Download World War I The Road to War The United States Declares War

World War I
The Road to War
The United States Declares War
Americans on the European Front
Americans on the Home Front
Global Peacemaker
 Causes of World War I
 Imperialism – European powers scrabble for territory brought tensions
 By 1910, most territory was claimed. Countries started fighting over resource rich lands
 Militarism – Policy of aggressively building up military in preparation for war
 Great powers of Europe were all armed for battle and were looking for an excuse to use
 Nationalism- Believing your country was the best and acting in own self interest
 When acting in own best interest went against the interests of another, it could lead to war
 Another type of “NATIONALISM” was seen in countries with different ethnic groups
 The group in power would discriminate (often brutally) against the minority group
 Minority group would eventually fight back (wanting to control the power)
 Alliances – Countries allied with others for protection, SECRETLY
 Smaller countries were emboldened when they believed they had a powerful ally behind
them
 Assassination of Austria-Hungary’s Crown Prince Franz
Ferdinand will set off a series of overreactions
 War was declared after Serbia did not meet demands
 As a result, Austria-Hungary (and their ally Germany) and Serbia
(and their ally Russia) began World War I
 Germany declared war on Russia using a strategy known as the
Schlieffen Plan
 To avoid a 2 front war, Germany planned to sweep through France
quickly, then turn and fight Russia
 To reach France quickly, Germany cut through Belgium. England
was allied with Belgium so they declared war on Germany
 One week after it started, the great powers of Europe were at war
Allies
Serbia
Russia
France
England
Belgium
Later Italy
United States
Central/Axis
Austria-Hungary
Germany
Italy
Ottoman Empire
 Each side felt they would win quickly. Both were very
wrong
 Germany quickly invaded France, but were stopped
 Both sides dug in and a STALEMATE followed
 TRENCH WARFARE – “No Mans Land” – In France, miles
of trenches were dug to protect the troops. Warfare
became a series of stalemate attacks, gaining little ground
but costing lives with every attack
 With the original battlegrounds of France in stalemate, other
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fronts opened
Russia – Germany had to send valuable troops from France to
Russia when Russia began to make headway in the battles
Italy – When Italy changed sides, war
broke out in Italy
Turkey – The Allies attacked and gained
ground at Gallipoli against the
Ottoman Empire
The pattern of trench warfare was used
in each new front of the war, with
devastating effects
 1914 – youth of Europe marched off for glory and adventure
 New technologies made the battlefields of World War I
ruinous
Machine Guns
Rapid Fire Artillery
Hand Grenades
Tanks
Poison Gas
Airplanes
Submarines
 Generals used old style tactics against new weapons, millions
will die
 Moral will sink as death rate rises
 People in US watched at Europe sank into war
 Loyalties split – 1/3 of US were 1st or 2nd generation
immigrants with ties to countries now at war
 German and Irish immigrants felt hostility towards
England
 Most Americans favored the Allies. Their roots traced to
British, French backgrounds
 Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany was an autocrat and
militaristic
 British news used propaganda to sway US opinion – it
worked
 Use your books (p.419) to do the following
 Explain what the PREPAREDNESS MOVEMENT was
 Explain what the PEACE MOVEMENT was
 How did Congress react to these two sides when it
comes to American involvement in World War I?
