1. Wilson and World War One
Part I

2. Woodrow Wilson Believed America was a “city on a hill”
A light to the world
Saw himself in a messiah role of sorts
Brilliant and charismatic
President of Princeton University as well as US
President of USA
President became most powerful man in America under Wilson

3. Wilson’s Four Principles
Concentration of power by gov. leaders
Even though he said accountability was important
Congressional Government
Accountability stems from democratic process
Elections
Pragmatism
No absolute values or laws
Things change depending upon need
Society was more important than individual
“There is nothing private in America. Everything is public”

4. “New Freedom” Wilson’s presidential campaign
Stricter regulation of business
Government control of money supply
Income tax utilized
Good:
Prevented business from abusing the lowly
Helped society’s marginalized
Bad:
More power in the hands of government
Government could assert its own morality

5. Three Struggles Wilson had to win over 3 groups Democratic Party
Congress
American Public

6. Democratic Party Division w/in Democratic Party
Progressives vs. old line Democrats
Wilson sided w/ the stronger side
Old line democrats
Used patronage
Rewarded friends
Punished enemies
Encouraged loyalty

7. Congress Made own legislative program
Personal appearances at the Capitol
Personal conferences w/ congressmen
Delivered messages to Congress in person
Made Congress sit for longest session in its history at that time
Passed his “New Freedom” legislation

8. American Public Great orator
Made people believe they were on a moral crusade
Informal press releases to influence public

9. Wilson as President Created the Federal Reserve Board
Composed of 12 regional banks
Government can control inflation
Federal Trade Commission Act
Government given more control over commerce
Clayton Antitrust Act
Government given more power to break up big business
Underwood-Simmons Tax
Small income tax
Social Welfare Legislation (laws enacted to assist individuals)
Federal Farm Loan Act
Loans to farmers
Adamson Act
8 hour day for interstate railroad workers
Child Labor Act
Prohibited kids under 14 from working in factories

10. Supreme Court Wilson appointed Louis D. Brandeis
In the tradition of Oliver Wendell Holmes
Brandeis believed law and morality were relative
It was questionable whether or not the Senate would approve Wilson’s nomination
Wilson said that they had to approve or he would not favor them through patronage
Nomination confirmed

11. Part II

12. The Election of 1916 Wilson (Dem) Charles Evans Hughes (Rep)
Slogan: “He kept us out of war”
WWI going on in Europe at this time
Pointed to the legislation he’d passed
Charles Evans Hughes (Rep)
Left the Supreme Court to accept nomination
Also believed in expanded government power
Many expected Hughes to win
Republicans were majority party

13. Why Wilson Won Republicans advocated war
Or at least building up America’s military in case
Lost many votes of German immigrants
Hughes appeared less progressive
Lost votes of intellectuals/reformers
California incident
Hughes did not meet with progressive candidate for CA governor, Hiram Johnson
Even though they stayed in same hotel
Appeared that Hughes snubbed him
Story spread, even though it was Johnson who had intentionally avoided Hughes
Hughes most likely didn’t know Johnson was there
Hughes criticized Wilson as being collectivist
Businesses supported Hughes
Idea of Democrats being liberal, Republicans being conservative emerged

14. The Results Close election
Hughes confident he had won when he went to bed
Phone call to his house shows this
“The President has gone to bed”
“When he wakes up, tell him he is not the President”
Wilson won by 23 electoral votes

15. 4 MAIN Causes of WWI Militarism Alliances Imperialism Nationalism
Arms race
Alliances
Triple Alliance
Germany, Austria-Hungary, Serbia
Triple Entente
Britain, France, Russia
Imperialism
Countries had taken over others all over the world, and therefore competed w/ one another globally
Nationalism
Belief that one’s country was superior
Led people to be cocky about start of war
Expected quick, easy victory in months
Parades at outbreak of war
“War to End All Wars”

16. MAIN or MANIA? Assassination Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
Assassinated by member of “The Black Hand”
Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip (19) shot him
Sarajevo, Bosnia

17. World War I 28 July, 1914 – 11 November, 1918 Allies Central Powers
Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Belgium, Serbia, Romania
Central Powers
Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, Bulgaria

19. Pressure Builds in America
Lusitania
British passenger liner
Torpedoed by a German submarine
Secretly carrying war materials from US to Britain
1,198 killed, including 124 Americans
Many wanted war
Wilson remained neutral, made agreements with Germany
Germany turned to unrestricted sub warfare
Figured it could win war quickly, even if US entered
Wilson ended relations with Germany, did not enter war

20. America Enters Zimmerman Telegram Laconia
German minister in Mexico sent message to GER
Encouraged alliance w/ MEX against US
Mexico to get NM, TX, and AZ if war was won
Intercepted by British, given to Americans
Laconia
Ship torpedoed by U-boat
2 Americans dead
US entered war on APR 4, 1917
Enthusiasm
Wilson: US fighting “to make the world safe for democracy”

