Chapter 26 - American Involvement in the Great War

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

• 1914 - Assassinated by the Black Hand because of his perceived threat to Serbian independence
• His assassination was the justification to start World War I

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The Great War

• 1914-1919
• ^^Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia because of the Archduke’s assassination^^
• The Central Powers were made up of Germany and Austria-Hungary
• The Allied Powers were made up of France, England, and Russia
• The war was fought with new, modern weapons

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Central Powers

• Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria
• Declared the war
• Were eventually defeated by the end of the war

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Allied Powers

• England, France, Russia, Italy, Japan, US
• ^^Possessed greater overall demographic, industrial, and military resources than the Central Powers and enjoyed easier access to the oceans for trade with neutral countries^^

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U-Boats

• German submarines that were used to attack enemy ships
• Their widespread destruction eventually caused the US to enter WWI

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Lusitania

• 1915 - Sunk by German submarines
• The US demanded Germany to stop their submarine warfare
• ^^The death of so many innocent civilians at the hands of the Germans galvanized American support for entering the war, which eventually turned the tide in favor of the Allies^^

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Arabic Pledge

• 1915
• The German ambassador promised they would warn countries before German submarines sank passenger liners
• Broke the Arabic Pledge in March of 1916, when a U-boat torpedoed the French ship Sussex

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Sussex Pledge

• 1916 - German submarines sank French ship Sussex, violating the Arabic Pledge
• ^^The US declared that if Germany continued submarine warfare, the US would break off diplomatic ties^^
• Germany promised to stop the indiscriminate sinking of non-military ships
• Merchant ships would be searched, and sunk only if they were found to be carrying contraband materials

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Zimmermann Telegram

• 1917
• A secret diplomatic communication issued from the German Foreign Office in January 1917 that proposed a military alliance between Germany and Mexico if the United States entered World War I against Germany
• If Mexico helped Germany during WWI, Germany would help them recover their lost territory from the Mexican-American War
• This caused Woodrow Wilson to declare war

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Election of 1916

• 1916
• ^^Woodrow Wilson’s motto was “He kept us out of war”^^
• Incumbent Democratic President Woodrow Wilson narrowly defeated former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Charles Evans Hughes, the Republican candidate
• After the election, Wilson began war preparations, like funding and the Selective Service Act

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Uncle Sam

• A euphemism, or personification, of the US federal government
• Was drawn on war recruiting posters to motivate young American soldiers to join the service

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John J. Pershing

• A senior United States Army officer
• ^^Served most famously as the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces on the Western Front during World War I, from 1917 to 1918^^

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Battle of Chateau Thierry

• 1918
• Direct American support to Allied Powers
• One of the first actions of the American Expeditionary Forces under General John J. Pershing
• A battle in World War I as part of the Second Battle of the Marne, initially prompted by a German Spring Offensive

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Meuse-Argonne Offensive

• 1918 - The US sent a large force of American soldiers to cut the main German supply line
• ^^One of the attacks that brought an end to the War^^
• After an armistice ended the fighting, the Treaty of Versailles was signed that put an end to the war

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National War Labor Board

• 1918
• Created by William Howard Taft
• Used to prevent labor disputes on the home front during World War I

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George Creel

• ^^1917 - Headed the Committee on Public Information^^
• An American investigative journalist and writer, a politician and government official
• Became the mastermind behind the U.S. government's propaganda campaign
• Rallied the American public to the cause of war and sold the globe a vision of America and President Wilson's plans for a world order

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Bernard Baruch

• One of the most famous Wall Street traders in the nation
• Served as President Wilson's Advisory Commission to the Council on National Defense
• 1918 - Served as chair of the War Industries Board

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Espionage and Sedition Acts

• 1917 - The Espionage Act of 1917 prohibited obtaining information, recording pictures, or copying descriptions of any information relating to the national defense with intent or reason to believe that the information may be used for the injury of the United States or to the advantage of any foreign nation
• 1918 - The Sedition Act made it a crime for American citizens to print, utter, or publish any false, scandalous, and malicious writing about the government

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Fourteen Points

• 1918 - Written by Woodrow Wilson
• Attacked war imperialism
• ^^Proposed self-government for oppressed peoples^^
• Proposed the League of Nations

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Armistice

• 1918
• ^^A cease-fire during the war led to the Treaty of Versailles^^
• Did not end the First World War itself, but it was the agreement which stopped the fighting on the Western Front while the terms of the permanent peace were discussed

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Treaty of Versailles

• 1919
• Created a punitive peace while punishing Germany and Austria-Hungary
• This treaty and its terms humiliated Germany, which led to the unification of the Nazi Party for revenge
• League of Nations

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League of Nations

• ^^Used to solve future international conflicts^^
• The US created it, but didn’t end up joining it
• Didn’t allow Japan or Italy to join it because of their actions in WWI
• Was eventually reformed to become the United Nations

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Henry Cabot Lodge

• Served in the United States Senate from 1893 to 1924 and is best known for his positions on foreign policy
• Disliked Woodrow Wilson
• Was against the League of Nations

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Irreconcilables

• Was led by Henry Cabot Lodge and made up of conservative Republicans
• ^^Was against the League of Nations because they believed it violated the Constitution^^
• Wanted isolationism and for the US to stay out of foreign affairs

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BIG PICTURE

• US - Couldn’t stay neutral in WWI
• Manpower + nat’l resources → Allied Powers won
• American Expeditionary Force
• Woodrow Wilson - 14 Points + League of Nations
• Checks + balances → Avoid tyranny

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