World War I and The 1920s Imperialism

Imperialism is a policy by which one country takes control of another land or country. Imperialists believed the United Stats should acquire overseas colonies to maintain a strong economy.

Imperialism and the United States 1850s- Business leaders from the United States invested in sugar plantations in the Hawaiian Islands The wealthy white plantation owners rebelled against Queen Liliuokalani, who opposed the increasing control of the owners. 1890s- On February 15,1898, the U.S.S. Maine exploded while anchored in a Cuban harbor. Spain was blamed and the U.S. declared war President Roosevelt stated the new foreign policy of the U.S. called the Roosevelt Corollary.

Long-Term Causes of World War I Nationalism- Belief in national unity and racial supremacy. Imperialism- European nations searched for colonies during the 19 th century because they produced more goods than they needed. Military Expansion-Europeans maintained large standing armies in peace time in case of war. Alliances- Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy formed the Triple Alliance. Great Britain, France, Russia and later the United States formed the Triple Entente or Allies.

Start of World War I On June 28, 1914, Archduke Francis Ferdinand was visiting Bosnia. Serbian Nationalists shot the Archduke and his wife. This event started WWI.

Battle Tactics and New Innovations Both sides primarily used trench warfare. A no man’s land lay between the opposing trenches. When each side introduced machine guns and poison gas, the war turned especially deadly. Another important development in the war was the airplane.

Causes of United States Involvement in WWI. The people of the United States did not want to go to war. Officially the U.S. was neutral. The U.S. sold military goods to the Triple Entente. In 1917, Germany began sinking United States merchant ships in the Atlantic. This was seen as a reason for immediate war.

United States Involvement in WWI. By the time the U.S sent troops the Europe to fight on the western front, the war on the eastern front had ended. The Russians signed a treaty with Germany after the Russian Revolution.

Costs of the war. The combined costs to all nations fighting in the war was 186 billion dollars. Over 20 million soldiers were casualties of the war. An additional 10 million civilians died.

Consequences of the War. In the event of future war all men in the U.S. between the ages of 21 and 30 were required by law to register for the draft. In the treaty of Versailles(1919) the Germans reluctantly agreed that the war was entirely their fault. When Adolf Hitler rose to power he used this bitterness to reclaim the achievements of Germany’s past.

The Roaring Twenties. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby. Ernest Hemingway was regarded as one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century. During the red scare the government arrested thousand of radicals.

Prohibition 18 th amendment outlawed the sale of alcohol. This created speakeasies and bootleggers.