Chapter 23 – World War I
Video
Section Notes
The Impact of Modern Warfare
The Road to War
Americans Prepare for War
Americans in World War I
Establishing Peace
America in the 20th Century: World War I: The
War in Europe
America Joins the Ranks (4:17)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L0Wgio6c6k
Supporting the War (9:34)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXwD7vsn3dg
History Close-up
Trench Warfare
Quick Facts
Key Goals of the Fourteen
Points
Causes and Effects of World
War I
Chapter 23 Visual Summary
Fear on the Homefront (5:19)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8W5s0hE
Jo8
Maps
World War I, 1914-1918
Europe After World War I
Images
An End to Peace
Primary Source: Sinking of the Lusitania
Red Cross Volunteers
Patriotic Poster
World War I U.S. Soldier
World War I Deaths
Videos
•
America in the 20th Century: World War I: The War in Europe
– America Joins the Ranks (4:17)
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L0Wgio6c6k
– Supporting the War (9:34)
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXwD7vsn3dg
- Fear on the Homefront (5:19)
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8W5s0hEJo8
If time – “Digging Up the Trenches” (1:30:01)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIRoetUSq4E
The Road to War
The Big Idea
In 1914 tensions in Europe exploded into the deadliest war
the world had ever seen.
Main Ideas
• Many factors contributed to the outbreak of World War I.
• European nations suffered massive casualties in the war’s
early battles.
Main Idea 1:
Many factors contributed to the outbreak of
World War I.
Nationalism
Imperialism
• Nationalism, a
strong sense of pride
and loyalty to one’s
nation or culture,
created tension
between nations.
• Nations competed
for control of
territories both in
Europe and
overseas.
• Austria-Hungary
included people from
many cultural groups.
• Germany took the
Alsace-Lorraine
region from
France in 1871,
and France
wanted it back.
• Slavic nationalists
wanted to break
away from AustriaHungary and join the
independent Slavic
country of Serbia.
Militarism
• Nations focused
resources on
militarism, the
aggressive
strengthening of
armed forces.
• Raced to build
armies and navies
• Made alliances to
protect
themselves
The Spark
• Feelings of fear and distrust grew among European powers
in the early 1900s.
• In 1908 Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia and
Herzegovina.
– Slavic nationalists resisted violently; wanted to be a part of
Serbia
• June 28, 1914: Archduke Francis Ferdinand of AustriaHungary was assassinated in Sarajevo.
– Killed by a Serb nationalist, Gavrilo Princip
• Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia
• Nations began to mobilize, or prepare their militaries, for
war.
The Schlieffen Plan
•
•
Info at:
http://www.schoolh
istory.co.uk/gcselin
ks/wars/firstwwlink
s/schlieffen_summa
ry.html
Pulled into the Fighting
Allied Powers
• Russia, an ally of Serbia
• France, an ally of Russia
• Belgium, brought into the fighting because
Germany marched through it to get to France
• Great Britain, an ally of Belgium
Central Powers
• Austria-Hungary
• Germany, an ally of Austria-Hungary
Main Idea 2:
European nations suffered massive casualties
in the war’s early battles.
• The French army blocked the German advance at the
Marne River, east of Paris, in September 1914.
– The First Battle of Marne marked the first major battle of the
war.
– French and German forces faced each other along a long
battle line known as the western front.
• Russian and German armies struggled back and forth on
the eastern front.
• The war became a stalemate– a situation in which
neither side can win a decisive victory.
• Clear that this war would be longer than expected.
Technology of War
• Trench warfare, defending a position by
fighting from the protection of deep ditches,
helped make the war long and deadly.
Land
– Cold, wet, and muddy
– Disease ran rampant
• New technologies made land warfare even
more deadly
– Machine guns
– Poison gases
– Tanks
Air
Sea
• Airplanes used in large-scale battle for the first
time
– Fired down on soldiers in the trenches
– Gathered information on enemy locations
– Battled each other in the air in “dogfights”
•
•
•
Fighting in the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea
Used Naval blockades and mines to block supply
lines
U-boats, German submarines, launched torpedoes
against Allied supply ships.
