Winning the War

World War I

Total War

• Total war – the use of a nation’s entire resources into the war effort

• Modern, mechanized war required the total commitment of the whole society.

Economic Impact

• Both sides set up systems to recruit, train, arm, transport and supply armies in the millions.

• Conscription – “the draft” required all young men to be ready to serve. – Germany even set up forced civilian labor too.

Economic Impact

• Raised taxes and borrowed huge amounts of money

• Rationed food and other consumer goods

• Economic controls– Setting prices– Forbidding strikes

Propaganda War

• Total war meant controlling public opinion– The press was censored– Restricted popular literature– Restricted movies & art

• Kept complete death numbers or discouraging news from the people

• Propaganda – spreading of ideas to promote or to damage an opposing cause.

Propaganda War

• Both sides used tales of atrocities, horrible acts against innocent people– Greatly exaggerated– Completely made up!

Impact on Women

• Women played a critical role in total war. • Took over jobs and kept national economy

going. – War industries, manufacturing, weapons, supplies

• British food shortages – Women’s Land army grew food

• Many served on the front lines as nurses• Support for War effort help them win right to

vote.

Collapsing Morale

• Germany sending 15 year olds to the front• Britain on the verge of bankruptcy• Food shortages, causalities• Stalemate lead soldiers to abandon their post

all over Europe.

Revolution in Russia

• Three years into the War – Russia hit hard• Bread riots in 1917 lead to a revolution that

brought down the Romanov Monarchy– Allies hoped for a new democratic Russia

• Vladimir Lenin came to power and promised to leave the war.

• Russia signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany – ended Russian involvement

The United States Declares War

• Why?– Unrestricted Submarine

warfare– Zimmerman Note– Cultural Ties

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

• Attacks on merchant and passenger ships carrying Americans

• Transporting supplies to the Allies– American was neutral and had a right to safe

travel• Lusitania torpedoed May 1915– 1,200 killed; 128 Americans– Germany claimed in carried weapons (true)

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

• U.S. threatens to cut off relations with Germany– Agree to restrict its submarine warfare– Before attacking- Germany would surface and

allow neutral passengers to board life boats.• December 1916 – Germany resumed

unrestricted warfare

Cultural Ties

• Many Americans supported Allies– British heritage– France another democracy

• Some supported Central Powers– German Americans– Irish Americans – resented British rule of Ireland– Russian Jewish immigrants dislike Czar

• ALLIES OWED U.S. a whole bunch of money!

Declaring War

• April 1917, Wilson asks Congress to declare war on Germany.

• By 1918, 2 million American soldiers joined the fight

• Boosted morale of Allies and Americans are good fighters

• Financial aid helped them, too.

Fourteen Points

• President Wilson’s plan for resolving this war and all future war

• Some of the Points:– Freedom of the seas– Free trade– Large-scale reduction in weapons– End to secret treaties– Self-determination for all people– Creation of “League of Nations” to keep the peace.

Campaign to Victory

• As Allies forced Germany back across France and Belgium:– German commanders urged Kaiser to step down,

which he did – fleeing to Netherlands– Government of Austria-Hungary collapsed-

splintering the Hapsburg empire.

Armistice

• New German Government sought an armistice – or agreement to end fighting

• The Great War came to an end on the eleventh month, eleventh day at the eleventh hour of 1918

Questions to Ponder

• What measures did wartime governments take to control their national economies and public opinion?

• What impact did wartime failures have on Russia?

• Why did the United States declare war on Germany?

• What impact did American entry have on the war?