World War I and Its Aftermath. Why It Matters The United States reluctantly entered World War I after German submarines violated American neutrality

CHAPTER 14

World War I and Its Aftermath

Why It MattersThe United States reluctantly entered World War I after German submarines violated American neutrality. After the war ended, President Wilson supported the Treaty of Versailles, believing its terms would prevent another war. The U.S. Senate, however, rejected the treaty. It did not want the country to be tied to European obligations. Instead, Americans turned their attention to the difficult adjustment to peacetime.

THE UNITED STATES ENTERS WORLD WAR I

Chapter 14 Section 1

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Chapter Objectives

• Discuss the causes and results of American intervention in Mexico and the Caribbean.

• Explain the causes of World War I and why the United States entered the war.

Section 1: The United States Enters World War I

The Impact TodayThe experience of World War I had a long-term effect on American history.

• The United States continues to be involved in European affairs.

• The horrors of the conflict helped reshape how people view warfare.


continued on next slide

Guide to Reading

Although the United States tried to remain neutral, events soon pushed the nation into World War I.

• Pancho Villa• guerilla • nationalism • self-determination • Franz Ferdinand • Allies

Main Idea


Key Terms and Names• Central Powers • propaganda • contraband • U-boat • Sussex Pledge • Zimmermann telegram

Woodrow Wilson’s Diplomacy


• President Wilson was opposed to imperialism and believed democracy was necessary to keep the nation stable and prosperous.

• He wanted a world free from revolution and war.

• In 1911 a revolution in Mexico forced its leader, Porfirio Díaz, to flee the country.

• The new leader, Francisco Madero, was a poor administrator.

(pages 448–449)

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• General Victoriano Huerta took over in Mexico and presumably had Madero murdered. • Wilson refused to recognize the new government and prevented weapons from reaching Huerta.

• In 1914 Wilson sent U.S. marines to seize the Mexican port of Veracruz to overthrow Huerta.

• Anti-American riots broke out in Mexico.

Woodrow Wilson’s Diplomacy (cont.)

(pages 448–449)


• International mediation of the dispute placed Venustiano Carranza as Mexico’s new president.

• Mexican forces opposed to Carranza conducted raids into the United States, hoping Wilson would intervene.

• Pancho Villa led a group of guerrillas, an armed group that carries out surprise attacks, into New Mexico, and a number of Americans were killed.


(pages 448–449)


• Wilson sent General John J. Pershing and his troops into Mexico to capture Villa.

• Pershing was unsuccessful. Wilson’s Mexican policy damaged U.S. foreign relations.


(pages 448–449)

What was President Wilson’s foreign policy in Mexico?

Wilson refused to recognize the new Mexican government led by General Victoriano Huerta, who had seized power in Mexico. Wilson sent U.S. marines to Mexico to overthrow Huerta. When anti-American riots broke out in Mexico, Wilson was forced to accept international mediation over the dispute. Venustiano Carranza was made Mexico’s president. Mexican forces, led by Pancho Villa, were opposed to Carranza and conducted raids into the U.S. Wilson sent General John J. Pershing into Mexico to capture Villa.


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(pages 448–449)


The Outbreak of World War I• The roots of World War I can be

traced back to the 1860s, when Prussia began a series of wars in order to unite German states. • By 1871 Germany was united. The new German nation changed European politics.

• France and Germany were enemies. • Germany formed the Triple

Alliance with Austria-Hungary and Italy.

(pages 449–452)


• Russia and France formed the Franco-Russian Alliance against Germany and Austria-Hungary.

• Great Britain remained neutral until the early 1900s, when it began an arms race with Germany.

• This increased tensions between the two countries, causing the British to gain closer relations with France and Russia.

• The three countries became known as the Triple Entente.

The Outbreak of World War I (cont.)

(pages 449–452)


• Nationalism, intense pride for one’s homeland, was a powerful idea in Europe in the late 1800s.

• The right to self-determination, the idea that people who belong to a nation should have their own country and government, was a basic idea of nationalism.

• This idea led to a crisis in the Balkans where different national groups within the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires began to seek independence.


(pages 449–452)


• In June 1914, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, was killed by a Bosnian revolutionary.

• Video: causes of WWI

• This act set off a chain of events that led to World War I.

• On July 28, Austria declared war on Serbia. • On August 1, Germany declared war

on Russia. • Two days later Germany declared war

on France.


(pages 449–452)

http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/world-war-i-history/videos/causes-of-world-war-i

Schlieffen plan


• The Allies–France, Russia, Great Britain, and later Italy–fought for the Triple Entente.

• Germany and Austria-Hungary joined the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria to form the Central Powers.

• Germany and France became locked in a bloody stalemate along hundreds of miles of trenches.

• The stalemate lasted three years.


(pages 449–452)

• The Central Powers had greater success on the Eastern Front, capturing hundreds of miles of territory and taking hundreds of thousands of prisoners.


(pages 449–452)



What factors led to the start of World War I?

