Chapter 21: World War I

1. United States History Chapter 21:World War I

2. Causes of the War • World War I, or the Great War, was fought from June 1914 to November 1918 • There were many causes to this conflict • Nationalism: ethnic groups fought for centuries over control of eastern Europe • Militarism: countries competed with one another over military strength • Alliances: to protect themselves, nations entered agreements with neighboring nations, promising aid if their allies were attacked • The complicated web of alliances came to a head in June 1914 • Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to Austria-Hungary’s throne, visited Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia • A Serbian national, GavriloPrincip fired two shots that killed Ferdinand and his wife Sophie

3. The War Begins • Immediately, A-H declared war on Serbia • Germany offered support, with Russia honoring Serbia • Eventually, Britain, France and Russia made up the Allied Powers • Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire made up the Central Powers • Later in the war, Italy and the United States joined the Allies • Germany felt they could win a quick war by eliminating France, then Russia • According to the Schlieffen Plan, Germany would invade Belgium, then defeat France from the north • However, the Belgians put up a tough fight, allowing the Allies to stop the Germans at the First Battle of the Marne in Sept. 1914 • Very quickly, the war came to a stalemate, with no hope of a quick victory for either side

4. Stalemate • New types of warfare prevented either side from gaining any type of ground • Trench warfare: long series of ditches were the majority of fighting was done • Areas between trenches were considered no man’s land because of the mines and the constant barrage of machine gun fire, a new weapon of warfare • Chemical warfare: poisonous gases were fired into trenches, causing untold pain and death if soldiers could not get gas masks on in time • Submarines: boats that traveled under water and wreaked havoc on ships, civilian and military alike • Airplane: limited effect, but introduced dogfighting and aerial bombing to warfare • Numerous battles from 1914-1916 caused millions of casualties, but no clear victory for either side • Battle of the Marne (Sept. 1914) • Verdun (Feb.-July 1916) • Somme (July-Nov. 1916): over 1 MILLION deaths in 4 months)

5. World War I Weaponry

6. America and World War I • President Wilson declared the United States neutral when the war broke out in 1914 • Worked to help bring the war to an end diplomatically throughout 1915-16, but to no avail • Because so many were immigrants from nations fighting, citizens of the nation had their own thoughts • Some backed the Central Powers, but most backed the Allies • The US came closer and closer to war because of the German submarine campaign of the Atlantic • American ships were stopped and searched and also torpedoed and sunk • The deadliest incident occurred May 7, 1915, when 128 Americans died after the Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat • Wilson demanded the German military cease, or else • Germany pledged to stop sinking boats without warning • Issued the Sussex Pledge in March 1916

7. Prepare for War! • As German attacks continued, the US began to prepare for war • Loans and aid were sent to Britain and France • National Defense Act of 1916 authorized the building of the army and navy, almost costing Wilson reelection • Broke diplomatic relations with Germany in February 1917 after Germany resumed full scale attacks of civilian ships • Zimmermann Note: March 1, 1917 • German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmermann’s promise to Mexico • Proposed Mexican alliance with Germany • Promised aid to help Mexico recover “lost lands” from the US • On April 4, 1917, Congress declared war on Germany • Urged by President Wilson • Not a unanimous vote, as 50 representatives and 6 senators opposed

8. Mobilizing for War • Because the US military was small and unprepared, the government had a lot of work to do to get America ready for war • Selective Service Act: May 18, 1917 • Required all men 21-30 years old to register for the draft • Later changed to 18-45 years old • 2.8 million men eventually drafted to fight • All different backgrounds and races fought, but were segregated • Soldiers, drafted and enlisted, were sent off to training • Learned basic military drill, shooting, fighting • Fought under General John J. Pershing in Europe • Soldiers were nicknamed “Doughboys” • To protect troops and supplies heading to Europe, the Allies devised a convoy system of military and civilian ships • However, because of the need for infrastructure and organization, American troops did not do any actual fighting until 1918

9. The Home Front • To produce the goods needed for war, the government started programs to oversee American industry • Money was raised by selling Liberty bonds during the war and Victory bonds after the war • Taxes were increased • Resources, such as food, fuel, metals, and other scarce materials, were rationed and conserved • War Industries Board set prices and told companies what to produce • Millions of people worked in wartime industries • Union membership soared • Women worked in factories with men off fighting • A Great Migration of African Americans from the south went north looking for work, but were met with discrimination and racial violence • Mexican immigrants came looking for work and escape from the Mexican Revolution • Volunteerism increased greatly • People conserved energy and materials, recycled and planted victory gardens • People bought Liberty bonds • Juliette Gordon Low formed a group based on the Boy Scouts called the Girl Guides, eventually the Girl Scouts, in 1915, who worked heavily in the war effort

10. Propaganda Posters

11. Government Actions • The government worked hard to convince all Americans to support the war • Committee on Public Info (CPI): propaganda campaign to convince the public • Used posters, movies and pamphlets • Turned attitudes against German Americans • Americanization campaign taught new immigrants English, US History and gov’t courses • Laws were passed making it a crime to be against the war effort • Espionage Act: outlawed acts of treason against the gov’t • Sedition Act: made it a crime to speak out against the gov’t • Hundreds were imprisoned for breaking these laws • Schenckv. United States (1919) upheld the laws as necessary against a “clear and present danger” and that sedition was like “yelling fire in a crowded theater” and not protected speech

12. America’s Arrival • American came in the nick of time • Allies were having a tough time fighting in the West • The Russian Revolution of 1917 spelled the end of the war for the Russians • Communists, led by Vladimir Lenin, overthrew a democratically elected gov’t that had overthrown Czar Nicolas II • Germany launched a massive offensive in March 1918 • The Allies were pushed back within 50 miles of Paris • However, American troops stopped the Germans at Chateau-Thierry and Belleau Wood in June • This turned the Germans back, meeting for the final battle at Argonne Forest in October 1918 • Germany’s military fell apart, causing German leader Kaiser Wilhelm to resign on November 9th • Two days later, at 11 AM of 11/11/1918, a cease fire went into effect • Today, we celebrate this day as Veteran’s Day • The peace conference was held in January 1919 in Paris, France

13. Armistice • President Wilson met with Georges Clemenceau of France, David Lloyd George of Britain and Vittorio Orlando of Italy to negotiate a peace • Several issues were addressed at the peace conference • Wilson proposed the Fourteen Points • Most points dealt with nations governing themselves, others dealt with causes of the war and how to prevent another war • The last point was the League of Nations, proposed as a world wide organization to prevent wars in the future • Large reparations, punishment for the war, were levied on Germany, who was blamed for the war • Finally, in the summer of 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was finalized • The treaty divided Central Powers’ lands and colonies among the Allies • Created Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Poland, Finland, and the Baltic states • Outlawed German armament and billions in fines • Wilson brought the treaty to the Senate, but the Senate refused to ratify the treaty, led by Mass. Senator Henry Cabot Lodge • In rejecting the treaty, the US rejected the League of Nations, which formed without US support

14. Aftermath of the War • In September 1919, President Wilson had a massive stroke that crippled him for the rest of his presidency • Europe struggled to recover, as infrastructure, agriculture, and the economy was in ruins • Allies colonized the Middle East, causing issues that are seen still today • 8.5 million were killed, with another 21 million injured in the fighting • Eventually, the aftermath of the war led to the rise of dictators in Europe like Adolph Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Josef Stalin

15. Europe Before WWI

16. Europe After WWI