WORLD WAR I

Lead up to War

This video clip shows some of the reasons why World War I occurred.

While watching the video, write down the reasons why World War I began.

Beginnings of World War I

4 Words that Lead to War

1) Nationalism – the belief that the interests of one country are more important that cooperation among countries. Each nation in Europe thought they were supreme to the others.

2) Imperialism – European countries were trying to increase their power and influence in the world by taking land, which led to conflict.

3) Militarism – building up armed forces 4) Alliances – several countries in Europe made

treaties promising to protect and defend each other.

Choosing Sides

Triple Entente – France, Great Britain, and Russia

Triple Alliance – Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire

A New Kind of War

WWI officially began on June 28, 1914 with the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria.

WWI saw the introduction of new fighting styles and weapons

1) Trench warfare – while not new it was not used on such a large scale until WWI.

A New Kind of War

2) Poison Gas – mustard gas, tear gas, chlorine, and other types of gases were used as chemical weapons. While deadly it had its drawbacks such as changes in wind direction and the ease of obtaining gas masks.

A New Kind of War

3) Rapid fire machine gun – combined with trenches, these weapons proved to be very deadly.

4) Tanks – armored vehicles. Not very reliable and used mostly at the end of the war

5) Aircraft – used mostly for observing enemy locations at the beginning of the war, by the end airplanes were used to drop bombs from the air.

Despite the new technologies, neither side was able to break the stalemate created by the trenches.

The U.S. Enters the War

Analyzing WWI Events America declared neutrality –

declaring no side By declaring neutrality President

Wilson declared that the US would continue to practice isolationism – a policy of not being involved in the affairs of other nations.

However, America supported the Allies by providing aid and money.

This angered Germany and they used U-boats to sink the British ship Lusitania, killing more than 1000 people, including 128 Americans.

In February 1915 Germany announced that it would sink all ships in British waters, regardless of where they were from

The U.S. Enters the War

Americans were already upset over the sinking of British ships

In 1917 British agents intercepted the Zimmerman Note – a telegram that proposed an alliance between Germany and Mexico against the United States.

In March 1917 German u-boats sank three American merchant ships

On April 6, 1917 Congress declared war on Germany.

Americans in Europe

In order to have enough soldiers to fight the war Congress passed the Selective Service Act – required men between the ages of 21 and 30 to register to be drafted into the armed forces.

When soldiers reported for duty they found unorganized leaders, no supplies prepared, and intense training.

African-American and Latino soldiers were segregated into separate divisions.

The soldiers that went to Europe were known as the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF).

The AEF arrived via the convoy system – troop transport ships were surrounded by destroyers or cruisers for protection.

Allied Setbacks

In November 1917 the Bolshevik Revolution took place in Russia – the communists took power and under the leadership of Vladimir Lenin immediately withdrew Russia from WWI

After waiting one year to train and prepare American soldiers finally reached the front lines.

Under General John J. Pershing the AEF helped the struggling Allies. In 1918 the US troops helped to stop the Germans from advancing into Paris.

Women played an important role in the war by serving as switchboard operators, nurses, bookkeepers, etc.

War Ends

On July 15, 1918 the Germans launched their last offensive at the Second Battle of the Marne.

American troops blew up German bridges forcing them to retreat and in September the Allies launched a counter-attack.

By late 1918 the war had crippled the German economy leading to starvation and food riots.

On November 11, 1918 an armistice was signed – ceasefire.

The Homefront

During the war Americans were asked to help contribute to the war effort. Liberty bonds – loans from the

government that people would purchase

Rationing food Fuel conservation Victory gardens – Americans

grew gardens so they would not have to purchase food from stores.

Mobilizing Workers

During the war industry was essential to build supplies for the military

National War Labor Board – helped judge disputes between labor and management to keep workers from striking

Women took on many jobs traditionally held by men including factories, nurses, and volunteered to help with the war effort. Unfortunately many women lost these

jobs when men came back from the war. Between 1918-1919 a flu epidemic

killed 675,000 Americans

Propaganda

President Wilson created the Committee on Public Information (CPI) in order to influence public opinion about the war.

Propaganda – posters, newspaper stories, speeches, and other materials designed to influence people’s opinions.

Winning American Support

Many Americans turned their patriotism against German-Americans Schools stopped teaching German Symphonies stopped playing

German music Sauerkraut was renamed liberty

cabbage In April 1918 Robert Prager was

lynched because people thought he was a German spy

Limiting Freedom of Speech

SHEG: Sedition in WWI

The Fourteen Points

President Wilson outlined his plan for peace in a speech known as the Fourteen Points Freedom of the seas Removal of trade barriers Reduction of military arms Self-determination – the right of the people to decide their own political

status The creation of a League of Nations – an organization where countries

would work together to settle disputes, protect democracy, and prevent future wars.

Wilson took his Fourteen Points plan to the Paris Peace Conference where he met with David Lloyd George (Britain), Georges Clemenceau (France), and Vittorio Orlando (Italy), collectively known as the Big Four.

Treaty activity

The Costs of War

1) Humans – approximately 15 million people were killed during WWI.

2) Economic – the war destroyed national economies, farmland and cities were devastated, and Europe lost its role as the most powerful region of the world. American farmers struggled with inflation due to increased demand for food.

The Costs of War

3) Political Changes – Communists took control in Russia, established monarchies were overthrown, and Germany was greatly weakened.

4) Unrest in colonies – people living in colonies began to question the ideas of freedom and democracy, especially after so many had died fighting for their mother country. German, Austrian, and Ottoman colonies were not set free but rather came under control of other colonial powers.

5) Social Impact – in many ways WWI directly led to the passage of the 19th Amendment and encouraged many African-Americans to move to northern cities in search of factory work.