1914 -1918:
The World
at War
Chapters in Brief - Questions
1. What factors led to war in Europe?
2. What led the United States into World War I?
3. How did the war change American society?
4. What was contained in the Treaty of Versailles
and why did Americans object.
Chapters in Brief - Answers
1. What factors led to war in Europe?
> the factors that led to war in Europe were nationalism,
imperialism, militarism, and a system of alliances that
made an attack on one nation a conflict that involved
many that involved many interlinked allies
2. What led the United States into World War I?
> the United States tried to remain neutral in World War
I, but emotional and economic ties to Great Britain
gradually moved it to the side of the Allies
> German submarine attacks convinced Wilson to declare
war
Chapters in Brief - Questions
3. How did the war change American society?
> at home during the war, production increased, and so
did union membership.
> many women entered industry, and thousands of
African Americans moved from the South to the North
seeking jobs and an end to segregation.
4. What was contained in the Treaty of Versailles
and why did Americans object.
> many Americans objected to the Treaty of Versailles
because it seemed to betray the high principles Wilson
had announced
> many disliked the idea of a League of Nations, fearing
it would involve the United States in foreign conflicts
Chapter Eleven
The First
World War
Background Information
• What do you already know about WWI?
–
–
–
–
–
–
When was it fought?
Who was involved?
Where were the battles fought?
What types of weapons were used?
Who won?
What other names is WWI known under?
The First World War
• Pre-Unit Video Clips (Causes of The Great
War)
Causes – part one (8:42)
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7kp3vf1uKA
Causes – part two (7:49)
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjlGoe1mnw0&feature=related
World War I Objective
To understand causes of
World War I, the reasons the
United States entered the war,
and the consequences of war
Chapter Eleven
Section One
World War I
Begins
Causes
of the
War
Chapters in Brief
As World War I intensified, the United States was forced to abandon
its neutrality. Four factors contributed to the outbreak of World War
I in Europe:
1. Nationalism: tensions grew as nations pursued only their own
interests
2. Imperialism: rivalries increased as nations jockeyed for power
around the world
3. Militarism: the nations developed strong armed forces to back up
their growing empires
4. Alliances: a series of treaties grouped the nations of Europe into
two armed camps.
The war broke out in 1914 when a Serb killed the heir to the throne
of Austria-Hungary. The alliance system resulted in Russia defending
Serbia against Austria-Hungary. Germany supported Austria-Hungary
and then declared war on Russia’s ally, France. So Great Britain,
France’s ally, declared war on Germany.
Chapters in Brief
Armies soon opposed each other across a system of trenches.
Although neither side gained territory, hundreds of thousands of
soldiers died.
The United States refused to join either side. Over time, though,
stories of German atrocities and close economic ties to Great Britain
and France moved Americans toward the Allied camp. A blockade
prevented food and fertilizer from reaching Germany. As thousands
of people starved, Germany struck back with submarine attacks on
ships going to Great Britain.
U.S. public opinion turned against Germany when some Americans
died in these attacks. Still, President Wilson resisted entering the war,
winning re-election with the slogan “He kept us out of war.” In
January 1917, he suggested that the warring powers agree to a peace.
Germany responded that submarine attacks would resume— and sink
American ships. Finally, Wilson asked Congress to declare war on
Germany. It did on April 6, 1917.
MAIN Causes of WWI
• Militarism
• Alliance System
• Imperialism
• Nationalism
MAIN Causes of WWI
• Militarism - the development of armed forces
and their use of a tool of diplomacy
• each nation wanted stronger armed forces than those of any
potential enemy
• British and German shipyards competed to see who could build
the largest navy
• Alliance System - an alliance is a formal
agreement or union between nations
– an alliance provided a measure of international security because
nations were reluctant to disturb the balance of power
– one spark set off a major conflict
MAIN Causes of WWI
• Imperialism - the policy
of extending a nations’
authority over other
countries
- economically
- militarily or politically
- cultural superiority
• Africa is an example of
imperialistic powers
taking over foreign
lands and the rivalries
that became of this
MAIN Causes of WWI
• Nationalism - a devotion to the interest and
culture of one’s nation
- nationalism led to antagonistic rivalries among
nations
- in this atmosphere of competition, many feared
Germany’s growing power in Europe.
