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America: Pathways to the Present
Chapter 19
The World War I Era
(1914–1920)
Copyright © 2005 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as
Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. All rights reserved.
America: Pathways to the Present
Chapter 19: The World War I Era (1914–1920)
Section 1: The Road to War
Section 2: The United States Declares War
Section 3: Americans on the European Front
Section 4: Americans on the Home Front
Section 5: Global Peacemaker
Copyright © 2005 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as
Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. All rights reserved.
Causes of World War I
Chapter 19, Section 1
• The immediate cause of the Great War, later to be
known as World War I, was the assassination of
Archduke Francis Ferdinand in Sarajevo, Bosnia, on
June 28, 1914. However, the main causes of the war
existed long before 1914.
• At the time of his assassination, Francis Ferdinand,
heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire,
had been visiting Bosnia, a new Austro-Hungarian
province. He was shot by Gavrilo Princip, a 19-yearold Bosnian nationalist who believed that AustriaHungary had no right to rule Bosnia.
Causes of World War I
Chapter 19, Section 1
Main Causes of World War I
Imperialism
Competition for colonial lands in Africa and elsewhere
led to conflict among the major European powers.
Militarism
By the early 1900s, powerful nations in Europe had
adopted policies of militarism, or aggressively building
up armed forces and giving the military more authority
over government and foreign policy.
Nationalism
One type of nationalism inspired the great powers of
Europe to act in their own interests. Another emerged
as ethnic minorities within larger nations sought selfgovernment.
Alliances
In a complicated system of alliances, different groups
of European nations had pledged to come to one
another’s aid in the event of attack.
The Conflict Expands
Chapter 19, Section 1
•
•
•
•
•
Convinced that Serbia was behind the Archduke’s assassination,
Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on July 28, 1914.
Russia, as Serbia’s protector, began mobilization, or the readying
of troops for war.
France, Russia’s ally, and Germany, Austria-Hungary’s ally, also
began mobilization.
Germany, located between France and Russia, wanted to conquer
France quickly to avoid the need to fight on two fronts. To get to
France, German forces had to pass through neutral Belgium;
– Schlieffen Plan
The invasion of Belgium brought Britain into the conflict as well.
The War in Europe, 1914–1918
Chapter 19, Section 1
One week after the war
started, all the great powers
of Europe had been drawn
into it. Germany and AustriaHungary formed the Central
Powers, while Russia,
France, Serbia, and Great
Britain were called the Allies.
When Austria-Hungary
declared war on Serbia,
the complex alliance
system in Europe drew
much of the continent
into the conflict.
Stalemate and Modern Warfare
Chapter 19, Section 1
Stalemate
• By September 1914, the war had
reached a stalemate, a situation
in which neither side is able to
gain an advantage.
• When a French and British force
stopped a German advance near
Paris, both sides holed up in
trenches separated by an empty
“no man’s land.” Small gains in
land resulted in huge numbers of
human casualties.
• Both sides continued to add new
allies, hoping to gain an
advantage.
Modern Warfare
• Neither soldiers nor officers were
prepared for the new, highly
efficient killing machines used in
World War I.
• Machine guns, hand grenades,
artillery shells, and poison gas
killed thousands of soldiers who
left their trenches to attack the
enemy.
• As morale fell, the lines between
soldiers and civilians began to
blur. The armies began to burn
fields, kill livestock, and poison
wells.
The American Response
Chapter 19, Section 1
• Because many Americans were European immigrants or
the children of European immigrants, many felt personally
involved in the escalating war. Although some had
sympathies for the Central Powers, most Americans
supported the Allies.
• Support for the Allies was
partially caused by
Germany’s rule by an
autocrat, Kaiser Wilhelm II,
a ruler with unlimited
power. In addition, antiGerman propaganda, or
information intended to
sway public opinion,
turned many Americans
against the Central
Powers.
• To protect
American
investments
overseas ,
President Wilson
officially
proclaimed the
United States a
neutral country on
August 4, 1914.
