What were the causes of World War I?

• Militarism

• Alliances

• Imperialism

• Nationalism

Europe was a “powder keg” waiting for a spark to ignite

• Assassination of the Archduke Ferdinand - heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne - and his wife

• A chain of events follows leading Europe to war

What were the chain of events that led to the Great War

• Austria receives a “blank check” from Germany• Austria sends an ultimatum to Serbia• Serbia accepts all except the last one• Austria declares war against Serbia - July 28, 1914• Russia begins to mobilize on Germany’s border• Germany declares war on Russia and then France• Germany requests permission of Belgium to march

through to attack France - denied• Germany invades Belgium and then France• Britain declares war against Germany to defend

Belgian neutrality

New Alliances

Allies Central Powers

Great Britain GermanyFrance Austria – HungaryRussia Ottoman EmpireItaly BulgariaSerbiaJapanBelgium

How did the standards of warfare change?

• Distinction between soldier and civilian erased

• Fields were burned and wells poisoned

• British naval blockade starved the German people

• Germany submarines struck at any ship believed to carry armaments

What was the American response?

• War would threaten U.S. business interests • Many saw no reason to become involved• Wilson: America should remain above the

conflict and he would serve as peacemaker• Neutrality Proclamation: U.S. was not

committed to either side and should remain neutral

America should be “neutral in fact as well as in name-impartial in thought as well as in action.” – Woodrow Wilson

How did Americans feel about the war?

• Some Americans felt personally involved - 1/3 were first or second generation immigrants

• Irish and Germans were hostile to Great Britain

• Most favored Allies - Saw Kaiser as an autocrat or saw opportunity to gain markets - liked Allies - common English ties - French our friends ...

What does neutrality mean?

1) To be as neutral as possible in a neutral sense – not care about the outcome of the war

2) Be as fair as possible to both sides without influencing either side to win

During war belligerents and neutrals can trade – but everything a neutral does affects the outcome of the war.

What was the tone of American neutrality?

• Propaganda….

• Violation of neutral rights…

• Financial and Economic…

British propaganda

• Emphasized common ties: heritage, language, literature, legal systems, democratic institutions

• Cut communications with the continent

• Exaggerated stories of German atrocities in Belgium

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ARTlindsay.htm

What were America’s economic ties with the Allies?

• As a neutral power we could trade with belligerents

• Trade with Germany ended because of British blockade practices– Munitions: 1914 - $6,000,000 explosives sold to

the Allies – by 1916 – 80X that amount– Exports to Allies: 1914 - $824 million and in 1916

$3.2 billion– Loans to Allies $2.5 billion and to CP $27 million

by 1917

How did Germany violate American neutral rights?

• February, 1915 – Germany announced waters around Great Britain as a war zone

• Warned neutral powers identification at sea a problem

• Wilson informed Germany that will be held in strict accountability

• American response: “an indefensible violation of neutral rights”

Lusitania• British liner – departed from New York

• Sunk off the coast of Ireland

• 128 Americans died

• Wilson condemned the act as barbaric and insisted on sending a warning to Germany

• Wm. Jennings Bryan resigned as Sec. of State

The Sussex

• Unarmed French ship

• Sunk by Germany – March, 1916

• 4 Americans injured

• Wilson protested

• Sussex pledge: Germany agreed to warn all ships before sinking puts the decision of when the U.S. goes to war in Germany’s hands

What was Germany’s defense for submarine warfare?

• England had taken liberties with international law

• England was attempting the starvation of Germany

• England proclaimed the North Sea a military zone

• Germany must stop the flow of munitions from the U.S.

Who advocated U.S. preparedness?

• National Security League

• business leaders urged that the United States be more prepared - many had ties to Great Britain and would have liked the U.S. to aid G.B. if necessary.

• National Defense Act – 1916 – doubled sized of army to 220,000

• Congress increased spending for navy

Who opposed the war?

• American Union against Militarism

• Jane Addams, Lillian Wald – progressive reformers, socialists, pacifists

• Suffrage movement: “I didn’t raise my boy to be a soldier.”

• Anti-war feeling in the South and Midwest

• Wilson’s campaign slogan in 1916 – “He Kept Us Out of War”

Why did the U.S. enter the war?

• Germany – fearful of loss unless she cut British supply lines – announced resumption of unlimited submarine warfare

• Wilson broke diplomatic relations – Feb, 3, 1917• Zimmerman note…• Russian Revolution…• Wilson ordered Am. Merchant ships armed in

March• Germany sank 7 Am. Merchant ships

U.S. Declared War on Germany• April 2, 1917 – Wilson addressed

Congress• Submarine warfare – “warfare against

mankind”• “The world must be made safe for

democracy”• Senate – 82 to 6• House – 373 to 50• Declaration of war – April 6, 1917

What were the 14 Points?• Speech given by Wilson in Jan 1918

• Wilson’s blue print for peace

• Rooted in progressive liberalism

• Moral vision – road to lasting peace

1) Postwar boundaries – self –determination

2) General principles governing international conduct….

