Woodrow Wilson and World War I

1. 1909-1919 Woodrow Wilson and World War I

2. Wilson and moral diplomacy • The new president focused his attention on implementing New Freedom • Triple Wall of Privilege • Had little experience in foreign affairs • Wilson rejected both big stick diplomacy and dollar diplomacy • Instead, he believed that his foreign policy should be guided by moral principles and not power and money • Believed that the U.S. should practice moral diplomacy by promoting democratic values and moral progress Wilson and Latin America

3. The Caribbean • TR relied upon the power of the U.S. Navy to enforce big stick diplomacy in the Caribbean • In contrast, Taft relied upon dollar diplomacy or the use of American money to influence Caribbean nations • For example, the Taft administration encouraged U.S. bankers to take charge of the finances in debt-ridden Nicaragua • Wilson found it difficult to practice his moral ideals in the Caribbean • Despite his objections to using military force, Wilson sent marines to Haiti, the DR, and Nicaragua to protect U.S. financial interests in these countries Wilson and Latin America

4. Mexico • Events in Mexico also tested Wilson’s commitment to moral diplomacy • In 1911 Francisco Madero overthrew Mexico’s dictator PorfirioDiaz promising to institute a series of domestic reforms • However, in 1913 he was overthrown and murdered by a general named Victoriano Huerta • The new Mexican leader represented everything Wilson despised • “I am going to teach the South American republics to elect good men,” Wilson vowed Wilson and Latin America

5. Mexico • The crisis continued when Venustiano Carranza overthrew Huerta in 1914 • Wilson welcomed the change but was dismayed when Carranza refused to accept U.S. advice • For a time, Wilson supported Francisco “Pancho” Villa, a bandit who opposed both Huerta and Carranza • In October 1915, Wilson changed his mind and recognized the Carranza government • Feeling betrayed, Villa stopped a train in Northern Mexico and killed 17 U.S. citizens • 2 months later, Villa and his men burned Columbus, NM and killed 17 more Americans • Outraged by these events, Wilson ordered a force of 11,000 men commanded by General John J. Pershing to invade Mexico and capture Villa • Pershing failed to apprehend the elusive Villa and his invasion alienated the Carranza government Wilson and Latin America

6. “Neutral in fact as well as name” • Since the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, Europe had experienced an extended peace • MAIN causes • The assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand on June 28, 1914 set in motion a chain of events that led to the outbreak of WWI less than 6 weeks later • Ger. forces overran BE and soon threatened FR • The explosive events in Europe stunned Wilson • He was now forced to shift his focus from New Freedom and relations with MX to how the U.S. would respond to the war in Europe • On August 19, 1917 Wilson announced that “the United States must be neutral in fact as well as name” The Road to World War I

7. American ties to BR and FR • Stronger cultural and political ties with BR and FR than with Ger. • Most Americans viewed Ger. as a militaristic country ruled by an autocratic ruler • BR propaganda skillfully reinforced this image by depicting the Ger. as ruthless barbarians who committed unspeakable atrocities against the defenseless people of BE • Also, strong commercial ties with BR and FR • In 1916, the US sold $275 million worth of goods to BR and FR and only $29 million worth of goods to Ger. • During this time U.S. investors loaned $2.3 billion to the Allies and just $27 million to the Ger. The Road to World War I

8. Freedom of the seas and Ger. naval policy • As a neutral nation, the U.S. could legally trade with all warring nations involved in WWI • Enforcing America’s neutral rights proved to be difficult • The BR fleet established a blockade that prevented countries from trading with Ger. • The Ger. retaliated by using their new U-boats to sink without warning all enemy merchant ships found approaching GB The Road to World War I

9. Freedom of the seas • After sinking the Lusitania (BR) and the Sussex (FR), the Ger. issued the Sussex Pledge (1916) promising not to attack merchant vessels without warning • Wilson sternly warned Ger. that a violation of this pledge would risk war with the U.S. • On Jan 31, 1917 Ger. announced that it would resume unrestricted sub warfare knowing this would bring the U.S. into the war • However, they gambled that they could defeat FR and GB before America could mobilize and train an army large enough to thwart their offensive along the Western Front The Road to World War I

10. “The world must be made safe for democracy” • In early Feb 1917, Wilson broke diplomatic relations with Ger. • Less than a month later BR officials released a decoded message from Ger. Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmerman to the Ger. ambassador in MX • The ambassador was instructed to offer MX an alliance with Ger. and in return, MX would receive Ger. support to recover TX, NM, and AZ • The Zimmerman Telegram and the sinking of several unarmed American ships compelled Wilson to ask a special session of Congress for a declaration of war against Ger. • Wilson told Congress that the U.S. “had no selfish ends to serve” by entering the war • “The world,” Wilson insisted, “must be made safe for democracy” The Road to World War I

11. The Selective Service Act • The U.S. Army had just 208,034 men when Congress declared war on Ger. • The Selective Service Act of 1917 quickly remedied this lack of manpower by requiring all men aged 21-30 to register for military service • By the end of the war the armed services enlisted 3.7 million men about ½ of whom reached Europe Key Home Front Developments

