Ch. 14.1 The United States Enters World War I 

Vocabulary

1. Pancho Villa – leader of a group of Mexican guerillas that crossed the border into the United States 

2. Guerrilla – an armed band that attacks by surprise and sabotage rather than warfare 

3. Nationalism – intense loyalty and devotion to a nation 

4. Self-determination – idea that people who belong to a certain nation should have their own country and government 

5. Franz Ferdinand – Archduke of Austria, his assassination in Sarajevo began World War I in 1914 

6. Allies – Britain, Italy, France, Russia, and later United States fighting against Central Powers 

7. Central Powers – Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire 

8. Neutral Powers - Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Spain in Europe, and Mexico, Chile and Argentina in South America

9. Propaganda – information designed to influence public opinion 

9. Contraband – prohibited materials 

10. U-boat – a German submarine 

11. Sussex Pledge – a German promise not to sink merchant ships with no warning 

12. Zimmerman Telegram – German offer to return the lost territory to Mexico if they agreed to fight on their side against the United States 

Questions

1. Why did President Wilson intervene in Mexico? 

   President Wilson intervened in Mexico because he believed that it was the United States’ duty to promote moral diplomacy. 

2. What incident triggered the beginning of WWI? 

   The incident that triggered the beginning of WWI was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who was murdered by a Serbian nationalist named Gavrilo Princip. 

3. How was American prosperity intertwined with the military fortunes of the Allies? 

   American prospserity was intertwined with the military fortunes of the Allies was because of the investments that the United States put into the victory of the Allies. 

4. How did Germany’s use of unrestricted submarine warfare lead to American entry into WWI?  

   Germany’s use of unrestricted submarine warfare led to American entry into WWI because of the sinking of the British Passenger. 

Ch.14.2 The Home Front  

Vocabulary

1. Conscription – forced military service 

2. War Industries Board – a government organization used to coordinate the production of war materials 

3. Bernard Baruch – director of War Industries Board 

4. Victory garden – gardens that were planted by American citizens during the war to raise vegetables for home use, leaving more for the troops 

5. Liberty Bond – bonds sold to the Americans that were actually loans toward the government 

6. Victory Bond – bonds sold to the Americans that were actually loans toward the government 

7. Committee on Public Information – government organization responsible for maintaining public support for war effort 

8. Espionage – spying to get governmental information 

Questions

1. How did Congress ensure that the military had enough troops to fight the war? 

   Congress ensured that the military had enough troops to fight the war by creating the selective service system. 

2. What federal agencies helped control American industries during the war? 

   The federal agencies that helped control American industries during the war was the (WIB) War Industries Board. They coordinated the production of war materials. 

3. How permanent were women’s advances in the wartime workplace? 

   After the war, most women returned to previous jobs or stopped working altogether after the war. 

4. Why did Congress pass the Espionage Act in 1917? 

   Congress passed the espionage act in 1917 to acquire secret government information. 

Ch. 14.3 A Bloody Conflict 

Vocabulary

1. “No Man’s Land” - space between opposing trenches on World War I battlefields 

2. Convoy – group that travelled with something to protect it. Ex: a ship 

3. Vladimir Lenin – leader of communist party who overthrew the government of Russia 

4. Treaty of Brest-Litovsk – agreement between Germany and Russia where Russia would withdraw from World War I 

5. Armistice – ceasefire that ends a military conflict 

6. Fourteen Points – President Wilson’s plan for the peace treaty that would end WWI 

7. League of Nations – association of nations organized to preserve peace and attempt to prevent future wars 

8. Treaty of Versailles – agreement that ended World War I 

9. Reparations – war damages, payed by the losing country to the winner for damages caused by the war 

Questions

1. What new technologies were interested in World War I? 

   New technologies introduced in WWI was poison gas, gas masks, the tank, and airplanes in combat. 

2. What was Vladimir Lenin’s first goal after controlling Russia in 1917? 

   Vladimir Lenin’s first goal after controlling Russia in 1917 was to pull Russia out of the war and establish a communist state. 

3. What major issues did Wilson’s Fourteen Points Address? 

   It addressed justice to all peoples and nationalities, to eliminate general causes of war, and the right to self-determination 

Ch. 14.4 The War’s Impact 

Vocabulary

1. Cost of living – the cost of food, clothing, shelter, and other essentials 

2. General strike- stoppage of work by a substantial portion of workers in a number of industries 

3. Red Scare – fear that communists or reds might seize power 

4. A. Mitchell Palmer – a lawyer, politician, and attorney general of the United States after World War I 

5. J. Edgar Hoover – a lawyer, an anti-communist, and eventually the sixth director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation 

6. Deport – to expel an individual from the country 

Questions

1. What caused the wave of strikes in 1919? 

   The decrease of wages & inflation increase caused te wave of strikes in 1919. 

2. Why did the end of the war lead to race riots? 

   The end of the war led to race riots because any African American jobs were replaced with soldiers when they returned from war. 

3. After World War I, why were Americans suspicious of some union leaders? 

   Some Americans suspicions were associated with Communism is being not patriotic in the disloyal. 

4. How was Harding able to win the presidential election of 1920? 

   Harding was able to win the presidential election of 1920 by calling for return to normalcy and that the United States needed to return to simpler days. 

Information from PowerPoint

• Causes of WWI

  • Militarism: a policy of aggressively building up a nation’s armed forces and the willingness to use force to settle international problems

    • Each European nation wanted stronger armed forces than those of any potential enemy

  • Mutual Defense Alliance: agreement where member nations are bound to come to each other’s aid in the event of attack or threat

    • Entangling Alliances: A complicated system of mutual defense alliances developed in Europe

  • Imperialism: actions used by one nation to exercise political or economic control over a smaller or weaker nation

  • Nationalism: Nations behaving in their own self interest led to conflict when such actions went against the national interest of opposing the nation

Allies

• Russia

• France

• Belgium

• United Kingdom

• Italy

• Romania

• Serbia

• Montanegro

• Greece

• Portugal

• Morocco

• Algeria

• Tunisia

• And later, United States

  • Population was divided but most Americans supported Allies.

  • Banks invested in Allies’ victory — made loans to Allies (up to 2B in 1917)

Central Powers

• Germany

• Austria-Hungary

• Ottoman Empire

• Bulgaria

Neutral

• Iceland

• Norway

• Sweden

• Denmark

• Netherlands

• Luxembourg

• Switzerland

• Albania

• Spain

• Spanish Morocco

Terms to Know

• Huns — Germans

• Yanks — Americans

• Thrift Stamps — stamps bought for 25 cents each, when a card of 8 was filled, the card could be traded in for $5.00 in 1923 (but it only cost $4.00)

• Liberty Bonds — sold to raise money for the war effort (like a loan to the government)

• Munitions — weapons and ammunition

Role of Propaganda

• Propaganda — information designed to influence opinion

  • American propaganda urged Americans to buy war bonds and support Allies

  • British propaganda was the most skilled. It painted Germans as aggressors in war, as vicious and bloodthirsty

US declares War

Why? 2 major causes of US entry into WWI.

1. Zimmerman Telegram

   • British government intercepts message from German ambassador Zimmerman to the Mexican government

   • The telegram asks Mexico to attack the US if war broke out between the US and Germany

   • In exchange, Mexico would regain its “lost territory” in Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico.

2. Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

   • Germany sinks 6 US merchant ships without warning

   • Wilson asks Congress for Declaration of War