World War I The Great War 1914 1918

World War I • “The Great War” 1914 -1918 • Involved 30 nations / 6 continents • Central Powers - Germany, A-H v. Allies - GB, France & Russia • 15 million killed • 80% deaths caused from disease, starvation & wounds • Bloodiest war ever up to that point • Europe was suspicious & competitive w/ one another

American Neutrality? • Remain neutral 3 of 4 years • Wilson will win re-election on slogan: “he kept us out of the war” • Immigrants followed war closely because ties to Europe (11 million w/ ties to Central P. ) • Wilson’s cabinet pro-G. B, Banks pro-G. B ($2 billion)=U. S. $ tied to allied victory (Big Business tied to G. B. ) • Trans Atlantic cable to G. B not Europe/yellow press make Germans look aggressive

British Blockade & German U-boat response • Fighting on land at stalemate (trench warfare) • G. B. w/ Naval strength set blockade along German coast & by 1917 (3 yrs) taking effectfamine =750, 000 Germans (civilians) starved to death (anaconda effect) • Germans responded w/ U-Boats (new weapon) 1 st month sank 90 ships /75, 000 deaths (1/10 of starvation deaths) • Anything headed to G. B. sunk w/ out warning (too risky to warn-international rules of warfare- 1. warn target to stop 2. send boarding party 3. allow time for crew to board lifeboats before sinking ship(ex. of new weapons old tactics) Unrestricted Submarine warfare • 3 rd ended here

Lusitania • German U-Boat sank British Luxury Liner off coast of Ireland (carrying 4, 200 cases of ammunition) • Unknown to her passengers but no secret to the Germans, almost all her hidden cargo consisted of munitions and contraband destined for the British war effort • 1, 198 killed (94 children & 35 infants) - 128 Americans • Moral Wilson objected calling it barbaric act • Germany defense: 1. carrying munitions 2. warnings in U. S. papers 3. U-Boat rendered useless if follow rules of warfare 4. Lusitania sister ship carried troops 5. 750, 000 Germans are starving to death

German U-boat sinking zone

U. S. Reaction to Lusitania • Shock & anger –act of mass murder & piracy (moral Wilson-rules of warfare shattered!) • Eastern U. S. wanted war / Western U. S. still stay out. Why? • Wilson didn’t want to lead disunited country to war • TR called Wilson a coward (Americans followed w/ terms like: dud shells called “Wilsons”) jingoism-war hysteria • G. B. regarded us as cowards too (audiences in GB booed when U. S. mentioned) (why do they want us in? )

German U-Boat Activity Cont. (UNRESTRICTED SUBMARINE WARFARE) • May 7, 1915 Lusitania sunk • Aug 1915 Arabic (G. B. ) sunk (2 U. S. citizens) • Wilson warns Germany & Germany agrees not to sink passenger liners anymore (doesn’t want U. S. joining) • March 24, 1916 -Germans sunk French vessel Sussex (2 American wounded) & Wilson warned Germany again (50 died) • Sussex Pledge -Germany agree to stop if U. S. got G. B. to modify blockade & allow food into Germany (Wilson agreed but couldn’t convince G. B. ) (remember 750, 000 Germans starving to death because of blockade) (FAILED)

Zimmermann Note • March 1, 1917 • German Foreign sec. sent a telegram to German ambassador in Mexico • Tried to get alliance between Mexico & Germany (when Germany committed to cont. unrestricted submarine warfare after Sussex pledge failed) • promise Mexico help in recovering lost lands in Mexican War (TX, NM, AZ) • Germans Using strained relations w/ Mexico against us. • Strategy: if Mexico declares war on U. S. , we will be too busy to fight in Europe (can’t turn the tide of the stalemate if fighting in SW U. S. ) (brilliant) • The proposal was caught by the British before it could get to Mexico (British agents trying to sway U. S. opinion) Western part of country upset & want war (now unified in wanting war) • 1915 German spy left briefcase on subway detailing plans for industrial sabotage –fueled fire for War

Russian Revolution • Feb. 1917 • Russia overthrew czar & assassinated entire family (Anastasia, Rasputin, & sick son) • Bolshevik Revolution • Karl Marx Communist Manifesto playing out 1 st time: Communist take over & exit war • With Russia out stalemate will end because Germany doesn’t have to fight 2 front war. Yikes! • U. S. fearful Germans will start to win so more pressure to join war $2 B

