Transcript 10th American History - Waverly

th
10
American History
Unit II- Becoming a World Power
Chapter 8 Section 2
The United States in World War I
The United States
in World War I
The Main Idea
The United States helped turn the tide for an Allied victory.
Reading Focus
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Why did the United States try to stay neutral in the war?
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Which events showed that America was heading into war?
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What contributions did Americans make in Europe?
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How did the war end?
The United States Stays Neutral
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Americans thought of World War I as a European conflict with little effect on
their country.
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Just after the war broke out, President Wilson declared that the U.S. would
stay neutral.
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Wilson’s decision reflected the U.S.’s longstanding policy of isolationism, or not
being involved in foreign affairs.
Privately, Wilson favored the Allied cause because Germany's tactics and
invasion of Belgium was worrisome.
• The U.S. also had greater political, cultural, and commercial ties to Great
Britain and France than to Germany.
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Financially, the U.S. did more business with the Allies.
• The British fleet blockaded German ports and transportation routes, and
few American businesses could sell goods to German forces.
• Doing business with the Allies was easier, and by 1917 Britain purchased
nearly $75 million worth of war goods each week.
U.S. Neutrality
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Oskar II- Peace ship
Aug. 4, 1914 Wilson proclaims the neutrality of
the United States. U.S. needs to be the model
for world peace. U.S. more interested in
competing for markets than killing.
1915 Henry Ford charters a Peace Ship to
Stockholm, Sweden conference January 1916
• Ford, then one of the richest men in the world,
actually thought he could talk the leaders of
Europe into stopping World War.
• Ford believed if he could only get foreign
leaders to sit down in a room, he could make
them listen to reason and the war would end.
Straight talk from a no-nonsense businessman
would persuade where diplomatic doubletalk
had failed.
• A boat of pacifists-“Every crackpot and nut in
the country wanted to get on that boat,” from
socialists, to prohibitionists, to anti-smoking
crusaders, to pro-German partisans, and people
from “every religious splinter-group” in the
country.
• The Peace Expedition became a farce, The
world press mocked them mercilessly. It failed.
Ties that bind
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Allies
• U.S. spoke English language.
• U.S. Laws and customs
based on English
foundations.
• All news from Europe came
through British press.
(England had cut the transAtlantic cable) British
Propaganda-atrocity stories.
• Kaiser Wilhelm had made
many warlike (militaristic)
statements.
• Trade with England and Allies
was enormous. $3 Billion
• $2 billion in loans to Allies.
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Central Powers
• Millions in US favored
Central powers due to
ancestors who had been
born in Austria, Germany
or Hungary.
• Irish Americans were glad
to see anyone fight the
British.
• US had long been trading
with the Germans. But
that dropped by 1916
from $170 million to $1
million.
Problem of Neutral Rights
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International Law and use of the
Seas
• Neutral nations still allowed to trade with both
sides.
• Warring nations were allowed by International
Law to stop and inspect neutral vessels at sea.
• Warring nations could seize certain war
materials (Contraband)- explosives, guns and
ammunition. But not other goods.
• Before sinking a commercial ship, the attacker
had to give warning.
• No court, or police force to make nations obey
the law.
• “Freedom of the Seas”
The Problem of Neutral Rights
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British Navy
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• Blockade- Control the seas
and starve Germany into
submission
• Contraband included all
sorts of goods including
food.
• All neutral ships would be
searched even those going
to neutral countries.
England would seize any
ship bound for Germany.
• North Sea was a military are
and put mines down.
• All in violation of
international law.
• British would pay for all
goods seized after America
protested.
German Submarines
• 1915- fleet of 27 subs
disobeyed international law.
• War zone- Germany declares
this around the British Isles.
• Unrestricted sub warfare.
• Advised all neutrals not to
travel there or on British
ships.
• Wilson insists under
International law Americans
had the right to sail on any
ship. And Germany would be
accountable for all American
lives.
• 1915- Germany sinks
Lusitania, then Arabic and
Sussex passenger ships. After
promising not to sink unarmed
passenger ships without
warning.
United States Stays Neutral
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Why did the United States try to stay
neutral in the war?
Why did President Wilson declare that
the U.S. would remain neutral?
Do you think that Germany’s
submarine warfare was an appropriate
response to the British Blockade?
Lusitania
Wilson’s Peace Efforts
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In the election of 1916
his slogan had been “He
kept us out of war”.
After 1916 Wilson still
tried to keep the US out
of the war.
He asked the European
powers to declare a
“Peace without victory.”
But Germany announces
unrestricted sub
warfare.
Germany felt the US
would be too late even
if they entered the war.
German Submarine Warfare
U-Boats
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Germany suffered because of the
British blockade, so it developed
small submarines called U-boats
to strike back at the British.
U-boats are named after the
German for “undersea boat.”
In February 1915 the German
government declared the waters
around Great Britain a war zone,
threatening to destroy all enemy
ships.
America’s Involvement
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Germany warned the U.S. that
neutral ships might be attacked.
The German plan for unrestricted
submarine warfare angered
Americans, and Wilson believed it
violated the laws of neutrality.