European Alliance Systems
• 1907 = two major alliance systems in Europe
1. Triple Entente – turns into the Allied Powers
a. Britain
b. France
c. Russia
2. Triple Alliance – turns into the Central Powers
a. Germany
b. Austria-Hungary
c. Italy
Europe in 1914
An Assassination Leads to War
► June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir
to the Austrian throne, visits Sarajevo, Bosnia
► Archduke Franz Ferdinand was shot and assassinated
► Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia
► Led to the countries who were part of the alliance systems
entering the war
► The Great War had begun!
Fighting Begins
• August 3, 1914 - Germany invades Belgium and the
fighting begins
The War of
the
Industrial
Revolution:
New
Technology
Chapters in Brief
New weapons made the fighting in World War I very
destructive. Machine guns, tanks, and gas warfare
could kill soldiers in large numbers. Fighting took to
the air, as both sides used war planes. Soldiers
suffered from disease and hardship as well. While
48,000 American soldiers died in combat, another
62,000 died of disease.
New Weapons
• Poison Gas
1. soldiers wore masks to protect themselves
2. introduced by Germans; both sides used
3. caused blindness, severe blisters, or death by choking
• Machine Guns
1. fires ammunition automatically
2. could wipe out waves of attackers
3. made it difficult for forces to advance
New Weapons (continued)
• Tank
1. armored combat vehicle
2. moved on chain tracks
3. could cross many types of terrains
4. introduced by the British 1916
• Airplanes
• Submarines
1. 1914 introduced by Germans
2. effective warship
3. primary weapon against ships was the torpedo
Tanks
• first used at the battle of
Flers
• named because it looked
like a tank of water on a
train car
• allowed safer passage
across “No Man’s Land”
• strange shape allowed
them to climb over
trenches and straight
through defenses
• top speed around 3-4 miles
per hour
• weighed around 30 tons
Tanks
Tanks Video From the Military Channel
(4:08)
Krupp’s “Big Bertha” Gun
French Renault Tank
British Tank at Ypres
Submarines
• submarines existed pre-World
War I, but the Germans were
the first to use them significantly
• ran on diesel engines or batteries
• range of 5,000 miles
• top speed of eight knots (9 mph)
• more submersibles than true
submarines
• usually attacked from the surface
(diesel engines couldn’t
function underwater)
• mainly used torpedoes
• terrified seamen on surface ships
• extremely dangerous and
difficult life on board a
submarine
U-Boats
Allied Ships Sunk by U-Boats
Airplanes
• observation balloons had
been previously used, but
WWI first time actual
aircraft were used in war
• initially used for
reconnaissance
• a lot of skepticism existed
about their use in war
• planes began carrying small
bombs… and small arms to
shoot at each other
• first planes with mounted
machine guns shot
themselves down, but
technology quickly
improved
Airplanes
• “Aces High”
• pilots were seen as modern
knights
• pilots with five or more
confirmed “victories” were
called “Aces”
• by the end of the war, there
were over 1,800 “Aces”
• Top Pilots
• William Bishop (RAF): 72
• René Fonck (Aéronautique
Militaire): 75
• Manfred von Richthofen
(Luftstreikräfte): 80
• Edward Rickenbacker (US
Army Air Service): 26
Airplanes
Dogfight from "Flyboys“
(5:12)
The Airplane
“Squadron Over the Brenta”
Max Edler von Poosch, 1917
The Flying Aces of World War I
Eddie
Rickenbacher, US
Francesco
Barraco, It.
Eddie “Mick”
Mannoch, Br.
Willy Coppens de
Holthust, Belg.
Rene Pauk
Fonck, Fr.
Manfred von
Richtoffen, Ger.
[The “Red Baron”]
Looking for the “Red Baron?”
