STANDARD 15

The student will analyze the origins and impact of U.S. involvement in World War I.

Outbreak of WWI Review

Germany and Austria-Hungary form an alliance

France and Russia form an alliance (Germany is located in the middle and would

have a two front war if they were ever at war with either country)

Outbreak of WWI Review

Austria-Hungary, in an imperialistic effort, takes over BosniaSerbian nationalists wanted to combine with

Bosnia to form a super Slavic state Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the

throne of Austria-Hungary, visits Bosnia in 1914 where he and his wife are assassinated by a Serbian terroristAustria-Hungary blames the Serbian

government for the assassination and declares war

Outbreak of WWI Review

Russia had an alliance with Serbia and mobilized its army

Now Germany (Austria-Hungary’s ally) and France (Russia’s ally) were drawn into warGermany’s top military commander had

designed a war plan for a scenario such as this they would attack France first and then concentrate on Russia

Outbreak of WWI Review

Germany prepared to march into France through BelgiumGreat Britain had an alliance with BelgiumWhen German soldiers marched into

Belgium, Great Britain declared war on Germany

Outbreak of WWI Review

Great Britain, France, and Russia (the Allies) fight the biggest and most brutal war the world has ever seen against Germany and Austria-Hungary (the Central Powers)

WWI Review

Nationalism began to rise in Europe – a deep devotion to one’s nation.This can unify a country, but it can also it

can also cause completion for power

WWI Review

Imperialism was another problem facing EuropeAt times, war almost broke out over colonial

possessions○ Predominately in Africa and Asia

WWI Review

Militarism – glorifying military power and keeping an army prepared for warThe great powers of Europe all had large

armies by 1914 (except Great Britain)Plans were made to be able to quickly

mobilize, organize, and move in case of war

WWI Review

Alliances were made all over Europe with the intent to keep peace – but this would backfire

1879 – Bismarck (Germany) made a dual alliance with Austria-Hungary and 3 years later Italy joined to make the Triple Alliance

WWI Review

In response, Britain forms an alliance with France and Russia called the Triple Entente

Now had two powerful camps in EuropeTriple AllianceTriple Entente

Russia

Great Britain

Germany

FranceAustria-Hungary

Italy

WWI Review

The war would now be divided into two frontsWestern Front (German/French Border)Eastern Front (German/Russian Border)

Russia

Germany

France

Western Front

Eastern Front

WWI Review

Both sides dug miles of parallel trenches to protect themselves from enemy fire – this is known as trench warfareArmies would trade large amounts of life for

pitifully small land gains

a. Describe the movement from U.S. neutrality to engagement in World War I, with reference to unrestricted submarine warfare.

US Neutrality

World War I began in Europe in 1914President Woodrow Wilson was determined

to guarantee U.S. neutrality○ Keep the United States out of the war○ Saw no reason to join a war 3,000 miles away

US in WWI

Britain used its Navy to set up a blockade of the German coastBy 1917, estimated 750,000 Germans

starved to death Germany responded with a counter

blockadeUsed U-boats (Unterseeboot – German

word for submarine)

US in WWI

In 1915 the luxury liner Lusitania was sunk by a German submarineKilling most of the people on board,

including more than 100 U.S. citizens This turned public opinion against

Germany

US in WWI

This led to a crisis between the United States and GermanyWas resolved when Germany agreed to

abandon unrestricted submarine warfare In 1917 Germany resumed unrestricted

submarine warfare,This heightened tension was one reason the

U.S. would enter the war

US in WWI

Zimmerman noteTelegram from the German foreign minister

to the German ambassador in Mexico○ Proposed an alliance between Mexico and

GermanyMexico would get Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona

back

This was the another reason the US would join the war

US in WWI

At the time the US declared war, only 200,000 men were in the serviceSelective Service Act

○ Register with the government in order to be randomly selected for military serviceWithin a year, 24 million men registered3 million were called up2 million would reach Europe

- ¾ of them saw actual action400,000 African American served

- Most in France

US in WWI

8 month training period 17 hour days

Target practiceBayonet drillsKitchen dutyCleaning up the grounds

Real weapons were in short supplyRocks instead of grenadesSticks instead of rifles

US in WWI

Convoy SystemHelped merchant ships get back and forth to

Europe with goodsDefensive barrier of ships

○ Destroyers○ Cruisers○ Etc…

US in WWI

Europeans had been fighting for years and were exhausted and demoralized

Americans were fresh and enthusiastic

US in WWI

New Weapons (refined)Machine GunTankAirplane

Bayonet

Introduction

Tradition says it was developed in Bayonne, France, in the early 17th century

It was used by all sides throughout the entirety of the war

Use was more psychological than practical

Uses

Toasting bread Opening cans Scrape mud off uniforms Preparation of latrines Good chance you wouldn’t hit one of

your own

Simple Design

Most looked like a knife French used a needle blade Germans had a ‘saw-back’

