United States History
World War I, or the Great War, was fought from June 1914 to
November 1918
 There were many causes to this conflict
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 Nationalism: ethnic groups fought for centuries over control of
eastern Europe
 Militarism: countries competed with one another over military
strength
 Alliances: to protect themselves, nations entered agreements with
neighboring nations, promising aid if their allies were attacked
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The complicated web of alliances came to a head in June 1914
 Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to Austria-Hungary’s throne, visited
Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia
 A Serbian national, Gavrilo Princip fired two shots that killed
Ferdinand and his wife Sophie
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Immediately, A-H declared war on Serbia
 Germany offered support, with Russia honoring Serbia
 Eventually, Britain, France and Russia made up the Allied Powers
 Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire made
up the Central Powers
 Later in the war, Italy and the United States joined the Allies
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Germany felt they could win a quick war by eliminating France,
then Russia
 According to the Schlieffen Plan, Germany would invade Belgium,
then defeat France from the north
 However, the Belgians put up a tough fight, allowing the Allies to stop
the Germans at the First Battle of the Marne in Sept. 1914
 Very quickly, the war came to a stalemate, with no hope of a quick
victory for either side
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New types of warfare prevented either side from gaining any type of
ground
 Trench warfare: long series of ditches were the majority of fighting was done
▪ Areas between trenches were considered no man’s land because of the mines and the
constant barrage of machine gun fire, a new weapon of warfare
 Chemical warfare: poisonous gases were fired into trenches, causing untold
pain and death if soldiers could not get gas masks on in time
 Submarines: boats that traveled under water and wreaked havoc on ships,
civilian and military alike
 Airplane: limited effect, but introduced dogfighting and aerial bombing to
warfare
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Numerous battles from 1914-1916 caused millions of casualties, but no
clear victory for either side
 Battle of the Marne (Sept. 1914)
 Verdun (Feb.-July 1916)
 Somme (July-Nov. 1916): over 1 MILLION deaths in 4 months)
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President Wilson declared the United States neutral when the war broke
out in 1914
 Worked to help bring the war to an end diplomatically throughout 1915-16,
but to no avail
 Because so many were immigrants from nations fighting, citizens of the
nation had their own thoughts
 Some backed the Central Powers, but most backed the Allies
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The US came closer and closer to war because of the German submarine
campaign of the Atlantic
 American ships were stopped and searched and also torpedoed and sunk
 The deadliest incident occurred May 7, 1915, when 128 Americans died after
the Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat
 Wilson demanded the German military cease, or else
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Germany pledged to stop sinking boats without warning
 Issued the Sussex Pledge in March 1916
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As German attacks continued, the US began to prepare for war
 Loans and aid were sent to Britain and France
 National Defense Act of 1916 authorized the building of the army and
navy, almost costing Wilson reelection
 Broke diplomatic relations with Germany in February 1917 after
Germany resumed full scale attacks of civilian ships
 Zimmermann Note: March 1, 1917
▪ German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmermann’s promise to Mexico
▪ Proposed Mexican alliance with Germany
▪ Promised aid to help Mexico recover “lost lands” from the US
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On April 4, 1917, Congress declared war on Germany
 Urged by President Wilson
 Not a unanimous vote, as 50 representatives and 6 senators opposed
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Because the US military was small and unprepared, the
government had a lot of work to do to get America ready for war
 Selective Service Act: May 18, 1917
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Required all men 21-30 years old to register for the draft
Later changed to 18-45 years old
2.8 million men eventually drafted to fight
All different backgrounds and races fought, but were segregated
Soldiers, drafted and enlisted, were sent off to training
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Learned basic military drill, shooting, fighting
Fought under General John J. Pershing in Europe
Soldiers were nicknamed “Doughboys”
To protect troops and supplies heading to Europe, the Allies devised a
convoy system of military and civilian ships
 However, because of the need for infrastructure and organization,
American troops did not do any actual fighting until 1918
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To produce the goods needed for war, the government started programs to
oversee American industry
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Millions of people worked in wartime industries
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Money was raised by selling Liberty bonds during the war and Victory bonds after the war
Taxes were increased
Resources, such as food, fuel, metals, and other scarce materials, were rationed and
conserved
War Industries Board set prices and told companies what to produce
Union membership soared
Women worked in factories with men off fighting
A Great Migration of African Americans from the south went north looking for work, but were
met with discrimination and racial violence
Mexican immigrants came looking for work and escape from the Mexican Revolution
Volunteerism increased greatly
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People conserved energy and materials, recycled and planted victory gardens
People bought Liberty bonds
Juliette Gordon Low formed a group based on the Boy Scouts called the Girl Guides,
eventually the Girl Scouts, in 1915, who worked heavily in the war effort
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The government worked hard to convince all Americans to
support the war
 Committee on Public Info (CPI): propaganda campaign to convince the
public
 Used posters, movies and pamphlets
 Turned attitudes against German Americans
Americanization campaign taught new immigrants English, US
History and gov’t courses
 Laws were passed making it a crime to be against the war effort
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Espionage Act: outlawed acts of treason against the gov’t
Sedition Act: made it a crime to speak out against the gov’t
Hundreds were imprisoned for breaking these laws
Schenck v. United States (1919) upheld the laws as necessary against a
“clear and present danger” and that sedition was like “yelling fire in a
crowded theater” and not protected speech
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American came in the nick of time
 Allies were having a tough time fighting in the West
 The Russian Revolution of 1917 spelled the end of the war for the Russians
▪ Communists, led by Vladimir Lenin, overthrew a democratically elected gov’t that had
overthrown Czar Nicolas II
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Germany launched a massive offensive in March 1918
 The Allies were pushed back within 50 miles of Paris
 However, American troops stopped the Germans at Chateau-Thierry and
Belleau Wood in June
 This turned the Germans back, meeting for the final battle at Argonne Forest
in October 1918
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Germany’s military fell apart, causing German leader Kaiser Wilhelm to
resign on November 9th
 Two days later, at 11 AM of 11/11/1918, a cease fire went into effect
 Today, we celebrate this day as Veteran’s Day
 The peace conference was held in January 1919 in Paris, France
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President Wilson met with Georges Clemenceau of France, David Lloyd
George of Britain and Vittorio Orlando of Italy to negotiate a peace
Several issues were addressed at the peace conference
 Wilson proposed the Fourteen Points
▪ Most points dealt with nations governing themselves, others dealt with causes of the war
and how to prevent another war
▪ The last point was the League of Nations, proposed as a world wide organization to
prevent wars in the future
 Large reparations, punishment for the war, were levied on Germany, who was
blamed for the war
 Finally, in the summer of 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was finalized
▪ The treaty divided Central Powers’ lands and colonies among the Allies
▪ Created Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Poland, Finland, and the Baltic states
▪ Outlawed German armament and billions in fines
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Wilson brought the treaty to the Senate, but the Senate refused to ratify
the treaty, led by Mass. Senator Henry Cabot Lodge
 In rejecting the treaty, the US rejected the League of Nations, which formed
without US support
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In September 1919, President Wilson had a
massive stroke that crippled him for the rest of
his presidency
Europe struggled to recover, as infrastructure,
agriculture, and the economy was in ruins
Allies colonized the Middle East, causing issues
that are seen still today
8.5 million were killed, with another 21 million
injured in the fighting
Eventually, the aftermath of the war led to the
rise of dictators in Europe like Adolph Hitler,
Benito Mussolini, and Josef Stalin