Chapter Twenty-Two

World War I

Section 1

American Communities

Vigilante Justice in Bisbee, Arizona

• The radical Industrial Workers of the World (“Wobblies”) organized a peaceful strike that won support from over half the town’s miners in 1917

• They went on strike because they saw the war as an opportunity to make demands

• Armed men began rounding up strikers at a copper mine in Bisbee, Arizona.– The sheriff and town’s businessmen justified

vigilantism by invoking patriotism and racial purity. – Of the 2,000 men kept under armed guard, 1,400

refused to return to work and were taken on a freight train to a small town in the desert.

• Neither the federal nor the state government would act.

• The Arizona mines operated without unions into the 1930s and with very few immigrant workers.

Section 2

Becoming a World Power

Roosevelt: The Big Stick • Americans believed that they had a God-given role to

promote a moral world order.

• Roosevelt Corollary– The United States would intervene in the countries of Haiti,

Mexico, Cuba and the Dominican Republic

• Theodore Roosevelt’s “big stick” approach called for intervention. – He secured a zone in Panama for a canal, completed in 1914. – He expanded the Monroe Doctrine to justify armed

intervention in the Caribbean where the United States assumed management of several nations’ finances.

• In Asia, the United States pursued the “Open Door” policy.

• TR mediated a settlement of the Russo-Japanese War.– Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace prize for this

• Root- Takahira Agreement– Agreed to uphold the Open Door Policy in China

– Recognized Japan’s colonial dominance in Korea & southern Manchuria

– Recognized China’s & Japan’s respective colonies in East Asia

– Supported the status quo in Asia

Taft: Dollar Diplomacy

• Roosevelt’s successor, William Howard Taft, favored “dollar diplomacy” that led to military intervention to protect the interests of America– Taft believed that political

influence would follow increased U.S. trade and investments.

– American investment in Central America doubled.

• Military interventions occurred in Honduras and Nicaragua.

• In Asia, the quest for greater trade led to worsening relations with Japan over the issue ownership of Chinese railroads.

• Taft favored a revived, stronger China

Wilson: Moralism and Realism in Mexico

• Woodrow Wilson had no diplomatic experience before becoming president.

• He favored expanding the Open Door principle of equal access to markets.

• He saw expansion of American capitalism in moral terms.– The complex realities of power politics interfered with

his moral vision.

• Unable to control the revolution in Mexico, Wilson sent troops to Vera Cruz and northern Mexico.

• After the Mexican Revolution began Wilson interfered with Mexican sovereignty– He stated that he had a moral justification to do

this

• When relations with Germany worsened, Wilson accepted an international commission’s recommendation and withdrew U.S. troops from Mexico.

Section 3

The Great War

The Guns of August

• Competition between Britain and Germany had led to competing camps of alliances.– The Triple Alliance (Central Powers): Germany, Italy, and

Austria-Hungary– The Triple Entente (Allied Powers): England, France, and

Russia

• The alliances prevented small problems but threatened to entangle many nations in any war that erupted.

• Causes of the War– Alliances– Militarism – Imperialism– Nationalism

• The assassination of the Archduke of Austria by a Serbian nationalist in 1914 escalated into a general war. – Germany had pushed Austria to retaliate against Serbia.– Serbia was under the protection of Russia.– If Serbia was attacked, Russia would enter the conflict,

bringing England and France as well.

American Neutrality • Wilson and most Americans wanted to stay

neutral.

• Many Americans had Old World ties.

• The English and Germans bombarded Americans with propaganda.

• Economic ties hurt American neutrality.– Wilson opposed the British blockade of Germany but

did not trade with the Germans.– Trade with the Allies increased dramatically.

• The U.S. had difficulty remaining truly neutral because– Citizens were horrified by the reports of the

fighting in Europe– Wilson and his administration were pro-British– The U.S. became heavily involved economically

with the Allies

Preparedness and Peace • Germany declared the waters around Britain to be a war

zone and began submarine attacks.

• In May 1915 Germans sank the Lusitania, a British passenger ship secretly loaded with armaments, killing 1,198 people including 128 Americans.

