 Americans wanted to stay neutral and keep European problems in Europe  The Great War wasn’t threatening American lives or property  Woodrow Wilson won re-election in 1916 with the phrase, “He kept us out of war”

 Britain made use of its naval strength and created a blockade around the German coast preventing supplies from getting through Caused a famine in Germany  Germany responded to blockade with a counter-blockade by U-boats (unterseeboot), German submarines

 Germans used U-boats to sink British ships that brought supplies to England and France  Germans sank Lusitania – British ocean liner with 128 Americans on it  American opinion turned against Germans  Germany continued to attack all ships, Allied or neutral, that they found in British waters

 British spies intercepted a telegram from Germany to Mexico  The telegram proposed an alliance between Mexico and Germany and promised that if war with the U.S. broke out, Germany would help Mexico regain territory it lost to U.S.  Shortly afterwards, U.S. Congress declared war on Germany

 U.S. was not prepared for war Only 200,000 men in the armed forces at the time Few officers had combat experience; last American war was Spanish-American, 1898  Selective Service Act passed by Congress in 1917 Required men ages 18 and above to register for military draft Helped U.S. fill armed services with 3 million men

 America convinced Britain to try the convoy system in response to German U-boat attacks Destroyer ships escorted merchant ships back and forth across Atlantic in groups in order to protect them from U-boats  American troops Nicknamed doughboys because they cleaned their white belts with pipe clay, or “dough” Contributed new enthusiasm to the war effort

 WWI saw the first large-scale use of weapons that would become standard in modern war  Airplanes first used to scout battlefields  Later used to shoot down other planes  Finally used against regular soldiers

 First used to attack and clear barbed wire and machine gun nests  Tanks divided among men to support them Lessened their impact Had to stay with infantry – couldn’t go ahead Couldn’t combine firepower  Later, tanks used in groups to punch holes and move into the rear of the enemy  Tanks and planes reintroduced mobility to warfare

 Shell Shock  Complete mental, emotional, and physical breakdown of a soldier put under too much stress  Soldiers don’t get used to combat – stress wears on them to the breaking point – only treatment is to remove the soldier from the stressful situation  Today, called post-traumatic stress disorder

 Disease caused by standing in cold wet trenches for long periods of time Wet feet get infected and rot End result was sometimes amputation, as feet would get gangrene Prevented by keeping feet dry, clean, and changing socks often

 American enthusiasm played a major role in Allied victories  Tanks and planes reintroduce mobility and decisiveness to warfare – this advantage helped Allies win  November 3, 1918 – Austria-Hungary surrendered, and Germans revolted against their government Overthrew the Kaiser (like a king) and set up a republic November 11, 1918 – Germans signed armistice Final death toll due to war was about 22 million