The Zeppelin
Curtis-Martin
U. S. Aircraft Plant
Machine Guns
• heavy, but deadly
(no Rambo in World War I)
• took a crew of four to six to
operate
• in theory, fired 400-600 rounds
per minute
• frequently overheated
(even if water-cooled)
• worth about 80 rifles on the
battlefield
• GREAT for defensive purposes
(can wipe out entire lines)
Machine Gun
Flame
Throwers
Grenade
Launchers
Machine Guns
Machine Gun Video from the History
Channel
(4:36)
Chemical Weapons
Poison Gas
Chemical Weapons
• both sides used
chemical weapons
• first used by the
French in August 1914
(tear gas grenades)
• Germans first to use
poison gas (Second
Battle of Ypres, 1915)
• soldiers quickly began
carrying gas masks in
order to combat the
chemical agents
Chemical Weapons
• Chlorine Gas
•
•
•
•
yellow/green color
smells like pepper and pineapple
tastes metallic
mixes with water in the lungs to
form hydrochloric acid (and a
very bad day for whoever
breathed it in)
• concentrates near ground level
(most who died from chlorine
gas in WWI were injured
soldiers at ground level)
• not as lethal as some of the other
chemical weapons used in World
War I
• can be combatted by putting a
soaked cotton cloth (water or,
more effectively, urine) over the
mouth
Chemical Weapons
•
Mustard Gas
• yellow/brown color
• smells like mustard, garlic, or
horseradish
• effects can take up to 24 to occur
• can become trapped in seams of
clothing
• causes chemical burns
WHEREVER it interacts with
tissues (skin, eyes, lungs)
• burns can vary from first to third
degree and are excruciatingly
painful
• can be combatted with iodine or
bleach, but must be applied
quickly (symptoms not quick to
show, so many missed this)
• most people who died from
mustard gas drowned (lovely, I
know)
• even if one “recovers,” it triggers
an increased risk of cancer later
in life
Poison Gas
Primary Reading
During World War I, the Germans
introduced the use of poison gases – chlorine,
phosgene (tear gas), and mustard gas – in
warfare. William Pressey, a British
bombardier or noncommissioned artillery
officer, was gassed by the Germans at
Messines Ridge on June 7, 1917.
Poison Gas
We had been shooting most of the night and
the Germans had been hitting back with
shrapnel, high explosive and gas shells. With
the terrific noise and blinding flashes of
gunfire, if a lull occurred for only a few
minutes and you were leaning against
something, you had just to close your eyes and
you were asleep. Nearing daylight we were
told to rest. We dived into the dugout, I
pulled off my tunic [a type of military jacket]
and boots and was asleep in no time at all.
Poison Gas
I was awakened by a terrific crash. The roof came
down on my chest and legs and I couldn’t move
anything but my head. I thought, ‘So this is it, then.’
I found I could hardly breathe. Then I heard
voices. Other fellows, with gas helmets on, looking
very frightening in the half-light, were lifting timber
off me and one was forcing a gas helmet on me.
Even when you were all right, to wear a gas helmet
was uncomfortable, your nose pinched, sucking air
through a canister of chemicals. As I was already
choking I remember fighting against having this
helmet on.
Poison Gas
The next thing I knew [I] was being carried on a
stretcher past officers and some distance from the guns.
I heard someone ask, ‘Who’s that?’ ‘Bombardier
Pressey, sir.’ ‘Bloody hell.’ I was put into an ambulance
and taken to the base, where we were placed on the
stretchers side by side on the floor of a marquee [a larger
tent with open sides], with about twelve inches between.
I suppose I resembled a kind of fish with my mouth
open gasping for air. It seemed as if my lungs were
gradually shutting up and my heart pounded away in my
ears like the beat of a drum. On looking at the chap
next to me I felt sick, for green stuff was oozing from the
side of his mouth.
Poison Gas
To get air into my lungs was real agony and the less I got
the less the pain I dozed off for short periods but
seemed to wake in a sort of panic. To ease the pain in
my chest I may subconsciously have stopped breathing,
until the pounding of my heart woke me up. I was
always surprised when I found myself awake, for I felt
sure that I would die in my sleep. So little was known
about treatment for various gases, that I never had
treatment for phosgene, the type I was supposed to have
had. And I’m sure that the gas some of the other poor
fellows had swallowed was worse than phosgene. Now
and then orderlies would carry out a stretcher.
Chemical Weapons
Chemical Weapons Video From The
History Channel
(6:50)
Why do you think World War I
is sometimes referred to as…
“The War of the Industrial
Revolution?”
** The First World War is sometimes
called the “war of the industrial
revolution because new technology,
airplanes, and machine guns made
industrial production a key factor in
winning the war **
All of the new weapons made it
almost impossible to go on the
advance. This led to both sides
digging out trenches.
Trench Warfare
• trench warfare: a type of warfare in which the opposing
forces attack and counterattack from
systems of fortified ditches rather than an
open battlefield
• there was a barren expanse of mud pockmarked with shell
craters and filed with barbed wire in between the opposing
sides’ trenches = “no mans land”
Trench Warfare
Trench Warfare
Trench Warfare
• soldiers were buried in
the trenches
• decomposing bodies
would be found just
below the surface
• the corpses and food
scraps attracted rats
• lice was also a problem
in the trenches
Trench Warfare
• Germans were the first
to dig trenches
• Germans chose the
best places to build
their trenches
• forced the British to
live in the worst
conditions - amongst
water and mud
• this led to trench foot
Trench Warfare
“No Man’s
Land”
Sacrifices in War
War Is HELL !!
