Americans on the Home Front & Global Peacemaker Mr. Dodson

Financing the War ► The war required huge amounts of materials & money ► The government raised money for the war by selling Liberty Bonds, special war bonds to support the Allied cause. ► Bonds could be redeemed later for their original value plus interest. ► Many patriotic Americans bought liberty bonds, raising more than $20 billion for the war effort.

Managing the Economy ► The newly created War Industries Board oversaw the change from commercial to military production. ► It had the power to give out raw materials, told manufacturers what to produce, and even fixed prices ► Using the slogan, “Food will win the war,” Herbert Hoover, head of the Food Administration, began to manage how much food people bought. He had the power to impose price controls and Rationing. ► Daylight savings time was created to save on fuel use and increase the number of daylight hours available for work.

Enforcing Loyalty ► Fear of espionage, or spying, was widespread; restrictions on immigration were called for and achieved. ► The war spurred a general hostility toward Germans. German music, literature, language, and cuisine became banned or unpopular. ► Despite Wilson’s claim that the U.S. fought for liberty and democracy, freedom of speech was reduced during the war. Sedition, or any speech or action that encourages rebellion, became a crime.

Global Peacemaker

Wilson’s Fourteen Points ► President Wilson developed a program for peace around the world known as the Fourteen Points.  One called for an end to entangling alliances;  Another involved a reduction of military forces.  Another dealt with the right of Austria-Hungary’s ethnic groups to self-determination, or the power to make decisions about their own future. ► Although both Wilson and the German government assumed that the Fourteen Points would form the basis of peace negotiations, the Allies disagreed. During peace negotiations, Wilson’s Fourteen Points were discarded one by one.

The Paris Peace Conference ► One of Wilson’s ideas, the League of Nations, was agreed upon at the Paris Peace Conference. It was designed to bring the nations of the world together to ensure peace and security. ► Republicans in the U.S. Congress, however, were concerned about Article 10 of the League’s charter, which had a provision that they claimed might draw the United States into foreign wars. ► France insisted that Germany be humiliated and financially crippled. The peace treaty required Germany to pay $33 billion in reparations. Wilson, however, opposed this plan, claiming that these demands would lead to future wars.

Redrawing Europe ► The Peace Conference created 9 new countries out of Germany, A-H, & Russia. ► Formed N-S buffer dividing Communist Russia from rest of Europe. ► Attempted to divide along ethnic lines.

The Peace Treaty & Reactions at Home ► On June 28, 1919, the peace treaty, which came to be known as the Versailles Treaty, was signed at Versailles, outside of Paris. ► Despite Wilson’s intensive campaign in favor of the Versailles Treaty, Congress voted against ratifying it in November ► The U.S. declared the war officially over on May 20, It ratified separate peace treaties with Germany, Austria, and Hungary. However, the U.S. did not join the newly formed League of Nations. ► Soldiers returned home to a hero’s welcome but found that jobs were scarce.