World War IMr. Webster’s Class

Vocabulary (Ch. 12)

• militarism – glorification of the military• U-boat – German submarine• ally – person, nation, or group joined with another for a common purpose• convoy – group of merchant ships sailing together, protected by

warships• reparations – payment for war damages• self-determination – the right of people to choose their own form of

government• influenza – flu virus• inflation – rising prices• Red Scare – fear that communists were working to destroy the American

way of life

Textbook Assignment

• For this activity, you will work with a partner, and together, you will be assigned a few pages to read from your textbook (Ch. 12). • Upon reading the text, you and your partner will choose

one word that you feel describes the main theme or idea of the assigned passage. You will then write a few sentences to describe the theme, and you will also draw a picture that illustrates the theme.• Upon completion, you will present your finished product

to the class.

Propaganda Poster Assignment – worth 20 points• For this assignment, you are to create your own WWI propaganda

poster. Your poster should address a war-related issue, such as volunteering to fight, defeating the enemy, rationing food, buying Liberty Bonds, or a combination of any of the above. • Your poster must include an image that illustrates the message that

you are trying to get across.• Your poster must also include some sort of caption so that the reader

understands the message being conveyed.• I will be grading as follows:

• Illustration – 5 points• Caption – 5 points• Accuracy of Content – 5 points• Clarity – 5 points

Imperialism

• In the late 1800s and early 1900s, leading industrial nations competed for lands rich in raw materials as well as for places to build military bases.• Britain already had a large

empire, and France commanded a smaller one.• Germany, Italy, Belgium,

Japan, and the U.S. also rushed to join the imperial race.

Germany Builds its Military

• Imperialist nations also began increasing the size of their armies.• No nation readied its war machinery more than Germany.• By 1914, Germany had a huge

standing army and the largest, deadliest collection of guns in the world.• Throughout Europe, a spirit of militarism grew and fueled the arms race even more. War seemed inevitable.

A New Type of Warfare

• As European nations strengthened their armies and navies, it became clear that the next major war would involve more troops and technologically advanced weapons than ever before.• Machine guns, mobile

artillery, tanks, submarines, and airplanes would change the nature of warfare.

Alliances

• Europeans nations also prepared for war by forming alliances.• Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy formed the Triple Alliance, and France, Russia, and Great Britain formed the Triple Entente.• Alliances emboldened leaders to

act recklessly.• They knew that if they did declare

war, powerful allies were obligated to fight along with them.

The Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand• On June 28, 1914, a young Bosnian (but ethnic Serb) named Galviro Princip assassinated Archduke Francis Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary.• The assassination was inspired

by Princip’s belief that Bosnia rightfully belonged to Serbia, rather than Austria-Hungary.• Ferdinand’s assassination was the trigger that brought about WWI.

War Begins / Allies vs. Central Powers• On July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia.• Because of the alliance system, the war quickly spread.• In less than one week, the Central Powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary were at war against the Allied Powers of Britain, France, Russia, and Serbia.• The Ottoman Empire & Bulgaria later joined the Central Powers.

The Western Front

• Following the outbreak of war, Germany invaded Luxembourg and Belgium, and moved into France.• At the Battle of Marne, the French

and British forces were able to stop the German advance.• Following the Battle of Marne, both sides dug trenches and fortified their positions.• This battle front became known as the Western Front, and it was major theatre of the war.

Stalemate

• The war became hideously deadly, largely because the defensive weapons of the time were better and more devastating then the offensive ones.• Charging towards

trenches that were defended by artillery, machine guns, and rifles was futile.• Ineffective offensives and effective defensive ultimately led to stalemate.

Conditions in the Trenches

• The stalemate led to gruesome conditions for men in the trenches.• Many men developed “trench foot”

from standing in the wet, muddy trenches.• Many also contracted lice from the

millions of rats that infested the trenches.• Even on a quiet day, soldiers could

be killed by snipers or a surprise gas attack.• The area in between enemy lines was known as “no man’s land.”

Wilson Urges Neutrality

• As the war spread in Europe, President Wilson called for the U.S. to remain neutral.• Most Americans, however,

favored the side of Britain and France, both of which had strong historic ties with the United States.• Between 1914 and 1917,

Wilson attempted to use his influence to end the conflict. Ultimately, his efforts failed.

Sinking of the Lusitania

• On May 7, 1915, a German U-boat, or submarine, sank the British passenger liner Lusitania off the coast of Ireland.• The ship had been carrying

ammunition and other contraband.• Americans protested that an unarmed and unresisting ship should not be sunk without first being warned and provided with safety for its passengers.

Wilson Prepares for War

• By the end of 1915, President Wilson began to prepare the nation for war. • The National Defense Act

expanded the size of the army, and the Naval Construction Act ordered the building of more warships.• Still, Wilson hoped the nation could avoid conflict.

The Zimmerman Note

• In January 1917, German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmerman sent a telegram to Mexico. • The Zimmerman note proposed a German-Mexican alliance, stating that if the U.S. declared war on Germany, Mexico should declare war on the U.S.• In return, after a German victory,

Mexico would get back the states of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.

