World War I The Great War United States

World War I The Great War United States History: 1877 to Present USII. 4 Betty Jo English

Archduke Franz Ferdinand Killed June 28, 1914 Austria-Hungary Declares War Belgium Serbia France Russia befriends Germany Declares War Great Britain Declares War

Causes of World War I l Competition to colonize Africa by European countries (Nationalism) l Britain and Germany were competing for the most powerful navy in the world (Militarism) l Countries formed alliances to protect themselves (Alliances)

Start of WWI l l Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria is assassinated in Bosnia by a secret society known as the Black Hand. (June 28, 1914) WWI begins on July 28, 1914, when Austria. Hungary declares war on Serbia.

Who were the Allies l l l Great Britain France Russia Serbia Belgium

Who were the Central Powers l l Germany Austro-Hungarian Empire Bulgaria Ottoman Empire

Where was the USA? Isolationism l l l should not get involved in alliances with other nations should avoid war unless in territorial self-defense should prevent trade and cultural exchange

U. S. enters WWI l l Zimmerman Telegram: Sent by Foreign Secretary of Germany, Arthur Zimmerman, in January of 1917 to Mexico. Germany was asking Mexico to join them and fight against the U. S. In return Germany would help Mexico regain land that they lost in the Mexican Cession (Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona) Telegraph intercepted by the British.

Zimmerman Telegram Encoded/Decoded

Reasons for US Involvement l Inability to remain neutral l German submarine warfare • l Sinking of the Lusitania Economic and Political ties to Great Britain

Life in the trenches

Life in the Trenches l l l What was life in the trenches like? No bathrooms Shells exploding all around you Dead men lying next to you when you slept Muddy when it rained Filled with rats

The results of WWI l l l 8, 000 soldiers died in WWI; America lost 200, 000 lives, 5, 000 of which were Texans. The Triple Entente was victorious. In over 4 years of fighting the Triple Entente gained only about 3 MILES of ground in the trenches!!!

Life in the USA during WWI l l l In school you would receive a 10 min. lesson everyday on being patriotic. All books about Germany and its culture were pulled from book shelves in all libraries. In order to conserve food so it could be sent overseas for troops families had “wheat-less” Mon. and Wed. “meat-less” Tues. and “porkless” Thurs. and Sat

Racial and Ethnic Tensions l l Texans and Americans grew to hate Germany, along with its culture. It made life for German immigrants in TX and the U. S. difficult. ¼ of the U. S. soldiers were African Americans and they still found themselves targets of segregation. More severe in the South. Mexican Americans were also threatened and denied many opportunities.

Postwar Growth of Top Industries in TX l l l Growth of oil industry during the 1920 s was most important economic development after WWI. Agriculture remained the leading economic force in TX during 1920 s. By the end of the 1920 s, the value of agricultural products was three times that of oil. Farmers overproduced and many refused to slow down production which dropped the price of crops.

Postwar Growth of Top Industries in TX Continued l l By 1920 s automobiles were becoming common in TX. Farmers could transport by truck now and not just railroads. Farm work was made faster and simpler by creating tractors to replace mules and horses. They also created combines which did the work of both binders and threshers increasing wheat production.

Works Cited l Random House Unabridged Dictionary. 1997. Random House. 11 May 2007 <http: //www. factmonster. com/ipd/A 0497381. html>. l Jessica Mason, Beth Hull, Cydney Topping, Travis Price , "War and Peace: The First World War. " World War I map. 2006. Eastern Oregon University. 11 May 2007 <http: //www 3. eou. edu/hist 06/World. War. Imap. html>. l Thomas Pearcy, Ph. D. , Mary Dickson and David Purdon , "Ralph's World Civilizations. " Europen on the Eve of World War I, 1914. 1997. W. W. Norton Publishing. 11 May 2007 <http: //www 2. wwnorton. com/college/history/ralph/resource/wwi. htm>. l United States History: 1877 to Present, History and Social Science Standards of Learning Enhanced Scope and Sequence. Richmond VA: Virginia Department of Education, 2004. l "Clip Art. " Microsoft Office. 2007. Microsoft Corportion. 11 May 2007 <http: //office. microsoft. com/enus/clipart/default. aspx>. Copyright 2007 Betty Jo English