Belgian territories in Germany.
The evacuation of all French territory, including Alsace-Lorraine.
The readjustment of Italian boundaries along clearly recognizable lines of nationality.
Independence for various national groups in Austria-Hungary.
The restoration of the Balkan nations and free access to the sea for Serbia.
Protection for minorities in Turkey and the free passage of the ships of all nations through the Dardanelles.
Independence for Poland, including access to the sea.
14. A league of nations to protect "mutual guarantees of political independence and territorial integrity to great and small
nations alike."
III)
Wilson at the Paris Peace Conference
a. Wilson went into the peace conference with an idealistic view for the post-war world. The other Allied
leaders did not share his view, though.
i. Other Allied leaders wanted Germany to pay reparations or payment for war
damages. They hoped that by doing so, Germany would never threaten Europe again.
ii. Out of his Fourteen Points, the only one Wilson refused to compromise on was the formation of
the League of Nations.
iii. Overall, national self-determination, right of people to choose their own
government was violated at the Versailles meeting.
1. Identify at least 4 new countries that were created from the Peace (p.511) Conference:
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria,
Hungary, Yugoslovia, Syria, Iraq, Transjordan
IV)
America Rejects the Treaty
Chapter 15, Section 3 and 4 Guided Notes
a. Many Americans were unhappy with the peace treaty when Wilson returned from France, many of
whom had European origins.
b. Wilson also had to propose the treaty to the Republican-controlled Senate… individuals who were not
happy with him being the representative in France following the war.
i. Two groups of senators emerged (define each):
Irreconcilables

isolationist senators
Reservationists

opposed to the treaty
opposing any treaty
as it was currently
with the League of
written.
Nations in it.

senators wanted small
and large changes

Henry Cabot Lodge
ii. Woodrow Wilson did everything he could to gain the people’s support for the treaty. While
going cross-country to garner support, Wilson had a stroke.
c. The Senate and Wilson went back and forth over various forms of the treaty—some that accepted by
certain groups and rejected by others.
i. They never reached a compromise, and without full American support, the League of
Nations was unable to maintain peace around the world.
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Chapter 15, Section 4 Guided Notes
I)
America Adjusts to Peace
a. At the end of World War I, a mutated form of bird flu spread across the United States, and later around
the world.
i. This unrest made the end of the war even more problematic.
b. After the war, African Americans and women faced new challenges.
i. The biggest challenge was over jobs in the industrial cities of the North. In some cities, race
riots broke out over the competition for these jobs.
c. The end of the war, there was a rush to buy consumer goods not available during the war. The
shortages caused by this rush created inflation.
i. Farmers, who had enjoyed higher prices for crops during the war encountered tough times
when prices dropped.
Chapter 15, Section 3 and 4 Guided Notes
ii. Also due to inflation, the wages of industrial workers could not purchase as many goods as
before.
1. This led to strikes across the nation, with workers advocating for higher wages and
shorter workdays.
II)
The Red Scare (Part I)
a. The labor strikes contributed to the fear of Communism. The major country promoting this ideal
was the newly formed Soviet Union.
i. Across the world, revolts broke out in support of Communism.
b. The Red Scare was wave of widespread fear of suspected communists and
radicals thought to be planning a revolution in the United States.
i. Leaders such as J.P. Morgan and A. Mitchell Palmer (Attorney General) were the targets of
mailed bombs.
ii. In response, Palmer facilitated the arresting of thousands, some radicals, some simply from
southern and eastern Europe. These arrests were known as Palmer Raids.
1. A group was formed to protect American liberties—the American Civil
Liberties Union (ACLU). They attempted to take legal action for those targeted by
the Red Scare.
c. Bartolomeo Vanzetti and Nicola Sacco were Italian immigrants and also anarchists:
people who rebel against any authority, established order, or ruling power.
i. They were accused of shooting two people at a shoe factory.
1. Many argued that they were only convicted because of their ethnicity, and not based on
evidence.
III)
Americans Embrace Normalcy
a. Warren G. Harding emerged as the leading Republican candidate in the 1920 election.
i. He pledged to return the U.S. to the ‘normalcy’ that preceded Wilson’s presidency.
1. When Harding was elected, the League of Nations was _rejected by the Senate.
b. After the war, the United States was the richest, most industrialized country in the world. Based on this
newfound economic position, the U.S. emerged as a creditor union.
i. This meant that countries around the world owed the U.S. more money than the U.S. owed
them.
ii. New York City emerged as the economic center of the world.
Chapter 15, Section 3 and 4 Guided Notes
c. The leading question during this time became: How would the United States exert its
moral authority in the world in the coming years?