World War I (1914-1918)

1. World War I (1914-1918) McFarland

2. I. The Road to War: • Hidden Causes of WWI: existed well before 1914 • Imperialism – European powers competed for territory around the world – led to conflicts in those areas • Militarism – policy of building up a nation’s armed forces in preparation of war – all the great European powers participated: England, France, Germany, Russia, and Austria-Hungary

3. I. The Road to War: • Nationalism – countries acted in their own interest, regardless of how it affected other countries – also, many European countries contained many ethnic groups (races) within their borders who wanted their independence • Alliances – developed in the late 1800s – designed to increase a nation’s security and to defend each other during an attack

4. I. The Road to War: -two great alliances formed in Europe: a. Triple Alliance – Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy b. Triple Entente – England, France, Russia

6. I. The Road to War: • Immediate Cause of WWI (sparkplug): -the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sofie on June 28, 1914 -he was the heir to the throne in Austria-Hungary -shot while visiting Sarajevo, Bosnia, which was a province of A-H -killed by a Serbian nationalist named Gavrilo Princip (19 yrs old)

8. I. The Road to War: • After the assassination: -July 28: A-H blamed the Serbian gov’t and declared war on them -July 29: Russia, Serbia’s protector, began mobilization (the readying of troops for war)- Germany, A-H’s chief ally, demanded that Russia stop mobilizing – Russia refused – Russia’s ally, France, began mobilization as did Germany

9. I. The Road to War: -Aug. 1: Germany declared war on Russia -Aug. 3: Germany declared war on France -The U.S. remained neutral

10. I. The Road to War: • Germany knew it would be forced to fight a two-front war (East and West) eventually -so, they had a plan called the Schlieffen Plan which called for a quick strike on France to knock them out of the war and then they would turn and attack Russia

12. II. War Begins: • To get to France as quickly as possible, the German Army passed through Belgium, a neutral country -the invasion brought England, Belgium’s protector, into the war on Aug. 4 -Germany had hoped England, with the world’s strongest Navy, would stay out of the war

13. II. War Begins: • After the start of the war, countries in Europe began to take sides: a. Central Powers: Germany, A-H, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) b. Allied Powers (Allies): France, Russia, Italy (1915), Serbia, Romania, Greece, Montenegro, Portugal, Belgium, Albania

15. II. War Begins: • Sept. 1914: Germans advanced within 30 miles of Paris but were stopped at the Marne River by French and British troops in the First Battle of the Marne

16. II. War Begins: • The war reached a stalemate, a situation in which neither side could gain an advantage, on the Western Front (in France) -the Allies began to dig trenches to help reduce casualties and the Germans did the same (trench warfare) -the move to the trenches prolonged the war -heavy casualties resulted from soldiers going “over the top” into “no man’s land” (area between the trenches)

18. II. War Begins: • While both sides fought evenly in France, the Central Powers took over Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, and Romania -they also attacked Italy and began to push the Russian lines back

19. II. War Begins: • New Weapons used during WWI: • Machine gun – forced the soldiers to the trenches – fired up to 450 rounds a minute • Tanks – first used by the British – used mainly to smash barbed wire fences to clear the way for the infantry (foot soldiers) • Poison gas – chemical warfare – used by the Germans first

20. II. War Begins: • U-boats – German submarines – attacked without warning – used to fight the British blockade – interfered with American trade and threatened the safety of Americans • Airplanes – used only for observation at first – later armed with machine guns – ex: Manfred von Richthofen “Red Baron” (German ace pilot – shot down over 80 planes)

24. II. War Begins: • The American Response: -some Americans felt personally involved – Why? 1/3 were 1st or 2nd generation immigrants -most Americans wanted to Allies to win – Why? • Cultural ties with England • Most of the news from the war came from England • Kaiser Wilhelm II, German leader, was an autocrat (ruler with unlimited power)

25. II. War Begins: • The U.S. remained neutral at first and continued to trade with both sides -we were an isolated country at that time

26. III. U.S. Declares War: • 3 Major Events led the U.S. to join the Allies: • Germany’s use of unrestricted submarine warfare – Ex: a. Sinking of the Lusitania (May 7, 1915) – British passenger liner sunk by a German u-boat because it was secretly carrying weapons for the Allies – 1,200 died (128 Americans)

