World War I and the 1920’s Section 2.3 pg

Europe Goes to War In the early 20 th century many European nations formed an alliance. – Alliance: Countries come together and agree to help each other if one of them is attacked Archduke Francis Ferdinand (heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary) is assassinated by Serbian nationalists.

Europe Goes to War (con’t.) Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia, and threatened war. Russia becomes Serbia’s ally and promises to defend them in war. Germany quickly becomes Austria-Hungary’s ally and fight on their side in war. All of Europe enters a war.

Europe Goes to War (con’t.) Central Powers (allies) – Germany and Austria-Hungary Triple Entente (allies) – Russia, Great Britain, and France The conflict would continue to grow, and eventually include nations from all around the world. This war would become known as World War I.

The United States Joins the Fighting In the beginning most U.S. citizens wanted to stay out of the war. – Belief: It was Europe’s fight not America’s Woodrow Wilson won the presidency in 1916 by promising not to get the U.S. into the war. – However, in time there would be several things that would happen to have the U.S. enter the war.

The Lusitania Some of the ships Germany fired at were carrying U.S. citizens. – May of 1915, Germans sank the Lusitania The sinking of the Lusitania killed over 100 people. – Americans took it as an evil attack against innocent civilians. – In reality, the U.S. Government was secretly using the Lusitania to sneak military supplies to Great Britain and its allies The sinking of the Lusitania cause public opinion change, and more people began to favor the U.S. joining the war.

U-Boats U-Boats: submarines – Ships that sail underwater – Stay hidden beneath the surface, and shoot torpedoes to sink ships – Germany used U-Boats during WWI – Germany chose to fire at all ships Enemy Ships Ships from other countries, because Germany thought they were carrying goods to help the countries Germany was fighting.

The Zimmermann Telegram This was the second main event that caused the U.S. to be come outraged with Germany. The Zimmermann Telegram was an actual telegram – It was a secret telegram sent by Germany’s foreign minister Arthur Zimmermann to Mexico City – It asked Mexico to attack the U.S. if the U.S. went to war with Germany. – In return Germany would help Mexico win back it’s North American parts it had lost to the U.S. during the 1800’s. Mexico did not agree to the deal America found out and we became very alarmed!

U.S. Involvement In 1918 the first American soldiers reached Europe. – Arrived just in time to help turn back Germany’s attack against Paris. – Millions of Europeans were already dead when they arrived, and many homes and cities had been destroyed. Just the presence of the Americans made Germany realize there was no hope for them to win.

Victory in Europe After this realization Germany agreed to sign an armistice – Armistice: an agreement to stop fighting – Signed in November of 1918 – Drafted by President Wilson and other Allied leaders – Ended the war Wilson didn’t want to punish Germany for the war, but many other European nations did.

Treaty of Versailles This was drafted, and forced Germany to take total blame for the war. – Germany had to pay for the war – Germany had to decrease the size of its military Many Germans grew bitter because of this treaty. The U.S. Senate refused to ratify the treaty for fear it would lead to future wars and alliances with foreign countries.

The Roaring Twenties The decade that followed the war became known as the Roaring Twenties. – The war called for increased production, jobs, and a high demand for products. – These increases led to increased prosperity. After the war, most Americans wanted to return to normal, and enjoy the new wealth.

Jazz Age The first years of the 1920’s were called the Jazz Age. Jazz – A new form of music that came from New Orleans to northern cities early in the decade. – A style of music that uses brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments to play without looking at music, and just from the heart. – Led to the creation of several new dances Louis Armstrong one of the most famous jazz musicians in history, during this time.

The Harlem Renaissance An important movement among the African American community. – Involved black writers and artists. – Named for Harlem, New York (a mostly black community where the movement began). – Langston Hughes became famous for his poems and stories about black life in America during this time. – Zora Neale Hurston was another famous author of the time.

Henry Ford and the Automobile In the early ’20’s few people owned cars, because they were expensive Henry Ford introduced the idea of mass producing cars, with the assembly line. – This made cars cheaper and more affordable. – Each employee was responsible for assembling one part of each car. (For $5 a day which was good). The first mass produced car was the Model T Ford.

American Heroes Many American Heroes arose during the 1920s. – Babe Ruth Great baseball player, who played most of his career with the New York Yankees. Famous for his powerful hitting, becoming the all- time home run leader with 714 home runs (not broken until 1974). – Charles Lindbergh First person in history to fly a solo flight nonstop across the Atlantic ocean in 1927.

Assignment Time! Please get in a group with the people on your row, and complete the 3 questions on pg. 51 in your Social Studies Workbook. REMEMBER this is for a grade! So be like Babe Ruth and knock it out of the park!