World War I

American Imperialism Review

• McKinley
  • Spanish American War/American Philippine War
• Roosevelt
  • Roosevelt Corollary, Big Stick Diplomacy, Panama Canal
• Taft
  • Dollar Diplomacy (not that successful)
• Wilson
  • Moral Diplomacy (mostly dealing with Mexico)

World War I

General Information on WWI

• Started on July 28, 1914
• End of the fighting ended on November 11, 1918
• Versailles Treaty officially ended the war on June 28, 1919
• 30 countries involved in WWI
• Almost 8 million died, 22 million wounded

Causes of WWI

• M.A.N.I.A or M.A.I.N. if you don’t include the Assassination
  • Militarism: Build up of army and navy, new weapons
  • Alliance:
  • Triple Entente (England, France, Russia)
  • Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary Empire, Italy
  • Nationalism: Pride in one’s country and also a drive to create countries that represent certain ethnic groups and/or religions (ex: Greece and Serbia).
  • Imperialism: European countries and Japan taking over other countries for economic or other reasons.
  • Assassination: Death of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (killed on June 28, 1914)

Militarism

• World War I was the first war in which advanced weaponry and tactics were used.
• There was a race for creating more weapons of mass destruction among nations.
• There was a desire to create a large amount of weapons as well as building up a nation’s army and navy.
  • Germany and English top navies

Alliances

• To protect itself from French revenge. Germany formed alliances with Italy, and the Austro-Hungarian empire.
  • The Triple Alliance
• Russia and Great Britain (England) became concerned about Germany’s new power.
• They form another alliance with France.
  • The Triple Entente

Triple Alliance vs. Triple Entente

• The Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy were counterbalanced by the Triple Entente of France, Russia, and Great Britain.
• As a result, by 1907 Europe was divided into two armed and rather fearful camps.

Nationalism

• The French Revolution had spread nationalism throughout most of Europe.
• The idea that people with the same ethnic origins, language, and political ideals had the right to form sovereign states through the process of self-determination.
• Strong in the Balkan area
• Ottoman Empire ruled the Balkan area for 400 years
• Balkans
  • Albanians, Greeks, Romanians, and Slav
  • Each groups was struggling for their independence
• Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia as one of its territories in 1908.
• Serbia was newly independent and thought that Bosnia should be one of their territories.
• THIS BECAME AN AREA OF CONFLICT

Unified Germany

• Between 1864 and 1971, the German kingdom of Prussia had united the various German states.
  • Unification plans headed by Otto Von Bismarck.
• Newly unified Germany industrialized quickly, becoming a world power.
• While unifying Germany, Prussia attacked France and defeated them, forcing them to give up territory (Alsace Lorraine) along the German border (Franco-Prussian War 1870-71).
• France and Germany became enemies.

Imperialism

• Virtually all the major powers were engaged in a scramble for empire to bolster their economies.
• Their fiercest competition was between Britain and Germany and between France and Germany.
• Great Britain, Germany, and France needed foreign markets after the increase in manufacturing caused by the Industrial Revolution.
• These countries competed for economic expansion in Africa.
• Clash of France against Germany and Britain in North Africa.
• In the Middle East, the crumbling Ottoman Empire was alluring to Austria-Hungary, the Balkans, and Russia.

The hair to the Austro-Hungarian throne as assassinated while touring through Serbia by Gavrilo Princip (not eating a sandwich), a member of an organization called Black Hand, who wanted independence for the region from Austria-Hungary. This assassination helped lead to the war as countries rushed to avenge the murder and fulfill their alliance obligations.

Domino Effect

• July 28th- Austria Hungary blamed Serbia for Ferdinand’s death and declared war on Serbia (gave them a month to apologize).
• Germany pledged their support for Austria-Hungary.
• Russia pledged their support for Serbia. Warned AH not to attack Serbia on July 25th. Mobilizes army on July 30th.
• Aug. 1 → Germany declares war on Russia.
• France pledges their support for Russia (Triple Entente/Franco-Russian Alliance).
• Aug. 3 → Germany declares war on France.
• Aug. 4 → Germany invades Belgium on the way to France.
• Aug. 4 → Great Britain supports Belgium and declares war on Germany.

