Chapter 30

1. Chapter 30 The War to End War, 1917–1918

2. I. War by Act of Germany

3. 1917 January 22 In a speech to Congress, President Woodrow Wilson calls for a league of peace, an organization to promote the resolution of conflicts. But neither side is willing to agree to negotiations while holding on to the prospect of victory. January 31 Having rapidly built its submarine fleet to over one hundred boats, Germany resumes unrestricted submarine warfare, believing it can starve the Allies into submission in six months {before the USA could become any serious threat to a German victory if the Americans did indeed formally enter the war}. February 3 Citing the German decision, Wilson breaks diplomatic relations with Germany [which is the step generally taken before a formal declaration of war is initiated and then ultimately issued].

4. 10 Nations Hit the Hardest by U-Boats Ship Losses during WWI by Year and Month 1914 Sep (4) Oct (6) Nov (4) Dec (1) 15 ships hit in 1914. 1915 Jan (8) Feb (11) Mar (42) Apr (39) May (66) Jun (124) Jul (102) Aug (126) Sep (70) Oct (47)Nov (68) Dec (51) 754 ships hit in 1915. 1916 Jan (37) Feb (56) Mar (81) Apr (110) May (68) Jun (73) Jul (97) Aug (151) Sep (199) Oct (205) Nov (217) Dec (223) 1517 ships hit in 1916. 1917 Jan (220) Feb (328) Mar (411) Apr (510)May (411) Jun (429) Jul (309) Aug (240) Sep (243) Oct (215) Nov (174) Dec (207) 3697 ships hit in 1917. [Most sunk in one year of the war] 1918 Jan (185) Feb (165) Mar (230) Apr (165) May (193) Jun (133) Jul (156) Aug (186) Sep (123) Oct (92) Nov (11) 1639 ships hit in 1918. 1919 Jan (1) 1 ships hit in 1919. Country Attacks British 3,714    Norwegian 798    French 793    Italian 682    Greek 272    Danish 257    Russian 194    Dutch 181    Swedish 179    American 174  Total 7,244

5. Zimmerman Note 1917 February 24 In what will become known as the Zimmerman Telegram incident, the British Secret Service intercepted a telegram from German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann to the German ambassador in Mexico, attempting to incite Mexico to join Germany’s side in the event of war with the United states. In return, Germany promises to help Mexico recover Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. The British have held the note until an appropriate moment when its revelations will presumably push Wilson over the brink of his wavering neutrality and into the war. After the telegram is released, there is an angry public outcry over what is considered German treachery.

7. Would Mexico go to war with the USA on the side of the Central Powers? The Zimmerman Note involved a proposed secret agreement between Germany and Mexico. (Germany promised to give back to Mexico territory it lost in the Mexican Cession if (Carranza’s) Mexico went to war against the USA.) [The German Ambassador to Mexico was Arthur Zimmerman; the British intercepted the telegram but waited until they obtained a Mexican copy so as not letting the Germans know they could decipher their codes and then gave it to USA.] Arthur Zimmerman

8. 1917 February 26 After asking Congress for permission to arm merchant ships, Wilson is told by his attorney general that he, in fact, has that power. Wilson then issues the directive on March 9. March 15 The Czar of Russia is forced to abdicate after the Russian Revolution. The U.S. government recognizes the new government formed by Alexander Kerensky. March 12-21 Five more American ships are sunk, all without warning. [Were they all armed yet neutral?] April 2 Wilson asks Congress to declare war on Germany. {Two days later Congress, on April 4th, the Senate and House of Representatives both, vote for a declaration of war formally joining the Allies against the Central Powers in the Great War (WWI).}

9. II. Wilsonian Idealism Enthroned • Wilson reluctantly broke our isolationism • How convince Americans to support war? • Make the “World Safe for Democracy”

10. III. Wilson’s Fourteen Potent Points 1918 January 8 Wilson’s Fourteen Points for peace speech. The speech outlines a generous and liberal attempt to settle the war. Georges Clemenceau

11. Wilson’s Fourteen Points con’t The following were among Wilson’s 14 Points upon which he based America’s idealistic foreign policy in WWI: reduction of armaments, abolition of secret treaties, Freedom of the seas, a new international organization to guarantee collective security (League of Nations), and the principle of national self-determination (autonomy) for subjugated peoples (from imperialist powers) (Ex. Poland but not Syria, Iraq, or Palestine); What about international religious freedom and toleration? No! [French Prime Minister Clemenceau says the Fourteen points “bore him,” and adds, “Even Almighty God has only ten.”]