• In March 1916, Germany changed its submarine policy, but Wilson pushed for greater war preparation. – Opponents mobilized on the streets and in Congress.

• In 1916, Wilson won re-election with the slogan “He Kept Us Out of War.”

• U.S. trade during WWI– Demanded neutrality– Threatened Germany that they would break

relations– National Defense Act was passed– Universal military training was enacted

• Opposition to preparations for the war came from– Jane Addams– Lillian D. Wald– Some of the House Democrats that were led by

Claude Kitchin

Safe for Democracy

• Germans resumed unrestricted submarine warfare in February 1917 gambling that they could destroy the Allies before America intervened. – Wilson broke diplomatic relations with Germany.

• The White House publicized a note from the German foreign secretary to Mexico which proposed an alliance with Mexico if the United States entered the war.

• The fundamental reason Wilson gave as to why the United States should declare war on Germany in 1917 was the cause of moral rights against wrong

• The Zimmerman note provoked an outpouring of anti-German feeling.– Wilson issued an executive order authorizing the arming of

merchant ships and allowing them to shoot at submarines.– In one month German U-boats sank seven merchant ships.

• On April 6, 1917, Congress declared war.

• Reasons that pushed the U.S. to declare war on April 1917– Germany declaration of unrestricted submarine

warfare– Threat of Germany-Mexico Alliance– Zimmerman note– Sinking of U.S. Ships

Section 4

American Mobilization

Selling the War • Uncertain about public backing for the war, Wilson

appointed George Creel to head the Committee on Public Information that tried to promote public support.

• Creel enlisted over 150,000 people to promote the cause.

• The CPI: – Developed literature

• To help explain the war– Organized patriotic speeches before plays & movies– Created films to support the war

• depicted Germans as bestial monsters

Fading Opposition to War • Many progressives and intellectuals identified with

Wilson’s definition of the war as a defense of democracy.

• Women’s suffrage leaders who had initially opposed war worked behind the war effort.– The war effort gave women a leading role in their

communities selling war bonds, coordinating food conservation drives, and working for hospitals and the Red Cross.

– Many hoped that supporting the war effort would help the suffrage cause.

• Only a minority maintained their opposition to the war.

“You’re in the Army Now”

• Recruiting a large army required a draft that met with only scattered organized resistance.

• On the first day, nearly 10 million men registered for the draft.– By the end of the war 24 million had registered, 2.8 had

been called to serve, and 2 million had volunteered.

• Recruits took a range of psychological and intelligence tests.

– Stanford-Binet test• Revealed illiteracy rates as high as 25%

• Some praised the army for promoting democratic equality among the troops.

Racism in the Military

• But black troops were organized into separate units and subjected to white harassment.

• Most had noncombat jobs, but those African Americans who did fight served with distinction, and were well treated by the French.

Americans in Battle

• Initially, American support for the war effort concentrated on protecting shipping. – Using the convoy system

• The massive influx of American troops and supplies hastened the end of the war.

• In 1918, fresh American troops shored up defensive lines to stop a German advance that came within fifty miles of Paris.

• Americans joined the counter-offensive that followed and helped force the Germans into signing an armistice.

• Approximately 112,000 Americans died—half from disease —and twice that number were wounded. However, these losses were far less than the millions of losses suffered by European nations.

Section 5

Over Here

Organizing the Economy

• In a sense, WWI was the ultimate progressive crusade. • Wilson established the War Industries Board to

coordinate industrial mobilization. – Headed by Bernard Baruch, the WIB forced

industries to comply with government plans. • Meant less laissez faire and more government – business

cooperation

• Herbert Hoover ran the Food Administration.

• The Fuel Administration introduced daylight saving time.

• Financing the war required new taxes.

• Most of the needed financing came from Liberty Bond drives.

• Wartime developments that continued in the postwar years included – The Farm Bureau– Lobbyists seeking special interest legislation– Government reliance on the income tax

The Business of War

• Government regulations during the war meant less laissez faire and more of a government business cooperation

• Industrialists saw the war as an opportunity for expansion and high profits.

• Henry Ford pioneered efficient mass production techniques.