The Preparedness and Peace Movements
Chapter 19, Section 1
The Preparedness Movement
• Americans with business ties
to Great Britain wanted their
country to be prepared to
come to Britain’s aid if
necessary.
• In an effort to promote
“preparedness,” the
movement’s leaders
persuaded the government to
set up military training camps
and increase funding for the
armed forces.
The Peace Movement
• Other Americans, including
women, former Populists,
Midwest progressives, and
social reformers, advocated
peace.
• Peace activists in Congress
insisted on paying for
preparedness by increasing
taxes. Although they had
hoped that a tax increase
would decrease support for
preparedness, the movement
remained strong.
German Submarine Warfare
Chapter 19, Section 2
• To break a stalemate at sea, Germany began to
employ U-boats, short for Unterseeboot, the German
word for submarine. U-boats, traveling under water,
could sink British supply ships with no warning.
• When the British cut the transatlantic cable, which
connected Germany and the United States, only news
with a pro-Allied bias was able to reach America.
American public opinion was therefore swayed
against Germany’s U-boat tactics.
The Lusitania and the Sussex Pledge
Chapter 19, Section 2
The Sinking of the Lusitania
• On May 7,1915, a German
U-boat sank the British
passenger liner Lusitania,
which had been carrying
both passengers and
weapons for the Allies.
• Since 128 American
passengers had been on
board, the sinking of the
Lusitania brought the
United States closer to
involvement in the war.
The Sussex Pledge
• More Americans were killed when Germany sank the
Sussex, a French passenger steamship, on March 24,1916.
• In what came to be known as the Sussex pledge, the
German government promised that U-boats would warn
ships before attacking, a promise it had made and broken
before
Moving Toward War
Chapter 19, Section 2
Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
• On January 31, 1917, Germany announced its intent to end
the Sussex pledge and return to unrestricted submarine
warfare.
• This action caused the United States to break off diplomatic
relations with Germany.
• Despite this announcement, the German navy did not attack
any American ships in February, causing the United States
to continue to hope for peace.
The Zimmermann Note
• During this time, Britain revealed
an intercepted telegram to the
government of Mexico from
Germany’s foreign minister,
Arthur Zimmermann.
• In this telegram, known as the
Zimmermann note, Germany
offered to return American lands
to Mexico if Mexico declared war
on the United States.
• Neither Mexico nor President
Wilson took the Zimmermann
note seriously, but it brought
America closer to entering the
war.
The War Resolution
Chapter 19, Section 2
• When the Russian Revolution replaced Russia’s
autocratic czar with a republican government in
March 1917, the United States no longer needed to be
concerned about allying itself with an autocratic
nation. This removed one more stumbling block to an
American declaration of war.
• As Germany continued to sink American ships in
March, President Wilson’s patience for neutrality wore
out. On April 6, 1917, the President signed
Congress’s war resolution, officially bringing the
United States into the war.
Moving Toward War
Chapter 19, Section 3
Building an Army
• Despite the preparedness
movement, the United States
lacked a large and available
military force. Congress
therefore passed a Selective
Service Act in May 1917,
drafting many young men into
the military.
• Draftees,
volunteers, and
National
Guardsmen made
up what was called
the American
Expeditionary
Force (AEF), led by
General John J.
Pershing.
Training for War
• New recruits were trained in
the weapons and tactics of
the war by American and
British lecturers at new and
expanded training camps
around the country.
• Ideally, the military planned to
give new soldiers several
months of training. However,
the need to send forces to
Europe quickly sometimes
cut training time short
The Convoy System and Americans in Europe
Chapter 19, Section 3
The Convoy System
• To transport troops across
the Atlantic, the United States
employed convoys, or groups
of unarmed ships surrounded
by armed naval vessels
equipped to track and destroy
submarines.
• Due to the convoy system,
German submarines did not
sink a single ship carrying
American troops.
