The United States in WWI
 What were the main goals of Wilson’s
Fourteen Points?
 What were the similarities between the
Fourteen Points and the Treaty of Versailles?
 What was the biggest difference?
M-A-N-I-A
 Militarism
 Alliance System
 Nationalism
 Imperialism
 Assassination
 Nations begin to build
up their militaries
 Usually in response to
what other nations were
doing
 “Keeping up with the
Jones’s”
 Nations make
agreements to protect
each other in case they
are attacked
Triple Alliance
 Austria-Hungary
 Germany
 Italy (will join
Allies in 1915)
Triple Entente
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Great Britain
Russia
France
Unites States (will
Join in 1917
 Loyalty to your nation,
belief that your nation is
the best and strongest
 Countries in Europe (Just
like in the US) desire
more land, wealth and
colonies. Nations
compete to see who can
get the most colonies
 Sparking Event
 (June 28, 1914)
 The assassination of Archduke
Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary and his
wife Sofia by a member of the Black
Hand
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Central
Powers
AustriaHungary
Germany
Bulgaria
Ottoman
Empire
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Allied
Powers
Serbia
Russia
France
Great
Britain
1915 – Italy
The United States is neutral for the first three years of the
war and many Americans want to stay out of the war.
 Submarine Warfare —
Germans warn that all ships
entering the waters around
the British Isles are subjected
to be sunk
German Unterseeboot (U-Boat)
 Lusitania (May 1915)
passenger ship sunk by
German U-boat
 Was carrying
ammunition as well as
passengers -- passengers
warned not to travel on
Lusitania
 Wilson protests to
Germany – but nothing
happens
 Unrestricted
Submarine Warfare
(Jan. 1917)
 Early January 1917 --
Germany decided to
pursue “unrestricted
submarine warfare”
 Tell Wilson on January
31st, he cuts off
diplomatic ties
 Zimmerman Telegraph
(March 1, 1917)
 Coded message from
Germany to Mexico.
 Says if Mexico attacks US,
Germany will help Mexico
take back Arizona, New
Mexico and Texas.
 British intercepted,
decoded and sent to the US
 Russian Revolution
(March 15, 1917)
 Czar Nicholas II of
Russia is toppled from
power and Russia is
taken over by a
republican government
(no communists yet)
Russia not a monarchy - now it is a war between
democracy & autocratic
rule
 Wilson asks Congress
for a declaration of war.
 What impact did US
soldiers have on the
war?
 America’s military
resources of soldiers and
war materials tipped the
balance of the war and led
to Germany’s defeat.
 Selective Service Act: institutes
nationwide conscription/draft.
 U.S. armed forces: from 200,000 to nearly 5
million!
 Wilson creates the
Committee on Public
Information (CPI) to
influence public opinion to
support the war effort.
 George Creel is chairman.
 Headed by Herbert
Hoover; advised
Americans to save
certain foods for
export to supply the
Allied war effort.
 Volunteer Army of
75,000, organized by
the Creel’s CPI, these
men gave patriotic, prowar speeches before
stages and movie shows
nationwide.
• The Espionage Act: imprisonment and fine for anyone
found guilty of aiding the enemy, obstructing
recruitment, or causing insubordination in the armed
forces.(1917)
• The Sedition Act: outlawed any disloyal, profane, or
abusive language intended to cause contempt, scorn,
or disrepute to the government, Constitution, or
flag.(1918)
A million women entered the American workforce during
World War I. In this factory, women of all ages are packing
hand grenade parts to be shipped overseas.
• The Great Migration
was the migration of
thousands of AfricanAmericans from the
South to the North.
African Americans
were looking to
escape in the South
and felt they could
seek out life in the
North
 African Americans
 Women
 Labor Unions
 Immigrants
But the U.S. economy is
growing and international
influence/power is
stronger…
 The Paris Peace
Conference and the
Fourteen Points
 Fourteen Points are Wilson’s
plan to eliminate the causes
of war. He called for:
 Self-determination
 Freedom of the seas
 League of Nations
 Mandate system
 French and English insisted
on punishment of Germany.
 Treaty of Versailles
 Germany accepted
responsibility for starting the
war : “war guilt clause”
 Had to pay reparations to
pay for war damages in other
countries
 A League of Nations was
created to solve disputes
and prevent future wars.
 National boundaries were
redrawn, creating many new
nations.
 The United States did
not ratify the Treaty
of Versailles
 Did not like the League
of Nations because they
objected to US foreign
policy being made by
an international
organization
 Did not want to be
involved in European
Affairs