The Major Players: 1914-17

Allied Powers:

• Nicholas II (Russia)
• George V (Britain)
• Victor Emmanuel II (Italy)
• President Poincare (France)

Central Powers:

• Wilhelm II (Germany)
• Enver Pasha (Turkey)
• Franz Josef (A-H)

New Type of War

• New Types of Weapons: Machines guns, poisonous gas, planes, tanks, zeppelins, submarines, heavy artillery guns.
• After the failure of Schlieffen Plan, stalemate occurs on the Western Front due to new weapons of war.
• Trench warfare is miserable. Death, disease, and no-man’s land.
• War included people from 6 of the 7 continents.

Railways

• Even though not a new technology, played a key in supplying and transporting troops.

Ships

• Ships, although not a new technology, were vital to supply troops and control ports.

Airplanes

• Airplanes entered the scene.

Zeppelins

• Zeppelins had been used for passenger travel prior to the war and during the war became fighter aircraft.

Submarines

• Called “U-Boats” by the Germans, were used to sink supply ships.

Canons

• Technology improved canons.

Trench Warfare

• Machine guns
• Tanks were first introduced
• Poisonous gas
• Trench warfare
• Most of the time in the trenches was spent waiting for the righting to begin.
• Sleeping took place in shifts so someone was always watching the enemy.
• “Over the top”
• “No Man’s Land” → The area between the trenches was the most dangerous place to be.
• A lot of waiting time between battles.
• Woman working in factories & fighting
• The Red Cross and the Y.M.C.A. helped to care for the wounded soldiers and delivered items from home.
• Salvation army volunteer writing a letter home for the wounded soldier.
• Animals at war

Indians in WWI

• Over 1 million Indian soldiers served. Around 70,000 soldiers died and another 70,000 soldiers were wounded.

Africans in WWI

• Over 2 million African soldiers served on both sides during the war. Around 250,000 soldiers died and another 750,000 citizens were casualties too.

Major Battles

• Feb. 1916- Verdun
  • German offensive
  • 500,000 casualties on both sides
• July 1916- Somme
  • British offensive
  • 60,000 British soldiers die in one day
  • 1 million total casualties

The USA Tries to Remain Neutral

• US conflicted by WWI. Many German-Americans (8 million), but Great Britain long time ally. Also, Wilson ran on the campaign slogan in 1916. “He Kept Us Out of War” and “America First.
• Lusitania- British passenger ship (with weapons in the bull) sunk. 128 Americans killed.
• After French passengers ship named Sussex is sunk on March 26, 1916, Wilson threatened to end German relations.
• Sussex Pledge of 1916- Germany promised not to sink American cargo ships, Broke promise in 1917.
• Zimmerman Note- German plan to give Mexico land back if they declared won on US- Jan. 1917.
• US enters WWI on April 6 1917, on the Allies side.

Lusitania Sunk, 1915

• British passenger ship sunk by a German U-Boat in 1915. More than 1,000 people killed including 128 Americans.

The U.S. Prepared for War, 1916

• National Defense Act increased the number of army and national guardsmen.
• August → $313 million channeled into building up the Navy.
• Council of National Defense created to coordinate industry and defense.
• Shipping board given $50 million to update merchant marine fleet.

The Sussex Pledge

• After the Germans sank the unarmed French Sussex in March 1916 (the Americans on board were injured by none were killed), President Wilson demanded that the Germans stop sinking merchant ships without warning for the U.S. would sever diplomatic relations with Germany.
• Germany agreed and that lasted until January of 1917 when the German government, due to civilian starvation from the British blockade and hoping for a quick end to the war, announced unrestricted submarine warfare.

February 1, 1917

• Germany announced they would resume their U-Boat campaign and sink all (including American) ships in the war zone. Many Germans were starving from the British blockade and the German military believed they could force the British to surrender in a few months, before the U.S. would enter, and win the war.
• Wilson clung to the hope that Germany would not actually attack U.S. ships, however in March 4 unarmed merchant ships were sunk, with 36 lives lost.

Wilson Asked Congress To Declare War (Apr. 2, 1917)

“The world must be made safe for democracy. Its peace must be plated upon the tested foundations of political liberty. We have no selfish ends to serve. We desire no conquest, no dominion. We seek no indemnities for ourselves, no material compensation for the sacrifices we shall freely make.”

Overarching Question???

• What were the two main causes of America’s entry into WWI?
  • Unrestricted submarine warfare by Germany led to the sinking of passenger ships, like the Lusitania, which carried American citizens on board.
  • The Zimmerman telegram, which called for Mexico to join Germany in a war with the U.S.