12. IV. Creel Manipulates Minds

13. Civilian War-Related Agencies Civilian administrators and WWI mobilization agencies: George Creel – Committee on Public Information Herbert Hoover – Food Administration Bernard Baruch – War Industries Board William Howard Taft – National War Labor Board Herbert Hoover Bernard Baruch William Howard Taft

14. The Committee on Public Information The Committee on Public Information, also known as the CPI and the Creel Committee, was an independent agency of the government of the United States intended to influence U.S. public opinion regarding American intervention in World War I The purpose of the CPI was to influence American public opinion toward supporting U.S. intervention in World War I via a prolonged propaganda campaign. The CPI at first used material that was based on fact, but spun it to present an upbeat picture of the American war effort. Very quickly, however, the CPI began churning out raw propaganda picturing Germans as evil monsters. Hollywood movie makers joined in on the propaganda by making movies such as The Claws of the Hun, The Prussian Cur, To Hell With The Kaiser, and The Kaiser, the Beast of Berlin. These titles illustrated the message the CPI tried to convey.

15. The Committee on Public Information continued This raw propaganda included complete fabrications, such as images and stories of German soldiers killing babies and hoisting them on bayonets. CPI pamphlets were created and warned citizens to be on the lookout for German spies. Dozens of "patriotic organizations," with names like the American Protective League and the American Defense Society, sprang up. These groups spied, tapped telephones, and opened mail in an effort to ferret out "spies and traitors“ {many of the things they did were illegal}.The targets of these groups was anyone who called for peace, questioned the Allies' progress, or criticized the government's policies. They were particularly hard on German Americans, some of whom lost their jobs, and were publicly humiliated by being forced to kiss the American flag, recite the Pledge of Allegiance, or buy war bonds {or worse, such as beaten, etc…}. The committee used newsprint, posters, radio, leaflets, pamphlets, telegraph, cable and movies to broadcast its message. There was a volunteer services corps, called the Four-minute men whose 75,000 members spoke around the country. The Four-minute men worked in 5,200 communities and gave 755,190 speeches. During its lifetime, the organization had over twenty bureaus and divisions, with commissioner's offices in nine foreign countries. In addition to the Four-minute men both a Films Division and a News Division were established to help get out the war message. (See later slides.} What was missing, Creel saw, was a way to reach those Americans who might not read newspapers, attend meetings or watch movies. For this task, Creel created the Division of Pictorial Publicity.

16. The Committee on Public Information continued Charles Dana Gibson was America's most popular illustrator (“Gibson Girls”) - and an ardent supporter of the war. When Creel asked him to assemble a group of artists to help design posters for the government, Gibson was more than eager to help. Famous illustrators such as James Montgomery Flagg (Uncle Sam), Joseph Pennell, Louis D. Fancher, and N. C. Wyeth were brought together to produce some of World War I's most lasting images. Committee work was curtailed after July 1st, 1918. Domestic activities stopped after the Armistice was signed on November 11th, 1918. Foreign operations ended June 30, 1919. The CPI was abolished by executive order 3154 on August 21st, 1919. A major problem for George Creel’s Committee on Public Information was that he oversold President Wilson’s ideals, which led the world to expect too much from Wilson. George Creel Charles Dana Gibson A “Gibson Girl” Drew Attention

17. Remember “Gibson Girls” of the Gilded Age before “Flappers” of the 1920s!  “Gibson Girl” Tumblers 

18. James Montgomery Flagg

19. p681

20. Was the Creel Commission popular? During World War I, Lippmann and Bernays were hired by then United States President, Woodrow Wilson, to participate in the Creel Commission, the mission of which was to sway popular opinion in favor of entering the war, on the side of the United Kingdom. The Creel Commission provided themes for speeches by "four-minute men" at public functions, and also encouraged censorship of the American press. The Commission was so unpopular that after the war, Congress closed it down without providing funding to organize and archive its papers. The war propaganda campaign of Lippmann and Bernays produced within six months such an intense anti-German hysteria as to permanently impress American business (and Adolf Hitler, among others) with the potential of large-scale propaganda to control public opinion. Bernays coined the terms "group mind" and "engineering consent,” very important concepts in practical propaganda work.

21. Propaganda Poster Presented by the Committee on Public Information "U.S. Official War Pictures", propaganda poster by Louis D. Fancher

22. Propaganda Film Presented by the Committee on Public Information[The Second Official United States War Picture]

23. More Propaganda Films Presented by the Committee on Public Information

24. Some Propaganda Posters of the Committee on Public Safety In no degree was the Committee an agency of censorship, a machinery of concealment or repression. Its emphasis throughout was on the open and the positive. At no point did it seek or exercise authorities under those war laws that limited the freedom of speech and press. In all things, from first to last, without halt or change, it was a plain publicity proposition, a vast enterprise in salesmanship, the world's greatest adventures in advertising… We did not call it propaganda, for that word, in German hands, had come to be associated with deceit and corruption. Our effort was educational and informative throughout, for we had such confidence in our case as to feel that no other argument was needed than the simple, straightforward presentation of the facts. - George Creel

