Transcript The War to End All Wars

The War to End All Wars
The world must be made safe for Democracy.Its
peace must be planed upon the tested foundations of
political liberty. We have no selfish ends to serve.
We desire no conquest, no dominion. We seek no
indemnities for ourselves, no material compensation
for the sacrifices we shall freely make.
War message 1917- Woodrow Wilson
Trying to stay out of war
• Jan 22 1917- WW“peace without
victory” speech
• Jan 31- 1917Germany announced
unrestricted submarine
warfare
War by Act of Germany
• WW- ask congress to
pass act allowing
merchant ships to be
armed – Midwestern
senators filibuster it
• Zimmerman noteGerm. Sec. Arthur
Zimmerman proposes
joint alliance if
Mexico attacks the US
Good News in Russia
• February revolutionRussian Tsars are
toppled
• Now the US can join
the Allies- Why?
Wilsonian Idealism Enthroned
• Isolationism still strong in
American people
– Very isolationist in
avoiding actual war
– Neutrality is making many
rich
• Must gather more public
support- a crusade to
make “to make the world
safe for democracy”
• Not fighting for profit or
land gains
Wilson’s 14 Points
• Wilson articulates the moral basis for the war in a speech
setting out 14 points that should be in any peace agreement.
– Abolish secret treaties
– No territorial gains; return to pre-war borders
– freedom of the seas
– removal of economic barriers among nations
– Arms reduction
– adjustment of colonial claims in the interest of both
natives and colonizers
– self-determination for minority groups such as Poles
– international organization to provide for collective
security and dispute resolution.
Wilson’s 14 Points
• Not everybody is
pleased with 14 points
– European nations upset
by the idea, they had
land gains in mind
– Republicans- “14
commandments of God
Almighty Wilson”
WW I propaganda
• Committee on Public
Information (George
Creel)
– 1. Get America behind
the war
– 2. Convince the world
to believe in 14 points
• 75,000 “four minute
men” deliver various
speeches
WW I propaganda
• “Battle of the fences”posters on billboards
• Anti German movies – The
Beast of Berlin
• CPI is successful, but
maybe too successful
• Wilson and Creel convince
the country that the war
will create a new
international utopia.
Enforcing Liberty
• Anti-German hysteria and
discrimination.
• Hamburger = liberty steak
• Sauerkraut= liberty
cabbage
• Espionage Act of 1917 and
Sedition Act of 1918
Enforcing Liberty
• Main target = Industrial
Workers of the World
(IWW)- led by socialists
Eugene Debs – convicted
under EA and SA
• Schenck v. US 1919freedom of speech could be
revoked if speech posed
“clear and present danger”
to nation
Nations Factories go to war
• Will take massive effort to
mobilize for war
• Problems
– How much steel and
explosives can we produce
– Fears of DC controlling
economy
– States righters (Democrats)hate economic controls by
Feds
• War Industries Board- late
in war- sets the idea that
the federal government can
take control in times of
crisis
Workers in War Time
• “Labor will win the war”
• Work or fight ruleunemployed males can be
immediately drafted (stop
strikes)
• National War Labor Board
– Taft- stop labor disputes
that might hamper war
effort
Workers in War Time
• AF of L- loyally support
war- end of war
membership is up over 3
million
• IWW (wobblies) did not
• 1919 ¼ of steel workers
walk off jobs
– Owners refuse to talk to
unions and hire 30,000
African Americas- resulting
in the Chicago Race Riots of
1919
African Americans in the North
• Great migration =
more blacks in the
North
• Appearances unsettle
white areas
• Red Summer of 1919
– Chicago
– St. Louis
Suffering Until Suffrage
• Women take men’s factory
jobs
– Some are anti war-National
Women’s party
• National American
Women Suffrage
Association- democracy
abroad means more
democracy at home
• 1920- 19th amendmentfemale suffrage
Suffering Until Suffrage
• Sheppard-Towner
Maternity act 1921federally financed
instruction in maternal
and infant
healthcare(feds are
now responsible for
family welfare)
Forging a War Economy
• Volunteerism vs. enforced
restrictions.
• Food production and
availability was a key issue
• Herbert Hoover chosen to
lead Food Administration.
• No rations cards (unlike
Europe)
• Victory gardens
Forging a War Economy
• Congress restricted use of
crops for making alcohol
– Helped advance the cause
of prohibition.
– Many brewers were of
German extraction and
were subject to warprejudices.
– 18th Amendment
prohibiting the sale of
alcohol passed in 1919
and began prohibition
• Hoover’s voluntary approach
worked. Farm production
increased by a quarter and
food exports to the allies
tripled.
Forging a War Economy
• Other agencies copy Food
Administration
• Fuel Administration
• Treasury Department
– Liberty loan drives, victory
loan campaign
– 21 billion raised (2/3 cost of
war)
– Increased taxes make up
other 1/3
Making Plowboys into Doughboys
• At the beginning, most
Americans assumed that
US contribution to war
would be naval
• Allies made it clear that
they were running out of
men to throw into the war.
• The war had been
extraordinarily bloody.
• Allies need America to
supply fresh troops.
