Amer. History WWI Study Guide

Sparks of WWI

In 1871, when Germany united, they stole Alsace Lorraine from France.

MAIN causes of the war:

• Militarism
• Alliances
• Imperialism
• Nationalism

A group of Serbian nationalists from Austria-Hungary, called the Black Hand, sparked WWI. Their plan was to assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austria-Hungarian throne to cause chaos in the country. They attempted this assassination several times. Gavrilo Princep was the one to finally kill Franz Ferdinand in 1914. Serbia had control of the trial for the young men in the Black Hand, when A-H demanded that they be given control over it. When Serbia refused, A-H declared war.

Austria-Hungary had the support of Germany in attacking Serbia. France had the support of Russia and Britain when attacking Germany over Alsace-Lorraine.

Triple Entrente:

• France
• Russia
• Britain

Triple Alliance:

• Germany
• Austria-Hungary
• Italy

Allied Powers:

• France
• Russia
• Britain
• Serbia
• Other Balkans
• United States (join in 1917)
• Italy (switch from Central Powers in 1915)

Central Powers:

• Germany
• Austria-Hungary
• Bulgaria
• Ottoman Empire
• Italy (until 1915)

The Von Schlieffen Plan: Germany would march through Belgium (neutral territory) and circle around to France’s capital, Paris, and back to Russia to deal with them on the western front. Germany did not expect Belgium to fight back and resist the German invasion, or that France would fight back so hard at the French border. The problem with this plan was invading Belgium; which was what ultimately got Britain involved on the eastern front.

The U.S. Gets Involved

U.S. president, Woodrow Wilson, called WWI “Europe’s War” and his policy was to remain neutral, while upholding trade relations, and to “let European affairs be European affairs.”

The Lithuania passenger liner ship, carrying American passengers, was sunk by German U-boats in 1915.

The Sussex passenger liner, also with American passengers, was sunk in 1916 by Germany.

After the Sussex sunk, the U.S. issued the Sussex Pledge to Germany. It said that Germany could not sink ships without warning. Germany violated this pledge.

Sparks that pulled the U.S. into WWI:

• Zimmerman Telegram was sent to Mexico by Germany, saying that if Mexico invaded the United States and joined the Central Powers, then Mexico would get land from the U.S.
• Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

The U.S. entered the war in 1917, and Russia left it that same year.

Mobilizing the U.S. Homefront

Lots of young men volunteered for the war, but conscription (forced military service) was still necessary. The Selective Service Act of 1917 required all men between ages 21 and 30 to register for the war draft.

American soldiers were nicknamed “doughboys” because they were fresh and inexperienced. They were not very well trained, and with the need of weapons in the war, many soldiers had to train with no weapon or pretend that a stick or shovel were their gun. The doughboys boosted the morale of the Allied Powers.

The U.S. used a convoy system to safely get troops to Europe. Merchant ships would travel with warships and other boats to Europe, making the Central Powers less inclined to attempt sinking the ships.

Daylight savings time was introduced in 1917 to shorten the work week for factories non- war essential products, saving fuel for factories that did.

Many Americans were encouraged to plant victory gardens and grow their own food to save food to ration for soldiers. Other food substitutes, such as cottage cheese and cornmeal, were used to replace sugar, meat, and flour.

Americans also bought victory and liberty bonds to help fund the war. People gave their money to the government and it would collect interest over a period of time to be collected later.

The War Industries Board coordinated the production of war materials. The WIB was originally dismissed by Wilson in 1917, but later reorganized and given authority in 1918. It told manufacturers what to produce and controlled materials and natural resources. It also occasionally set prices and ordered the building of new factories.

The National War Labor Board was created to settle labor disputes that would lead to strikes, which would be very bad when a country is going to war and slow down industry.

The Committee on Public Information was made to inform Americans about the war and “sell” it to them. The CPI arranged “4 minute speeches” which urged audiences to support the war effort in many ways, such as buying bonds or reporting people who “dodged” the draft.

