U.S. & WORLD WAR I
Honors American History
Ms. Costas
February, 2016
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
1. Why did the United States get involved in World War I?
2. How did the war affect Americans on the home front?
3. How was the Treaty of Versailles a failure for Woodrow
Wilson both internationally and domestically?
4. How did post-war conditions in the United States lead
to the Red Scare?
UNIT OUTLINE
I. WWI Review
II. US Entrance
III.Total War – the impact on the Home Front
IV.Peace Process – the Failure of Versailles
V. The Consequences – the Red Scare
WWI REVIEW: CAUSES
2 Types of Causes
oImmediate (Assassination of F. Ferdinand)
oLong term (MAIN)
MAIN Causes of moving Europe to war:
oMilitarism
oAlliances
oImperialism
oNationalism
WWI REVIEW: THE WAR
Nature of the War
oIndustrialization
oTwo Front War – Eastern & Western
oTrench Warfare
oStalemate/War of attrition
oTotal War
WWI REVIEW: PEACE
End of the War – Treaty of Versailles
oExtremely harsh on Germany
Seeds of WWII
oGermany blamed for the war & forced to pay huge
reparations
Crippled German economy
US ENTRANCE
Big Picture: US role changes throughout war
oNeutral Power
oAttempted Peace Mediator
oVictorious Power
oAlienated & Isolationist nation
US ENTRANCE: NEUTRALITY
Wilson declares neutrality w/in days of war
oReflected isolationist tradition
Popular opinion
oMost Am. want neutrality
Partial to 1 side (based on ethnicity)
Believed the right to trade w/ EUR
oBritish & French
Neutrality = impossible in modern industrial economy
US ENTRANCE: NEUTRALITY
US traded w/ both sides off the bat
oTrade w/ allies increased during war
Pulled US out of recession; econ. Boom
By 1917 US = major supplier to Allies
oFood, weapons, raw materials
oBritain spend $75 mil / week
US loans $3bil to Britain & France
Trade w/ Germ. decreased bc of British blockade
“If you owe the bank $100 that’s
your problem. If you owe the
bank $100 million, that’s the
bank’s problem.”
- John Paul Getty
US ENTRANCE: PEACE
Peace v. Preparedness Movement
oSome Americans felt US was unprepared for conflict
Increased military spending & numbers
oOthers feared preparedness would lead to war
US ENTRANCE: SUB WARFARE
GER sank any ships destined for Allies w/out warning
oIncreased negative view towards GER
Warned US ships would be sunk
o“Strict accountability” – Wilson won’t tolerate it
May 1915 – Lusitania
o128 Americans killed
oPushes Wilson towards preparedness
Sussex Pledge (1916) – GER vows to stop USW
US ENTRANCE: PREPAREDNESS
Post-Lusitania – Wilson begins policy of ltd. preparedness
oNational Defense Act (1916): Expanded size of army
oNaval Construction Act (1916): More warships
Election of 1916 - Wilson won (narrowly) due to
neutrality
o“He kept us out of war”
“Peace without victory” Speech
DISCUSSION
What did Wilson mean by “peace
without victory?”
Wilson attempted to raise the moral
tone of American foreign policy. Is
moralism an adequate or a wise basis for
foreign policy?
US ENTRANCE: EVENTS
Feb 1917: GER resumed USW
oKnew it would bring US into war
March 1917: Zimmerman Telegram
oGER promised MEX “lost territories” if it attacked the US
March 1917: Russian Rev - Czar overthrown
oSpins war as democracies v. oppressive monarchies
April 6, 1917: US declared war
o“World safe for democracy”
US ENTRANCE DISCUSSION
How do think these Wilson/Zinn documents
compare to Barnes?
What do you think the main reason for why the
US got involved in WWI?
Could US involvement been avoided?
WAR AT HOME
WWI was a total war = complete mobilization of
resources & people for war
oImpacts soldiers & people on home front
oHuge increase in gov’t powers
Mobilization:
oSlow start - 1 yr before troops see combat
oSelective Service Act 1917
US Army was small
Draft - ½ US force (2.8 mil men) from draft
WAR AT HOME
Paying for the war: Cost $33.5 billion
oGov’t borrowing paid for 2/3rd
Liberty Bonds (intense pressure to buy)
oWar Revenue Act (May 1917):
Raised income tax on richest
• 67% for the $2mil +
• Increased fed revenue 400%
WAR AT HOME
Command Economy:
oGov’t took control of econ to ensure war effort got
what it needed
Free mkt capitalism put on hold
Huge boost for econ - US became major supplier
of food & materials to Allies
WAR AT HOME
Diff agencies directed diff parts of war effort:
oWar industries Board (1917)
Managed all industries of war
Daylight savings began
oLever Act (1917) set up Food Admin:
Controlled food production, price, & distribution
Food conservation = patriotic gesture
“Victory Gardens”
WAR AT HOME
Diff agencies cont’d
oRR Admin Act (1917)
Gov’t control of RR’s
oWar Labor Board (1918)
Managed labor relations
No unemployment
WAR AT HOME
Shaping Public Opinion: Total war = needed ppl’s
support - Win “hearts & minds”
oCommittee on Public Info (1917) created to ensure
support of war effort
Restricted civil liberties - censorship
Propaganda campaign - blamed Germans
WAR AT HOME
SPO cont’d.
oEnforcing loyalty – lt’d free speech
Espionage Act (1917) - Jail for “disloyal” activities
Sedition Act (1918) - forbade criticism of gov’t
• Schenck v. US - limits to 1st Amendment
Resurgence of nativism - “100% Americanism”
• Foreign = bad; immigration restrictions
WAR AT HOME
Social Trends:
oAnti-German sentiment:
“Liberty measles” “Liberty cabbage” “Liberty steak”
“Liberty pups”
American Protective League (1917)
• Private citizens enforced loyalty
Attack on German Americans - 1918
• Lynching of R. Prager
DISCUSSION
What does it mean to be patriotic?