Americans Prepare for War
The Big Idea
After entering World War I in 1917, Americans began the
massive effort of preparing for war.
Main Ideas
• The United States entered the war after repeated crises
with Germany.
• The United States mobilized for war by training troops and
stepping up production of supplies.
• Labor shortages created new wartime opportunities for
women and other Americans.
Main Idea 1:
The United States entered the war after
repeated crises with Germany.
• The United States was initially a neutral
country.
– Americans viewed World War I as a European
conflict.
• America continued to trade with European
nations during the war.
– Carried supplies and war materials to the Allies.
• Germany used U-boats to try and stop
supply lines.
– Often attacked ships without warning
– Sometimes shot civilian targets, such as the
British passenger liner, Lusitania
Congress Declares War
March 1916– a U-boat attacks a French passenger ship,
the Sussex, with several American passengers on board.
German leaders agree not to attack merchant ships
without warning.
February 1917– President Wilson breaks diplomatic
relations with Germany after they again begin attacks on
non-military ships.
March 1917– Zimmermann Note is decoded revealing
German and Mexican plot to ally against the United
States.
April 1917– Congress declared war on Germany.
Main Idea 2:
The United States mobilized for war by
training troops and stepping up production of
supplies.
• Committee on Public Information formed by President Wilson
to help persuade the public to support the war effort.
• Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918 limited
freedoms in the United States.
• Selective Service Act was enacted in 1917 to prepare the U.S.
military for war.
– Required men between ages 21-30 to register for draft.
– Almost 3 million Americans were drafted into service in World War I.
• Liberty bonds were issued by the government to help finance
Allied war efforts.
• War Industries Board and Food Administration worked to
supply the troops with materials and food supplies.
Main Idea 3:
Labor shortages created new wartime
opportunities for women and other
Americans.
Factors that led to a labor shortage in the
United States during the war:
1. American factories needed new workers to
meet huge production demands.
2. The war almost completely closed
immigration, thus cutting-off the main
source of labor to American industry.
3. Many of the young men who would
normally take factory jobs were serving in
the military.
Women’s War Efforts
• Many American women took on new
roles to help the war effort.
– 1 million women joined the workforce.
– About 25,000 women volunteered to
serve in non-combat positions in
Europe.
• Other women protested America’s
participation in the war.
Labor and the War
• New job opportunities encouraged Mexican Americans
and African Americans to move to northern industrial
cities.
• Union membership increased.
– Workers in a better position to demand higher wages
– More than 4 million unionized workers went on strike
during the war.
• National War Labor Board was established to help
management and workers reach agreements.
– Settled more than 1,000 labor disputes
– Worked to prevent strikes
Americans in World War I
The Big Idea
American troops helped the Allies achieve victory
in World War I.
Main Ideas
• American soldiers started to arrive in Europe in 1917.
• The Americans helped the Allies win the war.
• Germany agreed to an armistice after suffering heavy
losses.
Main Idea 1:
American soldiers started to arrive in Europe
in 1917.
• Americans joined the fight in Europe in 1917 as
a force separate from the other Allied units.
• U.S. troops were known as the American
Expeditionary Force
– Led by General John J. Pershing
– Thoroughly trained for combat before reaching front
lines
– Included regular army and National Guard troops,
volunteers, and draftees
Russia Leaves the War
Revolution in Russia
• November 1917: a group of Russians known as
the Bolsheviks overthrew the Russian
government.
• Bolsheviks were Communists– people who favor
the equal distribution of wealth and the end of
all forms of private property.
New Government
• Led by Vladimir Lenin
• Knew the war had reached a desperate point
– Around 8 million Russians had already been killed.
– Soldiers were deserting.
– Food riots raged in cities.
• March 1918: Russia signed the Treaty of BrestLitovsk with the Central Powers, taking itself out
of World War I.
Main Idea 2:
The Americans helped the Allies win the war.
• With Russia gone, Germany planned to smash
the stalemate.
• American soldiers arrived on the front.
• Germans made an advance, but were
unprepared for the fresh, well-trained
American forces and were driven back.
• July 1918– German forces launch final
offensive
– Attempted to cross the Marne River
– Terrible losses forced them to stop.
• American troops helped force a major turning
point in the war.
