World War IChapter 11 Test Review Answer Key

World War I Begins (Pgs. 394-401)1. Explain the 4 primary causes that led to the outbreak of World War in in August of 1914. (Remember the

acronym M.A.I.N.)

Militarism: Militarism is the development of armed forces for the purpose of using them as a diplomatic tool on a world stage.

Alliance System: The European Alliance systems were a pledge of mutual protection from aggressors. It was meant to provide a measure of international security as other nations were reluctant to disturb the balance of power in Europe. The two major alliances were the Central Powers and the Triple Entente (a.k.a. the Allies).

Imperialism (Industrialization): Imperialism is the process where industrial nations exploit other nations in order to take advantage of their resources and to secure new markets. In the 19th century Britain and France led western Europe in obtaining colonies around the world for this purpose. In time this led to a general competition for colonies. The U.S., Germany, and Japan entered into the fray at the turn of the 20th century.

Nationalism: Nationalism means being devoted to your own culture, history, economy, well-being even at the expense of others. A belief of superiority over others who don’t belong within one’s national identity.

2. Which European state had the strongest Army by 1914? Navy?Germany had the largest army in Europe by 1914. Great Britain had the largest navy, but Germany was gaining ground by the time the war occurred.

3. Fill out the Alliance chart below.

4. What part of Europe was called the “Powder Keg” of Europe and why did it have that reputation?The “Powder Keg” of Europe was a reference to the Balkans. The Balkans is a region of Europe located east of Italy. It is a land comprised of several different nationalities. One of the nations, the Serbians, were very upset about being made part of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. This made the situation very volatile.

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Allies (Triple Entente) Central Powers

Great Britain Germany

France Austria-Hungary

Russia (backed out in 1917) Ottoman Empire

U.S. (entered on side of Allies in 1917) Italy (backed out in 1914)

5. Explain how the Alliance System triggered the start of World War I following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914?

When Gavrilo Princip assassinated the Archduke of Austria, Franz Ferdinand, it triggered the Alliance System. Austria responded by declaring war against the Serbians, which in turn caused the Russians to declare war on Austria. In time this drew in the other members of the two major alliances and by August 14th, 1914 the continent was at war.

6. Describe how the fighting eventually developed along both the Eastern and the Western Fronts. Be sure to underline each of the following terms in your answer. No Man’s Land, Trench Warfare, and War of Attrition.

Germany was forced to fight a two front war with the Allied Powers. This involved a western front against the British and the French and an eastern front against the Russians. In time the opposing armies became locked in a struggle wherein each army dug an extended series of trenches in order to defend the territory their side held. The space in between the trenches was called “no man’s land” which became a land littered with the bodies of dead soldiers who died attempting to attack a well defended enemy line. WWI was a “war of attrition” because the fighting was less than conclusive and over time the war became a process of trying to kill as many of the opposition as possible hoping to reduce their forces and force a surrender.

7. Explain what was meant by “mechanized warfare” and provide some specific examples of what made it so horrific.

“Mechanized Warfare” was term applied to the weapons of WWI. This war was the first truly industrial war. It included new weapons such as the machine gun, airplanes, barbed wire, mustard gas, and tanks. The deadliness of these new weapons made the killing of WWI particularly horrific. Many soldiers suffered both physical and psychological trauma after being exposed to years of combat in a mechanized war.

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8. When WWI initially started what was the official U.S. response towards the fighting in Europe?The initial response from the U.S. during WWI was neutrality. Neutrality meaning that the U.S. did not want to pick sides in the war.

(A) What was the U.S. attitude toward trading with the belligerent nations (nations at war)?Even though the U.S. would not commit to either side, many U.S. industries and the government felt that it should be able to trade with any country that it chose to during the war.

(B)Why was it easier for the U.S. to supply Britain compared to Germany?In time it was easier to trade with the British due to the proximity of the British Isles off the coast of Europe. The U.S. did face German wolf packs of submarines. In contrast, the British navy blockaded the entrance to the North Sea making in impossible to the trade with the British.

9. How did different Americans divide over which side they supported in the war between the Allied and the Central Powers?

The U.S. populace did split regarding who to support during the war. Many American’s of Germany descent naturally favored the Central Powers. In contrast many Americans of British descent favored the Allied Powers. In general more Americans came to favor the Allies due to their shared language and the influence from the press.

10. Explain the 3 main reasons why the US eventually abandoned neutrality and opted instead to fight in WWI including US private investments, threats to US shipping (including the Lusitania), and the Zimmermann Note.

The U.S. officially ended it neutrality and declared war on Germany in order to “make the world safe for democracy”. Many historians have also pointed out the that private U.S. investors had placed large loans out to the Allies and stood to lose all if it if the Central Powers were to win the war. Second, the German navy decided to abandon its policy of not sinking ships bound for Great Britain in 1917. Lastly, the U.S. was made aware of a note offered by the Germans to the Mexican government proposing an alliance against the U.S. in which Mexico would reclaim land lost to the Americans in the 19th century.

