TN STANDARDS 5.42, 5.43, 5.44, 5.45 WORLD WAR I

BACKGROUND Began in 1914 Allied Powers included Great Britain, France, Belgium, Russia, and in 1918, the United States Central Powers included Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria The war included the world’s most powerful countries, both politically and economically.

BACKGROUND It began when a Serb assassinated the heir to the Austria-Hungary throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Therefore, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Many other European nations had alliances or were involved in treaties with other nations, so a domino effect was created- with different countries declaring war on each other.

U.S. ENTRY INTO THE WAR The U.S. did not enter the war until 1918 German U-boats These were attacking American merchant (trade) ships bringing supplies and equipment to Allied Countires Sinking of the Lusitania This ship was crossing the Atlantic from NYC- it had many Americans on board. When it was hit by a German torpedo, 128 American died- angering many Americans. Zimmerman Telegram A German sent a telegram to Mexico, stating that if Mexico invaded the U.S., Germany would help Mexico regain western states such as Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and California – Britain intercepted this telegram, brought it to the U.S., resulting in the U.S. declaring war on Germany.

IMPORTANT PEOPLE AND GROUPS Doughboys American infantrymen (those on foot) earned the nickname of Doughboys during the Mexican-American war, when those walking ended up covered in chalky white dust. Herbert Hoover In charge of the Belgium Relief Fund and later the Food Administration The war had led to shortages and rationing of food in the Allied countries, so he came up with plans to raise the necessary food by voluntary means. He later was elected President of the U.S. in 1928

IMPORTANT PEOPLE AND GROUPS John J. Pershing Designated commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) Their mission was to transport soldiers and equipment to the war front He used cruise ships and seized German ships to transport American soldiers. By the end of the war, thanks to Pershing, the Americans had a new organization capable of moving soldiers and supplies 1000s of miles in an efficient manner.

IMPORTANT PEOPLE Alvin C. York One of the greatest heroes from WWI Was a Tennessee farmer that didn’t believe in war, but joined the Army anyway He was a sharpshooter- he took out 32 German machine gun nests, killed 28 Germans, and captured 132 German soldiers. He was given the Medal of Honor for saving so many lives

IMPORTANT PEOPLE Lawrence Tyson Had served in the Mexican-American war, and had his commission reactivated for WWI at the age of 51. He was in command of a TN National Guard Division (Old Hickory Division) They defeated two German divisions and captured 1500 enemy soldiers. He received the Distinguished Service Medal

WILSON’S FOURTEEN POINTS The War was over 11/11/1919 at 11:00am – a cease fire agreement went into effect. U.S. President Wilson wanted to make sure a world war never happened again, so he made a plan called Fourteen Points. Points 1-5 were about international concerns such as treaties, trade, and freedom of the seas. Points 6-13 described boundary changes across Europe. He believed groups should form their own nations based on ethnic groups. Point 14 was about the League of Nations. Great Britain and France understood Wilson’s efforts for peace, but they wanted to punish Germany.

LEAGUE OF NATIONS This was Wilson’s 14 th point in his plan. A League of Nations was created to deal with the problems the countries had before the war began. The League was a place that countries could gather and discuss complaints without resorting to war. This was included in the Treaty of Versailles.

TREATY OF VERSAILLES The Allied Powers and Germany met in the Palace of Versailles to discuss a peace treaty. The goal was to ensure peace and prevent future war. Germany was not very involved, and France really wanted to punish Germany. The Treaty had 15 parts. Part 1 established a League of Nations (Germany couldn’t join until 1926) Part 2 gave Germany and other countries new boundaries (Germany lost the land it gained plus other large portions) Part 5 forced Germany’s army to become very small. Parts 8 and 9 forced Germany to take the blame for the war and pay billions of dollars

U.S. AND THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES President Wilson was discouraged by the Treaty. The U.S. never approved the Treaty, and did not join the League of Nations. The U.S. Senate was afraid if they did join the League, they might be forced to join in another World War.

CHANGES IN EUROPE’S BOUNDARIES After the war, Germany’s boundary lines were redrawn. Austria-Hungary became Austria, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia Bulgaria and Romania became larger. Yugoslavia, Finland, and Poland were formed. Many countries were formed based on their ethnic groups (Poland had Polish people, Finland had Finnish people, etc.) Russia lost territories because of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia that took place during WWI.