US Enters War

• US has a draft (Selective Service) to increase military size.
• US uses propaganda, total war (taking over all means of production), and rationing.
• Anti-German sentiment were high. US also limits personal freedoms.
• Progressives in the government applied their ideas of planning and scientific management, to the war effort.

Wartime Agencies

• Created by the government to coordinate between the federal government and big businesses.
• Emphasized cooperation between the two in order to meet war needs.

Committee on Public Information

• CPI
• Created by Wilson to “sell” the war to Americans.
  • 4 Minute Men and George Creel
• Recruited advertising executives, artists, authors, songwriters, entertainers, public speakers, and move companies.
• American propaganda machine

Paying For The War

• U.S. spent $32 billion by the end of WWI.
• Raised income tax rates.
• Imposed extra taxes on arms factories profits.
• Sold Liberty and Victory Bonds
  • Government borrowed $20 billion from Americans by selling bonds.
  • Bonds would gather interest for a specified amount of time.
• There were 4 major liberty loan drives which amassed great amounts of money for the war effort. Private organizations, like the Red Cross and the Y.M.C.A. Also held fundraising events.

War Industries Board

• Created by President Wilson and headed by Bernard Baruch.
• To increase industrial production and coordinate different industries.
• The government took over all factories and ran them like one big factory.
• The board instructed the factories on what to produce, how much to produce, and the cost of the items (price controls).
• Women’s blouse factories made signal flags.
• Radiator manufacturers made guns.
• Automobile factories made airplane engines.
• Piano companies made airplane wings.

War Trade Board

• Controlled imports and exports during the war.
• Issued licenses to shipping companies, limited the number of imports from neutral countries bordering Germany, and forbade citizens to patronize companies that had tied to enemy nations.

Food Administration

• Headed by future President Herbert Hoover, never imposed specific rations but relied upon voluntary participation.
• Ration: To limit the amount of food or resources people can use.
• Famous slogan: “Food will win the the war- don’t waste it.”
• The U.S. had to provide food for its own citizens as well as the allied countries.

Fuel Administration

• Headed by Harry A. Garfield, son of the murdered president.

• Designed to control America’s use of fuel since it was needed overseas.

• As with the Food Administration, Americans were asked to voluntarily conserve their use of fuel.

• Lightless nights and gasless days were observed.

• Daylight Savings Time was observed for the first time in U.S. history i order to cut back on the use of fuel and electricity.

• Total War: Where everyone in the country has a role in victory.

Women in War

• With the men fighting in Europe, factories hired women.
  • Women worked in factories, shipyards, and railroads yards as well as serving as police officers, mail carriers, and train engineers.
• After the war, women would return to their previous roles at home or in their old jobs.

The Great Migration

• African Americans also moved north to fill war time jobs.
• Henry Ford sent agents to the south to recruit workers.
• Other companies followed his example.
• Between 300,000 and 500,000 African Americans moved north.
  • Greatly changing the racial makeup of cities such as Chicago, New York, Cleveland, and Detroit.
• This move also changed the politics in the north.
  • Many African Americans who had been prevented from voting in the south, now were able to vote in the north.

Building The Military

Selective Service Act (1917)

• Congress, with Wilson’s support, passed a new draft to fill the war time military.
• This required all men, ages 21-30, to register.
• A lottery was used to randomly determine the order of draft.
• Draftees appeared before local draft boards who decided who to enlist and who to leave at home.
• Approximately 2.8 million men were drafted.

Army Expansion Act (May 1, 1917)

• From 200,000 to 4,791,172 in Armed Forces.
• 32 new cantonments and camps built for 40,000 soldiers. Each at a cost of $262M. (Panama Canal cost $375M).
• 2,800,000 drafted- Selective Service Act (May 19th)
• 42 divisions sent to France- 2,084,000 men

Selective Service Act (May 18, 1917)

• Required all males between the ages of 21-30 (later changes to 18-45) to register for the draft.
• About 24 million men registered, 23% of total population.
• About 11,000 women volunteered as nurses, clerical workers, and telephone operators.

The “Harlem Hellfighters”

• 369th Regiment- An African American unit

• Assigned to the French army and sent immediately to the front.

• First Americans in combat in WWI.

• Spent 191 days in the trenches.

• Suffered 1,500 casualties.

• The whole unit received the French War Cross for gallantry in combat.

