America and World War I

Causes of the War

1. Aggressive Nationalism

2. Economic & Imperial Rivalries

Colonial Rivalries: Africa in 1914

Colonial Rivalries: Asia in 1914

The British Empire in 1914

1910-1914 Increase in Defense Expenditures 3. Militarism & Arms Race Total Defense Expenditures for the Great Powers [Ger., A-H, It., Fr., Br., Rus.] in millions of dollars. 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1914 94 130 154 268 289 398 1910-1914 Increase in Defense Expenditures France 10% Britain 13% Russia 39% Germany 73%

4. The Alliance System Triple Entente: Triple Alliance:

Two Armed Camps! Allied Powers: Central Powers:

Europe in 1914

Victor Emmanuel II [It] The Major Players: 1914-17 Allied Powers: Central Powers: Nicholas II [Rus] Wilhelm II [Ger] George V [Br] Victor Emmanuel II [It] Enver Pasha [Turkey] Pres. Poincare [Fr] Franz Josef [A-H]

The “Spark”

Archduke Franz Ferdinand & His Family

The Assassination: Sarajevo

The Assassin: Gavrilo Princip

Who’s To Blame?

The Germans strike first.

The Schlieffen Plan

Why the stalemate?

Trench Warfare “No Man’s Land”

Verdun – February, 1916 German offensive. Each side had 500,000 casualties.

The Somme – July, 1916 60,000 British soldiers killed in one day. Over 1,000,000 killed in 5 months.

War Is HELL !!

Sacrifices in War

What’s the United States doing while all this is going on? Staying neutral!

America’s Precarious Neutrality

America’s Precarious Neutrality Why Neutrality? Both sides had popular support. Why? War Profiteering-US arms manufacturers at first sold to both sides, later only to Allies. Why? Anti-war movement very strong in the US.

Why did Neutrality dissolve?

1. Profits Endangered? American “merchants of death”. The US sold so much munitions and lent so much money to the Allies, we couldn’t afford to let them lose.

2. The British Blockade and the German Response In early 1914 the British Navy acts immediately to blockade Germany and cut it off from all food and supplies.

2. The British Blockade and the German response Why were U-boats perceived as “unfair”?

2. The British Blockade and the German response The “war zone” around Britain. The Germans warned that any ship, neutral or otherwise, would be torpedoed in this zone.

2. The British Blockade and the German response 750,000 German civilians starved to death as a result of the British blockade. 60,000 civilians were killed by the U-boats. Which was worse? Starving German children during WW1

Allied Ships Sunk by U-Boats

The Sinking of the Lusitania

Lusitania passengers in the water after the sinking.

Lusitania victims awaiting burial.

U-Boats and Neutrality After the Lusitania, Germany agreed not to sink passenger ships without warning. March 1916-the Sussex pledge. Germany again agrees not to sink merchant ships without warning as long as the British lift their blockade.

U-Boats and Neutrality On January 31, 1917 Germany reneged on the Sussex pledge and announced it would sink all ships, neutral or not, in the war zone around Britain. Why? Germans feared the entry of America into the War, but in the end concluded that they could force the British and French to surrender before the American could arrive in large numbers. The tool for doing so: The U-boat

3. The Zimmerman Telegram

American perception of the Zimmerman note.

4. The Russian Revolution-March 1917 Czar Nicolas II overthrown, and a democratic government installed in Russia. Now four democracies vs. three autocracies. Americans felt better about joining a war to “make the world safe for democracy.”

The Yanks Are Coming!

The Most Famous Recruitment Poster

U. S. Food Administration

U. S. Shipping Board

U. S. Fuel Administration

Munitions Work

“Remember Belgium”

The “Mad Brute”

Americans in the Trenches

1918 Flu Pandemic: Depletes All Armies 50,000,000 – 100,000,000 died

The Armistice is Signed! 11 a.m., November 11, 1918 The Armistice is Signed!

9,000,000 Dead

The Somme American Cemetary, France 116,516 Americans Died

World War I Casualties

14 POINTS There should be no secret treaties among nations. Freedom of the seas should be maintained for all. Tariffs and other economic barriers among nations should be lowered or abolished in order to foster free trade. Arms should be reduced “to the lowest point consistent with domestic safety, thus lessening the possibility of military responses during diplomatic crises Colonial policies should consider the interests of the colonial peoples as well as the interests of the imperialistic powers

14-points continued 6-13 dealt with boundary changes 14th point called for a creation of and international organization to address the diplomatic crises like those that had sparked the war League of Nations- provide a forum for nations to discuss and settle their grievances without war

Wilson vs. Lodge Graduate of Harvard President of Princeton Republican Believed League of Nations would take away Congress’s power to declare war Made additions to the League of Nations, Wilson would not accept them President of Princeton Democrat Believed in the League of Nations as the only way to end all war Would only accept his ideas and not Congress’s

Article X-League of Nations The Members of the League undertake to respect and preserve as against external aggression the territorial integrity and existing political independence of all members of the League. In case of any such aggression or in case of any threat or danger of such aggression, the Council shall advise upon the means by which this obligation shall be fulfilled. What’s the problem?

league cartoon1

Could the world eliminate war? Was Wilson’s League of Nations and his belief in “ending all war” based on idealism or reality? Could the world eliminate war?

Without the assistance of the of the United States, the League of Nations was doomed to failure.