 Let’s take a poll… with which of these statements do you
most agree?
 A) “War should be avoided at all costs”
 B) “War should be fought only to save innocent lives”
 C) “War is a noble pursuit”
 D) “War should be used to gain territory and increase
power”
3/4/13
JOURNAL – Pick an option. Explain WHY you picked
this. Write 3-5 sentences.
The Causes of World War I
Today’s Essential Question
EQ – What caused World War I?
MANIA - Causes of WWI
 Militarism
 Alliances
 Nationalism
 Imperialism
 Assassination
Militarism
 Glorification of
the military
 Strongest
military?
 Germany
 Cause of WWI
 Nations build up militaries,
advanced weapons in
preparation for war
Alliances
 Central Powers:
 Germany,
Austria-Hungary,
& Italy
 Allied Powers:
 France, Russia,
Great Britain
 Cause of WWI
 Nations are obligated to fight; any small event could
trigger war
Nationalism
 Alsace-Lorraine
 French territory taken
by Germany after
fighting in 1871
 Nationalism
 Nations begin competing, ethnic tensions and
international rivalries increase
Imperialism
 Countries trying to create empires
 How could this lead to conflict?
Assassination
 Archduke Francis Ferdinand
 Heir to Austria-Hungary throne
 Why was he killed?
 Killed by a Serbian rebel who
believed the province of Bosnia
belonged to Serbia, not
Austria-Hungary
 Cause of WWI
 Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia; the alliance
system pulls all of Europe into the conflict
Causes of WWI – Review
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/
ir1/causes_war1act.shtml
WWI GENERAL INFO
 Started July 28, 1914
 Ended November 11, 1918
 Almost 8 million died because of the war
 Russia having the most : 1.7 million
 22,000,000 wounded
 MAP OF EUROPE GREATLY
CHANGED
World War I Begins
Western
Front
Battle front in France between
Allied and Central Powers;
450 miles of trenches
Deadly
Technology
New, devastating weapons killed
thousands; machine guns,
poison gas, tanks, etc.
Trench
Warfare
Horrible conditions, soldiers
developed “trench foot,” a
stalemate was produced
Other New Technology
 Machine gun
 Submarine
 Tank
 Airplane
 Poison gas (Mustard gas)
 Carried by the wind
 Burned out soldier’s
lungs
 Deadly in the trenches
where it would
sit at the bottom
 Hand grenades
 Flame Throwers
Why these
weapons?
Why now?
Trench Warfare
Trench Warfare – type of fighting during World War I in
which both sides dug trenches protected by mines and
barbed wire
 Trenches were dug from English Channel to Switzerland
 6,250 miles
 6 to 8 feet deep
 Immobilized both sides for 4 years
MYTH
REALITY
Machine Guns
Industrialization
applied to killing
American Neutrality,
American Involvement
Today’s Essential Question
EQ – Why did the U.S. finally enter WWI?
The U.S. & WWI – Why did we enter?
 In partners, you will read 3 sources:
 Wilson, Zinn, and NC Book page 288 (answers
go under Guiding Textbook Questions
 Answer questions, discuss as a group!
 You have 20 minutes to complete this activity
 Be able to identify the reasons why the U.S.
entered WWI!
American Neutrality
 Why didWilson want the US to remain neutral?Why did this prove to be so
difficult?
Isolationists
 US should remain isolated and
should not join the war
Interventionists
 US should intervene and
join the Allies
Internationalists
 US should play an active role for peace but should NOT send troops
(middle ground)
American Involvement
 (1) Invasion of Belgium
 What were the
German actions
against Belgium
and how did the
US respond?
 Germany invaded NEUTRAL Belgium, took supplies,
killed unarmed citizens, destroyed towns; US opinion
turns against Germany
 American Involvement
 (2) U-Boat Attacks
 What were the
major actions of
Germany’s
submarines
against Allied ships?
 Destroying all ships, battleships & passenger ships
 Lusitania (British) and Sussex (French) passenger ships
destroyed
 Germany breaks the Sussex Pledge
 American Involvement
 (3) The Zimmermann Note
 Who wrote it and to whom
was it written? What did it
say? How did the US
respond?
 Arthur Zimmermann
(Germany Foreign Minister),
to Mexico
 Proposed alliance between
Mexico and Germany against the US
 US is very angry, declares war on Germany (1917)
America on the
Home Front
Today’s Essential Question
EQ – How did WWI affect America on the home front?
How did the U.S. get
soldiers to join the
military?
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Mobilization
US Needs
Organization
…a larger
army
Selective
Service
Act
What did it do?