 American Neutrality
 Trade strongly set US policy – the US traded with both sides at first
 Trade to Germany will decline as war went on
 On August 4, 1914, President Wilson officially declared the US NEUTRAL
 The Preparedness Movement
 American business leaders welcomed neutrality, believing they could
profit by provided goods to both sides
 Those with stronger commercial ties to GB urged US to prepare
 National Security League formed to promote “patriotic education and
national sentiment and service among the people of the United States
 The Peace Movement
 Progressives pushed for PEACE “American Union Against Militarism”
 Congress, which was controlled by Progressives, insisted on paying for
preparedness with income taxes, believing this would make such programs
very unpopular
 German Submarine Warfare
 Very effective military tactic cost Germany US support
 U-Boats changed the rules of naval warfare – blocked British ports,
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sank Allied ships
Passenger & merchant ships had NO defense, were easy targets
American sentiment grew against barbaric German attacks
LUSITANIA – British luxury liner sank – 1,200 killed (128 Americans)
American press wildly denounced German attack
Wilson urged patience, but the call for retaliation rose
Germany promised to stop sinking non-military ships (Sussex
Pledge)
Wilson still held hopes of keeping the US out of the war, but began
to back preparedness
 President Wilson ran and won election on the promise
he would keep the United States out of the war, but
shortly after the election, Germany announced they
would resume unrestricted submarine warfare – the
US broke off diplomatic relations with Germany
 Zimmermann Note – England revealed an intercepted
message to US from Germany to Mexico. Germany
would reward Mexico with lands in SW United States
if they would declare war on the US
 No one took note seriously, especially Mexico. But
release of content of note to press brought outrage in the
US
 Russian Revolution
 By 1917, Russia had already suffered huge losses (1.5 M dead, 2.5 M
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captured)
German forces were advancing thru Russia, with Czar in command
of military
Fear of allying with an AUTOCRAT, US delayed entry as ally with
Russia
Czar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate the throne and Russia pulled
out of war
Year long civil war ends in Communist government in control of
Russia, led by Lenin
 The War Resolution
 Germany continued to sink ships, including US ships Memphis,
Illinois and Vigilancia
 Wilson finally asked Congress to declare war in April of 1917, to
cheering politicians
 What were to 4 causes of World War I?
 Name the 2 sides and give 3 countries that belonged to
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each side
What was a STALEMENT?
Why did the US choose to remain neutral?
How did U-Boats change the war?
What was the Zimmermann Note and how did it
impact US neutrality?
 Preparing for WAR
 Draftees and Volunteers
 Congress sent Allies loans and supplies at first
 A token force of 14, 500 sent under command of General Pershing
 Pershing found the situation dire and demanded more troops be sent
 By 1918, more than 1 million US soldiers in Europe. By 1919, 3 million
 Selective Service Act instituted a DRAFT. By end of 1918 more than 24 million
had registered
 Lottery picked 3 million draftees
 American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) – volunteers
 Women also volunteered to serve as nurses, drivers and clerks
 Training for War
 Soldiers learned how to use a bayonet and rifle, dig a trench, put on a
gas mask and throw a grenade
 Training cut short, trained on ships on way to war
 The Convoy System
 Needed to create a plan to protect ships, soldiers and supplies from
Uboats
 Unarmed ships surrounded by destroyers, torpedo boats, etc
 So successful that Uboats did not sink a single ship from US to Europe
 American Soldiers in Europe “Doughboys”
 American troops kept separate from Allied troops (angering Alliies)
 Allies surprised by the fighting attitude and skills of US soldiers
 More than 300,000 African Americans served thou saw little combat
 One segregated regiment, the Hell Fighters, were loaned to the French.
They fought so well that they received the French Croix de Guerre
 Russia and Germany signed a peace treaty in March 1918, allowing
Germany to turn its entire force towards France
 About the same time, American troops were reinforcing the
French and GB
 Germany broke through lines and began marching towards Paris
 American Troops save Paris
 Pershing ordered troops to stop German advance, and they did
 This turned the tide of the war
 Allied Counter Attack
 With Germans in retreat, 250,0000 more American troops arrived
with fresh supplies
 The Tank is used as an overwhelming force, breaking the stalemate of
trench warfare
 In September 1918 – 500,000 American troops and Allied troops hit
the German lines. German troops began their retreat
 War in the Air
 America began WWI with only 55 planes
 US Industry quickly set about building planes, more
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advanced than any seen to that point
First used to scout enemy positions, but soon “dogfights”
with pistons, then machine guns
American Captain Eddie Rickenbacker downed 26
German planes, 1st ACE
Zeppelins also used as bombers and scouts
Planes as bombers minimally effective, but terrorized
troops on the ground
 Central Powers collapsed – partners made separate
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peace leaving Germany all alone
Germany begged for peace, hoping to control the
aftermath some
Allies refused, demanding complete surrender
Kaiser Wilhelm fled to Holland, Germany surrenders
Armistice signed November 11, 1918 at 11 AM (11-11-11)
“All Quiet on the Western Front”
 Influenza Epidemic
 Worldwide Influenza Epidemic begins in 1918. War-torn
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Europe ripe for spread
First wave sickened 500,000 Germans during
spring/summer push
Second, deadlier wave hit in the fall. Third wave in the
winter
This strain sickened and killed within a few days
US hit hard as well, particularly military bases
Overall, 500,000 Americans died from Influenza in the US
30 million world wide died before the epidemic ended
 50,000 Americans died in battle, many more from disease
 Toll would have been much higher except for improved medical
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care
European losses = over 8 million (average of 5,000 per day of
war)
World War I killed an entire generation in Europe
For every country, the sick and wounded outnumbered the dead
Better medical care meant more survivors. Amputees, Shell
Shock, those disabled by gas attacks
Civilian losses were huge. Not only deaths, but homes,
livelihoods
Starvation, disease ravaged Europe for years to come
Genocide (Ottoman Empire against the Armenians)
 What were 5 new war technologies and how did they
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change how war was fought?
What was the CONVOY SYSTEM?
In what ways was the US unprepared for war?
What did they do to get ready for war?
Why did Germany agree to the ARMISTICE in 1918?
 Waging war required sacrifices at home
 The American economy WAS NOT ready for the
demands of wartime
 FINANCING THE WAR
 Liberty Bonds: special war bonds to help pay for the war
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($20Billion raised)
People could “do their part” by buying bonds.
Most Americans saved their pennies to buy bonds.
“Every Scot to Save a Soldier”
Booths set up on street corners to sell bonds
 New Agencies
 War industry Board: far reaching powers to use economic power to
create war supplies
 War Trade Board: foreign trade (punished firms doing business with
the enemy)
 War Labor Board: settled labor disputes than might interrupt war
productions
 War labor Policies Board: set wages, hours, working conditions
 Regulating Food and Fuel Consumption
 Level Food and Fuel Control Act: President had power to manage
production and distribution of food and fuel vital to war efforts
 Food Administration: worked to increase food production and
reduce waste. Price controls instituted
 Rationing – distributing goods to consumers in fixed amounts
 Daylight Savings Time – instituted to increase number of hours of
daylight for working. It also lowered fuel consumption
 Government imposed censorship, banned publications.
Wanted to use media to encourage support for the war effort
 Fear of Foreigners: Espionage suspected from foreigners
 Limits on immigration (nativism)
 “Hate the Hun” (derisive term for German)
 Disloyalty would be dealt with harshly, general anti-german
feelings ran HIGH
 German things renamed, banned
 Hot dogs (frankfurters), Liberty Measles (German Measles), Police
Dogs (German Shepards)
 Stopped teaching German in schools, banned concert
 People of german decent often changed their names to more
american sounding versions
 Repression of Civil Liberties
 Espionage Act – illegal to interfere with the draft
 Sedition Act – illegal to discuss anything “disloyal, profane, scurrilous,
or abusive about America’s government, Constitution, Army or Navy
 TOTALLY VIOLATED THE CONSTITUTION
 Prosecuted more than 1,500, convictions for over 1,000
 Eugene V. Debs convicted (10 years) for urging people to “resist
militarism”
 Controlling Political Radicals
 International Workers of the World (Wobblies) goal of a world wide
overthrow of capitalism put them at odds with the government.
Police hounded IWW, as they tried to disrupt mining operations
 Several violent confrontations occurred. Groups of VIGILANTES
attacked, beat members of the IWW
 The Centralia Massacre was a violent and
bloody incident that occurred in Centralia,
Washington on November 11, 1919, during a
parade celebrating the first anniversary of
Armistice Day. This conflict between the
American Legion and workers who were
members of the Industrial Workers of the
World (IWW or "Wobblies") resulted in six
deaths, additional wounded, multiple prison
terms, and an ongoing and especially bitter
dispute over the motivations and events that
precipitated the massacre. It was the
culmination of years of bad blood between
members of the local Legion and members of
the IWW. Both Centralia and the neighboring
town of Chehalis had a large number of World
War I veterans, with robust chapters of the
Legion, as well as a large number of IWW
members, some also war veterans.
