World War I Overview Quiz

US Role in WWI

• US initially attempted neutrality, but favored Allied powers financially.
• US entry into the war was triggered by German U-boat attacks on US ships.
• 4 million American men fought for the Allied powers, many dying from influenza.
• US industry boomed due to supplying Allied powers.

Events Leading to WWI

• Conflict over Balkan control between Austria and Russia.
• Assassination of Austro-Hungarian heir by a Bosnian Serb.
• Russia and Serbia mobilized against Austria-Hungary.

Causes of WWI

• Militarism (Western powers increasing military strength)
• Alliances (e.g., Triple Entente, Triple Alliance)
• Nationalism (intense pride in country)
• Imperialism (desire for colonies)
• Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

WWI War Zones

• Western Front: Northern France and Belgium, focused on German vs. French/British forces.
• Eastern Front: Eastern Europe, focused on German/Austrian-Hungarian vs. Russian forces.

WWI Violence

• New military technology (rifles, machine guns) increased casualties and destruction.

Wilson's Neutrality Stance

• Wilson believed staying out of European conflicts was in the US's best interest.

US Entry into WWI

• German U-boat attacks on US ships and violations of American rights led to the declaration of war.
• Zimmerman Telegram (a proposal for Mexico to attack the US) was another catalyst.

Committee on Public Information (CPI)

• US government agency created to promote patriotism during WWI.
• Used propaganda to influence public opinion for the war effort.

Sedition Act of 1918

• Prohibited negative speech about the US.
• Suppressed dissent related to the war.

Great Migration

• African Americans moved from the Jim Crow South to Northern industrial cities for better economic opportunities.

Government Expansion During WWI

• Increased government involvement in the economy and society.
• New agencies created to deal with war-related needs.

Treaty of Versailles and US

• US rejected the Treaty of Versailles and did not join the League of Nations.
• Resumption of US isolationism.

WWI Legacy

• Economic struggles in some sectors.
• Reshaping of Europe's political map.
• End of major European empires.
• Increased scope and devastation of warfare.

African Americans Post-WWI

• Hundreds of thousands served in the war.
• Great Migration to Northern industrial cities accelerated.
• Increased racial tensions and violence (lynchings, etc.).

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

• Membership increased during WWI.
• Worker expectations grew, then were dashed by wage cuts after the war.

1919 Labor Strike

• Millions of workers went on strike, impacting key sectors.
• A period of significant worker unrest and activism.

Welfare Capitalism

• A system of labor relations focused on employee well-being.
• Limited benefits due to economic pressures.

First Red Scare

• Fear of communism after the Bolshevik Revolution.
• Targeted immigrants and those with radical political views.
• Extensive government surveillance and arrests.

1920s Politics

• Decline in progressive political influence.
• Increased nativism and restrictionist sentiments.
• Focus on business and economic prosperity.

Alice Paul

• Suffragette who advocated for women's suffrage to combat political corruption and for an Equal Rights Amendment in the constitution.

Women's Post-WWI Movements

• Joined peace movements criticizing imperialism, advocating for social justice, and opposing militarism.

1920s Businesses

• Trade associations emerged to minimize government regulations.
• Business leaders gained significant policy influence.
• Monopolies emerged

Coolidge's Presidential Policy

• Limited government intervention.
• Tax cuts for businesses (laissez-faire style).

1920s Federal Foreign Policy

• Increased federal involvement.
• Encouragement of private bank loans to other countries.
• "Dollar Diplomacy" aimed to increase the demand for American products.

Prohibition

• 18th Amendment banned alcohol production, sale, and transport.
• Rise of speakeasies and illegal drinking.
• Increased gang activity and violence.

Scopes Trial

• 1925 trial over teaching evolution in schools.
• Legal battle over religious and scientific beliefs.

Nativism in the 1920s

• Anti-immigrant sentiments, emphasizing concerns about preserving traditional values.
• Hostility towards immigrants seen as threatening to Protestant values.

Nativists and Mexican Immigration

• Over one million Mexican Americans immigrated to the US.
• Nativists and labor leaders pushed for restrictive immigration policies.

Resurgence of the KKK

• Reappeared with strong anti-immigrant, anti-black, and anti-Catholic sentiments.
• Violent actions against minority groups.

Harlem Renaissance

• Black writers, artists, and musicians embraced black culture and identity.
• Celebrated and documented experiences of African Americans.

Jazz

• Important musical genre of the Harlem Renaissance.

Post-WWI Economy

• Inflation and economic inequalities.
• Significant rise of big businesses and inequality.
• Emerging industries (automobile, etc.) benefitted from the boom.
• Rural sectors, agriculture, textiles, coal struggled.

Consumer Culture in the 1920s

• Increased consumer spending and advertising.
• Use of consumer credit to achieve desired lifestyles.

Automobile's Impact

• Changed American leisure activities and lifestyles.
• Allowed for easier transportation and suburbanization.
• Assembly lines increased production, making cars more affordable and leading to a boom.

Credit in the 1920s

• High levels of consumer credit led to overspending.
• Weakened economic foundation and created an illusion of prosperity.

Causes of the Great Depression

• Stock market speculation and growth.
• Overproduction of goods.
• Low interest rates encouraging over-borrowing, and insufficient money in the banks.

Dust Bowl Causes

• Severe drought and high winds.
• Overuse of land by farmers.