During the war, women filled in men’s places. They took their jobs while they were away at war. Women also served in the military as auxiliaries. The Army Nursing Corps were sent overseas, and the military temporarily hired women in clerical positions, such as secretary.

African American soldiers faced lots of discrimination in the army and served in segregated troops under white officers. Despite this, they served with distinction, in bitter battles across the western front. Many African American soldiers were praised by French commander Marshal Petain and U.S. general John J. Pershing and received the Croix de Guerre, or war cross.

The Espionage Act of 1917 established penalties to people spying on secret government information for the enemy. The Sedition Act of 1918 made any public opposition of the war illegal.

Many Americans didn’t like German things during the war. Sauerkraut was renamed “liberty cabbage” and hamburgers “Salisbury steak.” Schools dropped German language classes and orchestras stopped performing the works of German composers.

Despite the 1st Amendment of the U.S. constitution, the Supreme Court limited free speech and made and exception the the amendment. People could say what they wanted, but could not say anything that meant a clear and present danger was happening if it wasn’t.

Fighting Styles & Major Battles, End of WWI

 WWI combined old fighting styles/strategies with new technologies, which made the fighting brutal.

Both sides used trenches when fighting. The space between each side’s trench was called “No Man’s Land.”

Soldiers charged across this space with fixed bayonets, or chucked grenades through it to the other trenches in an attempt to break through enemy lines.

Machine guns were used to take out lots of people at one time.

Artillery barrages included shelling, cannons, super siege guns, mortars, and howitzers. They started small and kept growing bigger and bigger as newer technology was introduced.

The Big Bertha and Paris Gun were both artillery barrages.

In 1915, Germany introduced poison gas, such as mustard gas (sulfur) and chlorine or phosgene. None of the allied forces were prepared for this, but gas masks soon became part of a soldier’s uniform. The poison gas would fill a soldier’s lungs, cause blindness and choking, and soaked into uniforms.

In 1916, Britain introduced tanks. They tried to break through barbed wire and get to enemy trenches, and could also drive over mud. Tanks were also used for defense, serving as protection for charging troops. Tanks were very slow at first, going about 4 m.p.h.

There was also hand to hand combat with bayonets, or shovels, helmets, and other tools once soldiers charged across no man’s land.

Grenades, mines, and flamethrowers were also weapons used. They are called psychological weapons, which meant they got troops to get out of their trenches.

Airplanes were first used to keep an eye on opposing troops, but were later used to drop bricks, then bombs, and then machine guns were attached, which allowed for air warfare called dogfights.

A person was called a Flying Ace when they got 5 or more kills. The Red Baron had 80 kills, Eddie Rickenbacker had 26 kills. Both of these men were considered aces.

Disease was rampant among troops in close-quartered trenches. Many men caught and died from the Spanish Flu. Things like trench foot, which was caused by standing in water for too long became problems too.

Soldiers practically lived in trenches. They slept, ate, and “rested” in trenches for months-years. Rats and corpses were a huge problem as well. The rats carried disease and fed on corpses.

Trench warfare had a front and back line system. Every so often, the lines would switch, giving the front lines a “break.” Heavy artillery was kept in the back lines.

The places in Europe where battles were fought was riddled with barbed wire, craters, and other dangers that soldiers had to avoid when crossing No man’s land.

In the 1st Battle of the Marne, Germany and France got into a stalemate. Both sides were still fighting hard, but neither side was gaining anything.

The Allied Powers planned to break through (Big Push) German lines in the Battle of the Somme, but got slaughtered. The Allied Powers were unable to destroy machine gun posts or barbed wire.

Soldiers learned in the Battle of Cambrian that trenches could be broken through like a wall with a well thought out attack and element of surprise.

The Battle of Argonne Forest happened in September-November 1918. With lots of planning and almost 40,000 tons of supplies, 4,000 artillery pieces, and 1 million American troops, Americans shattered German defenses.