21. Style of Warfare Trench warfare Naval Warfare Arial Warfare
Slow and costly
Battle of the Somme
1,100,000 casualties over 7 miles
Months long
Trenches and machine guns
Old war strategies with new weaponry
Tanks and barbed wire
Naval Warfare
British used traditional blockade of Germany
Searched goods going from neutral countries into Germany
Germans used submarine warfare
U-boats
Torpedoed suspicious vessels instead of searching them
Only way to compete with Britain’s Navy
Arial Warfare
Planes
Sopwith Camel
Bricks and bullets
Chemical Warfare
Mustard Gas

22. Part III

23. War Drags On
Our Lady of Fatima appeared, begging for peace in the world
Compromise possible, but war continued
Secret treaty between England/France and Italy
They were to get land for joining the allies
Confidence in total victory w/ US help
US could have helped negotiate peace from their position, but didn’t explore that option

24. Emperor Charles Austria-Hungary Came to power in 1916
Desired peace, but already in war
Concerned with welfare of his people
Gave freedoms/rights to different nationalities within his empire
Acted as a protector for his people
Asked for peace, but no one listened

25. Fourteen Points
A statement by Wilson which he wanted to be the basis for peace negotiations
Point 1: Open peace, no secret treaties
Upset allies
Point 2: Absolute freedom of seas
Hurt British naval power
Point 5: Free and impartial adjustment of colonies
Upset imperial nations
Point 10: Self-determination for the peoples of Austria-Hungary
Stemmed from belief that Charles needed to be elected to be rightfully in power
Charles said that the people near Italy in his territory didn’t want to be Italian, but that Wilson had allowed that
His point was rejected
Austria-Hungary to be split up according to the various nationalities

26. US and the War Effort US not militarily prepared for the war
Draft
Munitions factory
Need to train troops and officers
Significant US involvement not until 1918
American Expeditionary Force
General John J. “Black Jack” Pershing

27. America and the War’s Final Push
Germans launched surprise attack
Pushed within 37 miles of Paris
Americans arrived
Ran into retreating French
“Retreat? We just got here!”
Forced German retreat
Americans helped win a major victory in the Battle of Belleau Wood
Stopped another German offensive at the Second Battle of the Marne
US on the attack
Meuse-Argonne Offensive (SEPT 26, 1918)
Airpower plays a significant factor

28. Armistice An armistice ended WWI Officially signed at 5AM
War ended at 11AM on November
Celebrated even today
Veterans’ Day
Poppy Day

29. Versailles Peace Conference
French Palace of Versailles
Major Figures
Georges Clemenceau
France’s Prime Minister (PM)
Wanted to punish/weaken Germany, giving France the most strength in continental Europe
David Lloyd-George
England’s PM
Realized long-term danger of harsh punishments
English people wanted GER punished, so he pushed for it in order to stay in office
Woodrow Wilson
Wanted to create international organization which could bring peace to the world through democracy

30. Compromise at the Conference
Wilson wanted to create “League of Nations”
Believed it could establish brotherhood of man
Wilson opposed harsh punishments
FRA threatened to oppose League, so Wilson gave in time and time again
“Self-determination” the guiding principle in re-drawing the map
Created countries based on language
Czechoslovakia (Czechs and Slovaks), Yugoslavia
Austria’s South Tyrol given to Italy
Because ancient map had shown that the land once belonged to Italy
Romania received Hungarian land due to secret treaty
Ukraine not allowed to be free of Communist Russia
Germany and Austria not united even though they had a common language
“but this would mean the establishment of a great central Roman Catholic nation”

31. The Treaty is Signed
Germans told to accept treaty as it was, or else the war would be resumed
They begged for revisions
Clemenceau refused to allow them
Wilson listened to Germany’s objections
Versailles Treaty signed as was, June 28th
German Kaiser overthrown
Power vacuum
Lead in part to rise of Nazi Germany

32. Voting for the “League” in America
Senate had to vote to approve League of Nations
Senate was Republican and isolationist
Henry Cabot Lodge
Senate Majority Leader
Isolationist and anti-Wilson
Said America would never accept the treaty as it was
Wilson said he would make no changes
Wilson couldn’t get Senate behind it
Decided to take it straight to American people
Hoping they would get their Senators to back the League

33. To the People Nationwide tour Wilson had a stroke in Colorado
21 days, 29 cities, 37 speeches
“League of Nations is the only thing that can prevent recurrence of this tragedy”
Wilson had a stroke in Colorado
Paralyzed his left side
Wanted to finish tour
Wife wouldn’t allow it
Bed ridden
Wife virtually ran country

34. The Vote
Wilson’s advisors told him to make last second changes to get people to support the League of Nations
Wilson refused
Treaty was defeated by the Senate
They signed a different treaty to end the war
Did not allow the US to join the League of Nations
Republicans went on to win election of 1920
Warren G. Harding