• Businessmen and farmers saw the war years as a golden age of high demand and high profits. – Goods bought on credit to keep up with the high demand

• The need to coordinate war mobilization:– required more efficient management– resulted in an unprecedented business-

government partnership

• Government cooperation helped to create new corporations like RCA that set the stage for the new radio broadcasting industry of the 1920s.

• Some worried about the trend toward a higher government presence in their lives.

Labor and the War • The wartime labor shortage led to higher wages and

a growth in union membership.

• The National War Labor Board (NWLB) included AFL President Samuel Gompers and former President Taft. – It mediated wage disputes and arbitrated solutions that

generally led to higher wages. – The NWLB supported workers’ rights to organize unions

and the eight-hour day.– Improved working conditions in order to prevent strikes

• Immigration laws were eased in the Southwest to recruit Mexican workers.

• The radical IWW was destroyed as businesses and government cracked down on it. Over 300 “Wobblies” were arrested in a single government roundup, effectively destroying the organization.

• The demand for labor during WWI – Increased the support for equal pay for women– Support for the time- and- a half pay for overtime– Suspension of the Immigration Act of 1917

Women at Work

• The war allowed women to shift from low paid domestic service to higher-paying industrial jobs.

• The Women in Industry Service advised industry on the use of women workers and won improved conditions.

• Women earned much less than their male counterparts.

• Women during WWI– Worked in the war industries– Entered into the armed forces– Worked in manufacturing– Women’s Bureau continued the wartime

guidelines

Women entered directly into the armed forces for the first time

At the end of the conflict, nearly all women lost their war-related jobs.

Many wartime guidelines were continued by the Women’s Bureau

Woman Suffrage

• The war also brought a successful conclusion to the women’s suffrage campaign. – Prior to WWI, women in several western states

had won the vote. – Most suffragists had opposed entry into the war.

• Carrie Chapman Catt, a key leader, convinced her

organization to back the war effort.

• Militants like Alice Paul pursued a strategy of agitation.

• The war made denial of women’s suffrage seem impractical and wrong

• Catt won Wilson’s support and by 1920 the nineteenth amendment became law. – the war helped this amendment

Prohibition • During the war, the temperance movement

benefited from:– anti-German feeling that worked against

breweries with German names– the need to conserve grain– moral fervor associated with the entry into the

war

• Prohibition gained during the war leading to passage of the eighteenth amendment.

Public Health • The war effort also addressed public health issues

such as child welfare- enforcing child labor laws

• The government attempted to safeguard the soldiers’ moral health by discouraging drinking and educating troops on the dangers of venereal disease.– Government distribution of condoms to soldiers

• In the postwar years, clinics for prenatal and obstetrical care greatly reduced the rate of infant and maternal mortality and disease.

Section 6

Repression and Reaction

Muzzling Dissent:The Espionage and Sedition Acts

• WWI intensified social tensions in American life, leading to oppression of dissent. The Espionage Act of June 1917: – Led to an increase in government spying on U.S.

citizens.– set severe penalties for anyone found guilty of

aiding the enemy.• It was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court• It was directed at foreign spies• Took aim at those who obstructed military recruitment

• The Military Intelligence police force grew and a civilian Bureau of Intelligence (precursor to the FBI) was established.

• The Sedition Act widened the government’s power to crush antiwar opposition.

• The Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of these prosecutions.

• The government decided to suppress dissent in the United States during WWI as a result of– Race riots- the worst in U.S. History– Militant labor movement– Bolshevik Revolution in Russia in 1917

• Espionage & Sedition Act

The Great Migration

• Economic opportunity triggered a mass African- American migration out of the South and into northern cities.

• Black women often were the ones who moved north first

• Kinship and community networks were pivotal to the Great Migration. – Black clubs, churches, and fraternal lodges sponsored

the migration of their members.

• Most migrants settled for lower-paid jobs as laborers, janitors, porters, etc.

Racial Tensions

• Racial violence in the South had contributed to the Great Migration.– The NAACP held a national conference on lynching in

1919 pledging to defend persecuted African Americans, publicize the horrors of the lynch law, and seek legislation against it.

• In the North, white outrage at the African-American influx exploded in a series of riots.

African Americans who had hoped their service in the war would be rewarded were quickly disillusioned.