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11. What happened in Russia in 1917 and what impact did this have on the war in Europe?In 1917 the Russians had a revolution that overthrew the Czar. The outcome of this revolution included Russian then withdrawing from the fighting with Germany along the eastern front. The Russians then experienced an internal civil war between the “whites” and the “reds”. The “reds”, who were communists under Vladimir Lenin, eventually won and Russia became a communist state. With Russia out of the fighting in 1917 the odds of Germany winning the war along the western front were greatly increased!!!

Section 2 American Power Tips the Balance (pages 402-408)12. Explain how the convoy system managed to greatly reduce the number of ships that the Allied Powers were losing to

German submarines. The convoy system allowed the U.S. navy to provide protection to the U.S. commercial fleet as it ferried cargo and men across the North Atlantic to Great Britain. The use of U.S. destroyers greatly limited the amount of submarine strikes the Germans could impose on the Allied Powers.

13. Explain how selective service or the “draft” managed help the U.S. prepare to enter the war in Europe. (How many men of the 24 million registered to fight were called into service)

Selective Service was a compulsory system that drew young men into military service. In total 3 million of the 24 million men registered were called into service.

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African Americans had a positive experience during World War I in so much as they enjoyed how French cities and towns were not segregated as they were in the U.S. This provided many with their first taste of equality. The negative side of the war was the fact that they were not allowed into the navy or marines and were segregated in the army. African American troops were ordered to fight in many of the most dangerous situations even on the last day of the war right before the armistice was signed. Two soldiers were eventually awarded France’s highest military honor, “The Cross of War”.

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In the space below describe how World War I was both a positive and a negative experience for African American soldiers?

15. In the space below name each of the following and identify their role in World War I.

16. Complete the following by writing the correct words in the appropriate spaces. This text can be found on page 405 of your text book.

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Name: John “Black Jack” Pershing

Role in WWI: lead U.S. general of the A.E.F.

Name:Eddie Rickenbacker

Role in WWI: U.S. airman; flying ace; flew 134 air battles and shot down 26 enemy aircraft

Name: Alvin York

Role in WWI: Joined army despite originally being a “conscientious objector”. On October 8, 1918, armed only with a rifle and a revolver,York killed 25 Germans and-with six other doughboys-captured 132 prisoners

General John J. Pershing commanded the American Expeditionary Force

(A.E.F.)...The American infantrymen were nicknamed Doughboys, apparently

because of the white belts they wore, which they cleaned with pipe clay, or

“dough”. Pershing, however, kept insisting that they should fight as an

American army. “We came American,” he said. “We shall remain American and

go into battle with Old Glory over our heads. I will not parcel out American

boys!”

17. Explain why the Central Powers, especially Germany, were forced to surrender on November 11, 1918. On November 3rd, 1918 Austria surrendered. That same day German sailors mutinied against their officers. Throughout Germany soldiers and workers organized revolutionary councils. Although German newspapers censored the extent of these problems, Germany’s government felt it was too much. Although there were no Allied soldiers on German territory and no truly decisive battle had been fought, the Germans were too exhausted to continue fighting. So at the eleventh hour, on the eleventh day, in the eleventh month of 1918, Germany agreed to a cease-fire and signed the armistice, or truce, that ended the war.

The War at Home (Pgs. 409-416)18. Explain the role that Bernard M. Baruch played in the War Industries Board (W.I.B.). Also, explain what the

W.I.B. did during the war and why this was such a radical departure from the past in terms of laissez faire capitalism.Congress gave President Wilson direct control over much of the economy, including the power to fix prices and to regulate—even to nationalize—certain war-related industries. The main regulatory body was the War Industries Board (WIB). It was established in 1917 and reorganized in 1918 under the leadership of Bernard M. Baruch, a prosperous business-man. The board encouraged companies to use mass-production techniques toincrease efficiency. It also urged them to eliminate waste by standardizing products—for instance, by making only 5 colors of typewriter ribbons instead of 150.The WIB set production quotas and allocated raw materials.

This marked the first time that the U.S. government had ever taken such a direct degree of control over privately owned and managed industries. Capitalists agreed to submit to the government because they stood to make enormous profits from the war.

19. What role did the National War Labor Board play during World War I?During the war years workers wages went up, but the pay increase was offset by inflation. In contrast, U.S. corporations profits soared and investors were paid very handsome returns. Consequently, disgruntled workers joined labor unions in increasing numbers. To deal with disputes between management and labor, President Wilson established the National War Labor Board in 1918. Workers who refused to obey board decisions could lose their draft exemptions. “Work or fight,” the board told them. However, the board also worked to improve factory conditions. It pushed for an eight-hour workday, promoted safety inspections, and enforced the child labor ban.