Main Idea 3:
Germany agreed to an armistice after
suffering heavy losses.
•Allies drove toward victory after the
failed German advance.
–More than 1 million U.S. troops in
France
–Began winning victories against
German forces
•By November 1918, American soldiers
were making rapid advance toward
Germany.
Germany Defeated
• At home and on the battlefield, Germans were
tired of war.
– Food shortages
– Riots and strikes
– Shortage of soldiers
• Germany’s allies were also eager to end the war.
– Austria-Hungary reached a peace accord with the
Allies on November 3, 1918.
• Seeing his country was beaten, German leader
Kaiser Wilhelm II fled.
• Germany agreed to an armistice, or truce, on
November 11, 1918.
Establishing Peace
The Big Idea
The United States and the victorious Allied Powers clashed
over postwar plans.
Main Ideas
• The costs of war included millions of human lives as well
as financial burdens.
• President Woodrow Wilson and European leaders met to
work out a peace agreement.
• The U.S. Senate rejected the Treaty of Versailles.
Main Idea 1:
The costs of war included millions of human
lives as well as financial burdens.
Financial Losses
Casualties
• Allied: 5 million
soldiers dead
– American: 116,000
soldiers dead; 200,000
soldiers wounded
• Central Powers: 3.5
million soldiers dead
• Russia and Germany
had the highest
death tolls.
• $30 billion in property
destroyed
– Factories and farms
throughout Europe in
ruins
• Allies: $145 billion
spent
• Central Powers: $63
billion spent
• European nations
deeply in debt
Influenza Epidemic
• In 1918, a worldwide epidemic of influenza, or flu,
broke out.
– Extremely contagious
– Deadly
– Spread by air
– No known cure
• Spread by American soldiers to civilians and then to
Europe and beyond.
– 30 million people died from the virus worldwide.
– 800,000 Americans died
• Changed life in the United States
– In Chicago, the flu more than doubled the death rate.
– Quarantines were implemented in some states.
– Many cities banned public gatherings, including school
classes.
Main Idea 2:
President Woodrow Wilson and European
leaders met to work out a peace agreement.
• President Woodrow Wilson developed plans
for a postwar peace agreement.
– Known as the Fourteen Points
– Called for the creation of League of Nations, an
international assembly of nations.
• European leaders disagreed with Wilson’s
vision.
– Wanted to punish Germany for its role in the war
– Wanted to prevent Germany from ever again
becoming a world power
Key Goals of the Fourteen Points
• End secret alliances
• Encourage free
shipping
• Remove barriers to
trade
• Reduce armies and
navies
• Resolve colonial
claims
• Support the right
of people to
choose their own
government
• Settle border
disputes
• Establish the
League of Nations
Paris Peace Conference
American and European leaders met at the Paris
Peace Conference, held at the palace of Versailles,
near Paris
No representatives from Russia or the Central Powers
attended.
Allied leaders demanded that Germany
– Accept complete blame for the war
– Make reparations, or payments for war damages
– Give up large parts of its territory
Wilson reluctantly agreed to this peace agreement, the
Treaty of Versailles.
The Treaty of Versailles
• German reparations of $33 billion
• Established the League of Nations
• Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania,
Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia became
independent nations.
• Poland was restored as a nation
• Central Powers turned over their colonies
to the League of Nations.
• Central Powers nations broken up
Main Idea 3:
The U.S. Senate rejected the
Treaty of Versailles.
• U.S. Constitution states that treaties must be
ratified by at least two-thirds of the Senate.
• Wilson presented the treaty to the Senate.
– Senator Henry Cabot Lodge wanted the winners to
set the terms of the peace and demanded changes.
– Republicans were worried about the League of
Nations’ power to use military force.
• On November 19, 1919, the Senate voted and
the Treaty of Versailles was defeated.
• The United States signed separate peace
treaties with Germany, Austria, and Hungary.
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Chapter Review
• P. 741-742
– Reviewing Vocab, Terms, People
• #1-7
– Comprehension & Critical Thinking
• 8 a,b
• 9 a,b
• 10 a,c
• 11 a,b
• 15
• P. 743
Standardized Test Practice #1-6