1. Chapter 11
The first world war

2. Section 1
World War I Begins

3. Causes of World War I There were 4 long term causes of World War I :
Nationalism – Devotion to the interest and culture of one’s nation.
Imperialism – The spread of power by larger nations over smaller nations.
Militarism – The development of armed forces and their use as a tool for diplomacy.
Alliance System- Formation of countries as a group. There were 2 main alliances in Europe at the time:
The Triple Entente (later known as the allies)- France, Britain, and Russia
The Triple Alliance (later known as the Central Powers)- Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy
Later they added the Ottoman Empire (an empire of mostly middle eastern lands controlled by the Turks) which changed it to the Central Powers

4. An Assassination Leads to War
The Balkan Peninsula was a very highly sought after land between the different alliances
Austrian Hungary which had taken control over Bosnia in 1878 accused Serbia of “subverting” it’s rule over Bosnia and tensions were very high
In June 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand (heir to the Austrian throne) visited Sarajevo, Bosnia and a Serbian nationalist named Gavrilo Princip stepped in and shot and killed the Archduke and his wife Sophie.
Austria Hungary declared War on Serbia on July 28 and because of the Alliance system one nation after another was pulled into the war
August 1 Germany declared war on Russia due to alliance support
August 3 Germany declared war on France (Russia’s ally)
Britain then declared war on Germany and Austria-Hungary after Germany invaded Belgium
This meant “The Great War” had begun

5. The Fighting Starts
August 3, 1914 Germany invaded Belgium using the Schlieffen Plan basically meaning they would hold steady against Russia and drive as quickly as possible from Belgium to Paris
The Allies were unable to save Belgium so they retreated to the Marne river in France where they halted the Germans in September 1914
By the Spring of 1915 both sides still in the same location had dug long trenches across from each other with a huge area in between known as “no man’s land”
This became known as trench warfare
This type of fighting lasted for 3 years with little to no ground being gained during that time period

6. Americans Question Neutrality
America was neutral but very divided on what cause of the war was just and not just
The reason for this was because of the high number of immigrants from the various countries involved
Socialists criticized the war as a capitalist and imperialist struggle between England and Germany to control markets and colonies in China, Africa, and the Middle East
The majority of Americans sympathized with e English side of the war due to many common threads between the 2 countries
As Germany began to sweep through Belgium more Americans began to side with the Allies in the war
Another and more important factor though was that America had a much stronger tie trade wise to France and Engalnd

7. The War Hits Home
The Americans favored the Allies but they did not want to join the war but by 1917 they had began to mobilize in favor of the Allies.
Britain formed a blockade on all ships heading to Germany which caused 2 issues:
1. American ships shipping stuff to Germany did not challenge the blockade so they quit shipping to Germany
2. 75,000 Germans starved to death due to famine because of the inability to import goods for farming issues
Germany responded to the blockade by sending out U-boats (submarines) and would shoot down and British or ally ship.
May 7, 1915 The Germans shot down the Lusitania of the coast of Southern Ireland killing 1/1198 people along with 128 Americans.
Americans public opinion turned sharply against the Germans after this

8. The War Hits Home
President Wilson did not immediately declare war instead he protested Germany
Germany continued this process killing more Americans
President Wilson ran in 1916 on the platform of the fact he kept the US out of war and he won but by a slim margin

9. The United States Declares War
President Wilson tries to call for Peace in Europe but Germany ignored his please for Peace
The Kaiser of Germany announced Germany would now sink all boats in the Atlantic Allied or neutral which stunned Wilson and almost forced him to declare war on Germany
The Zimmerman Notes (a telegram from Germany to Mexico that was intercepted by the US) stated that Germany wanted to form an alliance with Mexico against the US
Then when Russia changed Government from an oppressive Russian monarchy to a representative government people saw American entry as a way to claim it was a war of democracies vs brutal monarchies.
April 2, 1917 Congress gathered to hear President Wilson announce his War resolution for the United States
It was passed a few days later and the United States entered World War I on the Allies side

10. American Power Tips the Balance
Section 2
American Power Tips the Balance

11. America Mobilizes
When America declared war it was not prepared for a large war because there were only 200,000 men in service. So they needed to have drastic measures quickly in order to be able to make an impact in Europe
Congress passed the Selective Service Act in May 1917 which stated that men were required to register with the Government in order to be randomly selected for military service.
By the end of 1918 more than 24 million men had registered and more than 3 million men had been called up for service
There were more than 400,000 African Americans involved but most of them were in non combat situations
Women were not allowed to enlist but they were offered nursing positions with no army rank, pay, and benefits .