20. Explain the role that the Food Administration had in World War I. To help produce and conserve food, Wilson set up the Food Administration under Herbert Hoover. Instead of rationing food, he called on people to follow the “gospel of the clean plate.” He declared one day a week “meat-less,” another “sweetless,” two days “wheatless,” and two other days “porkless.” Restaurants removed sugar bowls from the table and served bread only after the first course.

21. How did the Federal government managed to finance the war?The United States spent about $35.5 billion on the war effort. The government raised about one-third of this amount through taxes, including a progressive income tax (which taxed high incomes at a higher rate than lowincomes). It raised the rest through public borrowing by selling “Liberty Loan” and “Victory Loan” bonds. The government sold bonds through tens of thousands of volunteers. Movie stars spoke at rallies in factories, in schools, and on street corners.

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22. What was the Committee on Public Information and who was its director?To popularize the war, the government set up the nation’s first propaganda agency, the Committee on PublicInformation (CPI). Propaganda is a kind of biased communication designed to influence people’s thoughts and actions. The head of the CPI was a former muckraking journalist named George Creel.

23. What were the two main effects of the U.S. government’s propaganda efforts?One of the main effects of the CPI’s propaganda was to promote patriotism. Some would argue that it was borderline a promotion of nationalism. The other effect was to instill a deep hatred and fear of the enemy into the hearts and minds of the American people.

24. Provide a few examples of how the U.S. demonstrated an negative attitude towards things that were perceived to be foreign or “un-American”.

During WWI Americans became decidedly anti-German. Sauerkraut became known as “Liberty Cabbage” and hamburgers were called “Salisbury Steaks”. Dogs which were of German breeds became known as Liberty Pups. Schools stopped teaching German. German authors were pulled from the shelves. People evenresorted to violence against German Americans, flogging them or smearing them with tar and feathers. A mob in Collinsville, Illinois, wrapped a German flag around a German-born miner and lynched him. A jury cleared the mob’s leader. This was also the period when rising for the National Anthem prior to public events became the norm.

25. What were the Espionage and Sedition Acts and why were they so controversial?

In June 1917 Congress passed the Espionage Act, and in May 1918 it passed the Sedition Act. Under theEspionage and Sedition Acts a person could be fined up to $10,000 and sentenced to 20 years in jail for interfering with the war effort or for saying anything disloyal, profane, or abusive about the government or the war effort. These laws were controversial because they stripped Americans of their civil liberty guarantees which are part of the U.S. Constitution. In time the government used this law against such notable critics as Eugene Debs, Emma Goldman, and “Big Bill” Haywood.

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26. What was the Great Migration and what were the specific factors that caused the tremendous growth in black migration? (page 414-415)

The Great Migration was a massive migration of African Americans from southern states to states in the north and the west. Most of these migrants were seeking better jobs opportunities that were made available by the war. Several factors contributed to the tremendous increase in black migration. First, many African Americans sought to escape racial discrimination in the South,which made it hard to make a living and often threatened their lives. Second, a boll weevil infestation, aided by floods and droughts, had ruined much of the South’s cotton fields. In the North,there were more job opportunities. The outbreak of World War I and the drop in European immigration increased job opportunities for African Americans. Northern manufacturers sent recruiting agents to distribute free railroad passes through the South. Third, the publisher of the black-owned newspaper Chicago Defender bombarded Southern blacks with articles contrasting Dixieland lynchings with the prosperity of African Americans in the North

27. What major public health scare emerged around the world in 1918 and how did it specifically impact the United States?

The major public health scare was the spread of an influenza outbreak in 1918. In total it killed 30 million world wide including 500,000 in the U.S.

Wilson Fights for Peace (Pgs. 417-421)27. What was President Wilson’s ultimate goal and intention for traveling to Europe in December of 1918?President Wilson travelled to France after the war in an effort to construct a just and lasting peace. He hoped that World War I would be the war to end all wars. In order to do this he urged all nations to create and join an international peace keeping force he proposed to call the League of Nations.

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28. When did President Wilson first present his Fourteen Points? Explain how the points were divided into 3 groups and what each group was intended to address.

Wilson first presented his Fourteen Points during his State of the Union address in 1918. The world listened to his explanation of what caused the war and what should be done after the war to secure a just and lasting peace. He divided his speech into 3 parts. The first part was parts 1-5 of the Fourteen Points. It largely outlined what Wilson felt was needed to avoid another war in the future. This included 1. no secret treaties 2. freedom of the seas 3. removal of tariffs 4. demilitarization 5. Colonial interests should be considered in light of both the colonized as well as the occupying forces.

