Chapter 18—The Great War

Section 1—A World Crisis

Causes of WWI• Nationalism– Extreme pride or devotion

towards country– Balkans

• Austria-Hungary annexed many provinces

– Slavs resisted– Russia was the father culture of

the Slavs…protector• Imperialism– Africa, Middle East, & Asia

being carved up– Germany built up their military

for imperialism

• Militarism– Policy of military

preparedness & build up– Germany enlarged navy &

army & drew up war strategies• The Schlieffen Plan• Invade through Belgium

• Alliances (balance of power)– Triple Alliance

• Germany, Italy & A-H– Triple Entente

• England, France, Russia

War Breaks Out

• Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Ferdinand• Serbia blamed..Russia defends…alliances lead to war• Germans Take Belgium (neutral)

– Followed Schlieffen Plan to attack France– British now in war as ally of Belgium

• New Kind of Warfare– French army thought it was going to traditional war– Germans met them with machine guns…

• 1st Battle of the Marne (river)– Battlefront stretch 125 miles – 250K killed…heavy losses on both sides (French worst)

The War at a Stalemate

• After 1st Marne 9/5-12/14, troops dug trenches– Trenches stretched from Switzerland to North Sea

• Fighting in the Trenches– Charge through no-man’s-land…you’d usually die– No one made significant advances creating

stalemate• New Weapons– Gas warfare, zeppelins, machine guns, tanks,

airplanes…though none gave distinct advantage– Gas was horrid…destroyed the lungs, suffocating the

soldier

New Weapons of War

Section 2—THE US in WWI

US Stays Neutral

• Isolationism– US didn’t want to be involved in European affairs

• Leaning Towards Allies– Traditionally closer ties with Allies– Financially not neutral• Sold goods to Allies…nearly $75million each week

• German Submarine (U-boats) Warfare– Germany’s response to British naval blockade– Germany declared waters of North a war zone– Unrestricted sub-warfare is what finally draw the US

off the sidelines

German U-boats

Heading Toward War

• Sussex Pledge (1916)– Germany vowed to not sink any merchant vessels

“without warning & without saving human lives”• Wilson’s Re-election– Re-elected in 1916…on peace platform– Asked for end to war with no victory

• The Zimmermann Note (Jan-Feb 1917)– Proposed German/Mexican alliance– Mexico would regain lost territory in NM, TX, AZ

• US Declares War– April 6, 1917 after U-boats sink 3 US merchant ships

Americans in Europe

• Raising an Army– Selective Service Act…men 21-30 required to register– Groups were segregated & discriminated against– Conscientious Objectors…not allowed

• Arriving in Europe– AEF or American Expeditionary Force, June 1917– Convoy system

• Troop transports surrounded by destroyers

• Allied Setback– Communist revolution in Russia…they pull out of war– By May of 1918 Allies 70 miles from Paris at Marne

• US Troops in Action– Took almost year to get

into the fight– Learned of trench

warfare– Helped save Paris

• American Military Women– Switchboard operators– 20K + as nurses– Bookkeepers & telegraph

operators too

The War Ends

• June 18, 1918—2nd Battle of the Marne– Germany’s last effort to turn tide of war– Armistice would come 100 days later

• September 1918– Allies go on offensive winning in Argonne Forest

• The Armistice– German economy crippled…morale low– 11/11/18 @ 11:11 AM the guns went silent– “Time to Bury the Dead”• 8.5 million dead because of the war

Section 3—The Home Front

Mobilizing the Economy• War Revenue Act…very high taxes 77% on some• Regulating Industry– War Industry Board regulated all materials needed in the

war effort• Regulating Food– Lever Food & Fuel Control Act

• Government set prices to control supplies/demands– Food Administration—encouraged food production

• Regulating Fuel– All done some there was ample for the military

• Supply US & Allied Troops– By rationing goods, it ensured supplies for troops

Mobilizing Workers

• Massive profits made for businesses• National War Labor Board– Est. 8-hr day, urge recognition of unions, equal pay for

women– Sought to keep labor disruptions to minimum

• Women’s War Effort– 1 million entered workforce– Suffrage advocates used this to further their cause

• Influenza Epidemic at Home (Spanish Flu)– Oct. 1918 200K were killed in America; 675K overall– Worldwide 20-40 million died—worse than Bubonic

Plague

Winning Support Through Propaganda

• Committee on Public Information– George Creel headed– Nationwide propaganda using

posters, newspapers, speeches– Hired movie stars to speak on war

effort• Mary Pickford

• Uncle Sam• Anti-German Sentiment

– Remove it from society– Stop teaching language– Stop playing symphonies– Lynched Robert Prager because

suspected spy

Section 4—Peace Without Victory

The 14 Points of Wilson• President Wilson’s plan for everalasting peace• 1st Four Points– Called for open diplomacy, freedom of seas,

removal of trade barriers, & reduction of military• 5th—proposed fair system for resolving

disputes• Points 6-13 deal with self-determination• 14th Point called for League of Nations– League would be organization of nations to

peacefully resolve disputes

Paris Peace Conference

• Who Attended?– Allied leaders dominated negotiations, which we

saw in the Treaty of Versailles excerpts– Big Four—leaders of USA, UK, France, & Italy

• Conflicting Needs– France wanted to decimate Germany– Many nations wanted independence

• Treaty of Versailles—6/28/1919– Required Germany to disarm– Pay reparations—exceeded what Germany could

afford

Impact of WWI

Political Impact– Ended monarchies in Germany, Russia & Aus-Hun– Led to rise of Bolsheviks in Russia

• Economic Impact– European economies were devastated– Farmers hit especially hard

• Social Impact– Women & African Americans experienced equality

• Impact in Europe– Leads to the rise of fascism in Italy & Germany