(pages 449–452)


The roots of World War I can be traced back to the 1860s, when Prussia began a series of wars in order to unite German states. By 1871 Germany was united. The new German nation changed European politics. France and Germany were enemies. Germany formed the Triple Alliance with Austria-Hungary and Italy. Russia and France formed the Franco-Russian Alliance against Germany and Austria-Hungary. Great Britain remained neutral until the early 1900s, when it began an arms race with Germany. This increased tensions between the two countries, causing the British to gain closer relations with France and Russia. Nationalism led to a crisis in the Balkans where different national groups within the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires began to seek independence. In June 1914, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, was killed by a Bosnian revolutionary. This event caused the alliances of Europe to declare war on each other.

(pages 449–452)


American Neutrality• Wilson declared the United States to

be neutral. • He did not want his country pulled

into a foreign war. • Americans, however, began

showing support for one side or the other with many immigrants supporting their homelands.

• Most Americans favored the Allied cause.

(pages 452–453)


• President Wilson’s cabinet was pro-British, believing that an Allied victory would preserve an international balance of power.

• The British skillfully used propaganda, or information used to influence opinion, to gain American support.

American Neutrality (cont.)

(pages 452–453)


• Companies in the United States had strong ties to the Allied countries.

• Many American banks gave loans to the Allies.

• As a result, American prosperity was tied to the war.

• The money would only be paid back if the Allies won.


(pages 452–453)


How did propaganda influence Americans?

The British cut the transatlantic telegraph cable from Europe to the United States to limit news about the war to mainly British communication. Outrageous reports about German war atrocities convinced many Americans to support the Allies.


(pages 452–453)


Moving Toward War• While most Americans supported

the Allies, they did not want to enter the war.

• The British navy blockaded Germany to keep it from getting supplies.

• The British redefined contraband, or prohibited materials, to stop neutral parties from shipping food to Germany.

• To get around the blockade, Germany deployed submarines known as U-boats. (pages 453–

455)


• Germany threatened to sink any ship that entered the waters around Britain. • Attacking civilians ships without warning violated an international treaty and outraged the United States.

• The Lusitania, a British passenger liner, was hit by the Germans, killing almost 1,200 passengers–including 128 Americans.

Moving Toward War (cont.)

(pages 453–455)


• Americans instructed Germany to stop U-boat strikes. • Germany did not want the U.S. to join the war and strengthen the Allies.

• The Sussex Pledge, a promise made by Germany to stop sinking merchant ships, kept the United States out of the war for a bit longer.


(pages 453–455)


• A German official, Arthur Zimmermann, cabled the German ambassador in Mexico, proposing that Mexico ally itself with Germany.

• In return, Mexico would regain territory it had earlier lost to the United States.

• The Zimmermann telegram was intercepted by British intelligence and leaked to American newspapers.


(pages 453–455)


• In February 1917, Germany went back to unrestricted submarine warfare and, soon after, sank six American merchant ships.

• On April 6, 1917, the United States declared war against Germany.


(pages 453–455)

Short Assignment

• Turn to page 455 in your book • Complete numbers 3-8


What events led to the United States declaring war against Germany?


(pages 453–455)

The British navy blockaded Germany to keep it from getting supplies. To get around the blockade, Germany deployed U-boats. The Lusitania, a British passenger liner, was hit by the Germans, killing almost 1,200 passengers including 128 Americans. A German official, Arthur Zimmermann, cabled the German ambassador in Mexico, proposing that Mexico ally itself with Germany. In return, Mexico would regain territory it had earlier lost to the United States. The Zimmermann telegram was intercepted by British intelligence and leaked to American newspapers. In February 1917, Germany went back to unrestricted submarine warfare and, soon after, sank six American merchant ships. On April 6, 1917, the United States declared war against Germany.


(pages 453–455)

Checking for Understanding

__ 1. the spreading of ideas about an institution or individual for the purpose of influencing opinion

__ 2. armed band that carries out surprise attacks and sabotage rather than open warfare

__ 3. German submarine, term means Unterseeboot (undersea boat)

__ 4. loyalty and devotion to a nation

__ 5. goods whose importation, exportation, or possession is illegal

A. guerrillaB. nationalismC.

propaganda

D. contrabandE. U-boat

Define Match the terms on the right with their definitions on the left.

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A

E

C

BD

Checking for Understanding (cont.)

Name the two alliances that Europe was divided into at the start of World War I.

The Triple Alliance and Triple Entente were the two alliances.


Reviewing Themes


Continuity and Change Why did most of President Wilson’s cabinet members support the British?

They believed that Allied victory was the only way to preserve the international balance of power, and they cited the close historical ties with Britain and France.

Critical Thinking


Synthesizing How did European nationalism contribute to the outbreak of World War I?

Each major ethnic group in European empires wanted its own country.

Analyzing Visuals


Analyzing Time Lines Examine the time line on page 451 of your textbook. How does the order in which countries declared war reflect the European alliance system?

When one country declared war, its allies declared war.

CloseDiscuss the causes of World War I and why the United States entered the war.

Documents

World War I and Its Aftermath. Why It Matters The United States reluctantly entered World War I after German submarines violated American neutrality