Period 7 - WWI and Beyond

What are the main causes of WWI?

Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism

What are the three main dates surrounding WWI?

1914 - WWI begins, 1917 - US enters the war, Nov. 11 at 11:11 1918 - armistice is signed

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

His assassination on June 28th, 1914 triggered the beginning of WWI

Who are the allied powers?

France, Russia, GB, and later the United States

Who are the central powers?

Germany and Austria-Hungary

Why was a stalemate reached so early into the war?

New technologies stockpiled from the arms race such as machine g-ns, gas, tanks, and more made it to dangerous and deadly to move past the others defenses.

Isolationists

favoured staying out of the war

Interventionists

favoured fighting for the allied powers

Internationlists

wanted the U.S to play a role for peace, but did not want them fighting in the war

German U-boats

submarines used by the German Navy, targeting Allied ships and disrupting supply lines across the Atlantic Ocean, significantly impacting the outcome of the war. One of these submarines sank the Lusitania, a British passenger ship with Americans on-board, thus resulting in the growth of anti-German sentiment

Sussex Pledge

After failing to keep their promise of not sinking any more passenger ships, Germany declared in to change their naval policy, stating that U-boats would not target passenger ships and that merchant ships would not be attacked unless armed. Regardless, Wilson prepared for war, and Germany returned to unrestricted submarine warfare

The Zimmerman Telegram

An intercepted telegram from Germany's foreign secretary to Mexico, stating that in return for Mexico joining the Central Powers, Germany would help recover the territories that Mexico had lost to the U.S. This prompted the U.S. into joining the Allied Powers.

Selective Service Act (the draft)

increased the power of the state and instituted a military draft that required citizens to enlist in the military, resulting in over 4 million U.S soldiers being sent to Europe

What was it like at the home front of the war?

The U.S fully mobilized its economy, industry, and population as the federal government took control over private industry, encouraged civilian sacrifice, restricted civil liberties, and shifted production to support the war effort

Committee of Public Information

A U.S. government agency led by George Kreel that was established to promote the war effort and encourage public support for the conflict by influencing public opinion through propaganda, using media such as posters, films, and pamphlets to shape perceptions of the war, promote patriotism, and demonize the enemy.

War Bonds

debt securities sold by the U.S. government to finance military operations

Conscientious Objectors

an individual who refuses to participate in military service, combat, or the draft due to deeply held religious, moral, or ethical beliefs. This exemption was widely ignored by local draft boards.

The Espionage and Sedition Acts

Both acts suppressed dissent and hinder criticism in the U.S during the war. While the Espionage act gave postal authorities power to ban newspapers that would incite treason, the Sedition act outlawed speech that went against the government or military

Jeanette Rankin

A house representative from Montana who was the first woman elected to Congress and one of the few members of Congress who voted against joining WWI.

John J. Pershing

a senior United States Army officer who played a crucial role as the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) during WWI, training soldiers and leading them into France

Woodrow Wilson’s 14 Points

Following his vision, “peace without victory”, Wilson’s fourteen points asked for the reduction of the military, more freedom of trade, and open diplomacy. Only one of these points were approved

League of Nations

An idea authorized by the Treaty of Versailles that created a cooperative force made up of many nations that would work in the world's interest by solving disputes peacefully. The U.S. never joined as the Senate could not agree on the treaty, causing the league itself to fail

Reservationists

Led by Henry Cabot Lodge, this group in the Senate opposed the original treaty, but agreed to neogtiate

Irreconcilables

This group in the Senate opposed the treaty, regardless if amendments are made.

What was Germany required to do per the Treaty of Versailles?

Germany had to assume full responsibility for the war, pay heavy reparations to the countries involved, limit the size/power of their army, and return Alsace and Lorraine to France

What are some of the problems the U.S faced after the war?

deadly influenza outbreak, economic recession, women + african americans lost their jobs to returning soldiers, and scarcity/high demand of goods led to inflation

Red Scare

a period of intense widespread fear, paranoia, and anti-radical hysteria in the U.S., driven by the Russian Bolshevik Revolution and post-WWI labor strikes. It involved government crackdowns on socialists and anarchists, xenophobia against immigrants, and suppression of civil liberties