[SHORT] U.S. History 1 Honors - Foundation for War, U.S. Involvement in WW1, and Balance of Power in the War

What was World War I also known as?

The War to End all Wars

What are the 4 main factors that are going to lead to World War I?

Militarism, alliance systems, imperialism, and nationalism.

Militarism

The development of armed forces and their use as a tool for diplomacy.

What was the main focus of leaders in Europe during this time?

To expand and grow their military to protect their empires.

Arms Race

When one nation rapidly expands its military, its neighboring countries will also rapidly arm themselves.

What are countries in Europe afraid of and for what reason?

Being attacked by their neighbors because they are all right next to each other.

Alliance Systems

When nations team up with other nations when inventing and building weapons are no longer enough. These agreements would state that if one nation had war declared on it, other nations that were allied with them would join the war on their side.

What were the two alliances that were formed during this time?

The Triple Alliance and The Triple Entente

What countries were part of the Triple Alliance?

Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary.

What countries were part of the Triple Entente?

Britain, France, and Russia.

Nationalism

A devotion to the interests and culture of one's nation. It also focuses on people who want to create their own nation.

What was the result of many leaders in Europe pushing the national agenda of their nation coming first?

It created a newfound national pride and helped fuel rivalries and poor diplomatic relations between countries.

The Balkan Peninsula

A hotspot for the type of nationalism, in which certain ethnic or religious groups focused on creating their nation and establishing their government. Much of this region was controlled by the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The Ottoman Empire

A region that wanted to create their own nation, called Serbia.

Who was the heir to the throne who was assassinated in the Serbian capital of Sarajevo in June 1914?

Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary

The Black Hand

A Serbian nationalist group, in which one of their assassins was responsible for the killing of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary.

What happened when Austria-Hungary declared war against Serbia?

It set off a chain reaction, in which both sides' alliances got involved. With all these countries now getting involved, all of their colonial holdings also started declaring war on each other.

Why was there division among Americans when World War I started?

There was fear of sending young men to a foreign conflict, there was sympathy given from naturalized citizens to their native countries, and American interests tended towards its trading partners, Britain and France.

Where did the war primarily take place?

France and Belgium

Why did Russia have to leave the war in 1917?

They had their civil war break out called the Bolshevik Revolution.

The Bolshevik Revolution

A revolution that led to Russia becoming the Soviet Union and a communist.

Why did the U.S. get involved in the war?

Blockades of Europe, the sinking of the Lusitania, and the Zimmerman Note.

Who were the U.S. supplying food and supplies to while also helping Britain and France?

Germany

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

A policy that Germany began, stating that they would sink any boat going to or coming from Britain. These boats would often be sunk without warning.

The Sinking of the Lusitania

This ship allowed traveling between Britain and America and was treated as a sort of cruise ship. Germany attacked the ship, killing 1,198 people, 128 of them being American. Germany claimed they were justified in the attack because the boat had contained weapons. This became a rallying cry for Americans and a pivot point for the nation on the issue of Unrestricted Submarine Warfare.

The Zimmerman Note

A telegram from the German Foreign Minister to the German Ambassador in Mexico was intercepted. This communication proposed an alliance between Germany and Mexico if the U.S. joined the war on the side of the Triple Entente. The proposal states that if the U.S. declares war on Germany, Mexico, would declare war on the U.S. and get help from Germany. They promised that Mexico would lose territory in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. However, Mexico denies any involvement, and tells America, with American anger turned squarely towards Germany.

What new belief was introduced when the U.S. joined the war?

That they would pave the way for new freedoms and peace around the world.

The Selective Service Act

An act that required men to register with the government to be selected for military service.

What were African Americans not allowed to serve, in the military?

Navy and Marines

What did women serve as in the military?

Non-combative roles, like nurses.

What did the U.S. government do in order to make more ships so that German U-boats wouldn't sink all of them?

They exempted many workers from their jobs to make ships, made shipyard work seem more important in the public eye, practiced prefabrication methods, and used commercial ships for war. They exempted many workers from their jobs to make ships, made shipyard work seem more important in the public eye, practiced prefabrication methods, and used commercial ships for war use.

The Convoy System

A method of shipping goods by surrounding supply ships with warships.

Who was in command on the American side?

General John Pershing

What were American troops known as?

Doughboys

What were soldiers exposed to in trenches?

Rats, lice, dead bodies, and disease.

Trench Foot

An infection in which the feet began to rot due to standing in cold, damp conditions. The only cure would be an amputation.

Shell Shock

A complete, emotional collapse.

Armistice

A cease-fire.

What happens at the end of the war?

Austria-Hungary surrendered to the Allies and many Germans committed a mutiny on the same day. The next day, socialist Germans took the capital, Berlin, and made a republic. Additionally, the Germans and the Allies signed an armistice.

Wilson's Fourteen Points

This was Wilson's plan for world peace. These points proposed measures to prevent another war (1-5), addressed how ethnic groups could form their nations or join others (6-13), and called for an international organization, or League of Nations (14).

League of Nations

A league to enable nations to discuss and settle problems without war.

Why did Wilson's Fourteen Points get rejected by the Allies?

He failed to grasp the magnitude of their anger towards Germany.

What did the French premier, Georges Clemenceau want?

To prevent German invasion.

What did the British Prime Minister, David Lloyd George, want?

To "....make Germany pay."

What did Italian Vittorio Orland want?

Austria-held territory.

When did Italy switch from Germany's side to Britain's and France's side?

Towards the end of the war, when Germany's side was losing.

Later on, there's a conference that excludes who?

Central powers, Russia, and small Allied nations.

Wilson gave up most of his points in return for what?

The League of Nations

The Treaty of Versailles

A treaty that created 9 new nations, additionally with British and French mandates. It also placed various conditions on Germany.

What were the various conditions placed on Germany stated in the Treaty of Versailles?

Germany could not have an army, Alsace-Lorraine, a piece of land, was to be returned to the French, and Germany had to pay reparations for damages caused from the war.

What were the Treaty of Versailles's weaknesses?

It included the War-Guilt Clause, Germany could not pay the #33 billion in reparations that the Allies wanted, Russia lost more land than Germany and territorial claims were ignored, some colonized people's groups got what they wanted, while other did not.

The War-Guilt Clause

A clause that made Germany accept sole responsibility for war.

Why was there strong opposition to the Treaty of Versailles in the United States?

Some people thought that the treaty was too harsh and feared economic effects. Others thought that the treaty exchanged one group of colonial rulers for another. To add on, some ethnic groups were not satisfied with the new national borders.