FDR's New Deal Components

• Relief for suffering Americans, economic recovery, and government reform.

Hoover's Depression Efforts

• Hawley-Smoot tariff.
• Limited federal spending on public works and relief.

FDR's 1932 Campaign

• Modern campaign using radio and whistle stop tours to connect with voters.

New Deal Strategy

• Extensive government regulation.
• Economic intervention to address the crisis

FDR's First 100 Days

• Increased presidential powers.
• Created agencies and legislation to address major economic issues (banking, agriculture, unemployment).

Fireside Chats

• FDR's radio addresses explaining economic policies to the public.
• Built trust and strengthened public support.

Important New Deal Programs

• Works Progress Administration (WPA): Public works projects.
• Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC): Financial regulation.
• Social Security: Retirement benefits.
• Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC): Bank deposit insurance.

Reactions to the New Deal

• Some criticized FDR's expansion of presidential power.
• Varying opinions among different sectors.

Political Changes from the New Deal

• Long-term changes in political alignments.
• Fostered greater government involvement in American life.

WW2 Politics: Communism (USSR)

• Shared wealth and state control.
• Stalin's dictatorship and reforms.

WW2 Politics: Democracy (GB, US)

• Emphasis on individual voices, representation, and (in some cases) capitalist principles.
• Key figures (Churchill, Chamberlain, FDR).

WW2 Politics: Fascism (Germany)

• Authoritarian rule.
• State-controlled industry.
• Nazism (extreme form of fascism) and Adolf Hitler.

Rise of Fascism

• Response to economic crisis and political instability.
• Fueled by nationalism and scapegoating (like Jews).

Japan and Italy Pre-WW2

• Japan's expansionist ambitions in Asia and desire for resources.
• Italy's attempts to regain colonies in Africa.

Hitler's Germany Pre-WW2

• Hitler's rise as dictator and pursuit of European dominance.
• Nazi ideology and persecution of minorities.

Neutrality Act of 1935

• Restrictive policies aimed at keeping the US out of European conflicts.

Appeasement Failure

• British and French attempts to avoid war with Hitler.
• Ultimately failed to deter Hitler.
• WWII began.

US Actions After WWII Declarations

• Maintained neutrality but supported financially Allied countries.

Lend-Lease Act

• US lent or leased military supplies to Allied countries.

Atlantic Charter

• Agreements on cooperation, self-determination, and peace.

League of Nations Failure

• Inability to prevent aggression preceding WWII.

Cash and Carry Act

• Allied countries pay cash for war materials, transporting their own supplies.

Pearl Harbor

• Surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
• US entry into WWII.

War Powers Act

• Expanded government powers during wartime.

Revenue Act of 1942

• Increased amount of citizens paying income taxes to fund the war.

War Production Board (WPB)

• Managed war production.

Rosie the Riveter

• Propaganda character promoting women's wartime factory work.

Executive Order 8802

• Prohibited employment discrimination based on race in war industries.

Bracero Program

• Program bringing Mexican laborers to meet wartime labor demands.

National War Labor Board

• Resolved labor disputes, ensuring war production continued.

US Office of War Information (OWI)

• Propagated war messages and encouraged support of the war.

American Industry's WWII Role

• Crucial in supplying Allied war efforts by producing weapons.

California's WWII Role

• Center of Pacific defense efforts.
• Significant wartime population growth and industrial output due to high paying jobs.

Race Riots in Detroit

• Competition for jobs and housing during the Great Migration led to racial conflict.

Executive Order 9066

• Japanese-American internment during WWII.

D-Day

• Allied invasion of Normandy—the most significant and decisive event of 1944.

Yalta Conference

• Key decisions about post-war Europe, including Soviet involvement in the war against Japan.

Potsdam Conference

• Post-war division of Germany and other issues.

Containment Strategy

• US policy to limit the spread of communism.

Truman Doctrine

• US providing aid to countries threatened by communist influence.

German Democratic Republic (East Germany)

• Soviet-controlled part of post-war Germany.

NSC-68

• Report advocating increased military spending to counter Soviet threat.

US View of Japan Post-WWII

• Economic recovery and containment essential to prevent future conflicts.

Chinese Civil War Result

• Communist victory in China and alignment with the Soviet Union.
• Perceived failure for the US.

Korea Division Post-WWII

• Division of Korea at the 38th parallel, leading to two separate states.

Korean War

• North Korean invasion of South Korea.
• Primarily an American-led UN effort against North Korea.

Causes of the Cold War

• Distrust between the US and Soviet Union.
• Competition for global power.
• Competing political and economic ideologies.
• Iron Curtain Speech by Winston Churchill highlighted the division between the East and West.

Kennan Telegram

• Soviet expert's analysis of Soviet intentions.
• Advocacy for a containment policy.

Marshall Plan

• US economic aid to rebuild Western Europe.

Berlin Airlift

• US and British airlift of supplies to West Berlin.

Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany)

• Western Allies portion of post-war Germany.

1949 Soviet Atomic Bomb

• Loss of US nuclear superiority.

Korean War Consequences

• First major proxy war of the Cold War.
• Expanded US global military commitment.

Test your knowledge of World War I with this quiz focused on the key events, alliances, and consequences of the conflict. From the Triple Alliance to the US involvement, explore the factors that shaped this pivotal moment in history.