WW1

WWI 

  • European conflict 

  • 1914 - 1917 (only European nations, not USA)

  • Africa under European nations

    • wanted natural resources from Africa 

  • European nations made lots of secret alliances 

    • Serbia had alliance with Russia

  • Sparked by asassination to heir to throne of Austrian empire 

  • Give me money is what serbia said to Austria and then war broke and then secret alliances

  • Central powers (germany, austria-hungary, ottoman empire [modern day turkey])

  • Allied powers (UK, france Russia, USA)

Cause of US entry into WWI

  • In 1915, British liner Lusitania (german u boat) was carrying passengers and secret war material on behalf of british and germans found out about it and sank the ship that had American passengers 

  • Americans felt protected by oceans bcs no technology to overcome them fast

    • Ignored that war was going on 

  • Germans took out ads on American newspapers that if you travel in the atlantic you run the risk of ship being sunk

  • 128 Americans died

  • President wilson protested but stopped short of involving USA in war

  • Sunk a french fairy called the sussex where americans died 

  • Germans issued a pledge called the sussex pledge, 1916 (our subs will not sink passenger subs anymore)

  • Pledge the germans made in the wake of the sunk fairy sussex would allow merchant ships off the passengers 

  • Wilson didn’t see either incident to bring america into WWi 

    • One of campaign slogans was that he kept us out of war

  • In early 1917, just after he takes office, zimmermann telegram is deciphered is what caused brought america into war

  • For most of the war, it was just bombing but no one’s winning and resources and lives are dying and germany is looking for solution

  • Sent coded telegram to mexico, came from german diplomat, arthur simmermann, it said we’re going to violate sussex if it brings america into war, we offer you mexico if you ally with us and fight against america then we will give you back the territory you lost (northern half of america)

  • British intercepted it and deciphered it and ran to americans, telegram made public, with accumulation of all these things, all of this we can’t ignore anymore

  • April of 1917 they enter the war

  • Raided across the border ponchovia but it failed bcs he knew the mexican terrain and mexicans wouldnt give them up 

  • “If we get involved and we win, we can make the world safe for democracy” - wilson

    • Justification for involvement 

  • Wilson was professor and academic which influenced his odds with

  • Takes a while for american force to be brought to bear

  • Military is rather small

  • Draft to conscript Americans to serve in military 

  • Takes time 

  • US suffered more than 116,000 war related deaths

  • Participation of US that brought victory to allied powers 

  • All quiet on the western front 

  • French germans and russians lost more than a million a piece

  • Armistice signed 11 November 1918 ??

  • First sitting president to leave the USA 

    • Wilson goes to Paris to discuss formal peace treaty

  • Differing approaches between french guy and wilson 

    • Clemensoe wants reperatinos 

    • Wilson wants to move forward

    • Both got what they wanted 

Aftermath of WWI

  • Treaty of versailles (1919) germany forced to accept blame fro war and pay heavy reparations 

    • Too much cost and germans lost and they weren’t the only ones 

    • Adolf hitler said we shouldn’t have accepted blame and signed the treaty 

    • Reparations burdened the economy that it caused inflation 

    • Hitler gives them a solution to economy 

    • So harsh that it started second WW 

    • Not till 21st century that the Germans finished paying reparations to the winning side

    • Got deferrals every once in a while so got extended 

  • League of nations, 1920 - 1946 (part of treaty)

    • International organizations founded to preserve member nations’ borders and independence 

    • Wanted to talk about differences before going straight to war and solve other country issues 

      • Wilson’s demands 

        • Transparency in negotiation

        • Limits on arms 

    • US did not join, thus weakening league 

  • Isolationism - US drifting away from european nations so they didnt join league of nations (did business but no politics)

  • Were afraid to join bcs they didn’t want troops to police the things and risk more lives

  • Leage of nations convenant, article 22

    • Map of europe is redrawn 

    • Austria hungary broke

    • Ottoman empire broken 

    • Divided these territories into mandates, each one was controlled by the winning power