America in World War I. MILITARISM What is it? –Keeping a standing army always prepared for war –Armed forces as tool of diplomacy Which European country.

America in World War I

MILITARISM• What is it?

– Keeping a standing army always prepared for war

– Armed forces as tool of diplomacy

• Which European country is strongest?– Great Britain because of navy– BUT by 1890, Germany has largest

army reserve and has begun building navy to rival that of Great Britain

ALLIANCES• What is it?

– Commitment to support one another if attacked

• Why?– Security through balance of power

• Triple Entente (Great Britain, France, Russia)• Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary,

Ottoman Empire)– BUT alliances are like dominos – once one

country becomes involved, their allies have no choice but to fight

IMPERIALISM• What is it?

– Policy of extending a nation’s authority over other countries by social, economic, political, or military means

• Why is this significant?– European nations were competing against each other

How is Imperialism related to Militarism?

NATIONALISM• What is it?

– Belief that people should be loyal mainly to their nation

• National interests and national unity should be placed ahead of global cooperation

• Foreign affairs should be guided by self-interest• Impact?

– France and Germany are competitors – won’t become Allies

– Russia’s role as protector leads them into the war– Ethnic groups want their own nations

M.A.I.N.

Not sure how you’ll remember all of this? Just remember that these are the MAIN

causes of WWI!

M – Militarism

A – Alliances

I – Imperialism

N – Nationalism

The Spark: An Assassination

“The powder keg of Europe”

• Area with long history of nationalist uprisings

• Serbia’s Slavic population wanted to establish their own state and take over Bosnia

• Austria-Hungary controlled Bosnia

• June 1914: Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne, gunned down by a Serbian radical

The Archduke is assassinated in Sarajevo in June 1914

Immediate Cause of World War I:

Assassination• Gavrilo Princip? Who??

– Serbian assassin with strong feelings of Nationalism

• This starts a war?!– Countries unable to solve

problems through diplomacy– Alliances called into play!

Why Didn’t America Get Involved?

• America was isolationist– “Why should I get involved

in someone else’s problems?”

• Country had divided loyalties

Questions to Consider1. Is isolationism really an option for a

country as powerful as the United States?

2. What are the disadvantages of isolationism?

3. What are the advantages?

The Economics of WWI

• U.S. had loaned extensive $$ to Western Europe

• U.S. had stronger economic ties with Allies than Central Powers

• Even though U.S. was officially neutral:– Traded heavily with Britain and France

– Complied with a British embargo on trading with Germany

United States Neutrality• Germany using “unrestricted submarine warfare”

– Any ship traveling in waters around Great Britain was subject to attack by U-boats

– Initially U-boats attacked only military and merchant ships

• May 7, 1915: Passenger ship Lusitania struck by German torpedo and sinks in 18 minutes

– 1,198 of the 1,959 passengers go down with the ship, including 120 Americans

• Germany agreed to stop attacking passenger ships if U.S. stopped trading with Britain

History Channel Video Clip!

Wilson Wins Reelection (1916)

• Very close election Wilson’s victory linked to his promise of further neutrality

The Zimmerman Note• February 1917: discovery of Zimmermann Note

• Secret message from German diplomat to Mexican government

• Suggested Mexico attack U.S.

• Promised Mexican government control of Texas, Arizona and New Mexico (territory that had once belonged to Mexico)

• Germans hoped that war with Mexico would keep U.S. out of Europe

• American public PISSED

A Declaration of War

• Germany asks U.S. to get Britain to end food blockade– Otherwise will renew unrestricted

submarine war– Britain refuses

• Kaiser announces U-boats will sink all ships in British waters

• Four unarmed American merchant ships sunk

• April 2, 1917: U.S. declares war

Mobilizing An Army

• Selective Service Act - men register and are randomly chosen for service

• African Americans are put in segregated units; excluded from navy, marines

• Women in put into Army, Navy, and Marines as nurses, secretaries, and phone operators

• Convoy system—destroyers escort merchant ships across Atlantic– losses from U-boat attacks drop dramatically

• Navy helps lay mines across North Sea, keeps U-boats out of Atlantic

• By 1918: Germans have difficulty replacing boats and trained submariners

U.S. Naval Contributions

The “Doughboys”

• After 2.5 years of fighting, Allied forces are exhausted and demoralized

• U.S. troops bring numbers, enthusiasm, and supplies

• “Doughboys” greatly impressed by European cities, especially Paris, but horrified by the battle conditions

Allies Stop German Advance

Russian Revolution and overthrow of the Tsar results in major changes

• Russia surrenders in 1917• Germans shift entire focus to Western

Front–come within 50 miles of Paris

• Americans help stop German advance, turn tide against Central Powers

Getting Public Support• Difficult with tradition

of isolationism and neutrality

• Wilson cast war in moral terms: “making the world safe for democracy”