3) League of Nations

General principles1) Freedom of the seas

2) Open covenants – no secret treaties

3) Free trade

4) Reduced armaments

5) Mediation of competing colonial claims

6 - 13) Border changes based on Self-determination

14) League of Nations• Implement the principles• Resolve disputes• Article X of the League Covenant

– Collective security

– “The members of the League undertake to respect and preserve as against external aggression the territorial integrity and existing political independence of all Members.”

How were the hearts and minds of the American people mobilized?

• Committee on Public Information

• George Creel

• Goal: promote the war

• 100 million pieces of literature explaining the causes and meaning of the war

• Posters, slides, newspaper advertising, films

• 75,000 “Four Minute Men” – four minute speeches

Themes…

• America is a unified moral community

• War is an idealistic crusade for peace and freedom

• Image of a despicable enemy

What is a consequence of propaganda?

• Anti-German hysteria• German music and literature banned• German language not taught• Harassment of German Americans• Name changes: Sauerkraut – liberty

cabbage, German measles – liberty measles, Dachshund – liberty puppy, hamburger – liberty sandwich, frankfurter – hot dog

How did the Espionage Act control dissent?

• Key tool for suppression of anti-war sentiment

• Outlawed: aiding the enemy, obstructing recruitment, causing insubordination in the armed forces

• Penalties…• Exclude treasonous material from the

mails• Bureau of Investigation….

How did the Sedition Act control dissent?

• Outlawed any “disloyal, profane, scurrilous or abusive language intended to cause contempt, scorn, contumely, or disrepute” to the government, Constitution, or flag

• More than 2,000 cases

• Controlled socialists, pacifists, radical labor

Eugene Debs

• Gave speech defending anti-war protesters

• Sentenced to 10 years

• Ran for Pres. From jail

• Served 32 months• Pardoned by

Harding in 1921

Were these acts constitutional?

• Schenck v. U.S. 1919

• Congress could restrict free speech if the words “are used in such circumstances and are of such nature as to create a clear and present danger. “ Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes

• Upheld Schenck’s conviction for obstructing the draft

How did the U.S. government encourage vigilante activity?

• American Protective League

–250,000 operatives

–600 towns – spied on people

–Held “slacker” raids

How did the National War Labor Board prevent labor discord?

• Wm. Howard Taft and Frank Walsh• 1917 – wages had not kept up with

inflation – thousands of strikes• Worked to prevent work interruption• Interventions..

– Higher wages – Shorter hours– Overtime– 8 hr day

Samuel Gompers and “business unionism”

• President of the AFL• Skilled, white males• Collective

bargaining…• Concrete gains –

bread and butter issues

• Served on the National War Labor Board

Industrial Workers of the World• Radical union• Organized unskilled labor – all inclusive• Denounced capitalism• Opposed US entry into war as a “capitalist

war”• Became a target of business and gov’t• Espionage Act

– 300 arrested– Files confiscated– End of radical labor movement– Beginning of repression

How did war change conditions at home?

• Overcrowding

• Rapid workforce turnover

• High inflation

• Labor shortage

• Allowed increased Mexican immigration

• Increased intolerance

How did the Great Migration increase racial tensions?

• 300,000 to 500,000 African Americans moved to northern cities

• Labor shortages in the North

• Better economic opportunity

• “Less” racial violence

Race Riots

• East St. Louis – 1917 – Whites attacked blacks– 200 blacks killed– Black labor had been recruited to keep union

demands down

• Chicago – 1919– White gangs hunted African Americans– 2 weeks– 23 African Americans killed – 15 whites

What were African American expectations?

• Supported war effort

• Hoped cooperation would improve their situation

• Experienced equality in France

• Frustrated at home

• Intolerance increased

• Leads to Black disillusionment– Heightened sense of race consciousness and activism

– NAACP – national conference on lynching – sought federal legislation against

How did the war affect women?• Women in Industry Service – Mary Van Kleeck

• Formulated standard for treatment of females

– 8 hr. day

– Equal pay for equal work

– Rest periods and meal breaks

– Restrooms

– No night work

– Minimum wage

Reality of women’s work?

• Accepted goals – not enforced

• Received roughly ½ the pay as men for the same work

• Lost jobs at the end of the war

• Accelerated women’s work in traditional fields

• Led Congress to est. Woman’s Bureau in the Dept. of Labor

What new opportunities did the war offer women?

• Women moved into jobs previously held by men…

• Continued traditional jobs ….

• Red cross volunteers

• Bolstered support for women’s suffrage amendment

• 19th Amendment - 1920

Women’s Suffrage…

• Battle for the vote prior to WWI…

• National American Women’s Suffrage Association – Carrie Chapman Catt…

• Alice Paul – National Women’s Party…

• “The fight for democracy must begin at home.”

• 1917 Wilson – suffrage amendment “vital to the winning of the war.”

Prohibition…

• Moral reform…• Reaction to the

war…• 18th Amendment –

illegal to buy, sell, manufacture, or transport alcoholic beverages – Jan. 1919

How did the power of the government expand?

• Convert economy…

• Business and government collaborated

• Congress gave Wilson direct control over much of the economy

–Fix prices

–Regulate war related industries

What was the function of the War Industries Board?

• Increase production….

