THE FIRST WORLD WAR Chapter 19 Warm Up Causes of WWI 4 long-term causes of the war 1) Nationalism – devotion to the interests and culture of one's nation Led to competition and antagonistic relationships between countries Existed between ethnic groups within a single country as well Serbs living in the Balkan Peninsula wanted their own country, but were ruled by the Austro-Hungarian empire 2) Imperialism – European nations had been building empires for centuries Countries competed over colonies for raw materials and markets for their goods Causes of WWI 3) Militarism – developing armed forces and using them as a tool of diplomacy Countries wanted stronger armies than their enemies Germany had focused on army, until it decided to become a power at sea as well 4) Alliance System – 2 major alliances in Europe – France, Britain, Russia Triple Alliance – Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy Allies Germany and Austria-Hungary later allied with the Ottoman Empire to create the Central Powers Assassination of the Archduke Balkan Peninsula was the "powder keg of Europe" Ethnic rivalries Europe's leading powers had interests in territory Russia – access to Mediterranean Germany – railroad link to Ottoman Empire Austria-Hungary – accused Serbia of trying to overthrow its rule over Bosnia Austro-Hungarian heir, Archduke Franz Ferdinand visited Bosnia, was assassinated by Serbian Nationalist Gavrilo Princip Alliance System pulled countries into war with each other Germany declared war on Russia and France, then Britain declared war on Germany and Austria-Hungary Fighting Begins Germany followed the Schlieffen Plan Half of army invades Belgium to reach Paris, other half keeps Russia at bay until the army reunites to invade Russia Allies unable to save Belgium, Allies retreated to France and dug in their heels to stop Germany Created a new style of fighting How WWI Was Fought Trench warfare – 2 opposing sides dig out territory to keep safe from enemy fire (front line, support, reserve) Soldiers spent time in all 3 Dugouts used as command posts and officers' quarters Between trenches was "no man's land" – barren expanse of mud, filled with barbed wire Rat infested, dirty, filled with disease, clouds of mustard gas drifted through Occasionally soldiers would charge another Americans Question Neutrality Socialists saw war as a capitalist and imperialist effort Pacifists thought war was evil, and that the US should set an example of peace Many did not want their sons to go to war Many naturalized citizens followed the war closely because of family and ties back home Many felt sympathetic to Britain, and thought Germany was "the bully of Europe" America Britain had strong economic ties to the Allies and France requested supplies during the early part of the war British Blockade Britain blockaded Germany to prevent weapons and other supplies from getting through Eventually included food Stretched to the North Sea American ships carrying supplies to Germany did not challenge the blockade Germany had a difficult time importing food and fertilizer, resulted in a famine Americans were outraged at the result of the blockade Germany’s Response Germany counter-blockaded with U-boats (submarines) ship found near Britain was sunk – not always possible to warn them of an attack Any H.M.S. Lusitania May 1915, a U-boat sank the Lusitania (128 Americans were aboard) Germany claimed it was justified because the ship was carrying ammunition American opinion began to turn against Germany President Wilson opted for a protest against Germany and German goods August 1915, a U-boat sank another British ship, the Arabic, which carried 2 Americans Germany apologized and promised not to sink another passenger ship H.M.S. Lusitania March 1916, Germany broke that promise, and sank a French passenger ship US warned Germany of another protest, German promised to change their tactics if the US was able to convince Britain to lift its blockade US Declares War Wilson wanted to mediate between the 2 alliances in Europe, wanted to create a "peace without victory.. a peace between equals" Germans ignored this call for peace, answered with a declaration that all ships in British waters would be sunk Wilson refused to go to war until "actual overt acts" took place Overt Acts of War Zimmermann Note – telegram from Germany to the German ambassador in Mexico – proposed an alliance between them if the US joined the war (promised to return Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona) 4 unarmed American merchant ships were sunk Russian monarchy ended, so now the war would be between democracies and monarchies America Declares War April 2, 1917 – President Wilson officially declares war Wanted to make the world safe for democracy Chapter 19 Section 2 Answer the questions in the packet using the copies of the section in the book. We will go over the answers together Congress Gives Power to Wilson War was no longer fought only by the soldiers – the entirety of the country had to shift its focus in order to support the Allies Businesses and government had to work together to produce war supplies rather than consumer goods Congress gave more power to the president in order to execute the changeover Wilson Could had more direct control over the economy set prices on goods and regulate war-related industries War Industries Board (WIB) Encouraged companies to use mass-production to increase efficiency and standardize products to reduce waste Set production quotas and allocated raw materials Industry increased by about 20% under WIB However, prices on retail goods soared Everyday products