• Although African American soldiers were used mostly for labor, the French hired some infantry that fought alongside French white soldiers. These experiences contributed to the sense of empowerment expressed by the black community in the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s.

Women in the Military

• WWI = First war in which women officially served in the armed forces (or at least wore the uniform).
• Noncombatant positions:
  • Navy
  • Clerical workers, radio operators, electricians, pharmacists, photographers
  • Army
  • Nursing Corp- the only women sent overseas.

Influenza, 1918

• Soldiers near Boston suddenly started dying.
  • Origins either Kansas or Belgium 1917
• The cause of death was identifies as influenza, but it was unlike any strain ever seen.
• As the killer virus spread cross the country, hospitals overfilled, death carts roamed the streets, and helpless city officials dug mass graves.
• It is the 2nd worst epidemic in American history, killing over 600,000, 5 times the deaths of American soldiers in the war. It disappeared as mysteriously as it had begun (COVID-19 did pass this total).
  • Kills at least 35-50 million people worldwide
  • One of the worst pandemics in world history

Examples of Anti-German Sentiment During WWI

• Many American schools stopped offering instruction in the German language.
• California’s state education board called German a language of “autocracy, brutality, and hatred”.
• Sauerkraut became “liberty cabbage”.
• Saloonkeepers removed pretzels from the bar.
• Orchestral works by Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms vanished from music programs, including that of the New York Philharmonic.
• Many German Americans were badgered, beaten, and sometimes killed.

The War Effort vs. Civil Liberties

Espionage

• Spying to acquire government information.
• Both sides had spies to gather info.
• Famous spies include Edith Cavell, Mata Hari, and Sidney Reilly, known as the Ace of Spies.

The War Effort vs. Civil Liberties

• In an effort to limit opposition to the war effort, and fight espionage, the US government passed new legislation focusing on these goals.
• Espionage Act (1917)
  • Made it illegal to aid the enemy, give false reports, or interfere with the war effort.
• Sedition Act (1918)
  • Made it illegal to speak out against the war (or government) publicly.

Supreme Court Cases

• Schenck v. United States, 1919
  • Charles Schenck mailed pamphlets to draftees telling them the draft was wrong and urging them to write protest letter.
• Abrams v. United States, 1919
  • Jacob Abrams wrote pamphlets denouncing the war and criticizing the decision to send troops to Russia to fight communist forces.
• Both men were convicted under the Espionage Act.

World War I Ends

• Russian Revolution in 1917. Russia signs peace treaty with Germany (now only 1 front war).
• President Woodrow Wilson’s 14 Points Peace Plan
• US helps Allies push back Germany in early 1918.
• Armistice (stop fighting) signed on the 11th hour, on the 11th day, on the 11th month in 1918. (11:00 am, Nov. 11, 1918)
• War Casualties- 29 million
• Paris Peace Conference
  • Treaty of Versailles ends WWI- Germany blames for everything.
  • League of Nations- Group of nations to “police” world and prevent war.

Bolshevik Revolution 1917

• Czar Nicholas II forced about 11 million peasants to fight even though they suffered high injury and death rates.
• Growing discontent with the war, food shortages, and mass demonstrations started the Russian Revolution.
• Czar Nicholas abdicated the throne.
• Lenin headed the Bolshevik Party and intended to turn the country socialist.
• Once in power, Lenin removed the Russians from the war March 1918.

An American Hero

• Oct. 8, 1918 → Argonne Forest, France
• Sergeant Alvin C. York, 328th Infantry, who with aid of 17th man, captured 132 German prisoners; show hill on which raid took place.

Paris Peace Conference “Big Four”

• Wanted to maintain trade relations with Germany but wanted colonies.
• Wanted land promised during WWI.
• Wanted to punish Germany and prevent future invasion.
• Wanted 14 Points and fair peace for all.
• Main Allied nations present at the Paris Peace Conferences:
  • Italy: Vittorio Orlando
  • England: Frank L. George
  • France: Georges Clemenceau
  • USA: Woodrow Wilson

The Senate Refused to Ratify The Treaty of Versailles

• Wilson negotiated the Treaty of Versailles without any input from the Senate which led to bitterness. Senator Henry Cabot and others argued against joining an international organization that might have veto power over U.S. actions.

League of Nations

• Since the U.S. did not join, the league became ineffective in preventing future wars.

