APUSH REVIEW
World War I
As found in Barron’s Study Keys EZ-101
American History 1877 to the Present
Published 1992
Theme World War I
Known at the time as the Great War, World War I was the first truly “total “
war. Americans became involved in it 3 years after it had begun. Although the war
was devastating to western Europe, the United States suffered much lower
casualties. As one of the victors in the war, the United States was launched into a
position of international leadership.
Before long the nation became frustrated and disillusioned, realizing that
the world had not been made “safe for democracy” as President Wilson had
promised. Economically, however, the war sparked an industrial boom that
launched the prosperous 1920s. On the negative side, the war awakened
intolerance, hatred, and bigotry in its quest for social unity on the homefront. It
also assisted in the demise of progressivism.
Key 34: Prelude to American involvement
Overview: For 3 years, the United States attempted to maintain neutrality and stay out of the war, but this goal proved to be
virtually impossible.
Initial events: World War I began on June 28, 1914, when Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian
Empire, was assassinated by Serbian nationalist while visiting Sarajevo, a provincial capital in the Austro-Hungarian
Empire, which Slavic nationalists wanted to annex and make part of Serbia.
• By August 6, 1914, Germany, France, Great Britain, Russia, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire had all declared war.
• Italy, the Ottoman Empire, and other nations joined the war later in 1914.
Triple Alliance: This alliance, composed of Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary, also called the Central Powers,
formed one of the two opposing camps in Western Europe on the eve of World War I
Triple Entente: This entente, consisting of France, Great Britain, and Russia, known as the Allies, was organized to
create a “balance of power” in Western Europe against the nations of the Triple Alliance.
Orders in Council: Issued by Great Britain at the start of World War I, the orders established an Allied blockade
around Germany, extended the list of contraband items, and declared the North Sea and English Channel “military
areas.” The orders led the Germans to start a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare to eliminate the blockade.
American neutrality: Although President Wilson urged America to be “impartial in thought as well as deed” and
issued a proclamation of neutrality on August 4, 1914, he was an admirer of Great Britain’s traditions, culture, and
political system.
• He and other Americans imbued a moral quality to the Allied position, and British reports of German atrocities added
to American support of the Allied cause
•Because war orders from France and Britain were so economically lucrative for the the U.S., Wilson realized by 1915
that this country could no longer remain neutral. He believed America must become the arsenal of the Allies.
•The American response to German violations of neutral rights became harsh and uncompromising
Key 34: Prelude to American involvement
Lusitania (1915): the Lusitiania, a British passenger liner, was sunk by a German U-boat. When Wilson learned that
128 Americans had died, he demanded that Germany respect the rights of neutral nations, which included the
American right to travel on nonmilitary vessels of warring nations.
Preparedness movement: This mov’t advocated building up our national defenses and preparing for involvement in
war. By the end of 1915, President Wilson had advocated a preparedness program to Congress, and rearmament
was under way by the summer of 1916.
Sussex pledge (1916): An unarmed French steamer, the Sussex, was attacked by Germany and several American
passengers were injured.
• Because of Wilson’s protests, Germany pledged not to sink passenger vessels without warning and agreed to
safeguard noncombatants.
•Nevertheless, torpedo attacks began again in Jan. 1917
Council of National Defense (1916): Created by Congress, it coordinated industry and the nation’s resources for the
support of national security.
• The council consisted of six cabinet members and an advisory board of seven experts from labor and industry
•Connected to it was a Civilian Advisory Commission which set up local defense councils in every state, county,
and school district.
National Defense Act (1916): Provided for increasing the regular army to 175,000 and the National Guard to
450,000, and authorized the creation of military training at universities and colleges.
Merchant Marine Act (1916): Create the U.S. Shipping Board, which formed the Emergency Fleet Corporation to
build, requisition, purchase, and operate merchant vessels.
Election of 1916: As the Democratic incumbent, Woodrow Wilson, ran on the slogan: “He kept us out of war.”
• Promising to continue Progressive policies and to maintain peace, he won reelection although by a small margin.
• His Republican opponent, Charles Evans Hughes, was an associate justice of the Supreme Court (1910-1916) and
later became chief justice (1930-1941) during the Great Depression
Key 34: Prelude to American involvement
Zimmerman note: This dispatch as sent in January 1917, by Alfred Zimmerman, German Foreign Secretary, to the
German representative in Mexico.
• It urged Mexico to support Germany if the U.S. declared war on Germany
• In return, Mexico would receive Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico
• The coded note was intercepted by the British, decoded, and published in the US
• Along with Germany’s announcement on Feb. 1, 1917, that it would sink all ships, enemy and neutral alike, the note
sparked US entry into the war on April 6, 1917
Jeanette Rankin: A former suffrage organizer, in 1916 she became the first woman ever elected to Congress, where
where she represented Montana
• When Congress voted on US entrance into World War I, she voted no
• In addition to being a peace activist, she supported protective legislation and Prohibition
• In 1940 she again won election to Congress from Montana and in 1941 cast the only vote against US entry into
World War II
American Expeditionary Force: Under General John J. Pershing, it arrived in Europe at the end of 1917
• Assisted the Allies in halting the German advance at Chateau-Thierry, at Rheims, and later in the Argonne Forest.