Allies used this as ‘Propaganda’ against the Germans

Most likely it was just used as a saw when needed

Close Combat Fighting

You did not want to aim at the following areas:

1. Chest – if you hit the breastbone, might have problems getting it out

2. Groin – most people would grab bayonet and then you would have to remove it to continue

Flamethrower

Introduction

Used by the Germans in the early phases of the war

It brought terror to both the British and the French

It was quickly adopted by both sides

How it works

Spread fire by launching fuel Date as far back as the 5th century

Like a blow gun…had a burning solid (such as coal) and propel it at their enemy

Flammenwerfer Kleinflammenwerfer – smaller/lighter

PortableCarried by a single manPressurized air and carbon dioxide or

nitrogen it belched forth a stream of burning oil for as much as 18 meters

Flammenwerfer Grossflammenwerfer – larger

Worked the same (pretty much)One man could not carry itMax range was twice as farCould sustain flames for 40 secondsVery expensive to use

Use in war Groups of six during battle

Each machine used by two menMostly to clear forward defenders preceding

their infantryUsed at short range

Very dangerous for userHad gas cylinder on back (explode)Kill all those around youLife expectancy was short

Germans had launched over 650 attacks

Grenades

Introduction

Name probably dates from the French word for ‘pomegranate’

May date back as far as the 15th century

Bombing Parties

Weapon was used mostly by grenadiersTask was the bombing of trenches and

positions British – 9 men at a time

NCO, two throwers, two carriers, two bayonet-men (to defend), and two ‘spare’ just in case

Race down the enemy trench and throw grenades in the dugout area

Two forms of Detonation

1. Impact (percussion)

2. Timed fuse Timed was preferred

○ Accidental jolt would not kill you○ Had a pin that set off timer when removed

Rifle Grenade

Attached to a rod and placed down the barrel of a rifle

Could also be placed in a cup attached to the barrel

Launched by the blast of a blank cartridge

After the war

The grenade was so popular by the end of the war that pretty much every country kept them in their armory

During WWII the U.S. alone manufactured over 50 million fragmentation grenades

It’s still in use today

Machine Guns

Introduction Invented by Hiram Maxim

Gas produced by the explosion of powder in each cartridge created a recoil

This served to continually operate the machine gun

No external power was neededWater cooled and belt fedIn theory, could fire up to 600 rounds per

minuteIt was very heavy

The Early Machine Gun

Usually positioned on a flat tripod Required a crew of 4-6 operators Would usually overheat and not operate

until it was cooledSo would shoot in short burst instead of long

sustained firing

The Early Machine Gun

Water cooled guns would overheat within 2 minutesIf no water was available, would urinate

on it Guns also jammed a lot Machine Guns placed in groups to

maintain a constant defensive position

British Army rejection

Hiram Maxim offered the British the use of the gun first

British army high command could see no real use for the gun

Some said it was an improper form of warfare

The Germans on the other hand had 12,000 at the beginning of the war

Defensive Warfare

Placed in strong-points to cover potential enemy attack routes

To attack would be very costly

Offensive Warfare

Throughout the war, there was an attempt to make a smaller, lightweight gun

Had very few by the end of the war Maintaining sufficient ammo was difficult Heavy guns were hauled on vehicles

Pistols

Introduction

Originally designed as a cavalry weapon This was the staple of the war Traditionally, it was issued by officers Eventually it would be issued to military

police, airmen, and tank operators

3 Basic Types

1. Revolvers

2. Clip-loaded automatics

3. ‘Blow-back’ models• Expanding gas caused gun to reload

Rifles

Introduction The rifle remained the most crucial and most

present infantry weapon throughout the war Single shot (auto and semi-auto not invented

until the end of the war) Used a magazine design Most ever was 15 rounds a minute (at time)

Average trained soldiers was more like 8-12 It was pretty accurate

Sniper’s Friend

Crucial element (other than a human observer)

Sniping grew in importance with the beginnings of trench warfare

Functioned essentially as a assassin Used on all fronts Fitted with sights

Poison Gas

Introduction

Considered uncivilized prior to WWI French were the first to use it (tear gas)