The next eight points dealt with boundary changes. Wilson based these provisions on the principle of self-determination “along historically established lines of nationality.” In other words, groups that claimed distinct ethnic identities were to form their own nation-states or decide for themselves to what nations they would belong.

The fourteenth point called for the creation of an international organization to address diplomatic crises like those that had sparked the war. This League of Nations would provide a forum for nations to discuss and settle their grievances without having to resort to war.

29. What was the purpose of the Treaty of Versailles and who were the “Big Four” that largely shaped the outcome of the treaty? Who was NOT invited to the conference?

The purpose of the Treaty of Paris was to negotiate the terms of peace that would follow the war in Europe. The Big Four, who influenced so much of the document, were Great Britain, Italy, France, and the United States.

Germany was not allowed to partake in the negotiations at Versailles. Equally, Russia was not invited to the conference due to the fact that its government had become communist. The Russians were deeply upset about this due to the fact that they had lost more people in the war than any other country.

30. How many new nations were created by the Treaty of Versailles and what happened to the land that was formerly part of the Ottoman Empire?

The Treaty of Versailles established nine new nations—including Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia—and shifted the boundaries of other nations. It carved five areas out of the Ottoman Empire and gave them to France and Great Britain as mandates, or temporary colonies. Those two Allies were to administer their respective mandates until the areas were ready for self-rule and then independence.

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31. What are “reparations” and how much was Germany forced to repay according to the Treaty of Versailles?Reparations were war damages that Germany was forced to pay Britain and France. In total the Treaty of Versailles required Germany to pay $33 billion to the Allies.

32. What was the war-guilt clause that was included in the Treaty of Versailles?The war-guilt clause required Germany to admit that it was entirely responsible for the war and accept the blame for the entire war all unto itself.

33. What were the 4 basic weaknesses of the Treaty of Versailles according to your textbook? (Page 418 you will need to get one from your notes)

The four great weaknesses of the Treaty of Versailles were:1. Germany was forced to accept the war-guilt clause although everybody in the war was equally responsible

for the horror of the war.2. The Germany economy could not repay $33 billion in war reparations.3. The Russians were not invited to Versailles and ended up losing more land due to the treaty than any other

country involved in the war.4. The rights of colonized nations to established self-determination were entirely ignored.

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34. What were some of the main sources of opposition to ratifying the Treaty of Versailles that President Wilson confronted in the U.S. after he returned from Europe in 1919?

There were several groups of Americans who were opposed to ratifying the Treaty of Versailles. These included Hebert Hoover who felt the terms were too tough on Germany. Equally many American of German descent felt that the terms of the treaty were unfair. However, the biggest form of opposition came from the Republicans in the Senate led by Senator Henry Cabot Lodge of Massachusetts. Lodge was upset that ratifying the treaty would require the U.S. to join the League of Nations and therefore lose its unilateral power to decide when and where it would go to war.

35. In what ways could have President Wilson have increased his chances of getting the U.S. Senate to ratify the Treaty of Versailles?

President Wilson could have improved his odds of getting the Treaty of Versailles ratified had he simply included more Republicans from the Senate in his overseas delegation. Equally he could have sought to establish more compromise language in order to gain more support in the Senate. His rigid approach cost him votes and ultimately the U.S. would not ratify the treaty.

36. What was the intention of the League of Nations and why did the U.S. not become a member despite all of President Wilson’s attempts to get the U.S. to join?

The League of Nations was intended to be an international organization that would seek to settle international crises through negotiation rather than warfare. The League would rely on its members to use military force, if needed, to keep other nations from fighting. This aspect of the League of Nations caused many Americans to fear that it would strip the U.S. of its sovereignty. Therefore, the U.S. never joined the League of Nations.

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37. World War I Casualties. Please fill out the graph below by using the chart on page 408.(B). What might be the reason for the relatively low number of U.S. casualties in World War I?U.S. casualties were significantly less due to the relatively late entry of the U.S. into the war compared to the other nations.

38. Summarize in your own words the “Domestic Consequences of World War I” listed on page 421.

1. The war helped the U.S. became the world’s greatest industrial power at a rate that was faster than would have otherwise proved possible.

2. The war triggered the Great Migration which greatly redistributed demographic patterns around the U.S. as African Americans moved from the south to the north and west.

3. The war’s propaganda efforts greatly increased a deep resentment against anything that was considered to be foreign, radical, different, or immigrant in the U.S. This would lead to a dark chapter in the nation’s history following the war.

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Total Troops Mobilized by the Allied Powers:

43, 749, 850

Total Troops Mobilized by the Central Powers:

24, 249, 421

Total Russian Casualties: 9,300,000

Total German Casualties: 7,209,413

Total French Casualties: 6,220,800

Total Austria-Hungarian Casualties: 4,650,200

Total British Casualties: 3,428,535

Total United States Casualties: 325,236