World War I General Background & U.S. Involvement

Causes M.A.I.N. + “Spark” Militarism  Build-up of military; no “wait” time Alliances  Triple Alliance > Central Powers  Triple Entente > Allied Powers  Creates global war Imperialism  Competition, rivalry & distrust over expansion Nationalism  Devotion to country  New independence movements Spark  Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

War Begins Complex alliance breakdown  Serbian assassinates Austro-Hungarian  Russia (Serbian ally) & German (A-H’s ally) join  Germany invades Belgium to get to France (draws in Britain because neutral & France because threatened)

WWI Alliances Map

World War I Trench warfare  New kind of warfare  Stalemate New weapons  Poisonous gas  Tank  airplanes

U.S. Response Initial Response  Isolation… but leaned towards Allies 2 events that draw the U.S. in  Unrestricted submarine warfare  Zimmerman Telegram

Unrestricted sub-warfare Unrestricted submarine warfare  German u-boats violated neutrality  American ships at risk (especially because aiding British)  Sinking of the Lusitania (1915) British passenger ship 128 Americans aboard died  Sussex pledge (1916) German promise not to sink merchant ships without warning

Zimmerman Note  Note from Germany to Mexico proposing an alliance  Mexico to “keep U.S. occupied” then Germany will help return former Mexican land  Note intercepted by the British > published in U.S. newspapers  > U.S. declares war in 1917

Americans in Europe Selective Service Act (May 1917)  Congress passed > required men between to register to be drafted into military U.S. soldiers  Segregated troops by race  African Americans & Latinos often experienced discrimination  Some women served Mostly nurses & switchboard operators (“Hello Girls”)

War Ends Armistice signed 11/11/1918 Fourteen Points  President Wilson’s peace plan Self-determination: right of people to decide their own political status League of Nations: peace organization to settle disputes

Paris Peace Conference Big 4  David Lloyd George (Britain)  Georges Clemenceau (France)  Woodrow Wilson (U.S.)  Vittorio Orlando (Italy)  **Who’s missing? Why?  Conflicting desires/wants at conference

Treaty of Versailles Military changes -German army limited to 100,000 (no tanks/artillery) -German navy limited to 15,000 -No German Air force Territory changes -Germany gave up land to France, Denmark, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Belgium -Germany surrendered all colonies to League of Nations -Germany & Austria prohibited from uniting War-guilt provisions -Germany solely responsible for losses & damage -Germany owed $269 billion (later $132) League of Nations -Germany initially not permitted to join

Fight over the treaty Wilson presents Treaty to Congress (July 1919) for ratification  Democrats Supported immediate ratification  Irreconcilables Urged outright rejection of U.S. participation in League of Nations  Reservationists Ratify only with changes  Result Wilson went to American public > health concerns Treaty failed to pass U.S. signed separate peace treaties U.S. failed to join League of Nations