Trench Warfare
"Hell in the Trenches“
(6:22)
America Questions Neutrality
► public opinion about the Great War was divided in
America
► many Americans did not want to join the fight since the war
did not threaten American lives or property
► Americans saw no reason to join a struggle 3,000 miles
away
► some, such as socialists, believed that the war was a
capitalist and imperialist struggle between Germany and
England
► naturalized citizens from Germany and Ireland
sympathized with the Central Powers
America Questions Neutrality
► America’s financial ties were much stronger with the
Allies than with the Central Powers
► Allied nations, such as Britain and France, flooded the
United States with orders for all sorts of war supplies
► The majority of Americans favored victory for the
Allies, but they did not want to join the fight
The War Hits Home
► 1917 - America had mobilized for war against the Central
Powers for two reasons:
– to ensure Allied debt repayment
– to prevent Germans from threatening U.S. shipping
► fighting on land, in trenches, continued while Britain
began blockading the German coast to prevent military
supplies from getting through
► Britain then started banning food from entering ports - an
estimated 750,000 Germans starved to death
► American’s were angry at Britain’s blockade because it
threatened freedom of the seas and prevented American
goods from getting to Germany
German U-Boat Response
►Germany
responded to the
British blockade
with a counter
blockade by Uboats
– any British or
Allied ship found
in the waters
around Britain
would be sunk!
German U-Boat Response
► On May 7, 1915, a U-boat
sank the British liner,
Lusitania.
► 128 Americans were
killed
► Americans were outraged
with Germany and turned
against the Central Powers
Lusitania Video (5:36)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sURi21sJsWc
The Sinking
of the Lusitania
The United States Declares War
► 1916 - Woodrow Wilson is re-elected
► Wilson attempts to mediate between the warring alliances
– he asks for “a peace without victory”
► the Germans ignored Wilson’s
call for peace
► the Kaiser of Germany (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert)
announces that German U-boats will sink any and all
ships in British water - neutral or hostile - on sight
German Provocation
►Wilson is stunned by this action, but says he will
wait for “actual overt acts” before declaring war
►the first “overt act” was the Zimmerman note
►Zimmerman Note: telegram from Germany to
Mexico proposing an alliance
between Mexico and Germany
►the note also stated that if war broke out, Germany
would support Mexico in recovering territories such
as: Texas, New Mexico and Arizona
The Zimmerman Telegram
German Provocation
►the second “overt act” was the sinking of
four unarmed American ships
►the third “overt act” was that Russia’s
monarch government was replaced with a
representative government
►now supporters of American entry into
the war could claim that this was a war of
democracies against brutal monarchies
America Acts
►The hope of neutrality was shattered
►Congress to declared war on April 6, 1917
►Wilson and many Americans believed
that the United States had to join the
war to pave the way for peace and
freedom
Essential Question
Which weapon was the most
impactful of World War I?
Explain.
Answer the question in three complete sentences in your summary section.
Chapter Eleven –
Section Two
American Power
Tips the Balance
Chapters in Brief
The United States mobilized a large army and navy to help the
Allies achieve victory. The United States was not prepared for war,
but it launched a draft and quickly put about 3 million men in
uniform. Women were not drafted, but the navy accepted women
volunteers as nurses and secretaries. African Americans served in
separate units; some were trained as officers.
The government took steps to increase the amount of shipping
available so it could transport the soldiers and their supplies to
Europe. Along with Great Britain, the United States began sending
merchant ships in large convoys guarded by naval vessels. This
change helped cut the number of ships lost to submarine attacks.
At first, American soldiers were scattered among other armies,
replacing men killed or wounded. General John J. Pershing
insisted that the American army fight as a whole. These troops—far
fresher than the other Allied soldiers— helped throw back some
major German attacks. By October 1918, the Germans were
Chapters in Brief
weakened. In November of 1918, German sailors, soldiers, and
civilians mutinied, refusing to continue the war. The German
Kaiser abdicated his throne, and the new government surrendered.