as much as doubled in price (steel, meatpacking, oil, chemical production) Americans responded by reducing the amount of products used "gasless Sundays", "lightless nights" Introduced Daylight Savings Time – take advantage of the longer hours of sunlight in the summer War Economy Wages rose during the war (about 20%), but this was hampered by the increase in cost for food, housing, and fuel Companies began to see a distinct difference between the amount of money earned by the workers versus the managers Result of the uneven pay, plus longer working hours, child labor and a rushed environment led to a growth in unions War Economy Wilson created the National War Labor Board to deal with the disputes between management and labor Workers who refused to obey the NWLB's decisions could lose their draft exemptions NWLB worked to improve working conditions (8 hour workdays, factory safety inspections, banned child labor) Food Administration Wilson wanted Americans to limit how much food was wasted Scheduled certain days of the week to lessen the demand for products "sweetless", "meatless", "wheatless", "porkless" Restaurants removed sugar bowls from the table, and only offered bread after the 1st course Homeowners planted "Victory gardens" to grow their own fruits and vegetables Some even sprung in public parks prices on wheat and other staple foods were set high, so farmers responded by planting an extra 40 million acres War Financing US spent $35 billion on WWI Had to increase taxes to pay Progressive income tax (higher incomes charged a higher rate) War profits tax Higher taxes on tobacco, liquor and luxury goods Sold bonds to the public (buy a bond for a certain amount, cash it in later) Committee on Public Information To popularize the war, the gov't set up a propaganda agency Persuaded artists to create thousands of posters, paintings, cartoons, and sculptures promoting the war Ordered 25 million copies of "How the War Came To America" – publicize Wilson's war message Distributed 75 million pamphlets, leaflets and booklets Anti-Immigrant Hysteria Attacks on immigrants increased during the war Especially on those from Germany and Austria- Hungary Americans with Germany names lost their jobs, orchestras refused to play music by German or Austrian composers, schools stopped teaching German, libraries removed books by German authors, and towns with German names changed their names Some incidences of people of German descent being tarred and feathered or lynched Espionage and Sedition Acts A person could be fined up to $10,000 and sentenced to 20 years in jail for interfering with the war effort or saying anything disloyal, profane or abusive about the gov't Led to over 2,000 prosecutions for loosely defined activities Newspapers and magazines lost mailing rights Universities fired professors People were put in jail and then deported for speaking out against the US' actions in WWI African-Americans and the War African-Americans were divided over the war Some thought support for the war would strengthen calls for racial justice Others thought that victims of racism should not support the actions of a racist gov't The Great Migration Large scale movement of thousands of Southern African-Americans to cities in the North Sought to escape racial discrimination Boll weevil infestation, flood, and droughts ruined cotton crops North had more job opportunities Northern manufacturers sent recruiters to hire more Southerners Women in the War Women moved into jobs that were traditionally held by men Railroad workers, cooks, dockworkers, bricklayers, coal miners, shipbuilders Volunteered in Red Cross, encouraged sale of bonds, and planting victory gardens Wilson acknowledged that women had played a large part in helping to win the war, which increased support for women's suffrage The Flu Epidemic Fall 1918 – US suffered a flu epidemic that affected 25% of the population Companies and mines shut down or staggered working hours to avoid contagion Cities ran short of coffins, and corpses of poor people lay unburied for a week Doctors did not know what to do, only prescribed cleanliness and quarantine More than a quarter of soldiers caught the disease In some units, more than 1/3 of the troops died Possibly spread around the world by soldiers Killed about 30 million people worldwide Summation Activity List the changes made for each group in society. Use the space provided in your notes. Fourteen Points & Treaty of Versailles Answer the questions in your notes using the handout provided We will go over the answers together Debate Over the League of Nations Some opponents of the Treaty thought that it threatened the US policy of isolationism Suspicious of the provision for joint economic and military action against aggression Wilson Refuses to Compromise Wilson was not willing to compromise on the League of Nations Toured the country looking for support for the League, ended up suffering a stroke Wilson could not maintain enough support in the Senate to approve the Treaty US ended up signing a separate treaty with Germany US never joined the League of Nations (acted as an unofficial observer at League meetings) Legacy of the War After the war, many Americans looked forward to a return of "normalcy" WWI had strengthened both the US military and the power of gov't Accelerated social change Propaganda campaign provoked powerful fears and prejudices that did not change after the war Europe was left with political instability and violence Americans called WWI "the war to end all wars" (hoped humanity would not engage in such a war again) However: Treaty of Versailles ended nothing