Transcript World War One - Saugerties Central Schools

World War One
Start of World War One
• Causes of WWI
– Imperialism
– Nationalism
– Alliance System
– Militarism
Start of World War One
• The southeastern region of Europe was known
as a “powder keg”
– Many national groups in the region tried to break
free from Austria-Hungary
Start of World War One
• War Begins
– June 28, 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand (heir to
Austro-Hungarian throne) is assassinated by
Gavrilo Princip
Start of World War One
• Austria Hungary accused Serbia of the
assassination and declared war
– The alliance system quickly drew more countries
into the war
Start of World War One
Allied Powers (Triple Entente)
• Britain
• France
• Russia
Central Powers
• Germany
• Austria-Hungary
• Ottoman Empire
The Deadliest War
• Both sides thought it would be a quick victory,
but reality quickly set in
– A stalemate started on the Western Front and the
battle would drag on for 3 years without either
side gaining a clear victory
– The Western Front saw the use of trench warfare
The Deadliest War
• New Technology made the war more lethal
– Airplanes
– Armored tanks
– Machine Guns
– Poison Gas
American Neutrality
• President Woodrow Wilson wanted to keep
the U.S. out of the war.
– Americans were split on who to side with
American Neutrality
• American businesses sold supplies to both
sides, but a majority of trading was to the
Allies and Britain
American Neutrality
• The Lusitania
– German U-boats practiced unrestricted warfare
– May 7, 1915 a U-boat sank A British passenger
ship the Lusitania
• 1,200 people died (128 were Americans)
U.S. Enters The War
• Wilson won reelection in 1916 and promised
to keep the U.S. out of the war
– However, Germany kept using its unrestricted
warfare
U.S. Enters The War
• Zimmermann Telegram
– Britain intercepted a telegram from Germany to
Mexico
– Arthur Zimmermann (German Foreign Minister)
proposed that Mexico enter the war on Germany’s
side and attack the U.S.
• In return Germany would help Mexico get back New
Mexico, Texas, and Arizona
– Soon after the U.S. entered the war (April 6, 1917)
U.S. Enters The War
• Russian Revolution
– Military defeats and food shortages led to an
uprising in Russia
– The tsar was removed, which made it easier for
the U.S. to enter the war because they would not
be siding with a tyrant
Building the Military
• The U.S. had a very large navy, but a small
army (only 125,000 men)
– The U.S. had to mobilize quickly in order to be
able to contribute to the war effort
Building the Military
• The U.S. did have men volunteer for service,
but not enough and they had to institute a
draft
– Selective Service Act was passed and it required
men between the ages of 21 and 30 to register for
military draft
– By war’s end almost four million Americans had
served
Building the Military
• Women in the Military
– Women were not subject to the draft
– More than 30,000 women volunteered for service
and were nurses or performed clerical work
Building the Military
• A diverse force
– About one in five recruits had been born in foreign
lands
– About 380,000 African Americans also served
during the war
• Served in all black units
• African Americans were mainly held out of combat
roles and instead were forced to unload ships, work in
kitchens, or construction
Managing the War Effort
• Managing Food Supplies
– Herbert Hoover was chosen to head the new
Food Administration
• He had to assure adequate food supplies for both
civilians and troops
– Hoover urged Americans to conserve valuable
food resources
• Americans observed “wheatless Mondays,” and
“meatless Tuesdays”
• Many grew their own “victory gardens”
Managing the War Effort
• Producing for War
– The war increased demands on American
industries
• Government ordered two million rifles and 130 million
pairs of socks
• The War Industries Board was set up to oversee
production
Managing the War Effort
• Finding Workers
– War brought a Labor Shortage
• Men went to war and immigration declined
– In order to fill jobs, businesses turned to women
and African Americans to do the work
Shaping Public Opinion
• Calling on Patriotism
– President Wilson created the Committee on Public
Information, which was to deliver patriotic
speeches at places like movie theaters and ball
parks
– Also created pro-war cartoons and posters
Shaping Public Opinion
• Suppressing Dissent
– Government created the Espionage Act of 1917
and Sedition Act of 1918, which could close
newspapers or jail individuals that expressed
antiwar views
• One of the people arrested was Eugene V. Debs for
giving a speech that urged workers not to help in the
war effort
Shaping Public Opinion
• Anti-German Hysteria
– German Americans were harassed and assaulted
• Some where even tarred and feathered
• Many school stopped teaching the German language
Joining the Fight
• The first troops reached Europe in June of
1917
– John J. Pershing was chosen to be the commander
of American Expeditionary Force
– American forces rarely fought together with
British or French troops
• This was Wilson’s idea, because he wanted to have a
greater influence in post war talks
Setbacks and Advances
• Russia Makes Peace
– The government that replaced the tsar was
struggling to keep Russia in the war
• Two million soldiers deserted the front lines
– Vladimir Lenin led the Bolsheviks (red army) to
seize control of the government on November 7,
1917
• Lenin wanted to lead Russia on a path to communism
• In March of 1918 Russia signed a peace agreement
(Treaty of Brest-Litovsk) and pulled out of the war.
Setbacks and Advances
• March 21, 1918 Germany had unleashed a
series of attacks known as the “peace
offensive”
– Germany managed to break through Allied lines in
Belgium and France
– By June of 1918 Germany was less than 50 miles
from Paris
Setbacks and Advances
• Turning the Tide
– American troops were used to stop the German
advance and push them out of a forested area
called Belleau
• After three weeks of intense fighting and heavy
causalities the Americans managed to force the
Germans out
Setbacks and Advances
• By the fall of 1918 disease and lack of supplies
had hurt Germany
– September of 1918, Allied forces (over one million
American soldiers) had advanced and pushed
German forces back
– By November of 1918, Germany had decided to
seek an armistice.
The Armistice
• A Harsh Armistice
– France and Britain dictated the terms
• Germany had to cancel the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, pull
back their troops, and hand over its fleet of U-boats
• Kaiser Wilhelm II had to step down and Germany
became a republic
The Armistice
• The armistice took effect at 11 A.M. on
November 11 of 1918
– Approximately 10 million military personal were
killed (More than had dies in all the wars fought in
Europe during the previous 100 years combines)
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France 1.3 Million
Britain 900,000
Germany 1.6 Million
Russia 1.7 Million
United States 50,000
Shaping the Peace
• The Fourteen Points
– President Wilson’s Plan for peace
• Wanted to prevent future wars
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Freedom of the seas
Free Trade
Military Reduction
Self Determination (Self Rule)
League of Nations
Peace Conference in Paris
• Britain and France wanted to punish Germany
and had no interest in Wilson’s fourteen
points
Peace Conference in Paris
• Treaty of Versailles
– Territory was taken away from Germany, including
colonies
– Germany had to accept full responsibility for the
war
– Had to pay huge reparations to Allies
– Placed limits on the size and nature of Germany’s
military
– Creation of the League of Nations
Battle Over the League of Nations
• President Wilson fought for the ratification of
the treaty and joining the league of nations
– United states had to accept its destiny to lead the
world on a new path
• Many senators opposed the treaty and joining
the League of Nations, including Henry Cabot
Lodge
– Cabot said that membership in the League would
restrict the right of the U.S. to act independently
in its own interest
Battle Over the League of Nations
• Wilson’s Last Battle
– In September of 1919, Wilson tried to gain
support for his position by traveling 8,000 miles by
train in three weeks and giving 40 speeches
– Wilson suffered a stroke on October 2, 1919
– November of 1919 the Senate voted to reject the
treaty
– The absence of the U.S. crippled the League of
Nations
Postwar Troubles
• Influenza Epidemic
– A worldwide epidemic that took the more than
500,000 lives in the U.S. alone between 1918 and
1919
Postwar Troubles
• Labor Unrest
– Peacetime brought high unemployment, because
production was slowing and more people entered
the workforce
Postwar Troubles
• Red Scare
– Many Americans feared that Communists or
“Reds” were behind the labor unrests, and that
there would be a communist revolution
– Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer order
immigrants with radical views to be deported
• These became known as Palmer Raids, which reached
their height on January 2, 1920
– Authorities arrested more than 4,000 people in 33 cities