World War 1 –
Section 2 Group Assignment
►You will be assigned to a group and given a
subtopic on which to answer questions
►Answer each assigned question on a sheet of
butcher paper
►Draw a visual representation of the topic you
have been assigned
►Present this information to the class
►EVERYONE must participate in your group –
list what each person was responsible for doing
on the back
World War 1
Section Two Questions
America Mobilizes
1. How did the government recruit men for
military service?
2. How did African Americans contribute to the
war effort?
3. How did women contribute?
4. How did the U.S. manage to transport men,
food and equipment across the ocean?
America Turns the Tide
1. What was a serious threat to the Allied
war effort?
2. Name and describe the tactics used to
counteract this threat.
3. What was a main contribution the
American forces brought to the Allied
war effort?
Fighting “Over There”
1. Who were the “doughboys” and who were
they led by?
2. What were the most innovative weapons used
at this time?
3. Describe the tank (used at this time).
4. Describe the airplanes used and the
improvements made to them.
The War Introduces New Hazards
1. List the physical effects of the war on the
troops.
2. Describe the psychological effects.
3. Who cared for injured soldiers?
American Troops Go on the Defensive
1. Who is Alvin York and what is he known for?
2. What happened on November 3, 1918?
3. When was the armistice? What did this mean?
4. How many people died as a result of WWI?
How many of these were civilians?
World War 1
Section Two Answers
America Mobilizes
1. How did the government recruit men for military
service?
> Selective Service Act which required men to register with
the government in order to be randomly selected for
military service
2. How did African Americans contribute to the war
effort?
> 400,000 served in the armed forces / many served in
non-combative duties / 369th Infantry Regiment saw
more continuous duty on the front lines than any other
American Regiment
America Mobilizes
3. How did women contribute?
> not allowed to enlist / Army Corps of Nurses / 13,000
women worked in non-combative duties (i.e. nurses,
secretaries, telephone operators)
4. How did the U.S. manage to transport men, food and
equipment across the ocean?
> expanded its fleet
America Turns the Tides
1. What was a serious threat to the Allied war effort?
> German U-boat attacks on merchant ships
2. Name and describe the tactics used to counteract this
threat.
> a convoy system where heavy guard of destroyers
escorted merchant ships back and forth across the
Atlantic in groups
> US Navy helped to lay a 230 mile barrier of mines
across the North Sea – designed to bottle-up the
U-Boats
America Turns the Tide
3. What was a main contribution the American forces
brought to the Allied war effort?
> numbers / fairness / freshness
Fighting “Over There”
1. Who were the “doughboys” and who were they led by?
> nickname for American infantry men / General John J.
Pershing
2. What were the most innovative weapons used at this
time?
> tanks / airplanes / machine guns / chemical warfare
3. Describe the tank (used at this time).
> ran on caterpillar treads and were built of steel
Fighting “Over There”
4. Describe the airplanes used and the improvements
made to them.
> Originally, they were flimsy and had open cockpits
where pistols were shot at the enemies pilots /
eventually machine guns were mounted and the
Germans introduced an interrupter gear for constant
firing
The War Introduces New Hazards
1. List the physical effects of the war on the troops.
> filth, lice, rats, and polluted water that caused dysentery
> inhaled poison gas and stench of decaying bodies
> battle fatigue
> “shell shock”
> trench foot and trench mouth
2. Describe the psychological effects.
> fatigue / “shell shock”
3. Who cared for injured soldiers?
> Red Cross with American volunteers
American Troops Go on the Defensive
1. Who is Alvin York and what is he known for?
> armed with one rifle and a revolver killed 25 Germans
and captured 132 prisoners
2. What happened on November 3, 1918?
> Austria-Hungary surrendered / German sails mutinies
3. When was the armistice? What did this mean?
> 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month
> truce
4. How many people died as a result of WWI? How many
civilians?
> 22 million total people / 11 million civilians
Essential Question
Explain how the arrival of new
American troops affected the
spirit of Allied troops.
Answer the question in three complete sentences in your summary section.
Chapter Eleven
Section Three
The War At Home
Chapters in Brief
World War I spurred social, political, and economic change in the
United States. To fight the war adequately, the United States had to
mobilize industry and labor, as well as soldiers. Wilson named
Bernard M. Baruch to head the War Industries Board (WIB), the
main agency responsible for overseeing industrial production. It
helped boost industrial output by 20 percent. But prices rose as well.
While some industries—metal work, shipbuilding, and meat
packing—boomed, workers lost buying power due to higher prices.
Union membership grew dramatically. The Food Administration
encouraged people to change their eating habits to save food for
soldiers.
