Download American History II: Note Set #16: Causes of World War One (WWI

American History II: Note Set #16: Causes of World War One (WWI)
 MAIN Causes of “The Great War” (Remember, it won't be called WWI until after WWII!)
 Militarism
 Militarism: building up military strength for the purpose of intimidating other countries
 If one nation builds up its military, then all of its neighbors must do so as well
 Alliance Systems
 Most European powers had entered into military cooperation agreements with other European
nations
 Most of these alliances were, however, secret - so no one could be sure who was allied with
who
 Imperialism
 European nations (and the US) were engaged in a competition to claim colonial territories in
Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and Latin America
 Nationalism
 Nationalism = intense pride in one’s own country or nationality
 European states had became more concerned with their own interests than with maintaining
the peace that had held for close to 100 years
 The Spark That Ignited the "Powder Keg of Europe"
 Archduke Franz Ferdinand (1863 – 1914)
 Heir to the throne of Austria
 Sent with his wife on an official state visit to Sarajevo in the Austrian-held province of Bosnia
 On June 28, 1914, Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated by a Bosnian nationalist
 Austria demanded that Serbia, who had reportedly supported the assassins, turn over anyone
who was involved in the plot
 When Serbia refused, Austria declared war
 A Small War Quickly Expands
 Russia, which supported a policy of Pan-Slavism (unity of all Slavic peoples), demonstrated its support
for Serbia, a Slavic state, by declaring war on Austria
 Germany, under their monarch Kaiser Wilhelm II, activated their military alliance with Austria and
declared war on both Russia and Russia's ally of France (Germany's long-time enemy)
 Germany invaded the neutral country of Belgium to position themselves to attack France
 Britain, an ally of Belgium, then declared war on Germany
 Within a matter of weeks, most of Europe found itself on one side or the other:
 “The Central Powers” : Germany, Austria, & the Ottoman Empire (+ other smaller states)
 “The Triple Entente”: Great Britain, France, & Russia (+ other smaller states)
 The U.S. & The War
 Woodrow Wilson (1856 – 1924), 28th President (1913 – 21)
 As a pacifist (someone who opposes the use of violence), Wilson supported US neutrality
(taking no sides) and isolationism (avoiding foreign conflicts)
 Wilson's Secretary of State, William Jennings Bryan, was also dedicated to neutrality
 Most Americans Take a Side
 Some were pro-Germany: German immigrants, Irish immigrants (who were more anti-British)
 Most were pro-British: most Americans identified with Britain (same language & culture), US
businesses traded heavily with Britain, US banks had loaned Britain over $2 billion in war aid
(American banks had only loaned $27 million to Germany during the same period)
 German U-boats
 Germany attempted to prevent Britain & France from obtaining supplies from overseas
(especially from the industrially strong US) by using submarines to attack shipping
 In Feb. 1915, Germany announced unrestricted submarine warfare in the waters around Britain
– any ships entering these waters would be attacked without warning
 The Lusitania
 On May 7, 1916, a German U-boat attacked and sank the British passenger liner
Lusitania, killing nearly 1200 civilians, including 128 Americans
 Wilson responded by warning Germany that it had a responsibility to protect noncombatants or risk war with the US
 The Sussex Pledge
 After a 2nd attack in March 1916 that injured Americans aboard the French ship Sussex,
Wilson issued a stronger warning to Germany
 Germany did not want the US to enter the war, so they promised to stop attacking
merchant ships without warning
 Wilson, who did not really want to enter the war, used the so-called Sussex Pledge as a
political tool for getting re-elected in 1916
 Election of 1916
 Wilson won re-election on the slogan “He kept us out of war!”
 Isolationists’ numbers were dwindling though, as the war in Europe grew more intense
and US interests were increasingly threatened
 The Zimmermann Telegram
 In January 1917, German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann sent orders to the German
ambassador in Mexico to offer Mexico an alliance with Germany (he also tried to convince Japan
to enter into a military alliance with Germany)
 Germany offered to help Mexico reclaim Texas, California, and the Southwest if Mexico could
keep the US occupied until the war in Europe was over
 Zimmermann’s note was intercepted by the British, however, and published in US newspapers
 Most Americans were enraged and began to demand war
 Germany’s New Plan
 Fearing American entry into the war, Germany decided they needed to end the war before the
US could mobilize
 On Feb. 1, 1917, Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare in the hopes they could
force a quick British surrender
 German U-boats began to attack US merchant ships without warning, prompting Wilson to take
action
 US Declares War
 On April 2, 1917, Wilson appeared before Congress and asked for a declaration of war against
Germany
 The Senate approved war by a vote of 82 to 6, the House by a vote of 373 to 50
 Jeanette Rankin (1880 – 1973)
 Became the first woman to ever serve in Congress when she was elected by Montana to
serve in the House of Representatives
 A dedicated pacifist, she was the only member of Congress to vote against the US
entering both WWI & WWII, and also later opposed the Korean & Vietnam Wars