Ch 21: World War I

Sec 1: Road to War

Causes

1. Imperialism

2. Militarism

3. Nationalism

4. Alliances

Imperialism

• Eur countries competed for colonies & trade in Africa, Asia, & Pacific

Militarism

• Glorification of the military

• Defend country

• Show power of nation

• Glory

• Influenced gov’t of some countries

• Examples– Germany: train schedule built around military– Aus-Hun: military exercises in public

Nationalism

• Pride in one’s nation or ethnic group• Germany nationalized 1871 (def. Fr in

Franco-Prussian War)• Italy nationalized 1861• Ottoman Empire falling apart—Eastern ?

– What was going to happen to that territory?

• Austria-Hungary unified 1867– Ethnic grps wanted ind (encouraged by Rus)– Balkans—powder keg

Alliances• Agreement between countries to help

each other, especially in war• Dual Alliance: formed 1879 btwn Ger &

AH• Became Triple Alliance in 1881 when Italy

joined• Triple Entente: formed about 1906 btwn

GB, Fr (worried about Ger), & Rus (rival w/ AH)

• Threatened balance of power in Eur—meant war involving one nation would bring in other nations as well

Major Powers

Central Powers• Germany: Kaiser

Wilhelm II• Austria-Hungary:

Emperor Franz Josef• Ottoman Empire• Bulgaria

Allied Powers• Russia: Tsar (Czar)

Nicholas II • France• Great Britain• Italy• Japan• USA: Pr. Wilson

The Spark

• June 28, 1914: AH Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip (Serbian) while visiting Sarajevo

• Sarajevo was capital of Bosnia, a province of AH, that contained many ethnic Serbs

• AH blamed Serbian gov’t for assassination• AH asks Ger for support• Ger issues “blank check”—will support any

action taken by AH

• July 21: AH sends Serbia ultimatum (list of demands Serbia must meet to avoid war)

• July 23: Serbia accepts all but 2 demands• July 28: AH declares war on Serbia (an ally

of Rus)—START OF WORLD WAR I• July 29-30: Nicky—Willy Telegrams sent.

Meanwhile, Rus mobilizes• July 31: Rus decl war on AH• Aug 1: Ger decl war on Rus & Fr (Schlieffen

Plan—Ger plan for a war fought on 2 fronts)• Aug 3: Ger attacks neutral Bel• Aug 4: In response, GB decl war on Ger• W/in 1 week, maj pwrs in Eur @ war

Stalemate on the W Front

• Both sides looking for quick victory

• Sept: Battle of the Marne

• Fr & Br trps halt Ger advance

• Began stalemate (deadlock) that would last 4 yrs

• Neither side could win clear victory

Trench Warfare

• Contributed to stalemate on W Front

• Soldiers fired @ ea other from opposing lines of dugout trenches

• “no-man’s land” in middle

• Problems: disease spread easily, mud slides, rain, lice, if left trenches—easy target

New Technology

• Airplanes: used for scouting & support of ground forces

• Armored tanks

• Rapid-fire machine guns

• Poison gas: caused choking, blinding, severe blisters, led to lung probs after war

American Neutrality

• Wilson tried to keep US out of war

• Americans still took sides

• Ethnic loyalties: Ger & Irish supported Central Powers

• Common ties w/ Br

• Propaganda: anything used to gain support for cause

• Used by GB to gain American support

Trade

• Americans free to trade w/ both sides

• Most traded w/ Allies (favored Br & GB blockade of Ger prevented ships from getting to Ger)

• Wilson objected to blockade but allowed Br to buy more from US to make up for loss of trade w/ Ger

• Banks made loans to Allies

Lusitania

• Ger: had large supply of submarines (U-boats)

• Used against Br blockade• May 1915: sank Lusitania (Br liner) off

coast of Ireland• 1,200 died, incl. 128 Amer• Am angered• Ger promised not to target passenger lines

& neutral merchant ships

US Entry

1. Jan 1917: Ger resumed unrestricted submarine warfare (targeted any ship)

• Wanted to cut Br off from Amer supplies

2. Feb. 1917: Zimmermann Telegram—Ger FM proposed Mex enter war on Ger side to reconquer “lost territory”

3. Russian Revolution—czar overthrown—idealism: “make world safe for democracy” (Wilson)

US declared war Apr 2, 1917

Sec 2: Supporting the War

Selective Service

• Many young men volunteered to fight in the war

• Est draft to expand army quickly

• Selective Service Act: req all young men btwn 21 & 30 to register for the draft

• Ppl from all diff backgrounds volunteered incl Nat Am, even though they weren’t citizens

Women in the Military

• Not subject to the draft

• 30K volunteered

• 2/3 served in Army or Navy Nurse Corp

• Rest did clerical work

• Other women opposed war under all circumstances– Ex: Jane Addams, Jeanette Rankin

African Americans

• 380 K served

• Restricted by segregation & racism

• W. E. B. DuBois encouraged Afr Am to support war effort

• Placed in all-black units

• Only 10% sent to combat

• Harlem Hell Fighters

Military as Educator

• ¼ recruits were illiterate

• Learned how to fight, read

• Taught nutrition, personal hygiene, patriotism

Food Supplies

• Herbert Hoover headed Food Administration

• Had to make sure there was enough food for troops & civilians

• “Meatless Mondays”, “Wheatless Wednesdays”