Many returned with an increased sense of militancy.

Labor Strife

• Peace in Europe shattered the labor peace at home.

• Postwar labor unrest was caused by:– inflation– non-recognition of unions– poor working conditions– concerns about job security

• In 1919, there were 3,600 strikes involving 4 million workers.– they were efforts to retain and advance gains

made during the war

• The largest was the steel strike which involved 350,000 workers and was unsuccessful.

Section 7

An Uneasy Peace

The Fourteen Points

• Delegates from twenty-seven countries met in Versailles to work out a peace settlement.

• The leaders of Britain, France, Italy, and the United States dominated the conference– The “Big Four”

• United States• France• Great Britain • Italy

• Wilson offered his vision for peace in a series of Fourteen Points. – The right to “national self-determination”– Liberal principles for international behavior such as

freedom of the seas– Resetting boundaries and let the people practice self-

determination– International body to keep the peace through collective

security

• The most controversial point was Wilson’s vision of a collective security through a League of Nations as a way to maintain a stable world.

Wilson in Paris

• Wilson’s fellow negotiators shared little of his idealism.

• His ideal of self-determination found limited expression when independent states were carved out of the homelands of the beaten Central Powers.

• The victorious Allies seized control of the former German colonies.

• Treaty of Versailles blamed the war on German aggression

• Germany was forced to take full responsibility for starting the war and to accept a reparations bill of $33 billion.

• Wilson was unhappy with many of the compromises in the final treaty but was pleased by the commitment to the League of Nations.

The Treaty Fight

• The League did not enjoy wide support at home, however.– Republicans had won control of Congress and

many senators opposed American participation in any treaty.

– Some senators were adamant isolationists; others were racist xenophobes.

– Senate majority leader Henry Cabot Lodge of Massachusetts and many others feared the treaty of Versailles would commit the United States to collective security

• Wilson went on a grueling speaking tour to drum up support for the League. He collapsed and had a stroke.

• The Senate defeated the Versailles Treaty because– amendments to the treaty could not be agreed upon– The “irreconcilables” voted against it in any form– The Republicans insisted Article X would compromise U.S.

sovereignty

• Wilson opposed any compromise and the treaty did not pass Congress. The United States never joined the League.

The Russian Revolution

• The Bolshevik Revolution of November 1917 led to sending Allied troops into Russia

• The Bolshevik victory in 1917 changed the climate of foreign and domestic affairs.

• Wilson sympathized with the overthrow of the czar.

• In August 1918, Wilson sent American troops into northern and eastern Russia, purportedly to protect railroad connections & pacify Britain & France– Some troops actually participated in the Russian civil war

against the Bolsheviks. – The troops stayed to counter Japanese influence and avoid

alienating the French and British.

The Red Scare • In the United States, the charge of Bolshevism became a

weapon against dissent.

• The Red Scare of 1919 created an atmosphere that suppressed labor, women and change

• A growing fear of foreigners fueled a new round of government repression. – Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer rounded up 6,000 alleged

radicals, despite the absence of any evidence against them. – Many were deported without evidence– Palmer raids deported hundreds of people without evidence

• The election of Warren G. Harding in 1920 showed that Americans wanted to retreat from the turmoil of international affairs and “return to normalcy.”

• REVIEW

1. Causes of WWI• Immediate Cause----June 28, 1914

• Assassination of Franz Ferdinand of Austria• Hostile alliances take effect---War declared

Central Powers vs. Allied Powers• Germany Great Britain• Austria/Hungary France• Ottoman Empire Russia

• Trench warfare and the Western Front

3. President Wilson• Calls for neutrality = conflicting sympathies

• US belief = right to trade with all nations• Germany and Great Britain violated this

policy.notes1

4. From neutrality to war.•German policy

•Unrestricted submarine warfare = USW•U-Boat, sunk the Lusitania (May 7, 1915)

