Chapter 23:World War I

Title

Section 1

The War Begins in Europe

President Woodrow Wilson

Wilson proved to be a strong president

He was very skillful in getting Congress to pass the reform laws he wanted

Progressive reformers were pleased with Wilson' actions

Changes during Wilson's Administration

A new national banking system called the Federal Reserve System

- This change made it easier to put money into the economy when needed

16th Amendment ratified

- Made it constitutional to tax someone's personal income

How Did the War Start in Europe?

European countries:

- Had been competing for trade markets

- Trying to get back land lost in earlier wars

- Some wanted independence

- Did not trust each other

- Each trying to build the strongest armies

Alliances

Alliance 1: Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Italy Alliance 2: Great Britain, France, and Russia

Bosnia

Wanted to be part of Serbia, not Austro-Hungarian Empire

People started to rebel

Assassination of Ferdinand

Emperor of Austro-Hungary sends his nephew Francis Ferdinand to Sarajevo to improve relations

Ferdinand and his wife are assassinated

Emperor blames Serbia and declares war on the country

Assassination of Ferdinand

Other Nations Declare War

Chain reaction happens:

- Russia helps Serbia → France helps Russia → Great Britain helps France

- Germany help Austria-Hungary → Germany attacks Belgium and France

7 countries are now at war

Central Powers

Germany Austria-Hungary Turkey Bulgaria

Allied Powers

Great Britain France Serbia Belgium Russia Japan Italy (later on)

By 1917

Central Powers had gained an advantage over the Allied Nations

Describe what is happening in this cartoon...

Section 2

The United States Stays Neutral

A Question of Being Neutral

Wilson wanted to remain neutral

Germany said the US was not neutral because American companies sold war supplies to France and Great Britain

“War Zones”

Ships from US carried the war supplies to European countries

Both sides set up zones in the Atlantic Ocean that ships couldn't enter

Germany threatened to use their submarines to sink any boats that entered their war zone

US Concerned for Allied Nations

US and Great Britain had become close

France had been an ally to US during Revolutionary War

Germans Sink the Lusitania

In 1915, Germans fired a torpedo that sunk a British passenger ship called the Lusitania

Germans claimed the ship carried war supplies

1200 people died, 128 were Americans

Americans Want to Go to War

Germany fears that US will join war now, so they told the submarine captains to be more careful

German “war zones” then become less effective, and US gets supplies to Great Britain

Election of 1916

Wilson's slogan: “He Kept Us Out of War”

Wilson wins, but it was very close

Section 3

America Enters the Great War

Germany Pushes to End War

After 3 years, the war was at a standstill

Germany wanting Britain to end war, announces they would torpedo any ship without warning that enters their war zone

Tension Between Germany and US Increases

Germany torpedoes ships flying American flag

Zimmerman Note, a secret letter written by Germany asking Mexico to help Germany if US enters the war, is discovered by US government and released to newspapers

US Enters War

President Wilson asked Congress to declare war on April 2, 1917

Congress agrees on April 6, 1917 and declares war on Germany

US at War

American factories stopped production of consumer goods to make war supplies

People work longer hours to help increase production

Women Help in the War

Replace men in workforce who had gone off to war

Women join armed forces as nurses and office workers

US at War

Government increased taxes and sold bonds to raise money for war

Government asks Americans to conserve

Farmers use more land to increase food production

US at War

US Selective Service started to draft young men into the armed forces

American Troops Arrive in Europe

Germans are surprised at how fast first American soldiers, or “doughboys,” arrive

Large groups of US ships block German ports

US uses mines to destroy German ships, and torpedo German submarines

War Ends

Two million soldiers upset German stronghold

Germany asks for an armistice

German and Allied Forces leaders meet privately and end war

Consequence of War

War had weakened the great powers of Europe

Increased the power of the US

Section 4

Wilson's Plan for a Permanent Peace

Wilson's Fourteen Points

Five major ideas of fourteen points (p. 460)

1. Secret treaties between nations would end

2. Any nation would be free to sail any seas or oceans of the world

3. Nations would decrease the size of their armies and navies

4. Boundaries of nations would be changed so people with the same language and customs could live together

5. A League of Nations would be created to settle disputes between countries in a peaceful way

Paris Peace Conference

“Big Four” leaders met to write a peace treaty

US, Britain, France, and Italy

Germany was not invited until after the treaty was written

Treaty of Versailles

Austria and Hungary broken up

New nations: Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia

Bosnia and Serbia became part of Yugoslavia

Treaty of Versailles

President Wilson felt treaty did not provide enough peace, but League of Nations would correct problem of the treaty

Treaty of Versailles

Germany would

- Give land to France and Poland

- Pay a huge sum of money for war damages

- Give up colonies in Asia, Africa, and the North Pacific

- Not build a new army

Congress Doesn't Ratify Treaty

Republican Senators thought League of Nations would force US into too many foreign wars

Wilson Pushes for Treaty

Wilson went on a tour to get the American people's support for Treaty

Wilson fell ill and had a stroke, but Treaty was not approved by Senate

League of Nations

Without the US as a member, the League of Nations was a weak organization

The Treaty of Versailles did not bring about a fair and just peace