The Great War WWI 1914 1918 Causes of

The Great War WWI 1914 -1918

Causes of WWI w Imperialism – Starting in the 1890 s a great scramble for colonies; by 1910 most claimed and fighting erupts over those that are left w Militarism – Aggressively building up a nation’s armed forces; sometimes gives military more power in gov’t – Endless planning for war makes war more likely

w Nationalism – Countries act in their own national interest – Ethnic factions within countries want self-rule w Alliances – Agreements between countries to support each other in times of need • Central powers: Germany, Austria Hungary • Allies: Russia, France, Great Britain (Triple Entente) and Serbia

The “Spark” w June 28, 1914 w Archduke Frances Ferdinand, heir to the Austro -Hungarian Empire visits Sarajevo in Bosnia a recent addition to the AH Empire – Both he and his wife are assassinated by Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian nationalist who believed Bosnia should be part of Serbia w Leads to call for war (July 28 th)

Conflict Expands

Schlieffen Plan Germany w First strike plan-to avoid fighting on 2 fronts, plan to knock France out of the war in 6 wks. before Russia can truly mobilize; then turn to east

Failed w Germany invades Belgium and gets 30 miles from Paris; Battle of Marne w Germans and British/French forces dig trenches to keep from giving up land: stalemate w Russia invades AH Empire and Germany, Germany fears their early victories and moves troops from the West to the East ahead of schedule (They had wanted to capture Paris first), manage to push back Russian Army w Creates 2 Fronts: Western and Eastern, divides the armies of the Central Powers

Joining the Fight w Joined Central Powers – Ottoman Empire – Bulgaria w Joined Allied Powers – Italy – Romania

Western Front w Stalemate-situation in which neither side is able to gain the advantage w This stalemate creates trench warfare

Trench Construction w Need: Germany had dug in, Allies follow suit w Constructed with wooden planks, sandbags w Trench system grows more complex the longer the stalemate holds

Life in the Trenches w There was a rotation in the trenches; most rotations were to be one week in the front trench, one week in the support trench and one or two weeks out of action-as the war drug on the time in the front was extended • Life in the trenches was miserable. The soldiers suffer from disease, filth, rats, food shortages, boredom, enemy fire, mental breakdowns, waterlogged trenches, etc.

Water Logged Trenches

Food in the Trenches w Beginning of war soldier gets 10 oz of meat, by end 6 oz of meat w Diet was canned corned beef, bread and biscuits (sometimes made w/ ground turnips) w 1916 -pea soup w/ horse meat • Weeds such as nettles also used in stews/soups • Food/tea made in 2 large vats, food transported in petrol cans or old jam jars • Food not really hot when it gets to front line

Medical Conditions • Shell shock-symptoms included tiredness, irritability, giddiness, lack of concentration and headaches. Could cause mental breakdown • Dysentery- inflammation of large intestine: stomach pain, diarrhea-caused by bad water, contact w/human feces and infected others-Can cause death from dehydration w Infection in feet from wet, damp conditions w Feet will go numb then red or blue, if untreated could become gangrenous and might result in amputation

Enemy Fire w Machine guns • Rapid Fire artillery • Hand grenades • Gas warfare • Chlorine gas 1915 -destroy respiratory organs • Mustard gas 1917 -most lethal, odorless, 12 hrs. to take effect, stays in soil for 12 wks. Vickers-600 rounds a minute

American Response w Many immigrant groups supported one side or the other w Many Americans mistrust Kaiser Wilhelm II b/c even with an elected parliament the Kaiser had strong powers over the gov’t; offends democracy w Germans seen as militaristic & cold blooded and oppressive-this view was aided by British propaganda-which was not always true, all news from Britain, Trans-Atlantic cable from German cut w U. S. remains largely neutral b/c commercial investments overseas had grown to $3. 5 billion

American Movements w Two movements arose in the U. S. in 1914 – The Preparedness Mvmt. • 1915 gov’t sets up camps to train men for combat • 1916 Wilson & congress agree to increases in armed forces – The Peace Mvmt. • Social reformers, Midwest progressives, women • Many in congress insist on paying for preparedness by tax on arms & income taxes- increase would make unpopular

Entering the War

Neutrality? w U. S. maintains neutrality through late 1916 – Sells war materials to both sides w Early 1917 U. S. allies itself with Allied Powers – Commonality – Economics – Genocide

Why the U. S. enters the War… w Protect our investment – Money loaned – Trade partners – Shipping w Politics – Bolshevik Revolution: can now fight for democracy – Allegiances w Ideals – Democratic theory – Human rights w Unrestricted submarine Warfare – British liner Lusitania May 7, 1915 – G. breaks Sussex pledge 1/31/17 w Propaganda

“The world must be made safe for democracy. ” -Woodrow Wilson April 2 nd, 1917 Congress declares April 6 th, 1917

Outranked w Less than 100, 000 men in uniform total • 16 other countries had more men in Uniform w 15, 500 Marines w 55 Naval Vessels – No battleships – No Submarine fleet w Fewer than 30 Planes – No Air Force – A. pilots fly F. planes

Initial Help to Allies w June 1917: 14500 American Expeditionary Force (AEF) sent under General Pershing to Western Front; recommends expanding to 1 million men in 1918 w Congress sent naval support, supplies, arms and $3 billion in loans; by end of war totals $10 to $11. 5 billion

Draftees and Volunteers w Selective Service Act 1917 - draft of young men (18 to 45) for military svc ages 21 -30 w By 1918 24 million registered, lottery picks 3 million to serve w Remainder of AEF- volunteers and guardsmen w 11, 000 women served as nurses, drivers and clerks; 14, 000 work for the gov’t and other agencies as civilians

