World War I Wilson War and Peace Giving

World War I Wilson, War, and Peace

Giving the Allies an Edge • By the time the US entered World War I, the conflict had become a deadly, bloody stalemate • On the Western Front in France, both sides had tried desperately to break the stalemate and failed • It would take the US entry into the war to turn the tide toward and Allied victory

Giving the Allies and Edge • To European leaders, the United States was a relative unknown • Many doubted the US could raise, train, equip, and transport an army fast enough to influence the outcome of the war • Desperate German military leaders renewed unrestricted submarine warfare trying to end the conflict before the US got involved

Convoys Protect Shipping • The Allies felt the impact of submarine warfare as the Germans sank more merchant ships faster than replacements could be built • The Allies finally adopted the convoy system (groups of merchant ships sailing together protected by warships)

Convoys Protect Shipping • Convoys had an immediate impact on the war • Convoys made up of British and American ships proved to be an instant success • Shipping losses from U-boat attacks fell sharply and Germany’s gamble failed

The Allies Struggle • The battle on land began to swing in the favor of the Central Powers • The Allies were exhausted by years of combat and the Russia was torn by civil war • March 1917: a moderate, democratic revolution had overthrown Czar Nicholas II but kept Russia in the war

The Allies Struggle • November 1917: radical communists led by Vladimir Lenin staged a revolution and gained control of Russia • Lenin pulled Russia out of the war in December, and on March 3, 1918 the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk ended the war between the Soviet Union and Germany • With the end of the war on the Eastern Front, Germany began moving soldiers to the Western Front

The Allies Struggle • With more soldiers coming to the Western Front, the Germans launched an all-out offensive in the Spring of 1918 • The fierce attacks threatened to break through Allied defenses and open a path to Paris

American Troops Join the Fight • General John J. Pershing, the commander of American forces in Europe, arrived in France in June 1917 • American troops did not arrive in France in large numbers until early 1918 • By March 1918, Allied counterattacks and German exhaustion ended the great German offensive

American’s Distinguish Themselves • American troops called “doughboys” saw significant action in the late spring and summer of 1918 • The Americans participated in both offensive and defensive battles, and though it took time they learned quickly and fought bravely

American’s Distinguish Themselves • One of America’s greatest war heroes was Alvin York from Tennessee • While trapped behind enemy lines, York and 16 other soldiers attacked several machine-gun nests • When the fighting was over, York and his fellow soldiers had taken the German position which earned him the Congressional Medal of Honor

American’s Distinguish Themselves • African Americans fought bravely during the war, despite facing discrimination in the US Army • By the end of the war, 1. 3 million American soldiers had served on the front, more than 50, 000 had died, and about 230, 000 had been wounded

The War Ends • The American troops gave the Allies a military advantage • By the fall of 1918, German and Austro-Hungarian armies had enough, and many men deserted, mutinied, or refused to fight • On November 11, 1918 Germany surrendered to the Allies in a railway car in Compiegne

The War Ends • Of the millions of troops who mobilized, almost 5 million Allied and 8 million Central Power troops were dead • Wounded: Allied- 12 million, Central Powers- 8 million • Nearly 6. 5 million civilians died in the terrible conflict

Peace Without Victory • Vladimir Lenin maintained that the war was nothing more than an imperialistic land-grab • He revealed secret treaties Russia made with the other Allies where they agreed to divide the German and Ottoman Empires

Peace Without Victory • For President Wilson, the war was about peace and freedom • January 1917: Wilson introduced the idea of “peace without victory” to Congress • “Victory would mean peace forced upon the loser…and would leave a sting, a resentment, a bitter memory upon which terms of peace would rest…”

Peace Without Victory • January 1918: Wilson outlined for Congress his Fourteen Points which outlined his idea of “peace without victory” • Fourteen Points encouraged openness, independence, and supporting freedom • Wilson wanted open diplomacy, freedom of the seas, free trade, reduction of arms, and ending colonialism

Peace Without Victory • Wilson championed self-determination (the right of people to choose their own form of government) • He asked for a League of Nations to secure “mutual guarantees of political independence and territorial integrity to great and small states alike” • In 1919, Wilson traveled to Versailles to represent the US at the peace conference

Wilson at the Peace Conference • The Allied leaders at the Peace Conference were known as the Big Four • • Woodrow Wilson (US) David Lloyd-George (Britain) Georges Clemenceau (France) Vittorio Orlando (Italy)

Wilson at the Peace Conference • Wilson’s idealism did not inspire the other Allied leaders • They blamed Germany for starting the war and felt that Germany make reparations (payments for war damages) • They wished to weaken Germany so that it would never threaten Europe again

Wilson at the Peace Conference • Lloyd-George wished to preserve the colonial status quo while Clemenceau wished for Germany to pay dearly and return Alsace-Lorraine • The Allied leaders chipped away at Wilson’s Fourteen Points, but Wilson kept pushing for a League of Nations • Wilson refused to compromise on the League, and the Allies finally voted to make the League part of the treaty

Problems With the Peace • The Versailles treaty created as many problems as it solved • The new map of Europe that emerged violated self-determination as often as it was confirmed • In the Middle East, several ethnic groups were clustered together randomly

America Rejects the Treaty • Wilson knew the treaty was not perfect, but he hoped the League could correct its problems • Many German Americans thought the treaty was too harsh Germany • Irish Americans criticized the failure of creating an independent Ireland

America Rejects the Treaty • Wilson’s biggest hurdle was the fact the treaty had to be submitted to the Republican-controlled Senate • Some senators believed the US should not get involved in world politics or world organizations • Many of these “isolationist” senators opposed the League of Nations, particularly Article 10 which called for mutual defense of member nations

America Rejects the Treaty • Henry Cabot Lodge led another group of senators called “reservationists” who opposed the treaty as it was written • Many reservationists believed Article 10 would lead the US into war without the consent of Congress • These senators did agree to vote for the treaty if revisions were made, however Wilson was not willing to compromise

America Rejects the Treaty • When the Senate delayed ratifications, Wilson went directly to the people • Though he was sick, Wilson crossed the country giving 32 addresses in 33 days

America Rejects the Treaty • Wilson’s health failed on September 25, 1919 and he suffered a debilitating stroke • In November 1919 the treaty was brought before the Senate and rejected • Most senators were not isolationists, however at a moment that demanded compromise, Wilson and his opponents refused to do so • Without full American support, the League of Nations was unable to maintain peace among nations