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Notes
Chapter 19
Questions, to think about while reading.
1. What circumstances led to the outbreak of World War I?
2. How did the US public feel about the war?
3. What connection can be made between World War I and World War II?
Section 1.
In August 1914 the First World War began. German troops, on their way to France, ran through Belgium
looking to gain the first strike of the war against the Allied powers of France, Great Britain, and Russia.
Later the US would join the war on the Allied side. However, before the US joined the cause many
Americans preferred an isolation position that would keep the country out of Europe’s problems. This
preference would be short-lived as the US would eventually help win the war for the Allies.
Generally, there are four main reasons why the war began. The first cause is nationalism. Nationalism is
the belief national interests and national unity should be placed ahead of global cooperation and that
the affairs of the country should be guided by self-interest. This type of attitude in Europe often led to
competitiveness amongst the powers of Europe.
This competitiveness was evident between France and Germany. Both countries vied for leadership of
Europe. France wanted territories that they lost during the Franco-Prussian War (1871) and Germany
sought to protect its expanding industrial base and overseas territories.
Russia saw itself as the protector of all Slavic people no matter what rule those Slavs may be under. This
puts the Russia Empire at odds with the empire of Austria-Hungary since many Slavs lived under its
rule. Other peoples, including the Czechs and Poles, wanted autonomy and reunification respectively.
The second cause is imperialism. Competition among the European and Asian powers worsened over the
idea of colonies. Colonies were needed by the world powers because they could use the raw materials
supplied by there colonies across the globe. Colonies also gave more prestige to the imperial power.
Africa was the stage where European power fought for dominance.
Recruiting, London
Militarism is the third cause. An arms race develops in Europe due to each country wanting to have a
larger military to guard against possible enemy threats. Also, militaries grew in size due to the expanding
colonial empires of these European powers. Germany had the best national army system which used a
reserve component that was fully trained. Germany also began to compete with Great Britain for
dominance of the oceans. The US, France, and Japan would soon follow in this buildup of world navies.
Lastly the Alliance System of Europe also led to the beginning of WWI. As competition in Europe grew,
nations relied on each other for support. This led to the formation of alliances, two of which dominated
Europe. The Triple Entente, or Allies, consisted of France, Great Britain, and Russia. The Triple
Alliance consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy (Italy would switch to the Allied side during
the war). The Ottoman Empire, also involved in the war, would form the Central Powers along with
Germany and Austria-Hungary.
The Great War begins with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. He was the nephew of the
Austria-Hungary emperor Franz Joseph. The assassin was a young Serb nationalist. Serbia was a separate
country; however, many Serbs lived under Austrian rule in Bosnia. Austria-Hungary, wanting to stop any
Serbian movement within its borders, launched an attack against Serbia. The Russian Empire became
involved as it saw itself the protectors of all Slavic people which included Serbs.
The involvement of the Russians then drew the Germans into the fracas as they were allied with Austria.
Germany also declared war on Russia ally, the French. This declaration then brought the French ally
Great Britain into the war and World War I had begun.
Germany began the war by moving through Belgium and attacking France. There plan was known as the
Von Schlieffen Plan. After defeating France, as the plan called for, the Germans would then direct their
attention to Russia.
WWI developed into a trench war. Trench warfare was disastrous for all sides involved. Both sides
would live, eat, and fight from these trenches that covered much of eastern and northern France. Living in
trenches for soldiers was difficult. Mud, rats, disease, and constant bombardment by the enemy led to
miserable conditions. Soldiers would line up in the trench and move across no man’s land in waves only
to be cut down by enemy machine guns. This type of fighting led to massive loss of life. One example is
the Battle of the Somme where 1.2 million were casualties in only four months of fighting.
No man’s land, France 1918
America remained neutral for the beginning of the war. Many Americans did not think that the US
should be involved in a European affair across the globe, although many followed the war closely since
numerous people could identify with their European ancestors.
Socialists in the country believed that the war was being fought over control of colonies, specifically in
Africa by Great Britain and Germany. The Pacifists in the US believed that the US should set the example
for peace in the world and that war is wrong.
Because of Germany’s aggressiveness most Americans began to side with the Allies. Also the US
economy was more closely tied to the Allies than the Germans. The Allies continued to request large
amounts of war munitions and supplies from the US which helped the US economy.