Wilson asks Congress for Declaration of War • April 2, 1917 Wilson delivered War resolution (knew little about foreign policy – all studies were on domestic issues • Wilson’s desire to “make the world safe for democracy” • Only 6 senators & 50 representatives voted against it • “it is a fearful thing to lead this great peaceful people into war…but the right is more precious than peace. . . we shall fight…for democracy. ” • all the entente powers were democracies)(all central powers were monarchies or dictatorships) (moral diplomacy cont. )

Watch Wilson’s Presidency

• Only 200, 000 men in military at time of WWI (only 1, 500 Selective Service Draft machine guns, 55 airplanes, no artillery) • Required all men 21 to 30 register for the draft (24 m. registered) • Draft not necessary since Civil War so many in Congress opposed the draft • A lottery determined the order the men would go (IQ test given) • 2. 8 million men drafted • Not all drafted (2 million volunteered)(viewed it as great adventure) • 12 weeks after declaration of war U. S. men landed in France • 400, 000 Blacks drafted & served in segregated units • Woman -1 st time woman officially served in noncombat positions = 11, 000 & 20, 000 nurses • General John J. Pershing was commander of the American Expeditionary Force (chased after Pancha Villa)(1 rule by Wilson =keep separate U. S. force)

New Work Force • w/ large # men in military, employers hire women (1 million women joined work force & 8 million moved up to better jobs)(most returned when men returned from war) • Desperate for workers, Henry Ford & other owners sent recruiters into the South to get African Americans to take jobs left by men (Blacks in South still sharecropping) • 300, 000 to 500, 000 leave South & move to Northern cities =The Great Migration • Greatly altered racial makeup of cities like Chicago, NY, Cleveland, & Detroit (Lead to race riots in North after war)

War Industries Board • Wilson est. 5, 000 agencies to win the war (to convert factories to wartime goods) • During war time the federal govt & private companies must work together for the war effort (capitalism @ war) • Est. to coordinate the production of war materials • Decided what factories would produce what war time goods dress factory transformed into uniforms, sneaker factory transformed into boots for soldiers, model T car factory transformed into Jeeps and tank factory • allocate raw materials for war effort • ordered the construction of new factories • “to operate the whole U. S. as a single factory dominated by one manager” 4 th ended here

Food Administration Board • Run by Herbert Hoover (future president) Responsible for increasing food production while reducing civilian consumption (volunteer rationing) • “Food will win the war –Don’t waste it” encouraged families to conserve food & grow their own vegetables victory gardens • Campaigns such as: Wheatless Mondays, Meatless Tuesdays, & Porkless Thursdays • Families leave more food for the troops (feeding allied troops) • U. S. govt bought entire U. S. wheat crop $2. 26 bushel (high)

Espionage – Sedition Act • Illegal to aid the enemy, give false reports, or interfere w/ the war effort • Made it illegal to speak against the war publicly (what? ? ) • Allowed govt to prosecute anyone who criticized the govt • 1, 000 convictions • 1 st Amendment violations but Supreme Court ruled in times of clear & present danger it is ok to block free speech Schenck v. U. S. 1919 – mailed letters urging dodging of draft & found guilty • Eugene Debs (who is he? ? )went to jail under this act for speaking against war

The War Ends • 19 months after U. S. entry into WWI (U. S. deciding factor) • Germans mutinied & group of soldiers & workers seized power • German Emperor stepped down • 2 days later armistice = 11 th hour, 11 th day, 11 th month, of 1918 WWI ended (what day is this holiday today? ) • Cost U. S. $44 million a day ($33 billion total) (about $10 billion went to allies in loans) • 1/3 raised through taxation (income, corporate & excise taxes on theater, gum & records) • Borrowed rest $20 billion from U. S. people through bonds (1/5 pop. Bought bonds)

9, 000 Dead

Treaty of Versailles • Treaty ending WWI • Defeated Central powers not invited • 9 new nations formed (Poland, Yugoslavia, Austria, Hungary, Czech. ) • Germany forced to pay for war damages $56 billion • Wilson’s 14 points (League of Nations) –self-determination, Freedom of Seas, & League of Nation • Allies punished & weakened Germany determined to end German aggression once & for all (take all her colonies)

• Wilson came home and campaigned for League of Nations on nationwide tour but lost. (Massive stroke) • U. S. Senate rejected Treaty of Versailles mainly because of League of Nations (U. S. wanted isolationism)(disillusioned why we entered war)