US Impact and the End of WWI

1918

US Joins WWI

• Apr. 1917 - US declared war on Germany

Getting the Troops Ready (4 steps)

1. Conscription (Draft)2. Armed3. Training4. Shipped to Europe

Russia Surrenders(Dec. 1917)

• Russian army suffered millions of casualties

• Many unhappy with the war (in Russia)• Blamed the Tsar (Nicholas II)

for losses– Civilians resisted the Russian gov’t– Soldiers resisted fighting

• Became the Bolshevik Revolution– Bolsheviks = the extreme Communist

party that takes control of Russia in 1917

• Vladimir Lenin became new communist leader (Soviet Union)

• Soviet gov’t surrendered to Germany (Treaty of Brest-Litovsk)– German troops can now focus on

France

US Impact

• Trench warfare had stopped Germany in the West (GB + French)

• But with Russia now gone in the East, Germany could focus on winning in the West

• U.S. had a large impact on the war by…1. Adding numbers to Allied

forces2. Increased war supplies

France

Britain Russia

Austria-Hungary

Germany

Ottoman-Empire

German forcesAllied forces

U.S.

1917

Europe in 1917

The Central Powers Collapse• Germany pushed back in the West

– March & April 1918: 20 days of fighting = 110,000 total casualties

• Other Allies made a push in the East (Greece, Italy, Romania)

• Ottoman-Empire surrendered on Oct. 30, 1918

• Austria-Hungary surrendered on Nov. 4, 1918

• Germany was alone– Accepted an armistice at 11 a.m. on

Nov. 11, 1918 (Armistice Day)– “the eleventh hour of the eleventh day

of the eleventh month”•Armistice - stoppage of fighting to create and agree upon a treaty

Why Did Germany Surrender?

• German people grew tired of war (lost support)

• Germany’s allies quit fighting• 6 Million casualties (not including 760,000

German civilians)– GB blockade left Germany starving

• Economy wrecked w/o trade• Allied forces stronger w/ US joining

Peace Treaty is Signed 1919

• Allies met in Paris to create a treaty– Central Powers not included– Russia not included

• Versailles Treaty of 1919• Treaty was very hard on

Germany (had to agree)

Versailles Treaty 1919• Germany made to accept all the

blame for starting WWI• AH split• Germany gave up land to France,

Belgium, Denmark– Poland was recreated (from

Germany and Russia)• Germany gave up all overseas

colonies• Army limited to 100,000 men• Give up all tanks, planes, ships,

subs• Had to pay reparations

– Reparations: money paid by a defeated country to another country for losses suffered during war

– $33 Billion (Equivalent to $420.4 Billion today)

– Finished last $94 million payment on October 3rd, 2010!!!