•Zimmerman Note: Jan. 1917

5. April 8, 1917 US declares war on Germany……• Germans violated our trade and neutrality

•War to end all war•The world must be made safe for democracy

•Side with the Allies

notes2

1. President Wilson: The War to End All War War outlook in Jan. 1917

Poor for Allies: Why? U.S. troops in France---American Expeditionary Forces

Led by General John J. Pershing US Troops

2. Actions of Wilson and Congress

3. Women in WWI• worked in the factories

19th Amendment----women’s suffrage

4. End of War Nov. 11th = 11-11-11 = end of the war

Germans sign an armistice notes3

1. President Wilson’s 14 Points

2. Treaty of Versailles = Big 4 countries Germany was forced to

pay war debts = reparations---$53 billion Remain disarmed Lost all colonies

Responsible for war Created new countries

3. Wilson’s Problems at Home • Senate rejects Treaty of Versailles

• Does not join the League of Nations…….Why? • Lodge vs. Wilson

• Draw U.S. into another war• Took away Congress’s power to declare war.

• Americans wanted neutralitynotes5

notes6

4. Results of Treaty of Versailles New democracies would fail without US aid

Germany: treaty of revenge = leads to WWII

5. Post war adjustments….

The YanksAre

Coming!

The YanksAre

Coming!

General John J. Pershing, commanding general of the AEF. Referred to as the Doughboys and Yanks. 2 million in France by Sept. 1918

pershing

Americans in the Trenches

Americans in the Trenches

Council of National Council of National DefenseDefense

Council of National Council of National DefenseDefense

War Industries Board War Industries Board Bernard BaruchBernard Baruch

Food Administration Food Administration Herbert HooverHerbert Hoover

Railroad Administration Railroad Administration William McAdooWilliam McAdoo

National War Labor Board National War Labor Board William Howard Taft William Howard Taft

War Industries BoardWar Industries Board•To build weapons for the war, US industry would

undergo a massive change.

•From a peacetime industry to a war time industry…..

Led by Bernard Baruch, the WIB set prices and determined what goods should be produced by private

industry….

US Govt. controlled the economy

•Contradiction?Contradiction?

War Industries BoardWar Industries Board

Food Administration:Food Administration: Herbert Hoover heads effort to conserve food and boost

agricultural output

US feeds the world from the farms and ranches in the Great Plains… ”Bread

basket of the World”

Liberty and victory gardens

Meatless and wheatless days

U. S. Food AdministrationU. S. Food AdministrationU. S. Food AdministrationU. S. Food Administration

National War Garden National War Garden CommissionCommission

National War Garden National War Garden CommissionCommission

U. S. School Garden U. S. School Garden ArmyArmy

U. S. School Garden U. S. School Garden ArmyArmy

U. S. Shipping BoardU. S. Shipping BoardU. S. Shipping BoardU. S. Shipping Board

U. S. Fuel AdministrationU. S. Fuel AdministrationU. S. Fuel AdministrationU. S. Fuel Administration

Results of This New Results of This New Organization of the Organization of the

Economy Economy

Is it a move towards socialism? 1.1. Unemployment virtually Unemployment virtually

disappeared.disappeared.

2.2. Expansion of “big government.”Expansion of “big government.”

3.3. Excessive govt. regulations in eco.Excessive govt. regulations in eco.

4.4. Some gross mismanagement --> Some gross mismanagement --> overlapping jurisdictions.overlapping jurisdictions.

5.5. Close cooperation between public Close cooperation between public and private sectors.and private sectors.

6.6. Unprecedented opportunities for Unprecedented opportunities for disadvantaged groups.disadvantaged groups.

Committee on Public Information

Creel CommitteeCreel Committee, headed by , headed by George CreelGeorge Creel,, told Americans told Americans what the war was about and to what the war was about and to publicize the American aims.publicize the American aims.

Propaganda posters to get Propaganda posters to get Americans to support the war Americans to support the war

effort.effort.

Committee on Public Committee on Public InformationInformation

presidents actions

congress actions

Selective Service Selective Service ActAct

May of 1917, President Wilson and Congress pass into legislation a draft or conscription. 21 to 30 yrs. and later extended to 40 yrs. of

age.

Contradiction?Contradiction?

1917 – Selective Service Act 24,000,000 men registered for the

draft by the end of 1918. 2,810,296 drafted and served in

WWI

3.7 million men served in WW1 (2,000,000 saw active combat)

Volunteers and draftees

400,000 African-Americansserved in segregated units.