The government paid for the war by raising taxes and by selling
bonds, which celebrities helped sell. To support the war effort, the
Committee of Public Information encouraged people to aid the
cause.
Chapters in Brief
The war brought an anti-German backlash that discredited things
German or people of German background. Congress passed the
Espionage and Sedition Acts to punish anyone who interfered with
the draft or the sale of war bonds or who said anything that could be
defined as disloyal. About 1,500 people were convicted under these
laws. Some chief targets were socialists and union leaders. AfricanAmerican leaders were divided over the war. Some said that helping
the war effort would enhance the fight for equality. Others said that
without equality, blacks should not help. The main effect of the war
on African Americans was to spur the Great Migration—the
movement of thousands of blacks from the South to the cities of the
North. They tried to escape harsh treatment in the South and hoped
to find jobs and equality in the North. Women played new roles,
taking jobs that had been held only by men in the past. Their
contribution helped increase support for woman suffrage and
ensured ratification, in 1920, of the Nineteenth Amendment giving
women the right to vote. About 500,000 Americans died in a
worldwide flu epidemic of 1919.
Congress Gives Power to President Wilson
►winning a war was a job for everybody; not just
the soldiers fighting in the trenches
►WWI was such a huge conflict - that the entire
economy had to be focused on the war effort
►Factories went from producing consumer goods
to producing war supplies
►Congress gave President Wilson direct control
over the economy
– this enabled Wilson to fix prices and regulate war-related
industries
War Industries Board
► in order to regulate business, the
War Industries Board (WIB) was
put into place
► this board was led by Bernard M.
Baruch
► the WIB encouraged
companies to use mass
production techniques
(think assembly line) and
to increase efficiency
War Industries Board: agency
established
to increase
efficiency
and
discourage
waste in
war-related
industries
► the WIB also applied
price controls which
caused retail prices to
soar
► corporate profits soared
as well
War Industries Board
►the WIB controlled the economy
►the Railroad Administration controlled the
railroads
►Fuel Administration controlled
- fuel supplies
- gasoline
- heating oil
- introduced daylight savings time to take
advantage of the longer days of summer
War Economy
►wages rose during the war
years, but food and
housing prices were also
on the rise
►corporations and their
stockholders saw
enormous profits
►unions boomed during
this time - membership
went from 2.5 million to 4
million
Annual
incomes
Consumer
Prices
Food Administration
►Wilson set up the Food Administration to
help produce and conserve food
– he called on Americans to follow the “gospel of
the clean plate”
– he declared specific days of the week:
►meatless
►sweetless
►wheatless
►porkless
Food Administration
►homeowner’s planted victory gardens in their
yards
– children spent their after-school hours growing
tomatoes and cucumbers in parks
Food Administration
►American food shipments to the Allies
tripled
►President Hoover set a high price on
wheat, this caused more wheat to be
produced and farmers’ incomes increased
Selling the War
►once the government extended its control
over the economy, it focused on two things:
– raising money
– convincing the public to support the war
►the United States spent about $35.5 million
on the war effort
– 1/3 of this was raised through taxes
– the rest was raised by selling bonds
Committee on Public Information
►to make the war more popular, the government
set up a propaganda agency - the Committee on
Public Information (CPI)
►The head of this agency was a former muckraker
named George Creel
►Creel persuaded the nation’s artists and
advertising agencies (to create paintings, posters,
etc) promoting the war
War Affects the Home Front
• United States joined the war after it had been raging for
nearly three years
Total War: countries devoted ALL of their resources to the
war effort
Rationing: people could buy only small amounts of those
items that were also needed for the war effort
Propaganda:
one sided information designed to persuade,
to keep up morale, and support for the war
War Propaganda
War Propaganda
Attacks on Civil Liberties Increase
Anti-Immigrant Hysteria
►while the propaganda campaign promoted
patriotism, it also caused hatred and violations of
civil liberties
►the main targets of anti-immigrant attacks were
Americans who had emigrated from Germany and
Austria-Hungary
–
–
–
–
many Americans with German last names lost their jobs
orchestras refused to play Mozart, Bach and Beethoven
schools stopped teaching the German language
the hamburger became known as the Salisbury steak
(Hamburgers are named after the German city of Hamburg)
Espionage and Sedition Acts
►June 1917 - congress passed the Espionage Act
►May 1918, it passed the Sedition Act
►under these acts, a person could be fined up to
$10,000 or sentenced to up to 20 years for
interfering in the war effort or saying anything