• Played on people’s ideas of America as the savior

Changing the Economy

• Economy shifts from producing consumer goods to war supplies– Congress gives Wilson direct

control of much of the economy

• War Industries Board: main regulatory body– mass-production,

standardization of products

• Conservation measures adopted by public in every aspect of life

A New War Economy

• Industrial wages rise but so do costs of food and housing

• Large corporations make enormous profits• Unions grow (dangerous conditions, child

labor, unfair pay)• Wilson creates National War Labor Board to

settle disputes

War Financing

• U.S. spends $35.5 billion on war effort

• 1/3 paid through taxes, 2/3 borrowed through sale of war bonds

Committee on Public Information

• Propaganda: biased communication designed to influence people

• Former muckraker heads Committee on Public Information

• Uses visual works and printed matter to promote war

• Get volunteers to speak about war, distribute materials

Women in the War• Many women take jobs

previously held by men• Volunteer work for war effort• Some active in peace

movement • Women’s effort bolsters

support for suffrage - 19th Amendment passed in 1919

Anti-Immigrant Hysteria

• Attacks on immigrants increase, especially those from Germany, Austria-Hungary

• Espionage and Sedition Acts passed –person can be fined, imprisoned for interfering

with war effort, speaking against government

• Violated 1st Amendment: used to prosecute loosely defined antiwar activities

An Unforeseen Problem

Flu Pandemic of 1918

• International flu epidemic of 1918 has devastating effect

• As many as 30 million people die worldwide

THE WAR ENDSWith the fall of Germany, the Allies must decide on peace terms

The Collapse of Germany

1918: balance of power shifts• Many Germans gave up without a fight, ready to be

done with the war

The End of WWI• Nov 3, 1918: Austria-Hungary surrenders• German soldiers and sailors rebel, socialists

establish a new German Republic• November 11, 1918: Germany signs armistice

(truce)

An Uneasy PeaceLeaders of four major Allied countries all had different

goals after WWI

1. French = punish Germany, make them pay for war

2. British = punish Germany, but not weaken it

3. Italy = gain territory

• Mostly ignored during peace talks

4. U.S. = President Wilson’s 14 Points

• Underestimated how angry other countries were – gave up other Points to get the League of Nations

Wilson’s Fourteen Points

President Wilson’s plan for peace:• 1-5 dealt with why countries could declare war

• 6-13 dealt with new boundary changes• Boundaries based on self-determination - ethnic

groups would decide what nation to belong to instead of the winning countries dividing up the world

• 14th created the League of Nations• International peace keeping organization

The Treaty of Versailles - 1919

• After the war, several issues needed to be dealt with1. Debt

2. Military Threats

3. Territorial Disputes

4. Blame

$

Britain

• British people wanted to punish Germans “Squeeze them until the pips squeal!”

• Representative weary of punishing Germany too harshly

• Wanted to make Germany pay for all of France damages and costs of war

• In favor of harsh punishment for Germany

France

Italy• Declared war on Germany 1915

(when it changed sides)

• Italy promised land in exchange for turning Germany from an ally to an enemy

United States• Less causalities, less anger?

• Believed that Germany should be treated fairly and a League of Nations established to deal with future conflicts

THE BIG FOUR

Issue #1: DEBT$• Britain and France heavily in debt• Didn’t want to pay debt – didn’t think they were

responsible

Treaty Solution: Reparations • Germany and Central Powers held responsible

for ALL financial losses

Issue #2: MILITARY THREATS• Many feared another Great War• France wanted to separate the Rhineland from Germany

– If Germany didn’t have their industrial center, would be less able to threaten France again

Treaty Solution:• Rhineland demilitarized• German army capped at 100,000 men

– Volunteers only - no draft• German Navy destroyed• Germany use of tanks and heavy artillery FORBIDDEN

Establishment of the League of Nations

• International group• Created to prevent future conflicts • Based on the idea of Collective Security

– Group of nations act together to preserve peace

– “All for peace, none for war!”

Issue #3: TERRITORIAL DISPUTES

• Many areas of Europe were in political turmoil • Partly a result of collapsing empires

Treaty Solutions:• Germany lost land and all colonies • France gains back Alsace-Lorraine• Ottoman Empire divided between France and

Britain• 9 new countries created

Issue #4: BLAME

• After the devastation of the war, people wanted to be able to put the blame somewhere

Treaty Solution:• The War-Guilt Clause

– Germany had to accept the blame for the entire war

– Had to admit they were solely responsible for atrocities committed during the war

Weaknesses of Treaty

• Germany couldn‘t pay back reparations• Germany hated the War Guilt Clause• Russia felt ignored

– Not invited to meeting and had suffered the highest number of causalities

– Lost more territory than Germany and was determined to get it back

• U.S. Senate voted down membership in the League of Nations– Most Americans wanted nothing to do with Europe’s

problems