The First World War Chapter 8 Section 1 A WORLD CRISIS M.A.I.N. Causes of WWI Militarism o Policy of military preparedness and build up of weapons o Germany started building up a powerful Navy and Army and drawing up war plans Schlieffen Plan- surprise invasion of France through Belgium and then attack Russia o Other countries start to build up to protect against Germany 1
Alliances o Triple Alliance- Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy o Triple Entente (France, Great Britain, Russia) o During the War o Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire) o Triple Entente (France, Great Britain, Russiaeventually Italy and U.S. as well) Imperialism o Many countries were expanding o France, Great Britain and Austria-Hungary o Germany wanted in too, so it started building up its military Nationalism o Extreme pride people have in their country or culture o Italy and Germany were experiencing new waves of nationalism- both were independently unified. o Ottoman Empire was falling apart and the Austria- Hungarian empire was moving into areas populated by Slavs (especially Serbs), causing tension in the region 2
Part 1 Part 2 War Breaks Out Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand caused Austria-Hungary to declare war on Serbia (supplied the assassins) Russia who protected the Serbs then declared war on Austria-Hungary Germany saw Russia s military action as an act of war and declared war on Russia Germany followed up by declaring war on France (Russia s ally) August 4, 1914 Germany crosses into Belgium- which cause Great Britain to declare war on Germany o Soon over 30 countries would join on either side A New Kind of Warfare France Not smart- wore bright red uniforms Advanced in rows with bayonets fixed Fought an old style war Had 15,000 die a day, early on Germany Wore grey uniforms that worked as camouflage Mowed down enemies with machine guns 600 bullets a minute Can be set up in 4 seconds Predicted it would beat the French in 2 months 3
1 st Battle of the Marne German troops advanced quickly After 1 month they were 25 miles outside Paris September 7, 1914- French Counterattack 2 million fought over 125 miles 5 days and 250,000 dead France pushed the Germans back 40 miles Field of red poppies Gave Russia time to mobilize War Reaches a stalemate Stalemate at Marne led to trench warfare 400 miles of trenches Not new- but never on this scale Can t charge trenches no-man s-land Everyone s stuck 4
Weapons Bolt action rifle Machine guns Browning automatic rifle Grenade New Weapons Germans Poisonous gas- April 1915- canisters of Chlorine gas Mustard Gas 1917 used by Germans Britain Motorized armored tanks Both sides had airplanes Dogfights Red Baron - 80 downs, shot down 1918 Alfred Von Richthofen Section 2 THE UNITED STATES IN WWI 5
What do you think For most of WWI (1914-1917) the U.S. stays neutral, refusing to be brought into the war in Europe. Was this the right thing to do, or should the U.S. have entered the war in the beginning? Neutrality U.S. stays neutral Isolationism- not being involved in the affairs of other nations Wilson leans more towards the allies- doesn t like German tactics Have history with France and Britain Easier to trade with F & GB, German ports are blocked German submarine warfare Germany is desperate to end blockade, declares the water around GB a war zone. Attacks with u-boats Heading Towards War 1915 Lusitania sank- Americans onboard Germany agree to only attack supply ships 1916- Sussex sank- Germany promises not to sink merchant ships with warning or trying to save lives Wilson gets re-elected (barely) after promising to push for peace and keeping U.S. out of war Germany starts unrestricted warfare again 6
Zimmerman telegraph Note from Germany to Mexico, G offers M a dealif they attack the U.S. and join G they can get some of their old lands back United States declares war April 6, 1917 Americans in Europe May 18, 1917- Selective Service Act- men 21-30 have to register for the draft Supplies were limited so they made do with what they had Only a few African American regiments trained for combat Some Latinos discriminated against too Henry Johnson Americans sent to Europe were under General Pershing (June 1917) Pershing wanted Americans to fight in their own units, also to be trained more in Eastern France November 1917 Lenin takes over Russia, pulls out of the war. March 1918- Germany hits hard against the western front Allies pushed back to the Marne A year after arriving in Europe, Americans see combat Made a big difference!! Stopped German advances Women served as well, 20,000 nurses and non-combat 7
Section 3 THE HOME FRONT Mobilizing the Economy Wars are expensive War Revenue Act of 1917- high taxes, rich paid up to 77% of income Borrowed money: Debt 1916-1.2B, 1919-25.5B (20B owed in liberty bonds) Regulation: Industry and agriculture- make sure troops get goods War Industries Board- regulates all goods for war Food- laws passed to allow gov t to control food and fuel. Hoover in charge of Food Administration Promised farmers higher crop prices Victory Gardens and meatless Monday Limited/banned alcohol Fuel- Fuel Control Act Daylight savings- extended daylight hours for factory workers Gasless Sundays & heatless Mondays U.S. supplied not just the U.S., Britain got weapons, ammunition and explosives from us. 8