American Soldiers in Europe
• By 1918, European nations
had begun to run out of men
to recruit. Energetic American
soldiers, nicknamed
doughboys, helped replace
the tired fighters of Europe.
• Many African Americans
volunteered or were drafted
for service. However, these
men served in segregated
units and were often
relegated to noncombat roles.
Turning the Tide of War
Chapter 19, Section 3
•
New methods of military transportation, including tanks,
airplanes, and German zeppelins, or floating airships, influenced
the manner in which the war was fought.
• In the spring of 1918, Germany provided safe
passage for Vladimir Lenin, leader of the Russian
Bolsheviks, from Switzerland to Russia. The
Bolsheviks successfully overthrew the Russian
republican government and made peace with
Germany.
• The resulting truce ceded valuable Russian land
to Germany and also meant that the German
military could concentrate exclusively on the
Western front. Before the arrival of American
troops, Germany was able to gain ground in
France, coming within 50 miles of Paris.
• General Pershing’s troops, however, pushed back
the Germans in a series of attacks. Finally, the
German army was driven to full retreat in the
Meuse-Argonne Offensive begun on September
26, 1918.
Ending the War
Chapter 19, Section 3
• In the face of Allied attacks and domestic revolutions,
the Central Powers collapsed one by one. AustriaHungary splintered into smaller nations of ethnic
groups, and German soldiers mutinied, feeling that
defeat was inevitable.
• When the Kaiser of Germany fled to Holland, a civilian
representative of the new German republic signed an
armistice, or cease-fire, in a French railroad car at
5am on November 11, 1918.
• Although guns fell silent six hours later, many more
deaths were to follow. The influenza epidemic of 1918
killed more people, both in the United States and
Europe, than all of the wartime battles.
Results of the War
Chapter 19, Section 3
Some Results of World War I
Dead and
Wounded
The estimated death toll of World War I was 8 million
soldiers and civilians, including tens of thousands of
Americans. Many more had lost limbs or been blinded by
poison gas. However, the efforts of the Red Cross and
other agencies had helped save many lives.
Loss of
Young
Men
Many sensed that the war had destroyed an entire
generation of young men and grieved for the loss of
their talents and abilities.
Genocide
In an act of genocide, or organized killing of an entire
people, the Ottoman Empire had murdered hundreds of
thousands of Armenians suspected of disloyalty to the
government.
Financing the War
Chapter 19, Section 4
• Modern warfare required huge amounts of money and
personnel.
• Many sacrifices within the United States were needed
to meet these demands.
• The government raised money for the war in part by
selling Liberty Bonds, special war bonds to support
the Allied cause.
• Like all bonds, these could be redeemed later for their
original value plus interest.
• Many patriotic Americans bought liberty bonds,
raising more than $20 billion for the war effort.
Managing the Economy
Chapter 19, Section 4
•
United States entry into the war caused many industries to switch from
commercial to military production. A newly created War Industries Board
oversaw this production. New labor-related agencies helped ensure that
labor disputes did not disrupt the war effort.
•
Using the slogan, “Food will win the war,” Herbert Hoover, head of the
Food Administration and future President, began to manage how much
food people bought.
• Although he had the power to impose price
controls, a system of pricing determined by the
government, and rationing, or distributing goods
to customers in a fixed amount, Hoover preferred
to rely on voluntary restraint and increased
efficiency.
• Daylight savings time was created to save on fuel
use and increase the number of daylight hours
available for work. This involved turning clocks
back one hour for the summer, creating one more
hour of daylight.
Enforcing Loyalty
Chapter 19, Section 4
Enforcing American Loyalty During World War I
Fear of
Foreigners
Fear of espionage, or spying, was widespread; restrictions on
immigration were called for and achieved.
“Hate the Hun”
The war spurred a general hostility toward Germans, often
referred to as Huns in reference to European invaders of the
fourth and fifth centuries. German music, literature, language,
and cuisine became banned or unpopular.