Making Plowboys into Doughboys
• Many volunteered but not enough
• Conscription is the answer
– ACW reminds us what happens during drafts
• All males 18-45 had to register
• Cannot buy out of draft, but workers for key
industries are exempt
• Few months army is 4 million men
• Women allowed to join Navy and Marines
• Blacks can sign up too, but stuck to non combat jobs
• Supposed to get 6 months of training but many just
thrown into war
Fighting in France
• The need to hurry US troops into action
was magnified by events in Russia.
• With Russian out of war, Germany able
the send battle-tested troops from the
Eastern front to the Western front.
• Germany suddenly has a dangerous
manpower advantage in that theater.
• America is having shipping problems and
is taking a long time to get army together
and trained.
• American soldiers began to trickle into
France in 1918, but were not a separate
army.
– Were used to reinforce the Allied
armies on a unit by unit basis. America
is not a separate fighting force.
American Helps Hammer the Hun
• 1918- Chateau-ThierryUS stops Germany from
taking over France, first
time US forces fought in
European war
• Second Battle of Marnemarked the beginning of
German withdrawal from
France
American Helps Hammer the Hun
• Black Jack Pershing.
• Muess-Argonne
offensive, involving
1.2 Mill. US troops.
(47 days)
– 10% US casualties.
• Germany is finally
beginning to starve off
The Fourteen Points Disarms Germany
• October 1918 Germans
turn to Wilson seeking a
peace based on his fourteen
points.
• Wilson says that no
negotiations before the
Kaiser is out of power.
• The Germans promptly
send him packing.
• Armistice—11/11/1918.
America rejoices.
The Fourteen Points Disarms Germany
• US main contributionsfoodstuffs, munitions,
credits for oil,
manpower, NOT
battlefield victories
• The potential numbers
US could throw into
battle made it clear to the
Germans that they could
not win.
Wilson’s popularity
• Wilson’s popularity
skyrockets abroad and at
home
• Wilson adopted “politics is
adjourned” but in 1918
urged people to vote
democrat in midtermsresults in backlash, reps
now have majority in
congress
• Paris conference, only
world leader without
legislative powers at home
Wilson’s Popularity
• Wilson- first president
to visit Europe- Reps
think he’s
showboating
• Wilson forms his own
peace delegation- no
republicans
An Idealist Battles The Imperialists
• People of Euro love WW
• Leaders not so muchWhy
• Paris Peace Conference
• Big Four- WW, Vittorio
Orland of Italy, PM David
Lloyd George Britain,
Georges Clemenceau of
France
Wilson’s Goal
Europe is in a mess
Wilson’s ultimate goal was League of Nations
First priority to keep the winners from dividing up the
colonies of the beaten countries.
Has to strike compromise- victors do not get possession
of conquered territories, but would get trustees through
the L of N
Ex: Syria goes to France, Iraq to Britain
Basically same old world policies
Hammering out the Treaty
• Henry Cabot Lodge and
other isolationist
Republicans raise
objections to the L of N
treaty and insisted on
modifications
• Irreconcilables- hard core
isolationists(reps) William
Borah, Hiram Johnson
• Won’t sign treaty unless
modified
• Gives European adversaries
edge
The Treaty that Leads to WWII
• France makes demands, US comprises- in return for
France dropping requests for Rhineland, Eng and US
promise to help France upon another German
invasion (Reps modify this aspect out, France feels
betrayed
• Italy gets shut down on requests, now Anti Wilson
• Japan wants area in China, US originally said no
(self determination) but later agrees to give it to
Japan, who said they would eventually return land to
China
The Treaty that Leads to WWII
• Treaty of Versailles
1919
• Only 4 of Wilson’s pts
get honored
• Wilson popularity is
dead in Euro,
imperialists hate him,
liberals felt he sold out
The Domestic Parade Of Prejudice
• Isolationists hate L of
N
• “Hun-Hunters” treaty
not harsh enough
• Recent immigrants are
arriving from Axis
Powers
Wilson’s Tour And Collapse
• American ppl in favor of L of N
• Reps have no real chance of blocking it, goal was to
amend it- Americanize it, so they can take credit
• Goes on huge public speaking tour (Irreconcilables
give speeches a few day after his)
• Not so well in Midwest, awesome out west
• Suffers stroke in 1919- doesn’t meet with cabinet
for 7 months
Defeat Through Deadlock
• Lodge- 14 Reservations• Senate rejects the treaty
with Reservations (WW
said true Demo’s would
vote against it)
• Public is outrage, senate
does another vote with
same outcome
Election of 1920
• Wilson’s plan: make the election of 1920 a “solid
referendum” on the League
• Reps- Warren G Harding, VP Calvin Coolidge
(silent Cal) –teeter totter- try to please those in
favor and against L of N- “Return to Normalcy”
aka Big business, laize faire
• Dems- James Cox, running mate is some guy
named Franklin D. Roosevelt- support L of N
The Betrayal of Great Expectations
• US helps win the war, and
push for L of N, now
doesn’t support it!
• Greatly hurts the
effectiveness of the L of N
• France feels compelled to
rearm, so Germany does,
too. Without America, the
L of N was toothless.