The Toll of War

• 30 nations involved
• 37.5 million casualties (dead and wounded)
  • 50% due to disease & starvation
  • Just over 1/2 of all men didn’t return home
• USA suffered 364,000 casualties
• 10 million refugees

The “Big Three”

• Although there were delegates from 39 nations at the conference, the important decisions were made by leaders of the three strongest Allied powers: the US, Britain, and France.

United States

• Wilson wanted “peace without victory” and wanted defeated nations to be treated well to avoid a war of revenge in the future.
• Wilson introduced America’s goals his Fourteen Points, which were admired by the Germans, but not the other allies.
• Wilson wanted to eliminate the basic causes of war, such as conflicts over nationalism and imperialism.
• Wilson also called for an end to alliances, a reduction of military arms, and self-determination.
• Self-determination: The idea that the peoples of eastern Europe would choose their own form of government. Wilson also argued for freedom of the seas, and the formation of the League of Nations.
• League of Nations: A group of countries with the goal of settling disputes through negotiation, rather than war.

France

• The opposite of Wilson was Clemenceau (Kaly-mon-so) from Franco who was nicknamed the “tiger” for his fierce war policy.
• Clemenceau wanted to crush the Germans so that they could never again invade France.
• Clemenceau felt that Wilson wanted to be too soft on Germany and said, “Wilson has Fourteen points…God Almighty only has ten!”

Great Britain

• Lloyd George of Great Britain held a middle position between Wilson and Clemenceau.
• While promising to make the Germans pay, Lloyd George knew that destroying Germany would not be good for Europe.
• Lloyd George helped work out many of the compromises in the treaty.

The Treaty of Versailles

• Official end to WWI
• Created 8 new European countries
  • Many boundary changes & different nationalities now mixed together.
• Polish Corridor created
  • Germany lost valuable sea port to the new country of Poland.
• Demilitarized Germany- can’t raise an army.
• Reparations: Germany must pay Allies war damages.
• War Guilt Clause: Germany had to take full responsibility for the war.

Punishing the Central Powers

Germany

Germany’s punishment in the Treaty can be remembered as: BRAT

1. Germany had to accept the Blame for starting the war in the form of a “war guilt” clause.

2. Germany had to pay over $33 billion in Reparations, or fines.

   1. The reparations covered the destruction caused by the war, pensions for millions of Allied soldiers, widows and families.

3. Germany was forbidden to have an Army over 100,000 men, no submarines, and no air force.

   1. Only allowed police force for the country.

4. Germany lost Territory and colonies to Britain and France.

   1. Alsace and Lorraine were returned to France, land was lost to Poland, and the Rhineland was to be occupied by Allied troops.

Austria-Hungary

• The break-up of the Austro-Hungarian empire led to the independence of four new nations: Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Yugoslavia.
• Serbia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, and Montenegro made up Yugoslavia.
• Austria, deprived of its entire empire, became a small nation.
• Ally Romania gained land, while central Power Bulgaria lost land.

Ottoman Empire

• The weak Ottoman Empire (Turkey) was also broken up.
• Some of the territories were given independence, while others such as Palestine, Iraq, and Syria were given to Britain and France.

Punishing Communist Russia

Communist Russia

• Since Russia’s new communist government left the war early, they were not invited to Versailles.
• The Allies wanted to weaken Russia to keep communism from spreading westward.
• Four new nations gained independence from Russia: Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
• Russia also lost land to Poland, Romania, most of Belarus, and Ukraine (Brest-Litovsk Treaty).

Congress Rejects The Treaty

• Congress rejected the Treaty of Versailles.
  • Afraid the League of Nations would drag us into another European war.
• Wilson fails to empathize with European anger.
• Wilson gave up the 14 Points to get the League of nations.

Weak League of Nations

• The US never joined the League of Nations or ratified the Treaty.
• Senator Henry Cabot lodge led vote against league of nations & Treaty.
• The League had no muscle power.
• US signed separate treaty with Germany in 1921.

USSR Not Involved

• Escalates to the Cold War between the USA & USSR
  • Increases distrust/tensions between the 2 countries

Issues With Germany

• Germany can’t repay war debts & goes into a severe economic depression.
  • Leads to the rise of Hitler
  • Promised Germany a way out of the depression.
  • Promised to restore Germany’s proud name & reunite the German people.
  • Raised an army

Ignored Problems In Vietnam

• Escalates to the Vietnam War, in which Vietnam fights to gain independence from France.
  • The US steps in & gets bogged down in war.