Established a draft;
24 mil register,
2.8 mil are drafted
Women
Social Change
New roles for women
during the war…
New jobs in factories, railroads,
in the Red Cross; worked as
doctors, nurses, clerks, &
Army Corps nurses
Leads to…
President supports
women’s suffrage,
felt women were
“vital to winning
the war”
Mobilization
US Needs
…control of
food
production
Organization
Food
Admin.
…to
Committee
understand
on
reasons for
Public
U.S.
involvement Information
Director
What did it do?
Herbert
Hoover
Set prices for
wheat, foodstuffs;
asked Americans
to conserve food
George
Creel
Educated public
on causes/nature
of war; wrote
pamphlets, press
releases, held
speeches, etc
Anti-War Efforts
“conscientious objectors”
Consequences?
Treatment?
People whose moral or
religious beliefs forbid
them to fight in wars
Humiliated by local draft
boards or prison time
Espionage
Act (1917)
Postal authorities ban treasonable
printed materials from the mail
Sedition Act
(1918)
Unlawful to use “disloyal”
language about the
American government
Schenck v. U.S.
(1919)
First Amendment protections can be
limited when there is a
“clear and present danger”
African-Americans
Great Migration
Movement of African Americans from
the South to the North
Jim Crow segregation laws, lynching,
racial violence, struggles as
sharecroppers
Economic opportunities in North;
better future, aid from other
African Americans in the North
Push Factors
Pull Factors
WWI – The US Abroad
The U.S. Joins The War Effort
Cause
Event
Effect
Convoys:
German U-boats
sinking merchant
ships, Allies
losing war
supplies
American troops,
nicknamed
“doughboys,”
arrived led by
Gen. John J.
Pershing
Groups of
merchant ships
sail together,
protected by
warships
-Second Battle of
the Marne
-Cantigny
-Chateau-Thierry
-Belleau Wood
-Meuse-Argonne
-Saint-Mihiel
Successful;
losses from
U-boat attacks
drop significantly
Germany
surrendered on
11-11-18
5 mil Allied deaths
8 mil CP deaths
6.5 mil civilians
Food Will Win the War: On the Homefront in WWI
During World War I, the United States made a great effort to
conserve food and other vital materials to help supply the troops
and our allies abroad. People were encouraged to follow "Meatless
Mondays" and "WheatlessWednesdays" in an effort to both unite
the general public behind the war effort and furnish these essential
resources to the allied nations. To facilitate this process, the United
States Food Administration was established and led by future
President Herbert Hoover. In the New York City area, the local
food boards held canning demonstrations for thousands, distributed
recipes that replaced wheat and sugar with other ingredients, and
told recent immigrants in languages such as Hebrew and Italian
why they should be a part of this effort.
Food Will Win the War: On the
Homefront in WWI
 In the pamphlets "Without Wheat," "Sweets without
Sugar," and "Potato Possibilities," the Federal Food
Board of New York provides alternatives to more wellknown recipes to help Americans do their part in the
war effort.
Food Will Win the War: On the
Homefront in WWI
 Why did the Federal government try to limit the
consumption of wheat, meat, sugars and other types
of food?
 What are some of the specific substitutes listed in the
recipe books for wheat and sugar? Why are these
substitutes suggested?
 How would you describe the Federal government's
methods to limit the consumption of these goods?
 Would these tactics influence you to conserve
resources? Why or why not?
Extension
 Compare and Contrast to Today: How could the
Federal government encourage certain lifestyle changes
in our society today? Do you think they would be
successful? Why or why not?
 Debate the Issue: Do you think these recipe books
represent propaganda? Why or why not?
 Creative Activity: Create a campaign poster, flyer, or
song to support the campaign to conserve these
resources.
President Wilson’s
Plans for Peace
Wilson’s Fourteen Points
Paris Peace Conference
(Versailles, 1919)
What did President Wilson want?
What actually happened
(Treaty of Versailles)?
“Peace without Victory”
1
2
3
4
5
14
Wilson’s Fourteen Points
Paris Peace Conference
(Versailles, 1919)
“Peace without Victory”
G Britain/France want heavy
reparations for Germany
1
No secret treaties
No
2
Freedom of the seas
No
3
Free trade
No
4
Reduction of military arms
No
5
End colonization/imperialism
No
14
League of Nations
Established (Wilson would
not compromise on this)
America’s Response to the Treaty of Versailles
“Irreconcilables”
“Reservationists”
Small group of senators
who believed the US
should not get involved
in world politics
Large group of senators
who opposed treaty
& wanted changes
(Henry Cabot Lodge)
Wilson & Senate cannot reach a compromise
Treaty of Versailles fails in the Senate…
US does not join the League of Nations (effect?)