the us and wwi

The US and WWI

Ch 21 Sec 1 – 4

Review

Part I- The War Begins

Europe on the Eve of World War I, 1914

The Causes

• Competing Alliances– Europe Tension- most Euro-nations

were hooked up in an alliance of some sort

• Nationalism– Your nation must compete/keep up or

be better than the other nations caused competition and tension

Triple Alliance v. Triple Entente

The Causes

• Imperialism– Competition for more territory,

resources, markets adds to the tension between nations

• Militarism– Military Spending increased 300% from

1870 -1914

Machine Guns Industrialization applied to killing

Tanks

One way to deal with the trenches …well sort of

Big Holes

Big Guns can only mean one thing...

Ahh... technology

Chemical Warfare

...it’s a gas

Solve for X: Science +Technology + Military= X?

20 Million+ will die in WWI

The Match Up

• Allied Powers• Russia• France • Great Britain• Serbia• Others

• Central Powers

• Austria-Hungary

• Germany• Ottoman Turks• Others

•What about the United States?

Part II- The

US Gets Involved

Early American Reaction

• Stay out it’s a European Affair, however...

• 1 out 7 Americans are European immigrants

• 2 out 5 Americans have family in Europe

• Americans were related to and also doing business with both sides in the conflict

American Factories

Provide the munitions

US Attitude-Neutrality (sort of…)

• America tries to stay neutral• Europeans conflict damaged US

business and farms• President Wilson tried to keep US

out

What if…

• If European markets go down than so will US economy

• Wilson allows US banks to loan money to European nations

• US business manufactures munitions• US Banks and Wall Street loan

Billions to Allies and only millions to Central Powers

British Naval Superiority

American Involvement: U-boats

• German U-boats- attack US ships • Lusitania- carried war supplies May

1915• Sussex Pledge- Germany will try to

stop• Germany resumes U-boat attacks

German U-boats: Used to prevent Allies from getting supplies

Zimmerman Telegram

A bit suspicious

Was it real or not? Hmm…

American Involvement: Zimmerman Telegram

• Asked Mexico to join Germany and Central powers, if the US gets involved in WWI

• Germany and Mexico would split up US after WWI

• Was it real? – Germany denied it. – Mexico said they never got it. – It was discovered by a British Spy,

hmmm?

Bolsheviks take over

Russia end Monarchy

and immediately pull out of

WWI

American Involvement: Russian Revolution 1917

• Russian monarchy this was against (US) ideals of Democracy

• Bolsheviks take over and pull out of the war

• Now the US has no issues joining the Allies

American Involvement: The Financial Issue

• US banks and business have loaned billions to the Allied Nations

• US banks and business have loaned millions to the Central Power Nations

• Do the Math – Do you want to lose Millions…– Or Billions?

US Enters the War• Wilson declares war on Germany in

April 1917• “The United States would fight to

make the world safe for democracy.”• Many American business see it as an

opportunity• Some say that that the war is going

on at the command of Gold.’• Anti war attitudes are quickly

silenced

Woodrow Wilson shown with a young FDR

not everyone had a voice in their government… even in America

But in the US…

US and WWI : The War

• The US enters in1917• First action not until April 1918• War ends Nov. 11, 1918 (11/11 @

11:00 AM)• US Casualties = 116,516

WWI Casualties

• US - 116,516• GB- 908,000; • France- 1,375,000• Germany-1,800,000 • Austria-Hungary 1,200,000• Russia- 1,700,000

Impact of WWI- Military

Military• Selective Service Act- the Draft,

army wanted 3 million men• Segregated Army still the case-

Harlem Hell Fighters; most AA did grunt work

• Volunteers Women- nurses, drivers, etc.

Impact of WWI- $$$

Bonds• Billions $$ raised to support war• Most came in bonds, Liberty Bonds• Mass movement to sell bonds- Boy

Scouts, celebrities, etc pushed them.

Impact of WWI- $$$

Agencies• War Industries Board- oversaw

production; told companies what to make and also said who could have what resources

• “Metal for bullets not refrigerators”

Impact of WWI- $$$

Agencies• National Labor Relations Board-

settled disputes between business and workers (unions)

• Most strikes occurred during this time- gave unions power

• Women and AA entered work force• IWW & other socialists were

persecuted- seen as anti-America

Impact of WWI- $$$

Agencies• Food Administration• Issued price controls and

rationing• Made sure army had supplies• Propaganda to increase

production and conservation

Impact of WWI- $$$

Agencies• Committee of Public Information• Issued propaganda in support of

the war• Films, songs, campaigns, etc.• Promoted fear of foreigners-

sedition and espionage• Anti-war = Anti-American?

Anti-War = Anti- America

• Violence against anti-war people• Union (IWW) members arrested

beaten• Vigilantes & Lynching- Robert

Prager– German Measles = Liberty measles– Hamburger = Liberty sandwich– French Fries = Freedom fries?

• No Mozart or German Music• Literacy test for immigrants

The End of the War

This will come into play again and again and again

Wilson’s 14 Points

• Presidents Wilson’s idea to end the war, bring peace for the long term

• Based on self-determination and little retribution

• England & France- more interested in revenge

• Most of 14 points thrown out, except League of Nations

• Wilson leaves peace talks before Treaty signed

Treaty of Versailles 1919• Ends war• England and France make Germany

pay• Germany must:• Pay reparations $33 Billion• Give Up Colonies• Give Up Military• Gove up land between Germany &

France• Must take the blame for starting the

war

US Isolationism

• Europe was constantly fighting• US lost soldiers• Leads to no involvement w/Europe• US denies League of Nations• Wilson dies• America stays our of European

affairs

US Isolationism $$

• Europe messed up after the war

• US farms & industries take advantage

• US becomes economic powerhouse–Europe owes US mass $$ (+$11.5 billion)

• US established as a world power

End of the War at Home

• Soldiers return home need jobs• Causes unrest- women and

minorities were pushed out of jobs

• Europeans were messed up and buying less

• US industries sell less and less, workers start to get fired, the cycle…