As the war progressed the British, in their efforts to weaken Germany, established a naval blockade
around the ports of Germany. This blockade led to Germany not having enough supplies during the war
and more importantly led to a famine.
In response to the blockade the Germans began U-boat (submarine) warfare. One disaster that occurred
due to U-boats was the sinking of the British liner Lusitania, where 128 Americans lost their lives. This
enraged Americans and many citizens now wanted war against Germany.
The US government did not declare war against Germany because of these actions. Instead, the US
attempted to solve the U-boat problem through diplomacy. However, the Germans continued to sink ships,
some with Americans aboard.
Using the slogan ‘He kept us out of war’ President Wilson went on to win a close election in 1916 over
Republican Charles Evans Hughes (a Supreme Court Justice).
Soon after Wilson’s election he called on the warring nations to end the war. He asked for terms that both
sides would be satisfied with to end the war. However, the Germans denied the request and continued with
U-boat warfare.
Germany also attempted to lure Mexico into an alliance. A telegram, known as the Zimmerman note,
from the German government to their representatives in Mexico stated that in return for Mexican loyalty
the Germans would support Mexico’s claims to lands lost to the US.
With this in hand, Wilson went to congress to make his case for declaring war. This overt act by the
Germans could not go unnoticed. Wilson desired to make the world ‘safe for democracy.’ The US now
would enter The Great War.
Section 2
As the US prepared to enter the war there was one major problem that the US faced; its military was poorly
equipped. In an effort to better arm the military congress enacted the Selective Service Act. This was a
draft of eligible men ages 18-45 to serve in the military. About 2 million of those men were sent over to
Europe during the course of the war. Congress was hesitant to pass the act, believing that it might lead to
an uninspired military and possible protest. However, there were no riots due to the draft.
The military also began to employ women in their ranks. They were not drafted, but did serve in noncombat positions on the home front.
African-Americans also began to serve in numbers during the war. Although their units were segregated
and most African-Americans were given non combat positions, they served with distinction during the war.
The US immediately began to build ships to expand its fleet. To improve efficiency and to increase the
amount of tonnage that would be build the government took four steps to ensure the US would be at peak
strength:
1. shipyard workers would be exempt from the draft
2. the US government along with cities Chamber of Commerce work together to emphasize the
importance of shipbuilding
3. shipyard developed ‘fabrication’ were parts of ships would be made at different locations then
shipped to the yard for construction
4. the government took over private construction of ships and allocated them to the war effort
The strength of the navy was very important in breaking the German U-boat blockade. To ensure that
merchant ships were able to reach their destination, the navy used the convoy system. In the convoy larger
naval vessels (cruisers, destroyers) would surround the merchant ships and protect them from lurking Uboats. This system effectively stopped the German blockade and allied supplies were successful in resupplying the troops.
The arrival of US troops to the battlefield immediately had an effect on the tide of the war. The US troops
had the advantage of being fresh and not battle weary. This boosted the morale of the allied side and began
to lead to victories on the front. The American Expeditionary Force led by General John J. ‘Black
Jack’ Pershing helped to stop the German advance outside of Paris. These battles included: Belleau
Wood, Second Marne, and the Argonne forest.
World War I presented a new type of warfare. New, more deadly weapons were being brought to bear and
would help lead to unimaginable casualties for both the Allies and Central Powers. These innovative
weapons included: poison gas (chemical warfare), machine guns (some over 600 rounds per minute),
airpower, and tanks (developed by the British). Tanks were part of a new type of warfare, mechanized
warfare. This type of warfare became the future of war. Mechanized war depended on machines that
were powered by gasoline or diesel fuel.
Mutiny is the reason Germany collapsed. Soldiers and sailors were beginning to stop fighting; believing
that the war was over and it would be useless to fight. With this, the Kaiser (Emperor), Wilhelm
abdicated the throne and fled to The Netherlands.
The German war machine and people were exhausted from the fighting and the war ended with an
armistice (cease fire) on November 11, 1918.
The final toll of the war was unimaginable. Total deaths between all the countries numbered close to 26
million, something the world had never seen before.
