World War I

Long-Term Causes Militarism – the process of intimidating other countries by building up a strong and impressive military Alliances – agreements between nations to help each other in the event of war Imperialism – arguments between world powers over influence in other nations Nationalism – pride in one’s own country or nationality

Immediate Causes The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand started WWI in EUROPE Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia Serbia was allied with Russia, who entered the war This brought Germany in, who was allied with Austria-Hungary Germany’s involvement brought more of Europe into the war IT WAS A DOMINO EFFECT

The Alliances Great Britain, France, and Russia formed the Triple Entente Germany and Austria-Hungary formed the Central Powers Many countries were scared of Germany and its leader Kaiser Wilhelm II, who had the dreaded U-boats World’s 1st submarines

The United States In 1914, Woodrow Wilson declared neutrality, and began a policy of isolationism Staying out of world affairs Election of 1916 – Wilson was re-elected, running on the slogan “He kept us out of war!”

The US Enters War The Lusitania – a passenger ship being used to sneak supplies from the US to Great Britain – Germany torpedoed it, killing over 1200 passengers Zimmerman Telegram – intercepted by the US, this document was from Germany, urging Mexico to attack the US

Wilson Faces a Problem Wilson had won the Election of 1916 on the campaign slogan “Keep us out of war!” Now, it looked as if he had to declare war on Germany Wilson justified war by saying that “the world must be made safe for democracy” Wanted the US to see the war as a battle between good and evil, and view him as noble We joined the war in April 1917

The Weapons of World War I U-boat – UNRESTRICTED SUBMARINE WARFARE!!!!!!! Hand grenades Machine guns – mechanical guns that can fire lots of rounds very rapidly Land mines – hidden bombs planted in the ground Mustard Gas – poisonous gas, first used by the Germans Trench Warfare – long ditches where soldiers would take cover while they fired at the enemy

The Doughboys When the US entered the war in 1917, it was not ready to fight yet A draft was enacted to boost numbers, called the Selective Service Act Those drafted were shipped to Europe to fight, and called the “Doughboys” Under the command of General John J. Pershing, they played a huge role in winning the war

Turning Points in the War Russia pulls out – the Russian Revolution distracted the already tired forces US Troops save Paris – June 1917, the US Marines defeated the Germans in Paris In late 1918, an armistice (or ceasefire) was signed, ending the war

The Big Four and the 14 Points To discuss peace, the leaders of the “Big Four” met (US, Great Britain, France, and Italy) Wilson’s 14 Points – reduction of armaments (weapons) and a League of Nations

The League of Nations “Peace without Victory” – Wilson thought that lasting peace would only be achieved if countries negotiated as equals instead of as winners and losers The League of Nations was to be a place where countries could negotiate instead of going to war

The League of Nations Cont’d Although the League of Nations was formed and several nations joined, the US was ironically not one of them Isolationism Henry Cabot Lodge – a Senator who feared that a commitment to an international org. would lead to binding alliances that would drag us into war again

Treaty of Versailles (1919) Germany was forced to sign the treaty Made Germany take responsibility for the war Made Germany dismantle its military Made Germany pay war reparations (pay the debts for the war) Just like Wilson predicted, bitterness and resentment grew among the German people, allowing Adolph Hitler to rise to power later

Consequences of the War Increased role of the federal gov’t War Industries Board – placed controls on the US economy to get supplies for US troops in Europe Committee on Public Information – led by George Creel, it was supposed to encourage public support for the war Food Administration –led by future President Herbert Hoover, this was meant to encourage people to conserve food for the war effort

Espionage and Sedition Acts In the name of protecting national security, this legislation made it illegal to: interfere with the draft Obstruct the sale of Liberty Bonds Make statements critical of the US gov’t, the Constitution, or the US military Eugene V. Debs was convicted of criticizing the gov’t and sentenced to 10 years in prison

Mitchell Palmer Debs’ campaign ad, 1920

Schenck v. US Charles Schenck was an opponent of WWI He was arrested under the Espionage and Sedition Acts Schenck argued that his arrest violated his 1st Amendment rights RULING: The Supreme Court ruled that “freedom of speech” could be silenced when there is a “clear and present danger” involved

The Red Scare Begins Bolshevik Revolution – instituted Communism in place of the csar in Russia US politicians and big business leaders feared that a similar revolution might occur in the US Palmer Raids – suspected communists and other “subversives” were arrested and jailed

Dawes Plan Once Germany’s economy began to go into a depression, US banker Charles G. Dawes came up with a plan The US was to give Germany money to boost its economy The intention was good, but Germany ended up defaulting on the loans This sent Germany, most of Europe, and the US into a depression