1. Neutrality Costs

2. US in WWI (1917-1918) A civilian ship, The Lusitania, is sunk by a German submarine on its way from the US to England! Americans are outraged. We’re neutral! We are not funding anyone…at least not publicly. Privately we fund England, and supply their soldiers. The Germans claim that we had weapons on the ship and that’s why they sunk it.

3. The Zimmermann Note The Zimmermann Note is intercepted by the British. It is a proposition from Germany to Mexico: if they declare war on the US, Germany will help them. Mexico is not interested; they have issues of their own. German U-boats continue destroying American civilian ships. We finally declare war on April 6, 1917.

4. Americans in Europe The American Draft takes men from 21-30. African-American soldiers love Europe! Why? The situation is quite grim when the Americans get there. Complete stalemate: nobody’s winning; nobody’s losing; everyone’s dying.

5. Russia Leaves the War Meanwhile, the Russian revolution occurs in 1917. Communist Russia, under Lenin and the Bolsheviks, pulls out of the fighting. Germany is elated! They must only fight on one side now. Thankfully, this coincides with Americans entry to the war, so troop levels remain even.

6. The war ends. Finally. The Americans, as the fresh troops, continue to fight, fight, fight. They push through the Argonne Forest, where 120,000 of our men die. Eventually, it is not weapons, but starvation, that prompts the Central Powers demise. As their people begin rioting, the Central Powers give in one by one. On November 11, 1918, the Armistice is signed, signaling the end of fighting.

7. The Home Front National War Labor Board Federal Agency Help with disputes between workers and employers Why? Keep up war productivity!

8. Women Women go to work All the men are at war

9. Influenza Epidemic 675,000 deaths World Wide – Affected 500 million people – Killed 3-5% of the entire world Wartime censorship=Spanish Flu

10. Committee of Public Information Propaganda Sedition Act – Illegal for Americans to Say Print Write Publish Anti- American feelings

11. Woodrow Wilson & The 14 Points – PEACE PLAN – Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize Peace Without Victory

12. Treaty of Versailles War Guilt Clause – Germany must take sole responsibility for the war Disarm Give up territory Pay back the winners of the war – Equal today to about $442 billion What will this lead to?

13. Nazism and WWII

14. Impact? Political USSR is created New countries! The end of “imperial” nations with monarchies Social Women go to work Economic U.S. is world economic power Europe Lost generation Debt and Destruction

15. New Countries Galore!

16. Casualties of War 9 million + soldiers 7 million civilians USA-7.1% of total forces killed