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US Impact and the End of WWI. 1918. US Joins WWI. Apr. 1917 - US declared war on Germany Getting the Troops Ready (4 steps) Conscription (Draft) Armed Training Shipped to Europe. Russia Surrenders (Dec. 1917). Russian army suffered millions of casualties
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US Joins WWI • Apr. 1917 - US declared war on Germany Getting the Troops Ready(4 steps) • Conscription (Draft) • Armed • Training • Shipped to Europe
Russia Surrenders(Dec. 1917) • Russian army suffered millions of casualties • Many unhappy with the war (in Russia) • Blamed the Tsar (Nicholas II) for losses • Civilians resisted the Russian gov’t • Soldiers resisted fighting • Became the Bolshevik Revolution • Bolsheviks = the extreme Communist party that takes control of Russia in 1917 • Vladimir Lenin became new communist leader (Soviet Union) • Soviet gov’t surrendered to Germany (Treaty of Brest-Litovsk) • German troops can now focus on France
US Impact • Trench warfare had stopped Germany in the West (GB + French) • But with Russia now gone in the East, Germany could focus on winning in the West • U.S. had a large impact on the war by… • Adding numbers to Allied forces • Increased war supplies
Europe in 1917 German forces Allied forces X Britain Russia U.S. Germany 1917 Austria-Hungary France Ottoman-Empire
The Central Powers Collapse • Germany pushed back in the West • March & April 1918: 20 days of fighting = 110,000 total casualties • Other Allies made a push in the East (Greece, Italy, Romania) • Ottoman-Empire surrendered on Oct. 30, 1918 • Austria-Hungary surrendered on Nov. 4, 1918 • Germany was alone • Accepted an armistice at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1918 (Armistice Day) • “the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” • Armistice - stoppage of fighting to create and agree upon a treaty X X X
Why Did Germany Surrender? • German people grew tired of war (lost support) • Germany’s allies quit fighting • 6 Million casualties (not including 760,000 German civilians) • GB blockade left Germany starving • Economy wrecked w/o trade • Allied forces stronger w/ US joining
Peace Treaty is Signed 1919 • Allies met in Paris to create a treaty • Central Powers not included • Russia not included • Versailles Treaty of 1919 • Treaty was very hard on Germany (had to agree)
Versailles Treaty 1919 • Germany made to accept all the blame for starting WWI • AH split • Germany gave up land to France, Belgium, Denmark • Poland was recreated (from Germany and Russia) • Germany gave up all overseas colonies • Army limited to 100,000 men • Give up all tanks, planes, ships, subs • Had to pay reparations • Reparations: money paid by a defeated country to another country for losses suffered during war • $33 Billion (Equivalent to $420.4 Billion today) • Finished last $94 million payment on October 3rd, 2010!!!