• Fought for 8 months until the armistice of November 11, 1918
Key 35: The war’s effect on the home front
Overview: At home, the nation’s economic resources were mobilized, with the federal gov’t becoming increasingly intrusive.
The war accentuated social divisiveness as the federal gov’t trampled on civil liberties
Selective Service Act (1917): This legislation required all males between 21 and 30 to register for military service
• a 488,000 member army, 470,000 for the Nat’l Guard, and the conscription of 500,000 men were authorized
• Women served in the Army and Navy Nurse Corps and in the auxiliary forces of the regular navy
Financing the war: The war was partly financed through the sale of so-called Liberty Bonds to the public.
• Other revenue was raised by income taxes, excess profits taxes, inheritance taxes, and special taxes on liquor, tobacco,
and theater tickets
• The War Revenue Act (1917) established a graduated income tax, an excess profits tax, and an increase in excise
taxes
Committee on Public Information (CPI) Created by Congress in April 1917, the committee had as its chairman
journalist George Creel
• Mobilized public support of the war by explaining, through the use of pamphlets, posters, motion pictures, news stories,
advertisements in magazines, pictures, and speakers, the reasons for American participation
•Through its Division of Industrial Relations, encouraged labor to support the war
War Industries Board (July 1917): Under financier Bernard Baruch, this agency organized the nation’s economy
• It regulated all war industry activities, developed new industries and sources of supply, controlled prices, and distributed
and sold all war materials
•Manufactures who cooperated with the board’s goals were exempt from antitrust laws
Production and transportation of supplies: New agencies were set up
• Headed by Secretary of the Treasury William McAdoo, the Railroad War Board facilitated the transportation of troops
and war supplies by rail.
•Likewise, a new Fuel Administration was created to allocate scarce supplies of coal
• Under the Lever Food and Fuel Control Act, President Wilson had authority over the production, disposition, and
prices of food, fuel, and other supplies needed by the army; control extended to producers, processors, and dealers in
these products.
Key 35: The war’s effect on the home front
Food Administration: Probably the most effective war agency, it supervised the feeding of the nation, its armies, and
the Allies
• Herbert Hoover, an engineer and business executive who later became a U.S. president, was its administrator
• He raised the price of wheat to increase production, along with encouraging voluntary conservation
•At his suggestion, people planted “victory gardens”
Espionage Act (June 1917): A $10,000 fine and 20 years’ imprisonment was prescribed for interfering with the draft or
for attempting to encourage disloyalty
• Penalties were also imposed for refusing military duty, resisting laws, or advocating treason
• The postmaster general could ban from the mails any material he judged treasonous or seditious
National Security League: One of several citizens’ vigilante groups established to ensure patriotism. Others included the
Boys Spies of America, the American Defense Society, and the American Protective Association, the largest with
250,000 members
National War Labor Board (April 1918) American Federation of Labor President Samuel Gompers sat on this board,
created by President Wilson to mediate labor disputes so that strikes could be avoided
• Workers agreed not to strike, and employers pledged not to engage in lockouts
•It also urged industry to implement changes that would benefit labor (e.g. an 8-hour workday and the right of unions to
organize and bargain collectively)
Sedition Act (May 1918): More repressive than the Espionage Act, it established punishment for interfering with the sale
of Liberty Bonds, for writing or speaking against the gov’t, the U.S. Constitution, the armed forces, or the flag and for
impending recruitment officers
Overman Act (May 1918) Gave President Wilson almost dictatorial powers until months after the war’s end. These
powers included the authority to reorganize executive agencies or create new ones
Key 36: Postwar Developments Abroad
Overview: Even before the end of the war, Woodrow Wilson formulated his international philosophy, an idealistic vision
based on principle. With the Senate’s rejection of the Versailles Treaty, however, the United States failed to give is seal of
approval to Wilson’s new world order.
Fourteen Points Presented by President Wilson in an address to Congress on January 8,, 1918, as the basis for peace
terms at the close of World War I
• Espoused a belief in the right of all peoples to self-determination, as evinced by recommendations for boundary
adjustments along with the creation of new nations.
•Included also: freedom of the seas, open covenants, adjustment of colonial claims with respect for native populations,
free trade, reductions in armaments, and impartial mediation of colonial claims.
• Proposed a League of Nations, an association of nations that would aid in implementing the new principles and in
resolving future controversies.