15,000 Native-Americans served as scouts, messengers, and

snipers in non-segregated units.

congress actions

congress actions

Financing the war:

•Sale of war bonds.

•Liberty and victory loans raised $21 billion.

•Raised income taxes

National Security vs. Civil Liberties

fforbade actions that obstructed recruitment or

efforts to promote insubordination in the military.

ordered the Postmaster General to remove Leftist materials from the mail.

fines of up to $10,000 and/or up to 20 years in prison.

.

Espionage Act – 1917Espionage Act – 1917

congress actions

•Provided for up to $10,000 in fines and 20 years in prison for interfering with the war effort or using disloyal

language.

•At least 1,597 persons were arrested, and 41 received prison sentences;

newspapers criticizing the government lost mailing privileges.

•Congress and President Wilson enacted this law to promote

patriotism, nationalism and protect the National Security of the US during

WWI.

Espionage & Sedition Act, Espionage & Sedition Act, 19181918

National Security vs. Civil Liberties

It was a crime to speak against the purchase of war bonds or willfully utter, print, write or willfully utter, print, write or publish any disloyal, profane, scurrilous, orpublish any disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or

abusive languageabusive language about this form of US Govt.,

the US Constitution, or the US armed forces or to willfully urge, incite, or advocate any willfully urge, incite, or advocate any

curtailment of productioncurtailment of production of things of things necessary or necessary or essential to the prosecution of the war…with essential to the prosecution of the war…with

intent of such curtailment to cripple or hinder, intent of such curtailment to cripple or hinder, the US in the prosecution of the warthe US in the prosecution of the war..

Sedition Act – 1918Sedition Act – 1918

•In 1917 the United States was at War with Germany. WWI

•Charles SchenkCharles Schenk, a member of the Socialist Party, handed out leaflets condemning the

war and urging young men to resist the military draft.

•He was arrested and convicted for violating the Espionage Espionage and Sedition Act of 1917.and Sedition Act of 1917.

•Schenk took his case to the United States Supreme Court arguing that his constitutional right to freedom of speech had

been violated.

IssueIssue

Can “free speech”“free speech” be censored or restricted

during war time?

SC ruling:SC ruling: Disagreed with Schenk

Majority opinionMajority opinionBUTBUT, every act of speech must be judged according to the circumstances in which

it was spoken.The most stringent protection of free speech

would not protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theater and causing a

panic. "Words can be weapons . . .The question in "Words can be weapons . . .The question in

every case is whether the words used in every case is whether the words used in such circumstances are of such nature as such circumstances are of such nature as to create a to create a clear and present dangerclear and present danger that that they will bring about the substantive evils they will bring about the substantive evils that Congress has the right to prevent."that Congress has the right to prevent."

•Under normal circumstances,normal circumstances, his actions would have been protected by 1st

amendment

•The country was at war, Schenk's freedom of speech was not protected.

•SC ruling meant there were limits to freedom of speech in war time.

•From the ruling, the Court established the "clear and present "clear and present danger"danger" principle to decide whether or not certain kinds of

speech are protected.

league cartoon1

league cartoon1

league cartoon1

league cartoon1

19th Amendment: Women’s Suffrage (1920) Women won the right to vote….Called the

“Susan B. Anthony” amendment.

Vladamir Lenin Vladamir Lenin Czar Nicholas Czar Nicholas

Czar Nicholas and the Romanov Family would be overthrown by Lenin who eventually would start the first CommunisticCommunistic

state……

CAUSESCAUSES•Food and fuel shortages

•Striking workers•Terrible loses in WWI •Czar was a weak ruler

•Marxist (communistcommunist) propaganda spread by Lenin

EFFECTSEFFECTS•King overthrown

•Russia pulls out of the war•Russia becomes a communistic communistic

countrycountry•Germany sends Zimmerman NoteZimmerman Note to

Mexico

battle fronts

battle fronts

•German offensive in the summer of 1918

to capture Paris, France and win the

war.

•With the help of the U.S., the French and British were able to

stop the German advance.

•Germans surrender and sign an armistice

on Nov. 11, 1918 to end the war.