25. Enthusiasm in song

26. Patriotic Music “Over There” - by George M. Cohan  “Over there, over there,Send the word, send the word over there -That the Yanks are coming,The Yanks are coming,The drums rum-tumming ev'rywhere.So prepare, say a pray'r,Send the word, send the word to beware.We'll be over, we're coming over,And we won't come back till it's over over there.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6hRDS3LvQQ

27. George Michael Cohan Song Credits Include: Over ThereYou're a Grand Old FlagYankee Doodle DandyGive My Regards to BroadwayOnly 45 Minutes from Broadway George Michael Cohan (pronounced "Coe-han") (July 3, 1878–November 5, 1942), known professionally as George M. Cohan, was an American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and producer. Known as "the man who owned Broadway" in the decade before World War I, he is considered the father of American musical comedy. A full-length dramatic musical entitled George M that depicted his life and which celebrated his music was produced on Broadway in 1968, as did the Academy Award-winning film Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) starring James Cagney. 

28. WE DON’T WANT THE BACON – WHAT WE WANT IS A PIECE OF THE RHINE (RIVER)! That sounds like a cool war song don’t you think. Could you rap that or perhaps head-bang to it?

29. I Didn't Raise My Boy to be a Soldier I Didn't Raise My Boy to be a Soldier One of the few anti-war songs of the First World War, this American song was also sold in Canada. The chorus is:I didn't raise my boy to be a soldier,I brought him up to be my pride and joy,Who dares to put a musket on his shoulder,To shoot some other mother's darling boy?Let nations arbitrate their future troubles,It's time to lay the sword and gun away,There'd be no war today,If mothers all would say,I didn't raise my boy to be a soldier.

30. V. Enforcing Loyalty and Stifling Dissent • Tough times to be German American • “liberty cabbage” “liberty steak”

31. Espionage and Sedition Acts[Remember the Alien and Sedition Acts?] Among major targets of wartime Espionage and Sedition Acts were: the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW/”Wobblies”), Eugene V. Debs (not a Supreme Court Case but the Socialist), and German-Americans. • Espionage Act 1917/Sedition Act 1918 (Sedition is treason.) Supreme Court presented in textbook as unbiased when ruling in Schenck v. USA in 1919 – can curb speech when “clear and present danger” to the nation exists – but who decides – think of US v. Spirit of ’76 because it portrayed British atrocities, which they did commit during the American Revolution, but as our WWI allies, the truth was not acceptable – why? (contrast with Birth of a Nation) {Similarities of 1790s Alien and Sedition Acts and Espionage and Sedition Acts of 1917-1918}

32. 1917 The Espionage Act is passed by Congress, ostensibly to prevent spying. However, it is used chiefly to silence American critics of the war. A year after its passage, Eugene V. Debs, the Socialist leader and presidential candidate(jailed for Pullman strike 1894), is arrested and sentenced to ten years in prison for making a speech that “obstructed recruiting.” Debs actually ran for president again in 1920 from prison {receiving 900,000 votes out of ~7 million total}, and was eventually pardoned after serving 32 months by President Harding, because President Wilson would not upon leaving office. Eugene V. Debs, Warren G. Harding, and Woodrow Wilson

33. “Your Honor, years ago I recognized my kinship with all living beings, and I made up my mind that I was not one bit better than the meanest on earth. I said then, and I say now, that while there is a lower class, I am in it, and while there is a criminal element I am of it, and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.”

34. Learning of Debs' ill health, Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer prepared a clemency petition on Debs' behalf for a presidential pardon in order to free Debs from prison, feeling it would damage the administration if he died in custody. Upon being given the petition, President Wilson replied "Never!" and wrote "Denied" across it. On December 25th, 1921, President Harding commuted Debs' sentence to time served (Merry Christmas); Debs was released from prison and was warmly greeted by Harding at the White House: "I have heard so damned much about you, Mr. Debs, that I am very glad to meet you personally."

35. p682

36. Espionage and Sedition Acts continued[Remember the Alien and Sedition Acts?] Espionage Act 1917 and Sedition Act 1918 – fines of up to $10,000 & 20 years in jail for interfering with draft, obstructing sale of government bonds, or saying anything disloyal, profane, or abusive about US war effort. Like Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, violate spirit of 1st Amendment – 6,000 arrests in WWI – 1,500 convictions: • Rev. Williams got 15 years for telling Bible class that Christians should not take part in war • Loss of mailing privileges - ex. NY Times and Saturday Evening Post temporarily • Columbia University fired Professor with antiwar views, so colleague resigned in protest stating, “If we have to suppress everything we don’t like to hear, this country is resting on a pretty wobbly basis.” Debs, Goldman, IWW, civil liberties of USA hindered.