Un-American?
Is it important to be patriotic?
Is it even un-American to criticize the gov’t?
Free speech v. national security
WAR AT HOME
Social Trends cont’d:
o1918-1920: Spanish Flu
Started in US - deadliest pandemic in history
• 10% of adult pop’n; 625k Americans & 50mil ppl total
oWomen
NAWSA supported war. Led to suffrage
1 million entered the workforce (factories)
On frontlines (nurses & Hello Girls)
Gains short lived - Post-war, vets rehired
WAR AT HOME
Social Trends cont’d:
oAfrican Americans
Inc job opportunities
Great Migration
200k served in army - segregated units
Hoped patriotism would lead to equality
THE PEACE PROCESS
End of the War
o1917: Russia out - US in
Could US get into war fast enough?
oConvoy system: Warship escorted supply ships to
overcome U Boats
o2mil troops - American Expeditionary Force (AEF) led
by Pershing
oTroops (doughboys) arrived in June 1917
Ltd combat until June 1918
THE PEACE PROCESS
End of the War (cont’d)
oMarch 1918: GER launched last offensive to win
oJune 1918: GER stopped US was diff - 1 mil fresh troops
oNov 1918: Internal unrest in GER - Kaiser abdicated
oGER agreed to armistice (11AM on 11-11-1918)
Believed peace based on 14 points
THE PEACE PROCESS
14 Points (1918): Wilson’s specific peace plan
o1st 5: Free trade, open treaties, freedom of the seas,
arms reduction, & adjust. of colonial claims
oNext 8 - Self Determination: right of a people to
decide their gov’t
o14th: Creation of internat’l org to settle disputes &
prevent war (Most important)
THE PEACE PROCESS
Allies met @ Paris Peace Conference 1919:
oNo GER no USSR
oLed by Big 4 - US, BRIT, FRA & (lesser extent) ITA had very diff goals for treaty
US - 14 points
ITA - Balkan territory
FRA - severely punish & weaken GER - reparations
BRIT - more moderate. Weaken GER, but not too much
THE PEACE PROCESS
Treaty of Versailles (1919):
oWilson compromised w/ FRA & BRIT - failed to
get his “peace w/out victory” - Treaty extremely
punitive to GER:
Blamed for war (War guilt clause)
Lost territory
Had to pay $33bil in reparations to Allies
oWilson got his internat’l org – League of Nations
THE PEACE PROCESS
Treaty still had to be ratified by the Rep. – controlled
Senate – difficult task
oWilson alienated Rep. - brought none to Paris
oThe League troubled many Americans
oSenate divided into 3 groups:
Supporters
Irreconcilables
Reservationists (ratify w/ some changes) Led by Lodge
THE PEACE PROCESS
Treaty still had to be ratified by the Rep (cont’d)
oLodge introduced 14 reservations - Protection of Monroe
Doctrine & Congress’ power to declare war
oWilson refused to compromise - went on nat’l speaking
tour
Collapsed (stroke) - never fully recovered
oTreaty never ratified
Rejected twice - w/ and w/out reservations
US never joined the League
CONSEQUENCES
Global
oDeath Toll - 37 mil casualties
oDevastated EUR – beginning of end EUR global
dominance
oRise of Communism: 1st Communist country = USSR
oSeeds for WWII: Punitive nature of Versailles
oBeginning of Modern Age
CONSEQUENCES
Domestic
oUS casualties = 350K
oSocial
Women’s suffrage
Great Migration
• (1919 race riots)
Prohibition
Inc nativism & anti-foreign sentiments
CONSEQUENCES
Political
oEnd of Prog Era & rejection of Wilsonian ideals (Moral
Dipl.)
oReturn to isolationism
US rejected role of global pol leader
Disillusionment over outcome of the war
oExemplified by Harding’s 1920 prez victory - “Return to
Normalcy”
CONSEQUENCES
Economic
oUS = World’s preeminent econ power - leading producer
& creditor
oRapid demobilization
Gov’t just removed commend econ controls
Caused economic downturn & 2 big econ probs:
• Inflation
• Labor Unrest
CONSEQUENCES
Red Scare of 1919 - 1920
oLabor unrest + RUS Rev + Xenophobia = fear of communism
oHysteria - belief that union members & immigrants =
communists
oMobs attacked suspected radicals & immigrants
oApril 1919: Letter bombs sent to econ & pol leaders
Palmer Raids
Sacco & Vanzetti
oSummer 1920 - Red Scare ended