Wilson held Germany accountable
for American losses.

In 1915, Germany sank a
luxury passenger ship to Great
Britain called the Lusitania,
killing many, including 128
Americans
Americans were outraged, and
Wilson demanded an end to
unrestricted submarine warfare.
The Germans agreed to attack
only supply ships but later sank
the French passenger ship
Sussex, killing 80 people.
Wilson threatened Germany
again, and Germany issued the
Sussex pledge, promising not
to sink merchant vessels
“without warning and without
saving human lives.”
Re-Election, Espionage, and War
• Wilson promised not to go to war, and after his re-election in 1916 he
began to work for a settlement of “peace without victory.”
• When Germany restarted unrestricted warfare, the U.S. ended
diplomatic relations and started installing guns on merchant ships.
The Zimmermann Note
• German foreign secretary Arthur
Zimmermann sent a telegram to
a German official in Mexico
proposing an alliance between
Germany and Mexico.
• The Zimmermann Note asked
for Mexico’s help in exchange for
its lost Southwest territory.
• The Mexicans declined, but the
British decoded the note, and
Americans called for war.
The U.S. Declares War
• Wilson continued to resist.
• Russians forced the czar to
give up absolute power and
formed a more democratic
government, which
Americans liked.
• Then German U-boats sank
three American merchant
ships, and Wilson’s cabinet
convinced him to declare
war, which Congress
approved.
On April 6, 1917, the United States joined the Allies. Now they needed
to raise an army, train them, and ship supplies and troops.
The United States goes to war
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Zimmerman note- German ambassador asked
Mexico to join Central powers with promise to
return all lands taken by the US.
1917-Wilson arms Merchant ships for
protection against submarines.
April 2, 1917 Wilson asks Congress to declare
war on Germany.
“The world must be made safe for democracy.
We must fight for the rights and liberties of
small nations.”
Americans need to be soldiers of righteousness.
Possible causes of U.S. entry
British Propaganda and ProBritish sentiment
 Submarine Warfare
 Munitions trade and loans to
Great Britain
 Zimmerman Note
 Sinking of the Lusitania
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Heading Toward War
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What events showed that America was
heading toward war?
Why were the Germans concerned after the
Sussex attack?
What view did both Wilson and Hughes
hold about the war?
Why did the Allies reject President Wilson’s
“peace without victory” plan?
Heading Toward War
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How did the United States intend to :make
the world safe for democracy” when most of
European countries on both sides of the war
were monarchies?
How do you think history might have been
different if Mexico had entered the war as
an ally of the Central powers?
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Wilson’s 14 Points- His Dream for the
world
1. No more secret agreements ("Open covenants openly arrived at").
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2. Free navigation of all seas.
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3. An end to all economic barriers between countries.
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4. Countries to reduce weapon numbers.
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5. All decisions regarding the colonies should be impartial
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6. The German Army is to be removed from Russia. Russia should be left to develop
her own political set-up.
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7. Belgium should be independent like before the war.
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8. France should be fully liberated and allowed to recover Alsace-Lorraine
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9. All Italians are to be allowed to live in Italy. Italy's borders are to "along
clearly recognisable lines of nationality."
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10. Self-determination should be allowed for all those living in Austria-Hungary.
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11. Self-determination and guarantees of independence should be allowed for
the Balkan states.
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12. The Turkish people should be governed by the Turkish government. Non-Turks in
the old Turkish Empire should govern themselves.
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13. An independent Poland should be created which should have access to the sea.
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14. A League of Nations should be set up to guarantee the political and territorial
independence of all states.
The American Army
Raising an Army
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On May 18, 1917, Congress
passed the Selective Service
Act, requiring men between 21
and 30 to register for a draft.
Some asked to be classified as
conscientious objectors, or
religious people against fighting,
but were rejected.
In the summer of 1917, new
recruits reported for training but
found almost nothing ready.
Soldiers slept in tents until
barracks were built, and supplies
hadn’t yet arrived.
New recruits learned military
rules with sticks and barrels
instead of rifles and horses.
Discrimination
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African American soldiers were
segregated and trained in
separate camps.
Many white officers and
southern politicians feared
African Americans would pose a
threat after the war so only
trained a few black regiments.
Latino soldiers faced scorn from
other troops and were often
assigned menial tasks.
The federal government,
however, did accept nonEnglish-speaking soldiers.
The military had programs in
New Mexico and Georgia to help
Hispanic soldiers learn English.
Mobilization of Men and Women
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Nation needs an army
• May 28, 1917- Selective Service Act (Draft)
 All men between 21 and 31 had to register
 No buying ones way out- 10 million were
listed.
 Lottery was the fairest way to choose.
Everyone got a number between 1 and
10,500. Numbers placed in a fishbowl and
withdrawn enough for 687,000 men into the
army.
 24 million men between 18-45 entered
selective service. 3 million called into
service.
 1918- 4.8 million- enlistee, draftees, and
America Joins the Ranks- 4:17
Arriving in Europe
•
The American Army, National Guard, and volunteer and draft
soldiers overseas formed the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF),
led by General John J. Pershing.
•
The first U.S. troops arrived in France in 1917 through a convey
system, in which troop-transport ships were surrounded by destroyers
or cruisers for protection, limiting the number of ships sunk and
troops lost.
•
When America arrived, Germany occupied all of Belgium and part of
France, and Russia struggled against famine and civil war.
•
If Russia fell, Germans would bring all their troops west, and the
Allies needed the Americans to fight immediately.
•
General Pershing, however, wanted American troops to train and to
fight separately from European regiments.
•
Pershing sent his troops to training camps in eastern France instead of
to the battlefields.
Mobilization
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War at Sea
• Convoy to move troops and supplies to
Europe. To provide a bridge of ships
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Organized group of merchant and passenger
ships surrounded and protected by naval
vessels to ward off submarine attacks.
• US ship building- a mammoth program.
• US also seized German vessels in
American waters and impressing US
vessels the ship gap was filled.
American Expeditionary Force (AEF)
American Expeditionary Force (AEF)
May 1918
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Doughboys-The name may have come from the
large brass buttons on the uniforms of Union
soldiers in the Civil War; they were said to
resemble doughboys, a flour dumpling cooked in
soup
2nd and 3rd Divisions fight at Belleau Wood and
Chateau-Thierry. Argonne Forest.
85,000 American help save Paris
General John J. (Black Jack) Pershing has an
army of 1/2 million on the Southern Front.
Oct. 1918- Battle of Sedan- American Victory.
British and French Lines begin to advance.
German mistake- Americans were late but made a
difference.
U.S. lost 50,280 men, and 25,000 to disease. 42,000
Black troop fought in French units.
Russia, England and France lost over 4 million
total. 1 million other countries.
Armistice- November 11, 1918- 11th hour, 11th day
of the 11th month.
Allied Setbacks and U.S. Action
Allied Setbacks
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While Americans trained, the
Allies suffered a blow when a
group called the Bolsheviks took
over Russia’s government.
The U.S. Fights
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Bolsheviks were Communists,
who seek equal distribution of
wealth and no private ownership.
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The new government, led by
Vladimir Ilich Lenin, signed a
peace treaty with the Central
Powers and withdrew its troops.
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Germany was free to focus on
the West, and in May 1918
Germany launched a series of
offensives against the Allies.
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Germans were backed by a large
artillery, and by late May the
Germans pushed the Allies back
to the Marne River, 70 miles
northeast of Paris.
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American troops began fighting
12 months after arriving,
digging extensive trenches in
the dark to avoid detection.
In the trenches, troops stood in
deep mud with rats as enemies
dropped gas and explosives.
While defending Paris in June
1918, U.S. troops helped the
French stop the Germans at
Chateau-Thierry.
In northern France, a division of
U.S. Marines recaptured the
forest of Belleau Wood and two
nearby villages.
After fierce fighting, the Allies
halted the German advance and
saved Paris.
American’s In Europe
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What contributions did American’s make in
Europe?
What was the purpose of the Selective Service
Act?
What was a conscientious objector?
What made up the American Expeditionary
Force?
Do you think General Pershing’s decisions to train
his troops in Europe rather than have them join
the Allies who desperately needed help was a wise
decision?
American Military Women
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The majority of Americans who served in the military were men,
but some women also signed up to serve overseas.
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During the war, more than 20,000 nurses served in the U.S. Army in
the United States and overseas.
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Women also served in the navy and marines, usually as typists and
bookkeepers.
• Still, some women became radio operators, electricians, or
telegraphers.
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The U.S. Army Signal Corps recruited French-speaking American
women to serve as switchboard operators.
Known as the Hello Girls, they served a crucial role in
keeping communications open between the front line
and the headquarters of the American Expeditionary
Forces.
The War Ends
The Germans’ Last Offensive
• At midnight on July 14, 1918, the Germans launched their last offensive at the Second
Battle of the Marne.
• U.S. blew up every bridge the Germans built across the Marne River, and the German
army retreated on August 3, after suffering 150,000 casualties.
• The Allies began a counterattack in September 1918 and, fighting as a separate army for
the first time, defeated German troops at Mihiel, near the French-German border.
Allies Push Forward
• Allies continued their advance toward the French city of Sedan on the Belgian border,
which held the main German supply railway.
• By November, the Allies had reached and occupied the hills around Sedan.
The Armistice
• By 1918 the war crippled the German economy, causing food strikes and riots, and
revolution swept across Austria-Hungary.
• The Central Powers lacked the will to continue and started to surrender.
• Austria-Hungary, and then Germany, surrendered, and the Allies demanded that
Germany surrender its weapons and allow Allied occupation of some areas.
• November 11, 1918- The eleventh month, eleventh day and the eleventh hour.
The War Ends
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How did the war end?
How did U.S. troops help defeat the
Germans at the Second Battle of the
Marne?
What was the significance of the Battle of
Mihiel?
What demands did the Allies make of
Germany in return for an armistice?
Why do you think World War I was
referred to as “the war to end all wars”?
American
Literature
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A Farewell to ArmsPage 245.