Historians from the United States enjoy noting that the turning point of World War I was America's entry
into that conflict on 2 April 1917, the day President T. Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war on
Germany. British and French historians probably have to recognize the importance of America's entry, as
well. That is, it increased Allied morale a hundred-fold and, faced with the threat of the economic and
military potential of the United States, encouraged the Germans to retreat and seek an armistice. The fact is,
though, that Americans saw relatively little action compared to their war-weary Allies of Britain and
France. However, the thought of America mobilizing all its economic, personnel, and military resources
toward one goal--the defeat of Germany--scared even the most confident German general.
Section 3
To build a military that would be well equipped to win a war the US government, with the help of private
industry, mobilized all the resources it could.
To regulate this massive build-up at home the government created the War Industries Board (WIB)
headed by Bernard M. Baruch. The WIB encouraged business to mass produce articles as a way of
fostering efficiency. The WIB wanted to make sure that companies were not wasting resources so that any
extra materials would be directed toward the war effort.
The WIB set production quotas and also set prices for goods. Other regulatory agencies during the war
were the Railroad Administration and the Fuel Administration. Daylight savings time was also
introduced to take advantage of the long summer days.
‘Work or Fight’
National War Labor Board
For America to fight, the War had to be sold. About 1/3 of the money raised to fight was through war
bonds. War bonds were sold by the government to citizens in an effort to raise money for the War. Also
called ‘liberty loans’ or ‘victory loan’, bonds became successful in part because of the patriotic wave that
swept the nation. In fact if one did not buy a bond, they could be seen as ‘a friend of Germany.’
The government also set up the Committee on Public Information (CPI) to help popularize the war.
Basically a propaganda machine headed by George Creel, the CPI created posters, helped popularize war
bonds, gave speeches on the draft, and helped citizens build ‘victory gardens.’
In all of this rose an anti-immigrant attitude within the country. Many foreigners were attacked physically,
especially Germans, although they lived in the US. Towns with German names in the US changed the
name of the town, orchestras refused to play the great German composers music, and hamburger were
being called ‘liberty sandwiches.’
In June 1917, Congress passed the Espionage and Sedition Acts. These acts, similar to the Alien and
Sedition Acts of 1798, could place an individual in jail for up to 20 years or fine them up to $10,000 for
numerous ‘offenses.’ Included in these offenses were: obstructing the sale of war bonds, interfering with
the draft, and speaking out against the war effort. The passage of the acts led to 6,000 arrests including
religious figures, congressmen, and university professors. Socialist leader Eugene V. Debs was sentenced
to ten years in prison for giving a speech on the economic causes of the war.
During this time there were also social changes occurring. African-Americans began the Great Migration,
which was the large scale movement of thousands of people from the South to the North. Reasons for this
migration included escaping discrimination and the promise of new industrial jobs in the North.
Section 4
Before the war was over, President Wilson had created a plan for world peace the Fourteen Points. The
first five points dealt with reason on why the war began. Next, eight points dealt with boundary changes to
belligerent countries, relying on self-determination. Lastly the fourteenth point called for the creation of a
international organization called the League of Nations.
Wilson returned to the United States to find that a spirit of isolation had swept across the public.
Republican Senator Henry Cabot Lodge of Massachusetts attacked the Treaty as an emanation of the old,
treacherous ways of Europe that had dragged the innocent United States into the war in the first place. He
especially decried Article X of the League Covenant that called on all member states to come to the aid of
other member states when attacked. Lodge, and the American people, were not interested in getting
involved in another European war. The United States ratified the Treaty of Versailles in late 1919, but
refused to join the League of Nations.
To end The Great War, the Allies gathered at the palace in Versailles, France. Hoping to produce a peace
that help to rebuild Europe, the allies failed in that attempt and directly influenced the events that would
bring the world into war again twenty years later.
The Treaty created new countries, including Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia, and carved up the aging
Ottoman Empire. It created mandates for Great Britain and France in the Middle East and shifted borders
of other countries.
Germany was humiliated by the provisions in the treaty. Germany was made to accept the war guilt
clause, blaming the Germans for the war, it also had to give back the territories of Alsace-Lorraine to the
French, and finally was made to pay reparations around $33 billion to the Allies.
The Treaty of Versailles reflected outdated, nineteenth century conceptions of the criteria of power and
how to prevent war. In addition, the balance of power required a policeman to monitor the smaller states
and smaller conflicts. The Soviet Union was not a viable candidate--the Allies suspected the Soviets and
they were excluded from Versailles. The United States declined to undertake the role. The only other
option, the waning British Empire, could not and would not support it.