A revolution started in Austria-Hungary, the Ottomans surrendered, and an uprising in Berlin forced the German emperor, Wilhelm II, to step down. On November 11th, 1918, at 11:00 a.m., Germany signed an armistice, ending World War I.

The armistice was signed in a train car in Compiegne, France.

The Allied Powers win.

Treaty of Versailles

The “Big 4” were France, Britain, Italy, and the U.S.

The treaty said that Germany was to be stripped of armed forces, made to pay 33 billion in reparations, and to acknowledge the guilt of WWI (which A-H technically started).

4 empires were dissolved: Russia, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire.

Wilson has a better plan…14 points. The 14 points were to eliminate the root causes of the war. The first 3 points focused on eliminating general causes of war, the next 8 focused on self-determination, and the last point talked about general association of nations. This plan got rejected by the other allies, because it was too lenient toward Germany.

League of Nations would be established to preserve peace and prevent future wars by pledging to respect other territories and political independence.

9 new countries created after WWI

• Czechoslovakia
• Yugoslovakia
• Lithuania
• Austria
• Hungary
• Estonia
• Finland
• Poland
• Latvia

Russia Leaves the War

In 1917, Russia pulls out of WWI.

Russia was dealing with riots breaking out against the government’s handling of the war and things like food shortages.

The Bolsheviks got Tsar Nicholas II out of the throne and establish a communist government, with Vladimir Lenin as the leader.

Russia negotiated the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany. It said that Russia would pull out of the war and Germany would take its troops out of Russia, but still get to keep whatever land it gained.

America After the War

Everyone rushes to buy things they couldn’t during the war, causing huge inflation by about 15%.

People start going on labor strikes, prices are rising but their wages aren’t. General Seattle Strike, Boston Police Strike, Steel Strike.

General Seattle Strike involved all workers, not just one particular industry.

Boston Police Strike- 75% of police force strikes. This was a problem because strikes and riots were often violent and police were supposed to prevent violence and give people security. This strike was ended by Coolidge.

The Steel Strike- The largest strike, with 350,000 steelworks walking out. Many striking steelworkers were immigrants, and labor unrest and foreigners were generally associated with communism…

The Red Scare was a nation wide panic & fear of communists taking over American Government.

This panic was also sparked by the 8 bombs going off in 8 cities within minutes of each other, and the more than 30 explosive packages sent to important people.

The General Intelligence Division was created to investigate attacks like these and radical organizations. The GID later became the FBI, and was run by J. Edgar Hoover.

Palmer Raids were the nicknames for the investigations that more often than not led to detainment and deportation for immigrants and other suspects. The real intention for these raids was to get foreigners out of the country due to a dislike/distrust of them.

Racial Unrest was also a bigger thing after the war. Americans came home from Europe and found that their jobs had been taken by African Americans and women.

Post-war, African Americans were treated violently, unfairly, and with discrimination. The worst violent act happened in July 1919, in Chicago. Stones were being thrown at both white and African American people, and at one African American boy in particular to keep him from coming to shore from the beach. He drowned.

Other Terms

Prussia- Unified Germany

Otto von Bismarck- German Chancellor

Balkan Crisis- Smaller Balkan countries looks for the right to self determination and independence, don’t get it.

Bosonia- Land annexed into A-H, makes Serbia mad

Dreadnoughts- Expensive warships

U-boats- submarines

Neutral- not on either side

Wilsionian Diplomacy- Nurture Democracy

Propaganda- stuff to sway opinions

Contraband- prohibited war materials

April 2nd, 1917- U.S. declares war on Germany

Great Migration- Immigrants, Mexicans, and African a Americans move north in search of jobs

Christmas Truce- 1914, soldiers call a truce Christmas Day, exchange gifts, stop fighting

Lighter than Air Dirigible- Blimp