Mobilizing workers Profits skyrocket for corporations, sell goods to gov t Wages increase but because of rising cost of goods, not much different Long hours, questionable working conditions Workers join labor unions, 60% increase National War Labor Board- 1918 Judged disputes between workers and management Handled 1,200 cases, created 8 hour work day, equal pay for equal work, recognize labor unions Women enter the work force to take the place of men who went off to war Worked on railroads, at docks, and in factories Many left or were forced out when men returned Women used these contributions to the war effort in their arguments for the right to vote Influenza (flu) spread in 1918 nearly half of U.S. troops to die during WWI died from influenza 675,000 Americans died from it, some blamed the Germans Propaganda Pres. Wilson created the Committee on Public Information after declaring war George Creel was hired to run the CPI and create propaganda- materials designed to influence people s opinions Hired celebrities and artists to spread support Anti-German feelings began to grow EX: Dachshunds- liberty pups 9
Discussion If you are anti-war does that make you anti- American? Limiting Antiwar Speech As the gov t tried to sway Americans to support the war, they tried to silence protests and opposition 1917- Espionage Act- punished those who aided the enemy or refused military duty Sedition Act- 1918- illegal to speak, print, write or publish anything disloyal, or criticize the gov t, flag or military 1000+ were jailed Schenck Charles Schenck, socialist party Printed and handed out leaflets opposing the government war policies Convicted of violating the Sedition Act Supreme Court upheld Schenck s conviction (9-0) Argued limits need to be in place with free speech during war time 10
The War Ends July 15, 1918-2 nd Battle of the Marne U.S. 3 rd Division blew up every bridge across the river preventing the Germans from crossing August 3 rd Germans retreated. 150,000 G casualties Allies counterattack in Sept. American s defeat the Germans at Mihiel Allies push East towards Belgium Sgt. York MoH winner- led an attack (ok- only him) on a machine gun nest, took 32 machine guns, killed 20 Germans. In the end York and his 7 guys captured 132 others Battle of the Argonne Forest Took over a month U.S. army faced explosions and heavy machine gun fire 120,000 American casualties By November allies had reached Sedan Lost Battalion 554 Americans surrounded by Germans in the Argonne forest after they advanced too quickly and their side flanks (French) got stuck- 6 days of fighting off attacks by Germans ~197 killed ~150 MIA ~194 rescued Saved by a pigeon Cher Ami- delivered this WE ARE ALONG THE ROAD PARALELL 276.4. OUR ARTILLERY IS DROPPING A BARRAGE DIRECTLY ON US. FOR HEAVENS SAKE STOP IT Late 1918, German economy was crumbling Food riots, worker strikes in Germany Revolution spread in Austria-Hungary Surrendered Nov. 11, 1918 8.5 million killed 11
Section 4 PEACE WITHOUT VICTORY Peace Conference Wilson s 14 point peace plan reflected the new shift to progressive foreign policy. President Wilson traveled to Europe to participate in the conference. January 12, 1919 Paris Peace Conference begins Big Four: US- Wilson, GB- David Lloyd George, F- Georges Clemenceau, I- Vittorio Orlando Central Powers: no one. Wilson s 14 points 1. No more secret agreements between countries. Diplomacy shall be open to the world. 2. International seas shall be free to navigate during peace and war. 3. There shall be free trade between the countries who accept the peace. 4. There shall be a worldwide reduction in weapons and armies by all countries. 5. Colonial claims over land and regions will be fair. 6. Russia will be allowed to determine its own form of government. All German troops will leave Russian soil. 7. German troops will evacuate Belgium and Belgium will be an independent country. 8. France will regain all territory including the disputed land of Alsace-Lorraine. 9. The borders of Italy will be established such that all Italians will be within the country of Italy. 10. Austria-Hungary will be allowed to continue to be an independent country. 11. The Central Powers will evacuate Serbia, Montenegro, and Romania leaving them as independent countries. 12. The Turkish people of the Ottoman Empire will have their own country. Other nationalities under the Ottoman rule will also have security. 13. Poland shall be an independent country. 14. A League of Nations will be formed that protects the independence of all countries no matter how big or small. 12
Pres. Wilson wanted peace, not to punish G. Europe: punish Germany completely And get reparations- payments for damages and expenses caused by the war 32 nations were present or represented Some leaders wanted self-determination Self-determination: the right for people to decide their own political status Treaty of Versailles- Germany had no choice but to sign it, June 28, 1919 Congress didn t approve it, they had issue with the League of Nations and granting the LN power over our military Wilson went on a speaking tour to try and rally the people to support the treaty of Versailles and the LN, his health declined while on tour and he suffered a stroke. Spent the rest of his term living privately in the White House U.S. in 1921 (after Wilson) signed separate treaties with Germany, Austria, and Hungary. Impact of the War 14 million dead from disease, the war or starvation. 7 million disabled $280 Billion in war costs Political Impact- overthrow of monarchies in Russia, Austria-Hungary, Germany and the Ottoman Empire. Brought Bolsheviks into power in Russia Sparked anti-colonial revolts in the middle east and Southeast Asia 13
Economic Impact- U.S. came out the worlds leading economic power U.S. still faced inflation, high demand for certain goods, and farmers hit hard by sudden lack of demand for crops. Social Impact- 19 th Amendment passed Many African Americans moved North for factory work Impact in Europe- Europe hit hard, lost almost an entire generation France was destroyed Great Britain owed the U.S. a lot of money Germany crippled by the reparations it had to pay No lasting peace, still too much hostility, anger and issues not dealt with 14