 American patriotism and war fever made military style dress and
activities the norm at home – Boy Scouts, Marching (military
style) in school
 Social Mobility for Minorities and Women
 Flow of immigration virtually stopped
 Minorities and Women filled in at work, proving themselves capable
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of anything
Businesses who had blatantly discriminated against people of color
now recruited them for their workforce
Pay for minorities and women rose during the war
Work that had been denied to women now available
400,000 women joined the workforce during the war years
Hope was that these advancements would continue after the war.
SADLY not true
 Wilson, during the war, created what he believed would be a
peace plan that would create a world where war would be
much less likely to reoccur
 14 Points
 Removal of Trade Barriers
 Reduction of Military Forces
 Right of Self-Determination (right to make decisions about one’s
own future)
 Wilson traveled to Europe after the war to help negotiate the
peace treaty
 Allies discarded Wilson’s plan, point by point. THEY WANTED
REVENGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 Wilson headed US team
 Team did not include any Republicans (will come back to haunt
him)
 Wilson declared US not interested in the SPOILS OF WAR
 Wilson forced to compromise
 Other leaders did not agree. They wanted to make Germany pay
for war
 Wanted to divide up Germany’s colonial holdings
 Russia was a big concern to all – would Lenin’s new government
survive, would they support the peace treaty?
 Wilson had to make deals with the other leaders to get a treaty
signed
 One of the big concessions was that native people have rights in
their own countries that were colonized by Germany (other
countries feared they would be expected to do the same in the
areas they colonized)
 Proposed an organization In which the nations of the
world would join together to ensure security and peace
for all members
 All member nations agreed that an attack on one would
be an attack on all
 Republicans, angry about being left off the team sent to
the peace conference, rejected the plan. They feared it
would drag the US into another unwanted war
 Redrawing the map of Europe
Self Determination hard to apply to all nations
 Most borders drawn created new ethnic majorities/minorities
 Czechoslovakia, Middle East created more problems
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 War Guilt and Reparations
Germany forced to admit fault and accept financial responsibility
 Reparation payments of $33 Billion
 Germany would never forget or forgive the humiliation of the peace treaty
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 Signing the Treaty
Germany refused to sign, at first – threatened with invasion
 Versailles Treaty signed in rail car outside palace
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 Wilson returned, with Peace Treaty in hand
 Various groups opposed the Peace Treaty, in particular the League of Nations
Would draw US into War
 Would accept League of Nations with restrictions allowing the US to opt out
 Wanted US to live up to Monroe Doctrine, not League of Nations
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 WILSON TOURS COUNTRY
 Wilson was determined to convince the people of the US to back the Treaty
 Went on 23 day train trip to sell the Treaty
 Had a stroke, remained paralyzed/invalid the rest of his life
 Because of illness, Wilson became rigid and unworkable with others
 Senate voted, rejected Treaty 39-55 in March 1920
 A FORMAL END TO HOSTILITIES
 Congress voted to declare war officially over
 Wilson VETOED, in retaliation for Senate rejection of Treaty
 New president, Warren Harding, will sign
 Congress will ratify separate peace treaties with Germany, Austria & Hungary
 US had to switch back to a peace time economy, it would take time
 War spurred US economy as we supplied countries ruined by war
 In 1922, the Senate determined that European countries owed the US
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over $11 billion
US now THE powerful country, owed by the past powerful countries
Returning troops (millions) needed jobs, economy did not meet their
needs well. Women expected to quit and go home
Troops of color returned to being treated horridly
Many artists/intellectuals found the world after the war to be
depressing and gloomy. There art reflected that
The 20’s would be a fast paced, growth decade but it started out very
slow after the war
 1) What role did public opinion play in the US
decision to enter World War 1?
 2) How were CIVIL LIBERTIES restricted during the
war? What were some of the responses to these
restrictions?
 3) Why did the Senate reject the Treaty of Versailles?
How did the US officially end World War I?