disloyal, profane or abusive about the
government or the war effort
Espionage and Sedition Acts
►these laws clearly violated the First Amendment
►some examples:
– newspapers and magazines that opposed the war lost
their mailing privileges
– the House of Representatives refused to seat a
socialist congressman because of his anti-war views
– a major university fired a distinguished psychologist
because he opposed the war
The War Encourages Social Change
►black public opinion about the war was divided
►W.E.B. Du Bois believed that blacks should
support the war; he believed this would
strengthen calls for social justice
►although racial inequality continued in the U.S.,
most African Americans supported the war
The Great Migration
►the greatest effect of ►hundreds of thousands of
WWI on African
southern blacks moved to
American lives was the the northern cities
Great Migration
– many African Americans
were seeking to escape racial
segregation in the south
– floods, droughts and a boll
weevil (beetle) infection had
ruined most of the cotton
fields
The Great Migration
►North = more job opportunities
– Henry Ford opened his assembly line to black workers in
1914
►racial prejudice against blacks also existed in the
North; this was intensified as thousands of African
Americans migrated to Chicago, New York and
Philadelphia
** America was hypocritical in calling its role in the war
“making the world safe for democracy” because
Americans continued to discriminate against African
Americans within the United States and its military **
Women in the War
►women began moving
into jobs that had
been held exclusively
by men
– they became railroad
workers, cooks,
dockworkers and
bricklayers
– women continued too
fill traditional roles
such as nurses, clerks,
and teachers
Women in the War
►while women did not receive equal pay for their
work their presence in the factories encouraged
public support for woman suffrage
►1919 - Congress passed the nineteenth
amendment, granting women the right to vote
►the amendment was ratified in 1920
The Flu Epidemic
►1918 - an international flu epidemic affected 25%
of the United States population and the effect of
the economy was devastating
►the illness seemed to strike those who were in the
best of health and death would come in a matter of
days
►in the army, where contagious illnesses spread
rapidly, more than a quarter of the soldiers caught
the disease
The Flu Epidemic
►in some AEF units, one third of the troops died
►the epidemic killed about 500,000 Americans before it
disappeared in 1919
►the war ended suddenly just like the epidemic
►Americans hoped this was the “war to end all wars”
►leaders of the victorious nations gathered in Versailles,
France to work out the terms of peace
Influenza Epidemic Statistics
1918 Flu Pandemic:
Depletes All Armies
50,000,000 –
100,000,000 died
The War
Ends
The War Ends
• Russia withdraws in March 1917
• Unrest in Russia – due to war-related shortages of food
and fuel – forced Czar Nicholas to step down
• 1917 – 5,500,000 Russian soldiers had been wounded,
killed, or taken prisoner
• Eight months after the new government took over, a
revolution shook Russia – communist leader Vladimir
Ilyich Lenin seized power
• Russia and Germany signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
which ended the war between them
The War Ends
►November 11, 1918,
both sides agreed to
an armistice
►The Great War
ended at the 11th
hour on the 11th day
of the 11th month
11 a.m. - November 11, 1918
World War I Casualties
10,000,000
9,000,000
8,000,000
7,000,000
6,000,000
5,000,000
4,000,000
3,000,000
2,000,000
1,000,000
0
Russia
Germany
Austria-Hungary
France
Great Britain
Italy
Turkey
US
Essential Question
Do you think the war had a positive or
negative effect on American society?
Justify your answer.
Answer the question in three complete sentences in your summary section.
Chapter Eleven
Section Four
Wilson Fights for Peace
Chapters in Brief
European leaders opposed most of Wilson's peace plan, and the
U.S. Senate failed to ratify the peace treaty. President Wilson
traveled to Europe to push for a peace plan—called the Fourteen
Points— that he hoped would prevent future wars. He hoped to
remove the causes of war by eliminating secret treaties and
reducing imperialism. Other points aimed at specific adjustments
to boundaries. Underlying these points was Wilson’s goal of
allowing ethnic groups to determine their own fate. Finally,
Wilson proposed creating an international organization called the
League of Nations to give nations a chance to discuss and settle
their disputes without resorting to war.
Wilson lost almost all of his points: Great Britain, France, and
Italy—the victors—were determined to punish Germany for the
war. The Treaty of Versailles, which established the peace,
created nine new nations in Europe. It carved out parts of the
Ottoman Empire—which had allied with Germany—to create
Chapters in Brief
temporary colonies for Great Britain and France in the Middle
East. It took away Germany’s army and navy and forced
Germany to pay war damages, or reparations, to the victors. In
one provision, Germany had to admit to guilt for causing the war.