12. America Mobilizes
The next big obstacle the US had was figuring out a way to transport all these men to Europe
They did this by doing 4 things:
They exempted ship yard workers from the draft so they could stay and build ships
They put out a public service campaign to push for more shipyard workers and treated them like soldiers in order to attract more workers
They began to use prefabricated parts that were built elsewhere and brought to the yard to be assembled
The Government took over commercial and private ships in order to make them available for transport

13. America Turns the Tide
To combat the German U-boats the Americans convinced the British to use a convoy system to protect ships crossing the Atlantic
They also setup mines in the ocean from Scotland to Norway to keep the Germans away
These methods hurt the Germans U-boat efforts mightily and allowed the Americans to get their troops across the Atlantic to Europe along with supplies for the Allies

14. Fighting “Over There”
The (AEF) American Expeditionary Forces were led by General John J. Pershing which had men from all over the country and were nicknamed the “doughboys” mostly because of their white belts they cleaned with pipe clay also called “dough”
World War I saw the 1st large-scale use of weapons used in future wars
Tanks and airplanes were introduced in this war
Tanks were used to drive through barbed wire fences and create paths for infantrymen to follow behind
Originally pilots would fly and shoot at each other with pistols but it was hard to fly and shoot so they eventually mounted machine guns on the planes
As planes improved they began to use them as bombers as the British would fly over and bomb German factories and soldiers
Hot air balloons were very important as well in the war as they would fly over and scout the opponent

15. American Troops go on the Offensive
When Russia pulled out in 1917 the Germans turned their attention from the Eastern front to the Western front
They were trying to get to Paris and were within 50 miles of Paris when the Americans arrived
When the US helped drive them back and helped attack and defeat the Central Powers at the 2nd Battle of Marne it changed the war
Alvin York was one of the early American War heroes. He opposed war and tried to stay out for religious purposes under the conscientious objector exemption
He eventually felt it was ok to fight if the cause was just and armed with only a rifle and a revolver killed 25 Germans and along with 6 other doughboys captured 132 prisoners.
Captain Eddie Rickenbacker was the best Ace pilot in the American fleet he shot down 29 enemy planes by himself

16. American Troops go on the Offensive
On November 3, 1918 Austria-Hungary surrendered to the Allies
On November 9, 1918 Socialist leaders took over Germany and established a German Republic
The Kaiser was forced to give up the throne in Germany after this
On the 11th hour, on the 11th day, in the 11th month of 1918 (11:00 November 11th, 1918) Germany surrendered and agreed to a cease fire with the Allies
World War I was the bloodiest war in history up to that time
There were around 22 million deaths with more than ½ being civilians.
20 million more people were wounded
10 million more people became refugees
The cost of the war was around $338 billion

17. Section 3
The War at Home

18. Congress Gives Power to Wilson
World War I was a war that involved the entire economy of the nation in order to have a chance at being successful
Congress gave President Wilson direct control over much of the economy, including the power to fix the prices and to regulate certain war-industries
They created the War Industries Board it was established and led by Bernard M. Baruch
Industrial production in the USA increased by 20% and while wholesale prices were regulated retail was not and prices skyrocketed
Daylight savings time was introduced by the fuel administration in order ot save more money and resources that way.

19. Congress Gives Power to Wilson
Wages rose 20% in most households but it did not change much for the people because prices rose as well negating any pay raise they received
Herbert Hoover was put in charge of the Food Administration
Hoover put into place many plans that changed the eating habits of Americans with his “gospel of the clean plate” this meant that people would eat everything on their plates and also designated the following:
1 day “meatless”
1 day “sweetless”
2 days “wheatless”
2 days “porkless”
Homeowners planted “victory gardens” providing for themselves allowing more food to be shipped to the soldiers

20. Selling the War
The next big task for the Government was to raise money and convince the public to support the war
The Government spent about $35 billion on the war
1/3 raised by way of taxes
The rest was by borrowing money from the public through “Liberty Loans” and “Victory Loans” bonds
The Government setup a propaganda agency in order to influence the public on the American war cause
George Creel headed this agency and was responsible for selling the war to Americans

21. Attacks on Civil Liberties Increase
Once the war began there was a lot of attacks on immigrants Civil Liberties especially those of German back ground
Things that referenced German items had their name changed. For example, Hamburgers (named after Hamburg, Germany) were now called Salisbury Steaks or liberty sandwich
Espionage and Sedition Acts were put into place in 1918 for hindering the war effort in any way shape form or fashion.
Although these laws violated the 1st amendment rights over 2,000 people were prosecuted on these acts

22. The War Encourages Social Change
During the war black leaders were divided on whether to support it or not but as time went by most blacks supported the American war effort
WWI had a great effect on Southern Blacks in that it escalated the Great migration (large-scale movement of southern blacks to northern cities to work in factories)
1.) They sought to get away from racial discrimination in the South
2.) Many of the South’s cotton fields had been ruined by a boll weevil infestation
3.) There were more job opportunities up North
When they arrived up North they found racial prejudices similar to what they left in the South
Hundreds of thousands of Southern blacks migrated to big cities in the North like Chicago, Ne York, Philadelphia, etc.

