World War I Policies and Impact

World War I Causes

• Militarism involved the development of armed forces and using them in diplomacy.
• Germany had the strongest military from 1890-1914 and built up their navy extensively by 1897.
• Great Britain also had a strong navy; however, Germany's build-up concerned other nations.
• Alliances were formed as military agreements between nations.
• If one ally went to war, the other nations in the alliance also went to war.
• Triple Entente (1882) was an alliance between Great Britain, France, and Russia.

Central Powers (1882) was an alliance between Germany, the Ottoman Empire (Turks), and Austria-Hungary

World War I Causes (Cont'd)

• Imperialism is when a nation attempts to control weaker and smaller nations.
• European nations divided Africa into colonies in order to obtain raw materials and gain access to selling goods.
• European nations forced China to grant them trading rights.
• Nationalism meant extreme loyalty to a nation and concern for its welfare.
• National groups in Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire desired independence.
• European nations sought to reclaim and expand territories.

The Spark (WWI)

• June 28, 1914 marked the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (heir to the Austrian throne) and his wife in Sarajevo.
• A member of the Black Hand assassinated them.
• July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia.
• Serbia had an alliance with Russia, and Austria-Hungary had an alliance with Germany.

Timeline after the Spark (WWI)

• July 23-28, 1914: Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia and invaded.
• July 31, 1914: Russia (allied with Serbia) mobilized their troops against Austria.
• August 1, 1914, Germany (allied with Austria) declared war on Russia.
• August 3, 1914: Germany declared war on France and invaded neutral Belgium since it was the fastest route to Paris.
• August 4, 1914: Great Britain (allied with France) declared war on Germany.

The Schlieffen Plan

• The Schlieffen Plan was a German strategy for war.
• Half of Germany's army would hold off Russia and the other half would invade Belgium and then Paris.
• Once France fell, Germany would focus entirely on defeating Russia.

WWI Begins

• The French retreated to the Marne River to stop the German advance.
• Trench warfare began due to accurate guns and resulted in a bloody stalemate.
• No Man's Land was the land between the trenches.

Trench Warfare

• By 1915 both sides were at a stalemate due to Trench Warfare and its effects on the soldiers.
• Trench warfare consisted of three distinct lines: front line, support line, and reserve line.
• Conditions in trench warfare were atrocious.

America's Response to WWI

• Wilson issued a declaration of U.S. neutrality.
• The US needed to protect trading rights while remaining neutral.
• The US economy rebounded from a recession after the war began in Europe due to orders for war supplies (British and French).
• In 1915, a German U-Boat sunk the Lusitania passenger liner.
• Many Americans died onboard, and this outraged Americans but the US held back from war.

Why the US Entered WWI

• Further attacks on passenger ships by German U-Boats angered the US.
• August 1915: Another U-boat sank the British liner Arabic, killing 2 Americans.
• March 1916: A German U-boat torpedoed the unarmed French steamer Sussex, killing many American passengers.
• The Sussex Pledge was a promise made by Germany to the U.S. that it would not sink passenger ships.
• Germany respected the pledge for the rest of 1916.
• In February 1917, Germany broke the Sussex Pledge and resumed unrestricted submarine warfare, attacking American ships.
• The Zimmerman Note was a telegram sent from the German minister to the German ambassador in Mexico.
• The British intercepted the note, which proposed an alliance between Germany and Mexico.
• In return, Mexico would regain Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.
• Wilson delivered a war speech on April 2, 1917, stating, "The world must be made safe for Democracy. Its peace must be founded upon [...] personal liberty."
• The US entered WWI.

Technology and Improvements by the US

• Technology advancements.
• Improvements by the US military.
• Video.

US Infantry/Weapons: Doughboys

• US Infantry (Doughboys) and weapons
• US Springfied weapons
• Browning M1917 machine gun

Convoy System

• Destroyers escorted merchant ships across the Atlantic Ocean in groups.
• The US Navy put in place a 230 mile barrier of mines between Scotland and Norway in order to keep U-boats out of the Atlantic Ocean.

Air Warfare

• At first, pilots fired pistols at each other.
• They added machine guns and gunners later.

US Enters the War

• General John J. Pershing commanded the American Expeditionary Force.
• Propaganda Posters.
• Changes in America (Great Migration, women, anti-immigration).
• War at home.
• War industries board, fuel administration
• War economy, national war labor board
• Food administration, victory gardens
• Taxes/ war bonds
• Selective Service Act
• Military involvement
• Conscientious objectors
• Segregation
• African Americans in WWI
• US in combat casualties.
• WWI casualties.

Legacy of the War

• U.S. became very rich after WWI; Europe became very poor.

Treaty of Versailles

• France, Great Britain, Italy, and the United States sent their delegates to the Treaty of Versailles peace conference.
• Delegates from defeated Central Powers were not included.

Treaty of Versailles (Cont'd)

• The treaty took 6 months to craft.
• Terms of the treaty
• 10 new nations
• Alsace-Lorraine given back to France
• $33 billion in reparations placed on Germany
• Germany apologized for WWI and took full responsibility for it.
• Germany's military was reduced.
• Japan received German territories in the Pacific.

Treaty of Versailles: Weaknesses

• Humiliated Germany
• Russia excluded from peace talks
• Italy got nothing in terms of gains
• Colonial possessions were divided up.
• Self-determination in the Middle East was ignored.

USA and the Treaty

• The U.S. never signed the treaty
• Reasons: 14th Point, and isolationism.
• Wilson suffered a stroke, and Edith Wilson became the unofficial 'president'

Armistice

• Marked the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918.
• Victory for the Allies and defeat of Germany.

Attacks on Civil Liberties

• Espionage Act of 1917—

• Restricted obtaining information, recording pictures, or copying information related to national defense that could be used to hurt or benefit other countries.

• Sedition Act of 1918:

• Extended the Espionage Act to a wider range offenses, including those that harmed or discredited the government.

Attacks on Civil Liberties (Cont'd)

• The American Socialist party
• Leader Eugene V. Debs.
• Party beliefs: WWI brought wealth to the ruling classes and suffering to workers.
• Targeted socialists and labor leaders: Eugene V. Debs, Emma Goldman, “Big Bill” Haywood, Robert Goldstein, and Charles Schenck.

Attacks on Civil Liberties (Cont'd)

• Schenck v. United States (1919)

• Supreme Court invented the “clear and present danger” test to determine if speech rights could be limited due to their potential impact on the country.

WWI Assessment

• Whether the U.S. was justified in entering WWI was a major question.