37. Alien & Sedition Acts 1798 • A series of laws known collectively as the Alien and Sedition Acts were passed by the Federalist Congress in 1798 and signed into law by President Adams. • These laws included new powers to deport foreigners as well as making it harder for new immigrants to vote. • Previously a new immigrant would have to reside in the United States for five years before becoming eligible to vote, but a new law raised this to 14 years.

38. Schenck v. United States Schenck v. United States, (1919), was a United States Supreme Court decision which upheld the Espionage Act of 1917 and concluded that a defendant did not have a First Amendment right to free speech against the draft during World War I. Charles Schenck was the Secretary of the Socialist party and was responsible for printing, distributing, and mailing 15,000 leaflets to men eligible for the draft that advocated opposition to the draft. These leaflets contained statements such as; "Do not submit to intimidation,” "Assert your rights,” "If you do not assert and support your rights, you are helping to deny or disparage rights which it is the solemn duty of all citizens and residents of the United States to retain." Ultimately, the case served as the founding of the "clear and present danger" rule.

39. Schenck v. United States continued The Court, in a unanimous opinion written by Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., held that Schenck's criminal conviction was constitutional. The First Amendment did not protect speech encouraging insubordination, since, "when a nation is at war many things that might be said in time of peace are such a hindrance to its effort that their utterance will not be endured so long as men fight, and that no Court could regard them as protected by any constitutional right." In other words, the court held, the circumstances of wartime permit greater restrictions on free speech than would be allowable during peacetime. In the opinion's most famous passage, Justice Holmes sets out the "clear and present danger" test: "The question in every case is whether the words used are used in such circumstances and are of such a nature as to create a clear and present danger that they will bring about the substantive evils that Congress has a right to prevent." This case is also the source of the phrase "shouting fire in a crowded theater," paraphrased from Holmes' assertion that "the most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theatre and causing a panic."

40. Zinn on the Schenck Case continued[“clear and present danger”] Perhaps free speech could not be tolerated by any reasonable person if it constituted a “clear and present danger” to life and liberty; after all, free speech must compete with other vital rights. But was not the war itself a “clear and present danger,” indeed, more clear and more present and more dangerous to life than any argument against it? Did citizens not have the right to object to the war, a right to be a danger to dangerous policies? - Howard Zinn {What do you think? To what extent do you think the 1st Amendment protects “free speech” in the USA?} {We will look more at the 1st Amendment at the end of the year!}

41. VI. The Nation’s Factories Go to War Bernard Baruch headed the WIB; 20% bump in production • US very unprepared for war • In order to coordinate economy to win • War Industries Board set up to drive the effort • Disbanded post war, but served as model during 1930’s Depression

42. TOGETHER WE WINLEND YOUR STRENGTHTO THE RED TRIANGLE(YMCA)

43. Shoot Ships to Germany and help AMERICA WINThis Church is behind The United War Work Campaign For the Boys Over There

44. SEND THE EAGLE’S ANSWERMORE SHIPS Men and Women Prominent in War-Time Activities

45. VII. Workers in Wartime William Howard Taft • The National War Labor Board (NWLB) which was an agency created in 1918 by President Woodrow Wilson composed of representatives from business and labor. • Former President William Howard Taft was the chairman of the NWLB. Its purpose was to arbitrate disputes between workers and employers.

46. National War Labor Board . Capitalizing on the great labor shortages during America's entrance into World War I, unions led by Samuel Gompers under the American Federation of Labor organized mass strikes for tangible gain. With more than 1200 cases heard the board ruled in favor of labor more often than not. In response the American Federation of Labor, Woodrow Wilson issued a 'no strike' pledge. Wilson then instructed the NWLB to uphold the right of labor to organize and bargain collectively. In one instance, Wilson dispatched Federal Agents to commandeer a Smith & Wesson factory that violated WIB regulations. The War Industries Board (WIB) also constructed low-income housing around war factories and shipyards to ensure an adequate labor pool. It also encouraged a living wage. Union membership almost doubled after the formation of the WIB. Of note the AFL rose from 2 million in 1916 to 3.2 million in 1919. By the end of the decade, 15% of the nonagricultural work force was unionized. The NWLB was abolished August 12, 1919. The biggest setback in the process of creating the program was the exclusion of the up-and-coming African-American citizens of the United States. Much dispute had arisen from the situation.  Woodrow Wilson 

47. Samuel Gompers • American Federation of Labor • Worked with the NWLB • Supported war effort

48. More Radical Unions not supportive Industrial Workers of the World • “Wobblies” • Often transient laborers (fruit and lumber) who had worst conditions • When protesting, beaten, arrested, run out of town

49. Image of a Wobbly (IWW) Demonstration IWW demonstration in New York City in 1914