1. Station C:
The United States
and World War I

2. America’s growing connections with the outside world as a result of the Spanish American War (Classified Document 002) led to increasing military and political involvement.

3. In June 1914, a Serbian nationalist assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian empire. This deed set in motion a chain of events that plunged Europe into the most devastating war the world had ever seen.

4. In the years before 1914, European nations scrambled to obtain colonial possessions overseas (especially in Africa) and formed alliances with other nations – seeking military domination (control) within Europe.

5. After the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, the major powers in eastern Europe, declared war on Serbia. Within in a little more than a month, because of the various alliances established, Britain, France, Russia and Japan (the Allies) found themselves at war with the Central Powers – Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman empire, whose holdings included modern-day Turkey and mush of the Middle East.
European Alliances

6. It’s AMERICAN
FOREIGN POLICY TIME!!!

7. When war broke out in 1914, the President of the United States at the time (Woodrow Wilson) proclaimed American neutrality (no involvement)!

8. Then, Germany began attacking British submarines and in 1915 sank the British liner Lusitania off the coast of Ireland, causing the death of 1,198 passengers, including 124 Americans. The sinking of the Lusitania outraged American public opinion and strengthened the hand of those who believed that the United States must prepare for possible entry into the war.

9. Then, in March 1917, British spies intercepted and made public the Zimmerman Telegram, a message by German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmerman calling on Mexico to join in a coming war against the United States and promising to help it (Mexico) recover the land they lost to America as a result of the Mexican War of (remember this war? This is the war that, in winning, America was able to achieve manifest destiny but led the nation one step closer to civil war).

10. It’s AMERICAN
FOREIGN POLICY TIME!!!

11. On April 2, President Wilson went before Congress to ask for a declaration of war against Germany. “The world,” he proclaimed,” must be made safe for democracy.”

12. Time to take a look at an excerpt from President Wilson’s address to Congress !
Perform a close-reading (i.e. annotate purposefully) of the excerpt from President Wilson’s address to Congress to help you complete your chart.

13. The government worked to whip up support for the war
The government worked to whip up support for the war. At the same time, it took measures to stifle antiwar sentiment. The government took stern measures to suppress criticism of the war. Under the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918, authorities closed newspapers and jailed individuals for expressing antiwar views. At times, war fever collided with personal freedoms. Private organizations sprang up that encouraged people to spy on their neighbors. German Americans suffered, too. In towns across the country, citizens shunned, harassed, and even assaulted German Americans who might once have been their friends.

14. Entry into the war forced a reshaping of the nation’s economy
Entry into the war forced a reshaping of the nation’s economy. The United States threw its economic resources and manpower into the war. When American troops finally arrived in Europe, they turned the tide of battle. In November 1918, Germany surrendered and sued for peace. Over 100,000 Americans had died, a substantial number, but they were only 1 percent of the 10 million soldiers killed in what became known as the Great War.

15. President Wilson
The victorious powers organized a peace conference in Paris. After difficult negotiations, the Allies came to an agreement. The Treaty of Versailles took away territory on Germany’s borders, stripped Germany of colonies, forced Germany to accept full responsibility, and pay reparation, or payments to cover war damages.

16. The Treaty also called for the creation of an international organization to be called the League of Nations to provide a place for countries to meet, settle disputes peacefully, and punish any nation that broke peace. Despite his best efforts, Wilson’s desire for the U.S. to join the League of Nations was rejected by the Senate (checks and balances!!!). Many Americans feared that membership in the League of Nations would commit the United States to an open-ended involvement in the affairs of other countries.

17. Soon after the war, however, as a result of their wartime service and consistent plea to Congress, women finally received the vote. The cries for democracy and freedom abroad, inevitably inspired demands for their expansion at home. Many wondered how a country could fight for freedom and democracy abroad, while denying it to women at home. By 1920, three fourths of the states had ratified the Nineteenth Amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote.