World War I: Causes, Course, and Consequences

Comprehensive practice flashcards covering the causes, mobilization, home front impacts, minority experiences, technological strategies, and peace treaties of World War I.

What were the long-term causes of World War I?

Alliances, arms race, imperialism, militarism, and nationalism.

What was the immediate cause that triggered World War I?

The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand.

Why did World War I expand into an international war rather than remaining a local conflict between Austria-Hungary and Serbia?

Because of entangling alliances.

What naval tactic did Germany use in an effort to starve Great Britain?

Unrestricted submarine warfare, which entailed sinking all neutral and military ships in the blockaded area around Britain.

What was the Sussex Pledge?

Germany's pledge to stop sinking ocean liners and merchant ships without warning.

What did the Zimmerman Telegram propose to Mexico?

A secret alliance with Mexico, announcing that Germany would resume unrestricted submarine warfare and promising Mexico the return of New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas in exchange for attacking the United States.

What four main factors led the United States to declare war on Germany?

The sinking of the Lusitania, British propaganda, the Zimmerman Telegram, and Germany resuming unrestricted submarine warfare, which threatened freedom of the seas.

What were the major penalties imposed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles?

Germany was forced to sign the War Guilt clause accepting blame for starting the war, pay reparations to the Allies, lose territory to France and Poland, and give up all of its colonies.

How did U.S. involvement in World War I represent a turning point in American foreign policy?

The United States shifted from being isolationist to becoming entangled in foreign affairs.

What was the role of the Committee on Public Information (CPI), and what was the function of the Four-Minute Men?

The CPI was the government agency in charge of war propaganda to persuade public support; the Four-Minute Men gave short speeches supporting the war in movie theaters and public assemblies.

What actions did the Food Administration take under Herbert Hoover to support the war effort?

It oversaw food production and distribution, encouraged 'Victory Gardens' and meatless meals, persuaded the public to eat less, and guaranteed farmers a minimum price for wheat to create a surplus.

What was the function of the War Industries Board?

It organized and coordinated America's wartime manufacturing needs, managed raw materials, used profits to stimulate wartime industries, and set standard specifications for all kinds of goods.

How did the United States government pay for World War I?

By increasing taxes and selling war bonds known as 'Liberty Bonds', as well as selling smaller-denomination war stamps to low-income citizens and children.

What was the purpose of the Selective Service Act?

To quickly raise an army through compulsory military service (the draft).

What was the Great Migration, and what were its primary push and pull factors?

The movement of African Americans from the South to northern factories between $1910$ and $1970$; push factors included Jim Crow laws, discrimination, and rural poverty, while pull factors included northern factory jobs.

What activities were criminalized by the Espionage Act and the Sedition Act?

The Espionage Act allowed the government to censor mail, detect and imprison spies, and arrest anyone interfering with the draft; the Sedition Act made it a crime to be disloyal or use abusive language about the government, the flag, or the Constitution.

What legal standard was established by the Supreme Court in Schenck v. United States?

The Supreme Court ruled that wartime limits on free speech are constitutional whenever such speech poses a 'clear and present danger'.

Why did armies construct trenches during World War I, and how were they defended?

Armies dug trenches to protect soldiers from deadly artillery fire, defending them with machine guns and barbed wire, which resulted in a stalemate on the Western Front.

What weapons were deployed to break the stalemate of trench warfare?

Poison gas, tanks, and airplanes.

Why did the 2nd Industrial Revolution make World War I deadlier than previous conflicts?

Because advanced weaponry could be mass produced on an industrial scale.

What naval tactic did the Allies use to counter German unrestricted submarine warfare?

The convoy system, in which groups of merchant ships traveled together protected by battleships.

Under what conditions did African Americans serve in World War I, and what distinction did the Harlem Hellfighters achieve?

African Americans served in segregated units; some units, such as the Harlem Hellfighters, fought under the French Army and were awarded medals.

How did conscientious objectors participate in the war effort?

Because of religious beliefs against killing, they were assigned to non-combatant roles, including working on domestic farms to relieve labor shortages.

How were German Americans affected by anti-German sentiment on the home front?

They faced discrimination; over $4{,}000$ were imprisoned as suspected spies; immigrants were fingerprinted and required to take loyalty oaths; many changed their surnames; and German foods were renamed (e.g., sauerkraut became 'liberty cabbage' and hamburgers became 'liberty steaks').

How did women's contributions during World War I impact the suffrage movement?

Women took factory jobs, served as nurses overseas, and sold war bonds; their vital wartime contributions strengthened the suffrage movement and helped secure the passage of the 19th Amendment.

What legal and military developments involved Hispanic Americans during World War I?

Congress granted Puerto Ricans citizenship in $1917$, about $18{,}000$ Puerto Ricans served in the military, Mexican laborers were encouraged to migrate to work on farms and in factories, and Cuba sent military officers to be trained in the United States.

How did Native Americans contribute to the war, and how did the U.S. government recognize their service?

Approximately $6{,}000$ volunteered and $6{,}000$ were drafted into integrated white units; Choctaw soldiers transmitted coded messages in their native language; and the Indian Citizenship Act of $1919$ granted citizenship to Native Americans who served in World War I.

What policies affected Asian Americans during World War I?

Asian servicemen served in separate non-white units and were permitted to become naturalized citizens, while Congress simultaneously barred further Japanese and Chinese immigration in $1917$.

What was the purpose of the War Labor Board, and how did organized labor respond?

The War Labor Board was created to mediate labor disputes between business owners and workers; AFL leader Samuel Gompers pledged that workers would not strike, resulting in higher wages and union membership nearly doubling.

How was the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) commanded in Europe?

The American Expeditionary Force was kept under independent American command and was not placed under the command of European leaders.

Which countries formed the 'Big Four' at the Paris Peace Conference?

Britain, France, Italy, and the United States.

What happened to the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires following the peace settlement?

Austria-Hungary was divided into smaller nation-states, and the Ottoman Empire lost its Middle Eastern territories to Britain and France, who governed them as mandates.

What was Article X of the Treaty of Versailles, and why did the U.S. Senate oppose it?

Article X established the League of Nations to defend member states against aggression; Republican Senators opposed it because they feared it would infringe on American sovereignty and draw the country into future foreign wars.

What fraction of the U.S. Senate is required to ratify a treaty, and did the Senate ratify the Treaty of Versailles?

A $\frac{2}{3}$ majority is required; the Senate did not ratify the Treaty of Versailles.

What were the primary objectives of President Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points?

To eliminate the causes of World War I by promoting national self-determination (ethnic nation-states), 'New Diplomacy', freedom of the seas, equal trade terms, armament reduction, an end to secret diplomacy, and the creation of the League of Nations.

How did the state of Florida contribute to World War I?

Around $42{,}000$ Floridians served in the military; shipyards in Tampa and Jacksonville constructed Allied vessels; Key West operated a submarine base; and local flight schools and camps trained troops.

On what date did the United States formally enter World War I by declaring war on Germany?

April 6, $1917$.

On what date was the armistice signed that ended the fighting in World War I?

November 11, $1918$.

What percentage of the U.S. Army was comprised of Jewish Americans during World War I?

$$5\%$$

Which prominent figures were prosecuted under wartime speech legislation, and what were their actions?

Eugene Debs was convicted under the Espionage Act for delivering an anti-war speech in Ohio, and Charles Schenck was convicted under the Sedition Act for mailing leaflets encouraging men to resist the draft.