Repression of
Civil Liberties
Despite Wilson’s claim that the United States fought for liberty
and democracy, freedom of speech was reduced during the
war. Sedition, or any speech or action that encourages
rebellion, became a crime.
Political
Radicals
Socialists, who argued that workers had no stake in the war,
won popular support in some states.
The radical labor organization Industrial Workers of the World
(IWW) tried to interfere with war production; vigilantes took the
law into their own hands.
Changing People’s Lives
Chapter 19, Section 4
African Americans and Other
Minorities
• With much of the work
force in the military,
factory owners and
managers who had once
discriminated against
minorities began actively
recruiting them.
• The flood of African
Americans leaving the
South to work in northern
factories became known
as the Great Migration.
New Roles for Women
• The diminished male work
force also created new
opportunities for women.
• Many women joined the
work force for the first time
during the war. Some
found work on farms with
the Woman’s Land Army;
others took jobs
traditionally reserved for
men.
President Wilson’s Proposals
Chapter 19, Section 5
• As the war neared an end, President Wilson developed a
program for peace around the world known as the Fourteen
Points, named for the number of provisions it contained.
• One of Wilson’s Fourteen Points called for an end to
entangling alliances; another involved a reduction of
military forces. Another dealt with the right of AustriaHungary’s ethnic groups to self-determination, or the power
to make decisions about their own future.
• Although both Wilson and the German government
assumed that the Fourteen Points would form the basis of
peace negotiations, the Allies disagreed. During peace
negotiations, Wilson’s Fourteen Points were discarded one
by one.
The Paris Peace Conference
Chapter 19, Section 5
Wilson Forced to Compromise
• Although Wilson claimed that he
was not interested in the spoils,
or rewards, of war, his Allied
colleagues were interested in
making the Central Powers pay
for war damages.
• Wilson was forced to
compromise on his views,
especially concerning selfdetermination for former
German colonies.
The League of Nations
• One of Wilson’s ideas, the formation of a League
of Nations, was agreed upon at the Paris Peace
Conference. The League of Nations was designed
to bring the nations of the world together to
ensure peace and security.
• Republicans in Congress, however, were
concerned about Article 10 of the League’s
charter, which contained a provision that they
claimed might draw the United States into
unpopular foreign wars.
The Peace Treaty
Chapter 19, Section 5
• The treaty which was negotiated at the
Paris Peace Conference redrew the map of
Europe to the Allies’ advantage.
•
Nine new nations were created from territory taken from AustriaHungary, Russia, and Germany. Although most borders were
drawn with the division of ethnic minorities in mind, the
redivisions created new ethnic minorities in several countries.
• Austria
• Hungary
• Czechoslovakia
• Poland
• Finland
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Estonia
• Yugoslavia
•
•
France insisted that Germany be humiliated and financially
crippled. The peace treaty required Germany to pay billions of
dollars in reparations, or payment for economic injury suffered
during the war. Wilson, however, opposed this plan, claiming that
these demands would lead to future wars.
On June 28, 1919, the peace treaty, which came to be known as
the Versailles Treaty, was signed at Versailles, outside of Paris.
Redrawing the Map of Europe
Chapter 19, Section 5
• At the Paris Peace
Conference, Britain,
France, and the
United States redrew
the map of Europe.
Reactions at Home
Chapter 19, Section 5
Congress and the Treaty of
Versailles
• Despite Wilson’s intensive
campaign in favor of the
Versailles Treaty, Congress voted
against ratifying it in November
1919.
• The United States declared the
war officially over on May 20,
1920. It ratified separate peace
treaties with Germany, Austria,
and Hungary. However, the
United States did not join the
newly formed League of Nations.
Difficult Postwar Adjustments
• The war had given a large boost to the American economy,
making the United States the world’s largest creditor
nation.
• Soldiers returned home to a hero’s welcome but found that
jobs were scarce.
• African American soldiers, despite their service to their
country, returned to find continued discrimination.
• Many American artists entered the postwar years with a
sense of gloom and disillusionment.