• Encouraged victory gardens—ppl planted own vegetables to canned goods could go to Europe

War Production

• Gov’t ordered millions of weapons & supplies

• Sep War Industries Board (WIB)

• Headed by Bernard Baruch

• Told industry what to produce, how much to charge, & how to use scarce resources– Ex: forbade us of tin for toys

Calling on Patriotism

• Committee on Public Information informed citizens about the war effort

• Recruited “4-Minute Men” to deliver patriotic speeches @ cinemas & ballparks

• Had artists make pro-war cartoons & posters

• Sold Liberty Bonds to pay for the war

Suppressing Dissent

• Espionage Act of 1917 & Sedition Act of 1918 closed newspapers & jailed ppl who spoke out against US

• Eugene Debs jailed for giving speech encouraging workers to not support the war

Anti-German Hysteria

• Harassed, shunned, & assaulted German-Americans

• Some tarred & feathered

• Schools stopped teaching German

• Renamed things associated w/ Germany:– German measles—liberty measles– Sauerkraut—liberty cabbage

Sec 3: Americans at War

Protecting Allied Shipping

• Convoy: lg grp of merchant vessels sailing together

• Used to maintain supplies for Allies

• Escorted by Allied destroyers

American Expeditionary Force

• Led by Gen John J Pershing

• Insisted Amer fight in separate units

• Wilson wanted US to make “victorious showing” in order to influence postwar settlement

• 1st trps rchd Eur in June 1917

• Not ready for combat but used to boost Fr morale

Russia Makes Peace• new Rus gov’t couldn’t keep up war effort

• Nov 1917: Bolshevik Rev led by Lenin

• Est communism (econ & pol system based on idea that social classes & right to private property should be eliminated)

• Pulled Rus out of war

• Mar 1918 signed Treaty of Brest-Litovsk w/ Germany– 30% of land given to Ger– Showed Allies what Ger would do if won war

• Allowed Ger to shift trps to W front

Germany Attacks

• Beg in Mar, series of attacks to bring on peace quickly in Ger terms

• Pershing put Am trps under Fr command

• Raised Fr spirits

• Ger pushed Allies back, but bulk of Amer forces finally arrived in Eur in time to reinforce Allies

Turning the Tide

• Amer trps assigned to evict Ger trps from Bellau-Wood

• Heavy casualties

• Succeeded in driving Ger out

• Ger cont offensive

• 2nd Battle of the Marne

Argonne Forest

• Germany losing will to fight

• Soldiers affected by lack of supplies & influenza

• German civilians suffering food shortages

• In battle, pushed back by Allies

• Ger defenses crumbled

Armistice

• Armistice: halt in fighting that allows peace talks to begin

• Ger ldrs realized couldn’t cont to fight

• Knew Br & Fr wanted to punish Ger but Wilson had proposed a new peace plan

• Ger asked for armistice based on Wilson’s terms

• Terms:– Ger had to pull back trps on W Front– Cancel Treaty of Brest-Litovsk– Hand over all U-boats

• Other Central Powers also asked for peace in Oct

• Wilson insisted Kaiser step down (11/8/18)

• Germany became a republic 11/9/18

• Armistice went into effect 11 AM 11/11/1918

Cost

• 10 mil military personnel died (more than those who died in all wars fought in Eur in previous 100 yrs combined)

• Others badly injured

• Civilians affected by disease, starvation

• N Fr lay in ruins

• Mil children orphaned or homeless

Sec 4: Shaping the Peace

Fourteen Points• Jan 1918: Wilson’s plan for peace• Pts 1-5 dealt w/ factors that caused war

– Eliminate secret agreements– Freedom of seas– Free trade– Decrease military forces– Settle colonial issues

• Pts 6-13 dealt w/ specific territorial issues caused by WW I

• self-determination: right of grp to decide its own form of gov’t

• Pt 14: League of Nations: org to guarantee peace

Paris Peace Conference 1919

• Wilson attended

• Big 4: Wilson (US), Clemenceau (Fr.), Orlando (Italy), Lloyd-George (GB)

• Other ldrs didn’t want “peace w/o victory” like Wilson

• Det to punish Ger to make sure Ger woudn’t be a threat again

Treaty of Versailles

• Dealt w/ Ger (ea. Central Pwr signed its own treaty)

• Took away some Ger terr & all colonies

• Pay reparations (payment for war damages)

• Limited size & nature of military

• Accept war guilt

• Formed League of Nations

• Signed by Ger June 1919

Battle Over the League• Wilson wanted Senate to ratify treaty

• Opposed by most Senators, led by Henry Cabot Lodge (Rep not invited to Versailles)

• Believed League would restrict right of US to act in its own interests

• Wanted changes (Lodge Reservations) but Wilson refused

• Wilson tried to get Amer support by traveling around the country

• Wilson suffered a stroke while traveling

• Nov 1919 Senate rejected treaty

• US never joined League which greatly limited its effectiveness

• Congress was afraid the League would take away its right to declare war

Postwar Troubles

• Worldwide influenza epidemic killed more ppl than the war did

• Labor unrest– Soldiers needed jobs– Prices went up– Unions wanted higher wages– 1919 4 million workers went on strike

Red Scare

• Feared Communists (“Reds”) were behind labor unrest

• Att Gen A. Mitchell Palmer ordered immigrants w/ radical views to be rounded up & deported (returned to home countries)

• Known as Palmer Raids