World War I (1914-1918)
Unit 9
Militarism
Alliances
Causes of World
War I
Imperialism
Assassination of Archduke
Franz Ferdinand
Nationalism
I. The Road to War:

Hidden Causes of WWI: existed well
before 1914
1)
Imperialism:
-European powers had been building empires
for centuries
-the colonies supplied them with raw
materials
I. The Road to War:
-European powers competed for territory
around the world which…
-led to conflicts in those areas
2) Militarism:
-the policy of building up a nation’s armed
forces in preparation of war
-empires were expensive to build and defend
-by 1890, the strongest European nation was
Germany
I. The Road to War:
-Eng. was not concerned because they had the
strongest navy in the world
-Ger. and Eng. began to compete in the
building of warships
-France, Italy, Japan, and the U.S. quickly
joined the naval arms race
I. The Road to War:
3)
Nationalism:
-pride in one’s nation
-often leads to competition and rivalries
-many feared Germany’s growing power in
Europe
-also, many nations (ethnic groups) wanted
their independence from Austria-Hungary
-those ethnic groups looked to larger nations for
protection
I. The Road to War:
4)
Alliances:
-a formal agreement or union between nations
-developed in Europe during the late 1800s
-designed to increase a nation’s security and
to defend each other during an attack
I. The Road to War:
-two great alliances had formed in Europe by
1907:
a. Triple Alliance – Germany, AustriaHungary, Italy
b. Triple Entente – England, France, Russia
I. The Road to War:

Immediate Cause of WWI (sparkplug)
was…
-the assassination of Archduke Franz
Ferdinand and his wife Sofie on June 28, 1914
-he was the heir to the throne in AustriaHungary
-killed by Gavrilo Princip (19 yrs old), a member
of the “Black Hand” (terrorist group promoting
Serbian nationalism)
I. The Road to War:
-June 28: Ferdinand assassinated
-July 28: A-H blamed the Serbian gov’t and
declared war on them
-July 29: Russia, Serbia’s protector, began
mobilization (the readying of troops for war)
- Germany, A-H’s chief ally, demanded that
Russia stop mobilizing
- Russia refused – Russia’s ally, France,
began mobilization as did Germany
I. The Road to War:
-Aug. 1: Germany declared war on Russia
-Aug. 3: Germany declared war on France
-The U.S. remained neutral
I. The Road to War:

Germany knew it would be forced to fight a twofront war (East and West) eventually

so…they had a plan called the Schlieffen Plan:
-a quick strike on France to knock them out of
the war and then an attack on Russia
II. War Begins:

To get to France as quickly as possible, the
German Army passed through Belgium, a
neutral country
-the invasion brought England, Belgium’s
protector, into the war on Aug. 4
-Germany had hoped England, with the world’s
strongest Navy, would stay out of the war
II. War Begins:

After the start of the war, countries in Europe
began to take sides:
Central Powers:
Germany
A-H
Bulgaria
Ottoman Empire (Turkey)
Allied Powers (Allies)
France
Russia
Italy -1915 Serbia
Romania
Greece
Montenegro Portugal
Belgium
U.S. -1917
Great Britain
II. War Begins:

Sept. 1914: Germans advanced within 30 miles
of Paris but were stopped at the Marne River by
French and British troops in the First Battle of
the Marne
II. War Begins:


Stalemate: a situation in which neither side could
gain an advantage, on the Western Front (in
France)
Trench warfare: the Allies dug trenches to help
reduce casualties and the Germans did the
same
-the move to the trenches prolonged the war
-soldiers went “over the top” into “no man’s land”
(area between the trenches)
II. War Begins:

The Central Powers took over Serbia,
Montenegro, Albania, and Romania
-they also attacked Italy and began to push the
Russian lines back
II. War Begins:

New Weapons used during WWI:
1) Machine guns – forced the soldiers to the
trenches – fired up to 450 rounds a minute
2) Tanks – first used by the British – used mainly
to smash barbed wire fences to clear the way
for the infantry (foot soldiers)
3) Poison gas – chemical warfare – used by the
Germans first
II. War Begins:
4)
U-boats – German submarines
-attacked without warning – used to fight the
British blockade
-interfered with Am. trade and threatened the
safety of Am.’s
5) Airplanes – used only for observation at first
-later armed with machine guns and bombs
-Manfred von Richthofen “Red Baron” (German
ace pilot– shot down over 80 planes)
II. War Begins:

The American Response:
-some Americans felt personally involved – Why?
1/3 were 1st or 2nd generation immigrants
-most Americans wanted the Allies to win- Why?
1) Cultural ties with England
2) Most of the news from the war came from
England
3) Kaiser Wilhelm II, German leader, was a
dictator – not an acceptable ally
II. War Begins:

The U.S. remained neutral at first and continued
to trade with both sides
-we were an isolated country at that time
III. U.S. Declares War:

3 Major Events led the U.S. to join the Allies:
1)
Germany’s use of unrestricted submarine
warfare – Ex:
a. Sinking of the Lusitania (May 7, 1915)
-British passenger liner sunk by a
German u-boat
-1,200 died (128 Americans)
III. U.S. Declares War:
b. Sinking of the Sussex (March 24, 1916)
-French passenger liner sunk by a U-boat
-the Germans agreed to the Sussex
Pledge (promised to warn ships before
attacking)
-kept the U.S. out of the war
III. U.S. Declares War:

Election of 1916 – Pres. Wilson ran under the
slogan “He kept us out of war” and was reelected

Feb. 1, 1917: Germany resumed u.s.w

Feb. 3, 1917: Wilson ended Am. neutrality by
arming merchant ships – “armed neutrality”
III. U.S. Declares War:
2)
Zimmerman Note / Telegram – German
foreign secretary, Arthur Zimmerman, made a
secret offer to Mexico
-if they would attack the U.S., then they would
be given back the lost territory in TX, AZ, and
NM
-the note was intercepted by the British
-neither Wilson nor Mexico took the note
seriously
-however, the American public called for war
III. U.S. Declares War:
3)
Revolution in Russia – March 1917, Czar
Nicholas II was overthrown and replaced by a
republican (democratic) gov’t
-since a czar was no longer in power, the U.S.
viewed Russia as an acceptable ally
-this was the last stumbling block to a full Am.
commitment to the Allies
III. U.S. Declares War:
Pres. Wilson asked
Congress to declare
war on Germany
saying…
“The world must be
made safe for
democracy.”
 War was declared on
April 6, 1917

IV. On the Homefront:

Selective Service Act (May 1917) – required
all men, 21-30 years old, to register for the draft
-ages later changed to 18-45
-24 million registered and 3 million drafted by
lottery
-2 million volunteered (5 million total troops)
IV. On the Homefront:

11,000 women volunteered: nurses, clerks, and
drivers
-also worked in factories, auto mechanics, traffic
cops, etc. (jobs only men used to do)

300,000 African Am.’s volunteered or were
drafted (mostly manual labor – segregated units)
IV. On the Homefront:

War Industries Board – led by Bernard Baruch
-regulated how natural resources were used and
told factory owners what to make
-ex: iron and steel industries used to make guns
and later tanks
-factories worked around the clock which
created more jobs
IV. On the Homefront:

War Labor Board – settled labor disputes to
prevent strikes during the war

Food Adm. – led by Herbert Hoover
-conserved food and set crop prices
-also encouraged “meatless Tuesdays” and
“wheatless Wednesdays”
-“victory gardens” were also planted
IV. On the Homefront:

Fuel Adm. – urged citizens to conserve coal and
fuel
-“heatless Mondays”
-est. day-light saving time to save an hours use
of lighting and heat each day
IV. On the Homefront:

Financing the war – two ways to pay for war:
1)
Taxes were raised
Liberty Bonds were sold – loans by the Am.
people to the gov’t – paid back with interest
2)
IV. On the Homefront:

Laws Passed to Enforce Loyalty:
1) Sedition Act – prohibited any speech that was
“disloyal, profane, or abusive” about the gov’t,
flag, Constitution, or armed forces – very
controversial
2) Espionage Act – punished anyone found guilty
of helping the enemy, hindering recruitment, or
inciting revolts
IV. On the Homefront:

Both acts were upheld in the Supreme Court case
Schenck v. U.S. (1919)
-ruled freedom of speech could be limited in certain
situations, or whenever there was a “clear and
present danger” to public safety or national security
V. Americans on the European Front:

American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) – led by
Gen. John J. Pershing
-arrived in Paris on June 14, 1917 – provided
reinforcements to British and French troops
-U.S. soldiers nicknamed doughboys
V. Americans on the European
Front:


The first job of the doughboys was to help
England attack the German u-boats
-Americans thought they would only provide
naval assistance at first
Convoy system – began in May 1917
-group of unarmed merchant ships surrounded
by armed naval ships
-reduced number of ships sunk
V. Americans on the European
Front:

The Bolshevik Revolution (communist revolution
in Russia – Oct. 1917) changed the involvement
of Am. soldiers
-led by Vladimir Lenin
-Russia signed a treaty with Germany in March
1918 to drop out of the war
-allowed Germany to send all troops to the
Western Front
-forced U.S. to send in more foot soldiers to help
Allies
V. Americans on the European
Front:

Battle of Chateau-Thierry (June 1918) – major
turning point in the war
-U.S. helped French save Paris and began to
push German lines back towards Germany

Battle of Argonne Forest (Sept.-Nov. 1918) -last
critical battle of the war – 47 day battle -1.2
million Allied troops began to push German lines
back and eventually broke through
V. Americans on the European
Front:

The hero of Argonne was Alvin C. York:
-grew up in the mountains of TN
-applied to be classified as a conscientious
objector (refuses to serve in military because of
religious beliefs) – application denied
-killed 25 Germans and captured 132 others
-said he killed those Germans to “save lives” most decorated soldier of WWI
VI. Postwar:

An armistice (cease fire) was signed on Nov.
11, 1918 (11th hour, 11th day, 11th month)
WWI Casualties:
-Russia – 9 million
-France – 6 million
-England – 4 million
-U.S. – 364,000

-Germany – 7 million
-A-H – 7 million
VI. Postwar:
WWI’s Impact on U.S.:
-lost 116,000 young men
-created a distrust of foreigners
-created new opportunities for women and Afr.
Am’s.
-higher wages
-booming economy – richest nation in world

VI. Postwar:
Pres. Wilson’s Plan for Peace:
-to prevent future world wars he outlined his goals
in his “Fourteen Points” speech before
Congress – included:
1) Ban on secret treaties / alliances
2) Freedom of the seas
3) Reduction of arms

VI. Postwar:
4)
5)
self-determination, or power to make
decisions about one’s own future, for all A-H’s
ethnic groups
League of Nations – international org. that
would help keep world peace and maintain
order
VI. Postwar:

1)
2)
3)
4)
Paris Peace Conference (Jan. 1919) –
attended by the “Big 4” (leaders of the 4 major
Allied powers):
Woodrow Wilson (U.S.)
David Lloyd George (G.B.)
George Clemenceau (France)
Vittorio Orlando (Italy)
VI. Postwar:
-remember: Russia had dropped out of the war in
1917 and Italy joined Allies in 1915
-Goals – Wilson concerned about world peace –
brought 14 Points with him – the other 3 leaders
wanted to punish Germany (esp. France)
VI. Postwar:
-Treaty of Versailles – officially ended WWI –
compromise – included:
1) War Guilt Clause – forced Germany to take
the blame for starting the war (big mistake!)
2) Germany stripped of all colonies
3) Germany forced to pay reparations (payment
for damages) to Allies - $33 billion total
VI. Postwar:
4)
5)
League of Nations created
Created new countries based on selfdetermination:
-Poland
-Austria
-Finland
-Estonia
-Czechoslovakia -Latvia
-Yugoslavia
-Lithuania
-Hungary
VI. Postwar:


Germany refused to sign treaty at first (too hard
on them) – they eventually did sign it on June
28, 1919
Republicans in Congress were upset that they
were not represented in Versailles (Wilson was
a Dem.)
-so they refused to approve the treaty – never
joined League of Nations (very weak without
U.S.)