American AnthemModern American History

Chapter 8

The First World War

1914 - 1920

Copyright © 2010, Mr. EllingtonRuben S. Ayala High School

Columbus statute in

Rhode Island

1. A World Crisis

A: Causes of World War I

B: War Breaks Out

C: Fighting in the Trenches

D: The War Reaches a Stalemate

2. The United States in World War I

A: United States Stays Neutral

B: Heading Toward War

C: Americans in Europe

Chapter 8: The First World War, 1914-1920

C: Americans in Europe

D: The War Ends

3. The Home Front

A: Mobilizing the Economy

B: Mobilizing Workers

C: Influencing Public Opinion

4. Peace Without Victory

A: The Fourteen Points

B: Paris Peace Conference

C: Fight Over the Treaty

D: The Impact of World War I

Columbus statute in

Rhode Island

Part 1: A World Crisis Section 1A: Causes of World War I

• Immediate cause: assassination of Archduke Ferdinand

• Nationalism: extreme devotion to one’s country/people

• Militarism: massive military buildups

• Schlieffen Plan: Germany plan to invade Belgium and Franceinvade Belgium and France

• Alliance System

Part 1: A World Crisis Section 1B: War Breaks Out

• German army used new technology such as camouflage and machine guns to push within 25 miles of Paris early in the first few monthsfirst few months

• First Battle of the Marne cost the French army 250,000 lives but pushed the Germans back and gave Russian army time to mobilize

Part 1: A World Crisis Section 1C: The War Reaches a Stalemate

• By late fall 1914, both sides had dug 400 miles of trenches for shelter

• Trench warfare led to a brutal stalemate and horrific loss of life

• Poison gas, tanks, and airplanes all failed to end the stalemate

Part 2: The United States in World War ISection 2A: United States Stays Neutral

• US declared neutrality even though most trade and sympathy was with the Allies

• Germany’s response to the British blockade was “unrestricted was “unrestricted submarine warfare” in the waters around England

Part 2: The United States in World War ISection 2B: Heading Toward War

• Germany promised not to attack neutral ships (Sussex Pledge, 1916)

• Wilson was reelected in 1916 on pledge of keeping US out of war

• The Zimmerman Note, fall of the Russian Czar, and resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare led the US join WWI in 1917

Part 2: The United States in World War ISection 2C: Americans in Europe

• US relied on a draft and spent months training its ill prepared army

• After the Bolshevik Revolution of Nov.1917, Russia dropped out of the war allowing Germany to send all its troops to the western front

• US troops halted the German army turning the tide of the war

Second Battle of the Marne, 1918

Part 2: The United States in World War ISection 2D: The War Ends

• After several major US victories in 1918, the German army was spent

• Food riots, strikes, and uprisings led the Central Powers to give up

• The Armistice ending WWI went into effect on 11-11-1918 on 11-11-1918 at 11 am

Second Battle of the Marne, 1918

Part 3: The Home FrontSection 3A: Mobilizing the Economy

• WWI was financed through an income tax on the rich and four bond drives

• The War Industries Board regulated materials needed for the war

• The Food Administration, led by • The Food Administration, led by Hoover, expanded food supplies by setting minimum prices, encouraging sacrifice and “victory gardens”

• US manufacturing helped supply the Allies and win the war

Part 3: The Home Front Section 3B: Mobilizing Workers

• War spending led to huge corporate profits and increased worker pay but many joined unions because of harsh working conditions

• Over 1 million US women joined the war effort in some capacity

• Influenza epidemic caused ½ of US soldier deaths and killed 675,000

Women making machine guns in New Haven, CT

Part 3: The Home Front Section 3C: Influencing Public Opinion

• The Committee on Public Information, led by George Creel, created a huge pro-war propaganda campaign with posters, movies, speeches

• Anti-German sentiment led to discrimination and some renaming

• The Sedition Act made it a crime to criticize the war or government

• Supreme Court upheld the Sedition Act in Schneck v. United States• Supreme Court upheld the Sedition Act in Schneck v. United States

Part 4: Peace Without Victory Section 4A: The Fourteen Points

• Wilson proposed a 14 point plan for lasting peace based on Progressive ideals

Part 4: Peace Without Victory Section 4B: Paris Peace Conference

• The Big Four (US, England, France, and Italy) dominated the peace talks

• Wilson wanted a fair treaty that would spread democracy and prevent future wars, Allies wanted to punish Germany and gain new colonies

• Wilson sacrificed most of what he wanted for a League of Nations

Part 4: Peace Without Victory Section 4C: The Fight Over the Treaty

• Senators divided into three groups towards the treaty: supporters (pro), irreconcilables (con), and reservationists (wanted changes)

• Wilson tried to appeal to the public but suffered a serious stroke

• Wilson’s refusal to compromise doomed Senate ratification of Senate ratification of Versailles Treaty and kept the US from joining the League of Nations

Part 4: Peace Without Victory Section 4D: The Impact of World War I

• World War I cost 14 million lives, $280 billion, and devastated Europe

• WWI strengthened the US economy, led to communism in Russia, overthrew several monarchies, and led to later colonial revolts

• American women finally won the right to vote in 1920to vote in 1920