Paris Peace Conference: Held beginning in December 1918
• Participants included David Lloyd George, prime minister of Great Britain, Georges Clemenceau, president of France,
Vittorio Orlando, prime minister of Italy; and Woodrow Wilson, president of the United States
• the conference formulated the general terms of the treaties ending World War I
League of Nations: On January 25, 1919, at the Paris Peace Conference, the Allies voted to accept the creation of the
League of Nations
• This assembly of nations would oversee world affairs and prevent future wars
•League decisions would be implemented by a nine-member Executive Council consisting of 5 permanent members:
Britain, France, Italy, Japan, and the United States
•The league was established in 1920, although the U.S. Senate rejected the treaty of which the league was a part.
•Although the U.S. did not formally join the League of Nations, it did take part in many of its activities
•In 1946, the United Nations replaced the League of Nations
Treaty of Versailles: Signed in June 1919, it was the peace treaty that ended World War I
• In 1919 and again in 1920, the treaty failed to receive the necessary two-thirds approval of the Senate because it
provided for the creation of the League of Nations. Senators Henry Cabot Lodge, Hiram Johnson, and William E.
Borah were its strongest opponents
•Finally on August 25, 1921, a joint resolution declaring the war to be over was adopted by Congress
Key 37: Postwar Developments At Home
Overview: The postwar years were marked by social unrest, and violence in the United States. Economic problems, labor
unrest, the fear of radicalism, and racial tensions had generated a sense of disillusionment
1919 and 1920 Strikes: raging inflation, concern about job security, and poor working conditions combined to generate
labor discontent.
•
In 1919 there were more than 3,600 strikes
1. A general strike in Seattle, Washington, nearly paralyzed the city, and U.S. Marines were sent in to keep it running
2. The Nat’l Guard was called in to restore order after the Boston Police Strike
•
The greatest single labor action at that time, which ended in failure, was the Great Steel Strike in January 1920,
involving 350,000 steelworkers in several Midwestern states
Red Scare (1919): Along with racial violence and labor unrest, the fear of revolution emerged. The Communist victory in
the Russian Revolution of q1917 set these fears in motion
•
Established in 1919 in the Soviet Union, the Communist International sought to export revolution around the world
•
Americans began blaming revolutionaries or radical agitators for labor and racial disturbances
•
Hysteria mounted when a series of bombings occurred in the spring of 1919
1. The post office intercepted several packages addressed to leading politicians and businessmen, which were set to
explode when opened
2. A few parcels did explode; in June 1919 eight bombs exploded in eight cities within minutes of one another
3. One bomb exploded outside the Washington townhouse of attorney general A. Mitchell Palmer
Palmer raids and other anti-Communist measures: As attorney general Palmer set up an antiradical division in the
Justice Dept and appointed J. Edgar Hoover, a young gov’t attorney, to direct what soon became the Federal
Bureau of Intelligence. (FBI)
•
In Nov 1919, the first attacks, known as “Palmer raids” were made on private homes of suspected Communist
sympathizers and on headquarters of labor and radical organizations
•
In December, 1919, the U.S.S. Buford left for Finland and the Soviet Union with 294 deported radicals
•
On Jan. 1, 1920, 6,000 radicals were arrested as a result of the Palmer raids
•
Civil liberties were violated as citizens and aliens alike were denied legal counsel and held without specific charges
•
After May Day, 1920, had passed without any violence, the Red Scare soon abated
•
The summer of 1920 passed without major labor strikes or renewed bombings
Key 37: Postwar Developments At Home
Sacco-Vanzetti case: A legacy of the Red Scare, the case began with the arrest in May 1920 of Nicola Sacco and
Bartolomeo Vanzetti for murder in South Braintree, Massachusetts
•
Although the evidence against them was inadequate, as confessed anarchists they were presumed guilty
•
The judge in the trial was openly prejudiced
•
The two men were convicted, sentenced to death, and despite worldwide protests, executed in 1927
•
Many decades later, they were posthumously exonerated by Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis
The Great Migration: During World War I, over half a million blacks migrated from the rural South to industrial cities in
search of work.
•
In 1917, race riots occurred in Houston, Philadelphia, and East St. Louis
•
In 1919 racial tension prevailed in the North and in the South
1. More than 70 blacks died in lynchings in the South
2. In Chicago, white mobs attacked people, homes, and property in black neighborhoods. Thirty eight people died and
537 were injured as blacks fought back
Railway Transportation Act (1920): Returned the railroads to private control and enlarged the Interstate Commerce
Commission to 11 members
•
The act gave the commission authority to fix rates and to provide a 6 percent return, with half of all net earnings over
this amount to be sued for the benefit of the weaker railroads
•
A Railroad Board was created to arbitrate disputes
Water Power Act (1920): Created the Federal Power Commission consisting of the secretaries of war, the interior, and
agriculture, and authorized it to license the construction and operation of dams and hydroelectric plants on rivers and
streams on public lands of the United States