29. III. U.S. Declares War: b. Sinking of the Sussex (March 24, 1916) – French passenger liner sunk by a u-boat – the Germans later agreed to the Sussex Pledge (promised to warn ships before attacking) – kept the U.S. out of the war

30. III. U.S. Declares War: • Election of 1916 – Pres. Wilson ran under the slogan “He kept us out of the war” and was re-elected • Feb. 1, 1917: Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare – thought they could defeat the British and win the war before the U.S. could make a difference

31. III. U.S. Declares War: • Feb. 3, 1917: Wilson ended Am. neutrality by arming merchant ships – “armed neutrality”

32. III. U.S. Declares War: • Zimmerman Note / Telegram – German foreign secretary, Arthur Zimmerman, made a secret offer to Mexico -if they would attack the U.S., then they would be given back the lost territory in TX, AZ, and NM -the note was intercepted by the British -neither Wilson nor Mexico took the note seriously -however, the American public called for war

34. III. U.S. Declares War: • Revolution in Russia – March 1917, Czar Nicholas II was overthrown and replaced by a republican (democratic) gov’t -since a czar was no longer in power, the U.S. viewed Russia as an acceptable ally -this was the last stumbling block to a full Am. commitment to the Allies

35. III. U.S. Declares War: • Pres. Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany saying… “The world must be made safe for democracy.” • War was declared on April 6, 1917

36. IV. On the Homefront: • Selective Service Act (May 1917) – required all men, 21-30 years old, to register for the draft -ages later changed to 18-45 -24 million registered and 3 million drafted by lottery -2 million volunteered (5 million total troops)

37. IV. On the Homefront: • 11,000 women volunteered to serve as nurses, clerks, and drivers – also began working in factories, auto mechanics, traffic cops, etc. (jobs only men used to do) • 300,000 African Am.’s volunteered or were drafted – mostly used for manual labor – fought in segregated units

38. IV. On the Homefront: • War Industries Board – led by Bernard Baruch -regulated how natural resources were used and told factory owners what to make -ex: iron and steel industries used to make guns and later tanks – factories worked around the clock which created more jobs

40. IV. On the Homefront: • War Labor Board – settled labor disputes to prevent strikes during the war • Food Adm. – led by Herbert Hoover – conserved food and set crop prices – also encouraged “meatless Tuesdays” and “wheatless Wednesdays” – “victory gardens” were also planted

41. IV. On the Homefront: • Fuel Adm. – encouraged greater coal production and urged citizens to conserve coal and fuel – “heatless Mondays” – est. day-light saving time to save an hours use of lighting and heat each day

42. IV. On the Homefront: • Financing the war – two ways to pay for war: • Taxes were raised • Liberty Bonds were sold – loans by the Am. people to the gov’t – paid back with interest

43. IV. On the Homefront: • Laws Passed to Enforce Loyalty: • Sedition Act – prohibited any speech that was “disloyal, profane, or abusive” about the gov’t, flag, Constitution, or armed forces – very controversial • Espionage Act – punished anyone found guilty of helping the enemy, hindering recruitment, or inciting revolts

44. IV. On the Homefront: • Both acts were upheld in the Supreme Court case Schenck v. U.S. (1919) – ruled freedom of speech could be limited in certain situations or whenever there was a “clear and present danger” to public safety or national security

45. V. Americans on the European Front: • American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) – led by Gen. John J. Pershing – arrived in Paris on June 14, 1917 – provided reinforcements to British and French troops -U.S. soldiers nicknamed doughboys

47. V. Americans on the European Front: • The first job of the doughboys was to help England attack the German u-boats – Americans thought they would only provide naval assistance at first • Convoy system – began in May 1917 – group of unarmed merchant ships surrounded by armed naval ships – reduced number of ships sunk

49. V. Americans on the European Front: • The Bolshevik Revolution (communist revolution in Russia – Oct. 1917) changed the involvement of Am. soldiers -led by Vladimir Lenin -Russia signed a treaty with Germany in March 1918 to drop out of the war -allowed Germany to send all troops to the Western Front -forced U.S. to send in more foot soldiers to help Allies

50. V. Americans on the European Front: • Battle of Chateau-Thierry (June 1918) – major turning point in the war – U.S. helped French save Paris and began to push German lines back towards Germany • Battle of Argonne Forest (Sept.-Nov. 1918) – last critical battle of the war – 47 day battle – 1.2 million Allied troops began to push German lines back and eventually broke through