The War Debate & Mobilization

Unit 8.2

Preparedness

After the sinking of the Lusitania, a small, vocal minority of Americans were calling for U.S. entry into WWI against Germany

Many Republicans argued that the U.S. Army and Navy were hopelessly unprepared for war

Preparedness = greater defense expenditures

Preparedness

The National Security League- organized by a group of business leaders to promote preparedness and to extend direct U.S. aid to the Allies if needed

At first, Wilson disagreed, but in late 1915, changed his mind and urged for an ambitious expansion of the Armed forces

Preparedness

Democrats were upset with Wilson and largely opposed to military increases

June 1916: Wilson finally persuaded Congress to pass the National Defense Act Increased the regular

Army and Navy

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Think about the strength of our Armed Forces today. If preparedness had never been adopted as a policy, how would this have affected the U.S. military effort in WWI?

Opposition to the War

Midwesterners and Western Americans were highly opposed to preparedness

Socialists, Progressives, and Populists were all antiwar

William Jennings Bryan, Jane Addams, and Jeanette Rankin were all highly against the war Women suffragettes also

campaigned against military buildup

The Election of 1916

Woodrow Wilson was well aware he won in 1912 because of a split in the Republican party

Theodore Roosevelt declined the new Progressive Party’s nomination for president and rejoined the Republicans Republicans nominate NY governor

Charles Evan Hughes

The Election of 1916

“He kept us out of war.”– the Democratic campaign slogan

Wilson claimed he won the election because he was a peaceful leader and Progressive in his own right

Democrats won the close election with most of their strength in the South and West overcoming Republican dominance in the East

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What would’ve been different had the Republican party NOT been split in 1912?

Peace Efforts

Wilson made repeated efforts to fulfill his party’s campaign promise to stay out of war

Before the 1915 election sent chief foreign adviser to London, Paris, and Berlin to negotiate a peace settlement

Other efforts at mediation turned aside by both Allied and Central Powers

January 1917 Wilson gives a speech to the U.S. Senate, declaring U.S. commitment to the idea of “peace without victory.”

Decision for War

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare: Most important in the U.S. decision for war

Germany decided in 1917 to resume unrestricted submarine warfare

Germany recognized the risk of the U.S. entering the war, but believed that by cutting off supplies to the Allied forces, they could win the war before the U.S. could get involved

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If Germany and the Central Powers had effectively won the war before the U.S. got involved, how would this affect our trade policies with France and Great Britain?

Decision for War

Other Immediate Causes: Zimmerman Telegram: On March 1, 1917, U.S.

newspapers reported that British intelligence had intercepted a message from Germany to Mexico

It proposed Mexico ally itself with Germany and in return, Germany would pledge to help Mexico recover lost territories (Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona) from the Mexican-American War

This aroused nationalist anger among Americans and convinced Wilson that Germany fully expected a war with the U.S.

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If Mexico had not lost its former territories to the U.S. in the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), how would this have impacted our involvement in WWI?

Decision for War

Other Immediate Causes: Russian Revolution: Wilson hesitated getting

involved in the war because one of the Allies was Russia, a nation governed by a autocratic czar

This barrier to U.S. participation was suddenly removed when Russian revolutionaries overthrew the czar’s government and established a republic (at least until November of that year)

Renewed submarine attacks: In the first weeks of March 1917, German submarines sank five unarmed U.S. merchant ships

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If Russian revolutionaries were unsuccessful in overthrowing the czarist government, how would this have impacted U.S. involvement in WWI?

Declaration of War

April 2, 1917: Wilson asks that Congress

recognize a state of war existed between Germany and the U.S.

His speech condemned Germany’s submarine policy as “warfare against mankind” and declared: “The world must be made safe for democracy.”

April 6: An overwhelming majority vote for war, but some pacifists like Robert La Follette and Jeanette Rankin defiantly voted no

Mobilization

Germany was preparing a knockout blow on land and at sea

Could the U.S. mobilize its vast economic resources fast enough to make a difference in the war?

Since training troops would take many months, the first American contribution to the Allies was shipping needed supplies Wilson created a number of war agencies staffed by

volunteers

Mobilization

War Industries Board led by Wall Street broker Bernard Baruch Established centralized

control over raw materials and prices

Food Administration led by Herbert Hoover Encouraged American

households to eat less meat and bread so more food could be shipped abroad for the Allied troops

Mobilization

Fuel Administration led by Harry Garfield Led efforts to save coal

and daylight savings went into effect for the first time

National War Labor Board led by William Howard Taft Arbitrated disputes

between workers and employers ; laborers won concessions during the war that had previously been denied

Mobilization

Finance: Wilson’s war program raised $33 billion in 2 years by a combination of loans and taxes

Four massive drives to convince Americans to put their savings into federal Liberty Bonds

Congress increased both personal income and corporate taxes; placed an excise tax on luxury goods

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Think about if our economy and our amount of resources were such that the American public and business sector would still be required to rationalize our resources and savings in wartime (i.e. Iraq, Afghanistan).

Would this policy be widely accepted today as our Patriotic duty or considered too much government intervention? Why do you think so?