The treaty had three weaknesses. One was the harsh treatment of
Germany, which weakened that nation’s economy and aroused
resentment there. Second, the treaty ignored the new Communist
government in Russia. Third, it did nothing to recognize
nationalist desires in the colonies of European powers.
Many Americans opposed the treaty, which they believed was
unjust and imperfect. The main debate was over the League of
Nations—the only of Wilson’s Fourteen Points contained in the
treaty. Many people believed that joining the League would
involve the United States in foreign conflicts. Wilson refused to
compromise on the League or accept amendments to the treaty
Chapters in Brief
proposed by Republican leaders. The Senate failed to ratify
the treaty, and the United States never entered the League of
Nations.
In Europe, the war created political instability and violence
that lasted for decades. The unresolved issues or World War
I, along with many Germans’ desire for vengeance, would
plunge the world into an even greater conflict.
Fourteen Points
►President Wilson
presented his plan for
world peace even before
the war was over
►January 1918 - delivered
his Fourteen Points
speech to congress
►The points were divide
into three groups
Fourteen Points
1. there should be no secret treaties among nations
2. freedom of the seas should be maintained for all
3. economic barriers should be abolished in order to foster
free trade
4. arms should be reduced to the “lowest point consistent
with domestic safety”
5. colonial polices should consider the interests of colonial
peoples
Fourteen Points
►the next eight points dealt with boundary changes
Fourteen Points
►the fourteenth point called for a creation of
an international organization to address
crises like those that had sparked the war
►League of Nations: provided a forum for
nations to discuss and
settle their grievances
without having to resort
to war
Allies Reject Wilson’s Plan
► neither Russia or the
Central Powers were
invited to the peace
conference
► the Big Four who led
the Allies in drafting the
peace settlements were:
– David Lloyd George
(Britain)
– Vittorio Orlando (Italy)
– Georges Clemenceau
(France)
– Woodrow Wilson (US)
Treaty of Versailles
► http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbok5tQICes
►Read about Treaty of Versailles and take a
stance
Treaty of Versailles
► when President Wilson returned to the U.S. he faced
strong opposition to the treaty
► some believed it was too harsh; others considered it a “sell
out” to imperialism since it exchanged one set of colonial
rulers for another one
► some ethnic groups objected to the national boundaries
being implemented
► the main opposition was to the League of Nations
► opponents believed that the treaty threatened the U.S.
foreign policy of isolationism
Treaty of Versailles
League of
Nations
Territorial
Losses
•International
peace
organization;
enemy and
neutral nations
initially excluded
•Germany
returns AlsaceLorraine to
France; French
border extended
to west bank of
Rhine River
•Germany and
Russia excluded
Military
Restrictions
•Limits set on
the size of the
German army
•Germany
prohibited from
importing or
manufacturing
weapons or war
material
War Guilt
•sole
responsibility for
the war placed
on Germany’s
shoulders
•Germany forced
to pay the Allies
$33 billion in
reparations over
30 years
•Germany
surrenders all of
its overseas
colonies in Africa •Germany
and the Pacific
forbidden to
•Germany paid
build or buy
off debt on
submarines or
October 3, 2010
have an air force
League of Nations
►some feared that U.S. membership in the league
would force the U.S. to form its foreign policy in
accordance with the League
►when the treaty came up for a vote in the senate, it
was rejected
►the United States signed a separate treaty with
Germany and never joined the League of Nations
Senate Rejects the
League of Nations because…
** The senate believed the U.S. would be forced to
form its foreign policy in accordance with other
members of the League **
Differing Viewpoints
 “Family Feud”
 “Fall of the Eagles”
 “The War to End All Wars”
 “The War to Make the World Safe for Democracy”
The Legacy of the War
** Effects of the First World War:
1. Accelerated America’s emergence as the world’s
greatest industrial power
2. Contributed to the movement of African
Americans to North cities
3. Intensified anti-immigrant and anti-radical
sentiments among mainstream Americans **
Essential Question
Which part of the Treaty of
Versailles do you feel was the
harshest punishment for
Germany? Explain.
Answer the question in three complete sentences in your summary section.
World War I Objective
To understand causes of
World War I, the reasons the
United States entered the war,
and the consequences of war