1st Poison Gas

1st poison gas not used until April 1915 Captured German soldiers warned of

the Chlorine Gas…no one listened…French were caught off guardWithin seconds of inhaling it, it would

destroy your respiratory organs, bringing on choking

Types of Poison Gas Phosgene

more potent than Chlorinecould take up to 48 hours until death

Mustardmade by the Germanswas used in artillery shellsalmost odorlessblisters internally and externallyremained potent for weeks, so the taking of the

area was dangerous

Protection from Gas 1st were cotton pads dipped

in a solution of bicarbonate and held over the face

In an emergency…holding a urine soaked cloth over face would help

Soon they were using filter respirators

Poison Gas is now bannedOutlawed in 1925

Casualties From Gas

Country Casualties Death

Austria-Hungary 100,000 3,000

British Empire 188,706 8,109

France 190,000 8,000

Germany 200,000 9,000

Italy 60,000 4,627

Russia 419,340 56,000

USA 72,807 1,462

Others 10,000 1,000

Artillery

Introduction

There are two basic types of large artillery

1. Cannon• Fires shell over a long arc and typically

hits its target head on

2. Howitzer (Mortar)• Lobs the shell over a high arc so it lands

atop its target

Cannon

Howitzer (Mortar)

Measurements

Like handguns – measured in calibersthe diameter of the barrel

The largest at the time were naval – called the dreadnoughts12-16 inches

Size would get bigger over time

Movement

The guns cold only be moved slowly by a large tractor

Worst case scenario would be if the gun fell into enemy hands because of a hasty retreat

The Rail Gun

Could be moved quickly along the rail system

Could fire up to 30 miles awayThis would allow it to reach far into the

enemies rear positions Largest: French Schneider 520mm

Shell was over 24 inches in diameter and weighed 3,100 pounds

Trench Mortars

Short, stumpy tube designed to fire a projectile at a steep angle (higher than 45 degrees) so that it falls down on the enemy

Great for trench warfare Fired from the trench so than it

could not be as easily seen by the enemy

It was light and more mobile

Tanks

Introduction

No one individual is responsible of the tank

It’s design can be drawn back to the 18th century

Gradual technological developments brought on the unveiling of the tank by the British

Production

1st combat tank was ready in 1916 (British)

The French were working on their own – not used until 1917

Early Uses

Deployed before they were ready and proved to be unreliableBroke down a lotGot stuck in trenches

Wanted to break the stalemate of trench warfare

Successes British Tank Corps

(474 tanks) captured 10,000 German troops, 123 guns and 281 machine guns

This victory got rid of any doubt of what the tank would be able to do

Tank vs. Tank

Germans now had their own tanks and could counter attack the Allies

U-Boats

The U-Boat

1) Aft torpedo tubes 2) Electric motor 3) Main engine 4) Control room

5) Mine tubes 6) Forward torpedo tubes 7) Crew quarters

Introduction

The U-boat campaign can be broken into two distinct phases

1. Aimed at allied surface warships

2. Aimed at allied shipping (enforced embargo)

○ This one was more successful○ This could also bring America into the war

Anti-Submarine Warfare Hydrophone – allowed destroyers to

locate submerged U-boats by detecting the sound of its engines and propeller

SONAR and ASDIC – both introduced towards the end of the warlike and underwater radar

Depth-Charge – drum filled with explosives that blew up at certain depthscon = had to have an idea where they werepro = sometimes ‘close enough,’ counted

Damage to the Allies

Allied and neutral ships lost during the war

1914 1915 1916 1917 1918

To submarines 3 396 964 2,439 1,035

To surface craft 55 23 32 64 3

To mines 42 97 161 170 27

To aircraft - - - 3 1

Zeppelins

Introduction

Germany had the ability to bomb Britain from the beginning of the war

The Kaiser thought that was less than gentlemanly since Britain was another ‘Christian nation’

After being pressured, the Kaiser gave in and started bombing outside London

1915

This was a good year for the German Zeppelins

Not one single raider was lost to enemy fire

Since it could come in at 10,000 ft, it kept them out of range of enemy fighters and ground based artillery

Conquering the Threat

The British came up with the invention of incendiary bulletsthese would ignite the hydrogen bags inside

the hull of the airship

Airplanes

Introduction

Aircraft technology was little over a decade old when Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s assassination led to the outbreak of the ‘Great War’

At first, it was deemed of little use to the armed serviceBut that would change

Observation and Reconnaissance

Military saw value in the advantage of the aircraft’s height for an improved view of the battle-field

It was being used by both sides on the Eastern Front

Take pictures – fly straight (easy target)

Also gave locations for artillery fire

Fighters Pistols and rifles

proved to be uselessSo did throwing bricks

Started taking machine guns…stand up and fire

A fixed machine gun pointing forward…in order to aim gun, you aim the planeThe propeller became

a problem

Bombers Strategic bombing – reduce your

enemies capacity to make warfactoriespower stationsdockyards

Tactical bombing – aid your ground forcestransportationsupply facilitiesgun-emplacements