• Reduce waste….• Set production

quotas….• Allocate raw

materials…..• Bernard Baruch

What was the function of the Fuel Administration?

• Monitored coal supplies

• Rationed gasoline and heating oil

–Gasless Sundays

–Lightless nights

–Daylight savings time

What was the function of the Food Administration?

• Encourage greater food production

• Reduce consumption• Voluntary

– Meatless days– Wheatless days– Porkless days– Sweetless days

• Herbert Hoover

How did the government finance the war?

• US spent $33 billion

• 1/3 taxes– Progressive income tax– War profits tax– Excise tax

• Liberty Bonds – $23 billion

• Reserve banks expanded $ supply

• Debt $1 billion $20 billion

What was the initial intent of U.S. involvement?

• At first didn’t want to be equal partners

• Congress authorized $3 billion in loans and supplies

• Allies needed Am. Troops to boost morale

• Gen. Pershing went with 14,500 men – realized we needed more

How did the U.S. raise an army?

• 1917 – only 200,000 men in the service• Selective Service Act – May, 1917

– Required men 18 to 45 to register– 24 million registered– 2 million Europe ( most had not

attended high school and 20% foreign born)

• Wide acceptance – believed this was the “war to end all wars”

What was the role of American troops in Europe?

• Doughboys• General John J. Pershing

– Did not want to integrate with European forces

– Thought Europeans were too accustomed to defensive action

– Wanted to save his troops for offensive action

How did the US transport troops to Europe safely?

• Convoy system – heavy guard of destroyers escorted merchant ships

• 230 mile barrier of mines in the North Sea – kept U-boats out of the Atlantic

• Only 637 Americans lost to U-boat attacks during transport to Europe

• Losses went from 900,000 tons/month to 200,000

How did the Russian Revolution affect the war?

• 1917 – Lenin took control of the Russian government

• Promised to make peace with Germany• Civil war broke out• March 3, 1918 signed treaty with Germany• Allowed Germany to concentrate on

Western Front• June 3, German forces within 56 miles of

Paris

How did American troops help win the war?

• Am. Stopped the German advance at Cantigny

• Fought at Chateau Thierry, Belleau Wood, and Second Battle of the Marne

• September offensive at Saint – Mihiel and Meusse-Argonne area

What caused the collapse of Germany?

• Nov. 3, 1918 Austria Hungary surrendered

• Critical food shortages and prospect of U.S. reinforcements for the Allies

• 14 Points…

• Nov. 9, socialist leaders in Berlin established the German Republic

• Kaiser abdicated

• November 11, 1918 – cease – fire - armistice

What was the cost of the war?

• Europe– 22 million – more than ½ civilians– 20 million wounded– 10 million refugees

• U.S.– 52,000 died in battle– 62,000 died of disease– 200,000 wounded

Who attended/controlled the peace conference?

• David Lloyd George – Great Britain

• Woodrow Wilson – U.S.

• Georges Clemenceau – France

• Vittorio Orlando – Italy• Russia and Central

Powers were not invited

The Hall of Mirrors

What were Allied Motives?

–Clemenceau wanted to make sure Germany never invaded France again

–David Lloyd George wanted revenge

–Orlando wanted land from Austria

How were the 14 Points received in Paris?• Germany had surrendered on the basis of the 14

Points• At first accepted – then ignored

– Self-determination limited…– Mandate system of protectorates gave Britain

and France control of old German and Turkish colonies

– Japan controlled former German colonies- War guilt and reparations …– Won commitment to the League of Nations- Only 4 of 23 points and principles honored

What were some of the main provisions of the Treaty?

1) Est. 9 new nations

2) Barred Germany from maintaining an army

3) Returned Alsace Lorraine to France

4) Demilitarized the Rhineland

5) France gained control of the mineral rights of the Saar Valley for 15 years

6) Germany had to pay $33 billion

What were Wilson’s mistakes in this process?

• 1st President to travel to Europe during his presidency – can’t control public opinion

• Campaigned for a Democratic victory in 1918 – When he doesn’t get it, it appears that he lacks support

• Failed to take any prominent Republicans with him to the peace conference

• Underestimated the Europeans– “make Germany pay”

Who was Wilson’s opposition at home?

• Irreconcilables – 16 Senators who opposed the treaty in any form

• Reservationists – Led by Senator Henry Cabot Lodge – had reservations about the treaty…

How did Wilson respond to his opposition?

• Took the Treaty and the League to the American people

• 8,000 mile speaking tour MidwestPacificEast

• 36 speeches in 23 days

• Sept. 25 – collapsed in Pueblo, Colo

• Suffered stroke – partially paralyzed

Did we sign the Treaty of Versailles?

• Nov. Lodge brought treaty with reservations to a vote

• Wilson told Dems to vote against• 39 for and 55 against• Congress considered Wilson’s treaty –

38 for and 53 against• March 19, 1920 – Lodge treaty – 49 for

and 35 against – 7 short of necessary 2/3

Election of 1920

• Wilson wanted a “solemn referendum” on the League

• Democrats – James Cox

• Republicans – Senator Warren Harding – called for a retreat from idealism

• “return to normalcy”