World War 1 Era

1. World War 1 Era American History CHA3U1

2. Introduction • WW 1 began August 1914 in Europe, but the USA remained neutral until April 1917 when it declared war against Germany • American entry helped defeat Germany by November 1918 • President Wilson’s peace settlement was rejected by the Senate

3. President Wilson (1913 – 1921) • Wilson’s Moral Diplomacy  hoped to lead the world by moral example (unselfishness vs. nationalistic self-interest)

4. Prelude to War • War in Europe  after 50 years of peace war • Setting the Stage for War  nationalism & militarism • Alliances  Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy) vs. Triple Entente (France, Russia, Britain) • War Begins  June 1914 Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip

5. Prelude to War • War Begins  alliance system brings many European countries into conflict between Austria and Serbia • Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire) vs. Allies (France, Russia, Britain, Italy) • United States Neutrality  Atlantic Ocean separates USA from Europe • USA sells to Britain and Germany

6. Triple Entente vs. Triple Alliance

7. Prelude to War • Taking Sides  8 million German Americans and many Irish Americans supported Germans, but most Americans supported France & Britain • Both Sides Strain Neutrality  British blockaded Central Powers & Germans used U-boats • Americans lend $4 billion to Allies

8. Prelude to War

9. Prelude to War • Sussex Pledge  May 7 1915 German U-boat sinks British passenger liner Lusitania with 128 Americans dying and in March 1916 French ship Sussex sunk injuring Americans • Germans agree to sink no more merchant ships without warning

10. America Enters the War • Wilson wins election of 1916 with the slogan “He kept us out of the war” • “Peace Without Victory”  Pres. Wilson tries to get warring nations to negotiate a peace settlement in Dec. 1916 that would not lead to future wars of vengeance • Submarine Warfare Resumes  1917 Germany hurt by British naval blockade resume U-boat attacks on merchant ships

11. America Enters the War • Drawn Into War  German foreign minister Zimmermann cable to German ambassador in Mexico promises Texas, Arizona, New Mexico • March 12 – 19, 1917 four American merchant ships sunk  April 2 Wilson asks Congress to declare war on Germany • Status of the Allies  Germany (Central Powers) on the brink of victory after Russia defeated

12. America Enters the War • Raising an Army  spring 1917 American forces only 200,000 men, 1,500 machine guns, 55 obsolete planes • The Draft  2,000,000 American soldiers reached France before the war ended • African Americans  200,000 served overseas but segregated and not allowed to be Marines

13. America Enters the War

14. America Enters the War • Victory on Land & Sea  American troops stopped Germans June 1918 at Chateau-Thierry 50 miles from Paris • September 1918 “doughboys” won at St. Mihiel and then Sedan • American navy effectively neutralized U-boats with mines in the North Sea and depth charges • November 11, 1918 armistice signed

15. America Enters the War

16. America Enters the War

17. War on the Home Front • Mobilizing the Economy  efficiency, control, and conformity • Organizing Industries  most industries placed under the control of federal agencies • Agencies headed by America’s business leaders  United States a single factory • Involvement of Women  women filled jobs left vacant by men fighting overseas

18. War on the Home Front • Involvement of African Americans  500,000 moved from South to North for good factory jobs and in Europe treated better than USA • Impact of War on Civilians  “food will win the war, don’t waste it”  victory gardens • Cost of the War  $33 billion  raised taxes for $10 billion and the rest from Liberty Bonds

19. Propaganda

20. War on the Home Front • Controlling Public Opinion  needed to voluntary civilian population • Selling the War to Americans  propaganda led to intolerance • Control of War Protesters  Espionage Act 1917 & Sedition Act 1918 passed causing thousands to be imprisoned and media to be censored or banned

21. War on the Home Front • Persecution of Germans  German language banned at schools and music of Beethoven, Schubert and Wagner stopped • Wilson’s Fourteen Points  based on “the principle of justice to all peoples” wanted to end militarism, secret agreements

22. War on the Home Front

23. After the War • The Peace Plan Opposed  Pres. Wilson a Democrat faced a hostile Republican Congress • Peace Conference  dominated by US, France, Britain • Wilson’s League of Nations accepted by Europeans but not by Republicans at home • Treaty of Versailles  a victor’s peace

24. After the War

25. After the War • Difficulty at Home  Pres. Wilson traveled 8000 miles in less than a month across USA to gain support for Treaty of Versailles, but just as he was gaining support had a stroke • Treaty of Versailles never ratified • America’s Postwar Problems  Demobilization caused a difficult economic adjustment for farmers, businesses and consumers

26. After the War • Labour Unrest  3600 strikes in 1919 most meeting with little success  inflation led many workers to demand higher wages  gov’t frequently used force to put down strikes • Red Scare  600 suspected Communists deported without trials • Racial Tension  between African & white Americans  Chicago 40 killed, 500 injured over jobs & housing

27. After the War

28. After the War • Prohibition  18th Amendment prohibited the manufacture, transportation & sale of alcohol • by January 1919 66% of states ratified 18th A. • The Nineteenth Amendment 1920  women could vote • A Warning  Wilson warns of WW 2 before he dies in 1923

29. Conclusion • America would prosper after World War One, but the Great Depression and the Treaty of Versailles would allow World War Two