23. The War Encourages Social Change
Women also benefited from the war in their new ability to get jobs
Railroad workers, cooks, dockworkers, ship builders were all jobs that a lot of African Americans had which helped open up other fields for the women
Women worked in volunteer agencies, nurses, gardens, and other secretarial type jobs around the country
1919 Congress passed the 19th Amendment giving Women the right to vote
In 1918 A major flu epidemic broke out in America causing a lot of problems on the home front
The flu epidemic effected about a ¼ of the population and shut down almost ½ the economy in America
Doctors did not know how to handle it many people died from the flu

24. Wilson Fights for Peace
Section 4
Wilson Fights for Peace

25. Wilson Presents His Plan
Wilson had a plan for world peace that he called Fourteen Points He broke this plan down into 3 groups:
1st Group were as follows:
1. There should be no secrets to treaties
2. Freedom of the seas should be maintained by all
3. Tariffs should be lowered or abolished to aid in free trade
2nd Group were as follows:
1. These all dealt with boundary changes and national lines that countries themselves were able to decide.
2. Allowing people to distinguish their nations based on distinct ethnic identities.
3rd Group:
1. The 3rd group called for a creation of an international organization to address diplomatic issues.
This group would be called the League of Nations and would provide a forum for nations to settle grievances without having to go to war

26. Wilson Presents His Plan
Wilson’s plan was rejected due to the anger held by other allied nation leaders
French leader Georges Clemenceau had lived through 2 German invasions of France and wanted to make sure there was no chance of Germany doing it again
British leader David Lloyd George just won re-election on the slogan “Make Germany Pay”
Italian prime minister Vittorio Orlando wanted to gain control of Austrian held territory.

27. Wilson Presents His Plan
The Peace conference did not include any Central Powers nor Russia who had become a Communist nation
The meeting instead was of “The Big 4” Wilson (USA), Clemenceau (France), George (Britain), Orlando (Italy)
During the meeting Wilson conceded on most of his points in order ot establish the League of Nations

28. Debating the Treaty of Versailles
On June 28,1919 the Big 4 and the leaders of the defeated nations met in the Hall of Mirrors of the Palace of Versailles to sign the Peace Treaty
The treaty established 9 new nations and shifted boundaries of other nations.
It gave areas of the Ottoman empire to France and Great Britain
It barred Germany from maintaining an army
Germany had to give back the Alsace-Lorraine to France and pay $33 billion in reparations (war damages) to the Allies.

29. Negatives to the Treaty
The treatment of Germany made it impossible for lasting peace in Europe
The problems eventually led to World War II
1. It humiliated Germany putting in a war guilt clause forcing Germany to admit sole responsibility for starting the war
2. There was no way Germany could ever pay back the amount they demanded
3. It was stripped of all it’s colonial possessions in the Pacific
4. Russia lost more territory than Germany even tough they fought with the Allies for 3 years until pulling out and becoming a Communist nation
5. The treaty did not allow colonized areas in Southeast Asia to claim independence

30. Negatives to the Treaty
When Wilson came back to the US most Americans opposed the treaty stating it was to harsh
Many Americans were against the League of Nations even though it was Wilson’s idea
Henry Cabot Lodge was against it because he felt it stripped America of the right to declare their own wars and instead tied them to other nations actions
Wilson went on a tour across the nation trying to gain support for the treaty and the League of Nations
While out he had a stroke and was partially paralyzed for 2 months
The Senate rejected any amendments to the treaty and also did not ratify the treaty
The US eventually signed a separate treaty with Germany after Wilson was out of office and at the same time never joined the league of nations

31. The Legacy of War
After the war America wanted to go back to what Warren G. Harding called “normalcy”
This never happened as WWI had changed the nation and the world in many ways
Americans hoped this was the war to end all wars but the destruction in Europe and the harsh treatment of Germany eventually led to World War II
Austrian born German leader and WWI veteran Adolf Hitler was very angry in how Germany was treated and looked for power to gain revenge on the rest of the world
He would in time bring the world back at war again