America Enters the War

• The Zimmerman Note was intercepted by the British, who gave it to American authorities.• Americans were outraged by the publication of the Zimmerman note.• On April 2, 1917, Wilson asked Congress for a declaration of war.• Four days later, Congress obliged.

The Selective Service Act

• Once the U.S. entered the war, President Wilson pushed Congress to pass the Selective Service Act.• The Selective Service Act (1917) authorized a draft of young men for military service.• Over the course of the war, more

than 24 million Americans registered for the draft.• Of these, about 2.8 million were

actually drafted.

Constructing a Wartime Economy

• During the war, the War Industries Board determined what products industries would make, whose products went, and how much they would cost.• Herbert Hoover, head of the Food

Administration, set prices high for wheat and other foodstuffs to encourage farmers to increase production.• Americans were also encouraged to conserve food as a patriotic gesture.

The Committee of Public Information

• The Committee of Public Information (CPI) had the job of convincing Americans that the war effort was a just cause.• The CPI distributed pamphlets, press releases, and millions of posters that dramatized the needs of America and its allies.• The CPI helped earned widespread support for the American war effort.• "Over There"

Opposition to the War

• There were some Americans who opposed the war. • Some Americans opposed

the war for cultural reasons, such as German Americans.• Others were opposed to

the draft.• There were also

conscientious objectors, whose moral or religious beliefs forbade them to fight in wars.

Espionage and Sedition Acts

• In June 1917, Congress passed the Espionage Act, which allowed postal authorities to ban treasonable or seditious newspapers, magazines, or printed materials from the mail.• In 1918, The Sedition act

limited freedom of speech even further.• The Sedition Act made it unlawful to use “disloyal” or “profane” language about the United States.

Prejudice Against German Americans• During the war, many German Americans faced prejudice from their fellow Americans.• Occasionally, hatred of

the German enemy boiled over into violence against German Americans.• Some German Americans

were harassed, others were beaten, and a few were even killed.

Women Support the War Effort

• As men entered the armed forces, many women moved into the workforce for the first time.• Women filled jobs that were vacated by men who had gone to fight.• By their efforts and

sacrifices during the war, women convinced President Wilson to support their suffrage demands.

African Americans during WWI

• From the outset, most African American leaders supported the war.• On the battlefield, African American soldiers fought in segregated units under the command of white officers.• Back at home, the Great Migration occurred when large numbers of African Americans moved from the rural South to the industrial North.

American Troops Join the Fight

• In 1917, the Allies received a blow when Russia withdrew from the war.• Russia’s exit from the war

allowed Germany to send more soldiers to the Western Front.• It was not until early 1918 that

American troops began arriving in large numbers.• The American troops, added to those of France, Britain, and Italy gave the Allies a military advantage.

The War Ends

• By the fall of 1918 the German front was collapsing.• On November 11, 1918, Germany surrendered to the Allies.• The war was over!• Almost 5 million Allied and 8

million Central Power troops were dead, and nearly 6.5 million civilians were also dead.• The total # of U.S. deaths

amounted to 116,000.

Wilson’s Fourteen Points

• Before the war ended, Wilson outlined America’s war aims in what became known as the Fourteen Points.• The Fourteen Points called for self-determination, open diplomacy, a moved toward ending colonialism, a general reduction of arms, and the formation of a League of Nations.

The Paris Peace Conference

• At the Paris Peace Conference, the other Allied leaders did not support Wilson’s plan.• They insisted that Germany make reparations, or payment for war damages.• They did agree, however on a League of Nations.• The League of Nations was to be a world organization where countries could gather and peacefully resolve their quarrels.

The Treaty of Versailles (1919)

• In the end, the Treaty of Versailles (1919) required Germany to accept full responsibility for the war.• It also forced Germany to disarm, make territorial concessions, and pay reparations totaling $31 billion.• Furthermore, in the Middle East,

the breakup of the Ottoman Empire led to new states in which ethnic groups were clustered together randomly.

The Senate Rejects the Versailles Treaty• Ultimately, the Senate rejected the Versailles Treaty and membership in the League of Nations.• The League of Nations would

eventually be replaced by the United Nations.• Instead, it was the Knox-

Porter Resolution (1921) that formally ended the United States’ involvement in World War I.

Red Scare

• The emergence of the Soviet Union as a communist nation in 1917 prompted the first American Red Scare.• The Red Scare was a wave of widespread fear of suspected communist and radicals thought to be plotting within the United States.• Real revolutionary activity

inside America gave substance to the scare.

Effects of World War I

• World War I caused sweeping changes around the globe.• German and Russian monarchies toppled, and new forms of government were created.• The Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires ceased to exist.• Britain and France emerged victorious, but weakened.• Lastly, the United States came out of the war strong, confident, and prosperous.

Pop Culture -1910s

• 1912 – Titanic sinks• 1912 – Oliver Twist, first

feature film• 1914 – Charlie Chaplin debuts

his “Little Tramp” character• 1915 – The Birth of a Nation

released• 1917 – “Over There” released• 1919 – Chicago White Sox

throw the World Series