Training for War w Sept 1917 arrive at training camps to learn to use bayonet, rifle, grenade, gas masks, and to dig trenches w Suppose to receive months of training but instead rushed to front

The Convoy System w Transporting troops hazardous b/c of Uboats – 1917 sank 400 Allied and neutral ships w May 1917 all ships travel in a convoy

American Soldiers in Europe w Pershing kept AEF separate from Allied troops to save for offensive moves – AEF members called Doughboys w More than 300, 000 black Americans volunteered or were drafted and served in segregated units (200, 000 serve in Europe; 4000 will die or be wounded) w 369 th Infantry Regiment, called Harlem Hell Fighters, eager to fight and are loaned to the French, distinguished service (fought 191 days) – Entire regiment receives France’s highest combat medal, the Croix de Guerre

Major American Engagements w Chateau-Thierry (May-July 1918) 27, 500 Americans: G. driven back w Second Battle of the Marne (July-Aug 1918) 85, 000 Americans: G. Retreat w St Mihiel (Sept 12 -16, 1918) 500, 000 A: 1 st American offensive-successful – Greatest air battle of WWI w Meuse-Argonne Offensive (Sept 26 -Nov 11, 1918) 1. 2 million A (lose 10%)

Ending the War w Fall 1918 Bulgaria and Ottoman Empire agree to peace w October 1918 Austria-Hungary Empire splinters as different ethnicities claim independence w German begs for peace, Allies refuse; want “total surrender”; push onto German soil – Last week of October German navy ordered to fight British navy, mutiny • Causes mutiny in factories, cities and ports; Kaiser flees Germany w Armistice signed November 11, 1918

Germany Surrenders w Germany surrenders – Intense economic pressure – Depleted military – Pressure from 2 fronts – Central Powers come apart – Mutiny in German Navy – Revolts in the factories – Kaiser Wilhelm abdicates the throne…Nov 9 1918 – Armistice signed Nov. 11 1918

Results of the War w The toll…world wide – 8 to 9 million soldiers killed – 7 million permanently disabled; many blind from gas attacks and thousands from amputations – 15 million seriously wounded – 200 million civilian casualties • Millions of civilians died as well from starvation, disease or war related injuries w The toll…U. S – 50, 000 KIA – 206, 000 WIA

Influenza Epidemic w Last months of the war influenza killed more people worldwide than all of the wartime battles had w American troops that arrived in France carried the virus from the U. S. , started in military training camp in Kansas, March 1918 w Virus disabled 500, 000 German soldiers summer 1918

w Virus spread easily in military bases & cities b/c of unsanitary conditions w AEF suffered 16000 cases in 1 st week of Oct. alone, death rate reached 32% in some units w ½ of soldiers in Europe fell sick with Influenza w In U. S. – San Francisco-citizens wear mask in public – Philadelphia-schools, churches, theatres closed – 675, 000 Americans died during pandemic, ten times more than in battle • Worldwide: Kills 30 million

Financing the War w The government borrowed $ from citizens by selling Liberty Bonds – Special war bonds to support the Allied cause w Roughly $23 billion was raised through the sale of liberty bonds- ¼ of these sales finance war & $10 billion to loans for allies – Sold by Boy and Girl Scouts and others who gave 4 minute speeches before events • Committee on Public Relations: George Creel

Managing the Economy w Wilson called on private industry to switch manufacturing to war goods w Sets up bureaucracy to manage war with “dollar a year” employees

New Agencies w War Industries Board-oversaw wartime production: dole out new materials, fixed prices w National War Labor Board-worked to settle labor disputes w War Labor Policies Board-set wages, hours and work conditions

Regulating Food and Fuel Consumption w Aug. 1917 -Lever Food & Fuel Control Act: gave President power to manage production & distribution of food & fuel vital to war effort w Increase farm output- creation of victory gardens w Imposed price controls and food rationing w Fuel Administration – sponsored gasless days – began daylight savings time-turning clocks ahead one hour in summer; increased # of daylight hours available for work, reduced need for artificial light & lower fuel consumption

“ Stop, before throwing any food away, and ask, ‘Can it be used? ”…Stop catering to different appetites. No second helpings. Stop all eating between meals…One meatless day a week. One wheatless meal a day…No butter in cooking: use substitutes. ” -Herbert Hoover

Fear of Foreigners w Calls for restriction on immigration w National Security League gets Congress to pass literacy tests for immigrants

Repression of Civil Liberties w Espionage Act: illegal to interfere w/ draft w Sedition Act: illegal to obstruct the sale of liberty bonds or to say anything “disloyal” about the American gov’t or military – Violates the 1 st amendment – Gov’t prosecutes 1500 people w Schenck vs US 1919: upheld these laws; words can create a “clear and present danger”

League of Nations w Organization intended to join together the nations of the world to ensure security and peace for its members w Written by Wilson w U. S. refuses to join b/c of Article 10 of plan: “members of league would regard an attack on one to be an attack on all”; worry would involve U. S. in foreign wars w League had no real power

Treaty of Versailles w Germany forced to own responsibility for war – European countries wish to cripple Germany w Germany to pay reparations – $33 billion w Map of Europe redrawn – 9 new countries w Limitations placed on Germany – Limited military – Occupation

Conclusion: Major Outcomes for the U. S. w The U. S. economy explodes – Leads to boom of 1920’s – Manufacturing economy – Consumer economic principals – $12 billion owed to U. S…with interest (roughly) w U. S. thrust into “World Power” status – Absence of European Empires w U. S. resumes isolationist views – Work to fix problems on the home front w U. S. refuses to join League of Nations – Feared membership would drag U. S. back into European wars