Air AcesGermany Manfred von Richthofen 80

France Rene Fonck 75

Canada William Bishop 72

UK Edward Mannock 61

South Africa A. Beauchamp-Proctor 47

Australia Robert Little 47

Ireland George McElroy 47

Belgium Willy Coppens 37

Austria-Hungary Godwin Brumowski 35

Italy Francesco Baracca 34

USA Eddie Rickenbacker 26

Russia Alexi Kazakov 17

US in WWI

HazardsFilthLiceRatsPolluted water (dysentery)Trench foot

US in WWI

By 1917, Russia had withdrawn from the war (Russian Revolution/Bolshevik)

Germany focused its efforts to the Western Front and were within 50 miles of Paris

Americans got there in time to help stop the German advance

US in WWI

Germany started to have problems within its infrastructureThe Kaiser gave up the throneThe new leaders were tired of fighting and

agreed to an armistice (cease-fire)

End of WWI

Bloodiest war in history up to that time22 million dead

○ More than half were civilians20 million wounded10 million became refugees

Economic$338 billion

US loses48,000 in battle / 62,000 from disease200,000 wounded

b. Explain the domestic impact of World War I, as reflected by the origins of the Great Migration, the Espionage Act, and socialist Eugene Debs.

WWI Impacts at home War Economy

Wages increased for most industries Food

Meatless/sweetless/wheatless/porkless War Financing

TaxesBonds

PropagandaBiased communication designed to

influence people’s thoughts and actions (Posters and etc…)

WWI Impacts at home

Attacks on civil libertiesAmericans who emigrated from other

nations ○ Especially those from Germany and Austria-

HungaryLost jobsOrchestras wouldn’t play Mozart, Bach, Beethoven,

and BrahmsTowns changed their namesSchools didn’t teach GermanBooks removed from shelvesHamburgers became Salisbury Steak

WWI Impacts at home Espionage Act

Made it a crime to communicate any information that would interfere with U.S. military operations or aid its enemies

Eugene V. Debs, the Socialist Party presidential candidate in 1904, 1908, and 1912, was convicted for hindering military recruiting by making a speech against itWas sentenced to 10 years in prison

Many people supported such laws although they violated the spirit of the First Amendment

WWI Impacts at home

Great MigrationThe war created jobs in northeastern and

mid-western citiesAfrican Americans, tired of living under the

repression that was common in the South, moved to the North by the thousands

c. Explain Wilson’s Fourteen Points and the proposed League of Nations.

Isolationism

Before the United States entered the war, Wilson had given a speech in which he described Fourteen Points he felt were key to avoiding future wars

During the post-war treaty negotiations, Wilson worked hard to get as many as possible of his Fourteen Points included in the treatySucceeded in securing the creation of the

League of Nations

Isolationism

American opposition to the League of Nations ultimately led the Senate to refuse to ratify the treatyIsolationists in the Senate believed that by

joining the League the United States would become involved in future conflicts in Europe and elsewhere

The United States never joined the League of Nations

14 Points

President Wilson’s peace proposals that outlined a plan for achieving a just and lasting peace1-4 – end secret treaties, freedom of the

seas, free trade, reduce national armies and navies

5 – adjustment of colonial claims with fairness toward colonial peoples

14 Points 6-13 – self-determination – allow people to

decide for themselves under what government they wished to live under

14 – a ‘general association of nations’ that would protect ‘great and small states alike’

League of Nations

Would provide a forum for nations to discuss and settle their grievances without having to resort to war

The US would never join the League but would be an unofficial observer at meetings

Treaty of Versailles

9 new nations Shifted boundaries of others Ottoman Empire now 5 mandates

controlled by Britain and France Germany could not have an army and

had to pay reparations (war damages)$33 billion to the AlliesWar-Guilt Clause

Peace built upon quicksand

d. Describe passage of the Eighteenth Amendment, establishing Prohibition, and the Nineteenth Amendment, establishing woman suffrage.

18th Amendment

Social changes seen during the war led to two constitutional amendments

Americans’ anti-German feelings led to a campaign to outlaw beer and other alcoholic beveragesThis campaign well suited the Progressive

Era’s opposition to saloons Congress passed the 18th Amendment

Prohibited “the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors”

18th Amendment Opposition Speakeasies

Hidden saloons and nightclubsSacramental wine sales skyrocketed

BootleggersSmugglers brought in alcohol from Canada,

Cuba, and the West IndiesAl Capone in Chicago

19th Amendment

The 19th Amendment, gave women the right to voteHelped by the country’s gratitude for

women’s economic contributions during the war

The women had filled jobs in factories that the war created after men volunteered and were drafted into military service

72 years after the Seneca Falls Convention