12. The Committee on Public Information • Wilson recognized that the U.S. public had to be mobilized to support a war against an enemy that did not present a direct threat to the nation’s homeland • Wilson issued an executive order creating a Committee on Public Information • Led by George Creel, the Committee worked to convince the public that America was fighting a righteous war for freedom and democracy • An army of 75,000 4-Minute Men gave speeches urging citizens to buy Liberty Bonds and conserve fuel and food • Meanwhile, propaganda films and posters portrayed the Ger. as barbaric enemies of freedom Key Home Front Developments

13. Civil Liberties • The Committee on Public Information’s propaganda campaign promoted a national mood of suspicion and distrust • On Wilson’s request, Congress passed the Espionage and Sedition Acts to outlaw criticism of gov’t leaders and war politics • Ironically, while the U.S. embarked on a crusade to “make the world safe for democracy,” these 2 acts stifled dissent and encouraged intolerance Key Home Front Developments

14. The Great Migration • WWI created a labor shortage by moving about 4,000,000 men from the nation’s farms and factories to the armed services • The wartime demand for industrial workers encouraged over 400,000 S blacks to move to N industrial cities • Known as the Great Migration, this mass mov’t opened new opportunities for AA exacerbating racial tension in many N cities Key Home Front Developments

15. On January 8, 1918 Wilson announced a peace program, the Fourteen Points • The first 5 points called for general principles of conduct that included open diplomacy, freedom of the seas, removal of trade barriers, reduction of armaments, and impartial mediation of colonial claims • The next 8 points contained specific recommendations for adjusting postwar boundaries • Wilson’s 14thpoint called for “a general association of nations” that would protect “great and small states alike” • That association, known as the League of Nations, would keep the peace by encouraging its members to solve problems by negotiation The Fourteen Points

16. The Fourteen Points offered generous peace terms to the defeated Central Powers When the Ger. gov’t surrendered in Nov 1918, it was assured that the peace conference would be based upon the Fourteen Points Wilson received thunderous ovations when he arrived in Paris to negotiate the Treaty of Versailles However, the Fourteen Points raised expectations that would be very difficult to achieve The FR premier George Clemenceau reflected the cynical attitude of many European leaders when he scornfully observed, “God gave us the Ten Commandments, and we broke them. Wilson give us the Fourteen Points. We shall see.” The Fourteen points

17. A flawed treaty • The peace conference opened in Paris on January 18, 1919 • Wilson personally headed the American delegation but he made the mistake of not asking any Sen or Reps to join the delegation • This was a serious error in judgment because the Sen would have to ratify the treaty and because the Reps had won control of both houses of Congress in 1918 • Wilson soon faced the grim realities of European power politics • Both GB and FR wanted to make Ger. pay for the terrible suffering their people endured in the war • Although Wilson argued for the Fourteen Points, the final treaty reflected the Allies vindictive attitude toward Ger. • The Treaty of Versailles forced Ger. to give up 13 % of its territory and its colonies • Ger. also had to accept full blame for starting the war and had to pay reparations later set at $33 billion The Fight for the League

18. A flawed treaty • Wilson recognized that the Treaty of Versailles was too punitive • However, he signed it in exchange for Allied support for the League of Nations • The League represented Wilson’s hopes for the postwar world • He was convinced that the League would rectify problems in the treaty and that its provisions for collective security would ensure international peace The Fight for the League

19. Senate opposition • When Wilson returned to the U.S. he faced a tough fight to win Sen approval for the treaty • Sendivided into 3 groups • Internationalists who supported the treaty • Irreconcilables who opposed the treaty • Reservationists who were willing to accept the treaty with changes that would clarify or limit the League’s authority over American actions • Reservationists were led by Henry Cabot Lodge, the Senate Majority Leader and Wilson’s bitter political enemy • Lodge objected to the collective security provision arguing that this provision would limit U.S. sovereignty and undermine the power of Congress in foreign affairs • He preferred the long-standing policy of avoiding entangling foreign alliances The Fight for the League

20. Rejection and defeat • Wilson denounced his critics by saying that they were shortsighted “pygmies” who failed to see that membership in the League would give the U.S. “leadership in the world” • Wilson’s refusal to compromise with Lodge hardened Senopposition to the treaty • Frustrated by the Sen debate, Wilson elected to take his case to the people • Left D.C. on Sep 4, 1919 and traveled 8,000 miles and made 37 speeches in 29 cities • 3 weeks into the trip he collapsed from exhaustion • A few days later he suffered a severe stroke that partly paralyzed his left side • For weeks he could not sit up or even sign his name • He was so ill that only his doctors, his wife, and his closest aides were allowed to see him • The Senate never approved the treaty and the U.S. never joined the League • Wilson left office a beaten and embittered man The Fight for the League

21. Prompt: Describe the political, social, and economic impacts of the Treaty of Versailles. Outline #3