World
War
I
Chapter 23 Summary
The Allies
Great Britain
France
Italy
Russia
Belgium
Japan
Serbia
Montenegro
…and many, many more…
The US did not enter the war until 1917,
and then it entered not as an “ally,” but
as an “associated power.”
Central Powers
Germany,
Austria-Hungary,
Ottoman Empire
Their alliance was forged in 1879,
and the confines of their alliance
required that they aid each other in
the war…
Called the “Central
Powers” because the allies
were located both to their
east and their west…
The Great War
World War I began in 1914…
…but what started it??
On the surface…
The war started because of the
assassination of one man…
Austro-Hungarian prince,
Archduke Ferdinand
He was
assassinated by
the
“Black Hand”
The Black Hand was a
pro-independence
movement in Serbia
which hoped to oust the
Austro-Hungarians
How did this one event lead to the
largest war in the history of the world?
Nationalism—the feeling of pride and loyalty that people have for their
country or for a shared language or culture
Imperialism—Some European nations had colonies in Africa and Asia;
those countries that did not envied those colonies
Arms Race—Different nations competing to have the most military
power
Balance of Powers—An attempt to sign treaties and establish allies so
that the two groups of nations had almost equal power
America’s Role?
Neutral!
•Arbitration treaties pledged a “cool off” period before committing to war
•The Peace movement was very strong in America
•America’s neutrality allowed it to benefit by exporting goods to BOTH sides
By early 1915, World War I
had become the bloodiest
conflict in history
Fought on THREE fronts…
• The Western Front
– Including, the war on the Atlantic
• The Eastern Front
The Eastern Front
Fought in Russia
The Western Front
Fought in Europe and
on the seas
Characterized by trench warfare
Strategies included artillery bombardments
and hand-to-hand combat
No Man’s Land
Stalemate
War on the Atlantic
• British Navy was stronger than the
German Navy
• Both sides used blockades
• Germans effectively used “undersea”
ships, commonly called…
U-Boats
• The blockades and the German submarine
attacks hurt the American economy
When German U-boats began attacking
American vessels, President Wilson
announced that the Germans would be
held accountable for future attacks
Then…
ATTACK!!
• The Germans attacked an American ship
called the Luistania
• Wilson did not declare war
– He asked the Germans to apologize,
requested that they pay damages, and asked
them to promise not to attack American ships
in the future
– The Germans agreed in the Sussex pledge
1916—American joins the war…
Wilson was still
reluctant to enter the
war
He tried to negotiate
a “Peace without
Victory”
• When the Germans attacked an American
merchant ship, Wilson broke off
negotiations with Germany
• The Germans tried to ally with Mexico
• In 1917, Wilson asked congress to declare
war:
“The world must be made safe for
Democracy”
Organizing Wartime America
• Wilson suspended anti-trust laws
• The government seized oversight of
railroads
• Established the War Industries Board
– Oversee production and manufacturing of
food
– Organize American industry as one big factory
The WIB developed
slogans and posters to
support the war effort.
This propaganda
encouraged Americans
to sacrifice in order to
support the war.
Some of their slogans
included:
When in doubt, eat potatoes.
and…
If you have a sugar tooth, pull it out.
and…
and perhaps
the most famous...
Food Will Win
the War!
Labor in Wartime
• A draft was passed in 1917
• Drafted all races, but the military was
segregated
• Women were not drafted, but many from all
social classes, volunteered
• Conditions for workers improved during wartime
– Increased wages
– Upward job mobility
– Increase in union memberships
• The war especially helped minority workers and
women workers
Propaganda
• The Committee on Public Information was
created to help convince Americans to
support the war
• Used propaganda to influence public
opinion
– Anti-German
– Anyone against the war was unpatriotic
– Selling war bonds to support the war
– Supported the draft
Anti-German propaganda…
Protesters and the War…
• Industrial
Workers of the
World (IWW) was
a radical labor
movement
– They staged
strikes
Anti-protestor Legislation Passed
•
•
•
•
•
Espionage Act
Sedition Act
Anti-German sentiment
Communist Revolution
Clear definition of the freedom of speech
– Sensibile limits placed on freedom of speech in
wartime
– Cannot shout “Fire!” in a crowded theater
– If there is a clear and present danger that something
said might hurt the war effort, then the government
can take action
Weapons of the Great War
War became mechanized
Tanks
Weapons of the Great War
Poison Gas
Weapons of the Great War
Airplanes
Weapons of the Great War
Machine Guns
Other Statistics…
Americans were killed in WWI
230,000 wounded
More died of the Spanish Flu
2 million people worldwide died of the Flu epidemic
Wilson’s Plan for Peace
– Wilson was planning for peace, even as
America was entering the war
– Wilson wanted fair treatment for all
• Did not want to establish such hard terms that the
losers would begin plotting another war to regain
what they lost
Wilson’s Plan for Peace
– Fourteen Points
• Establishing wartime etiquette
• Redrawing the boundaries of European power
• Right of self-determination –peoples should be
able to decide which country they belong to
• League of Nations—international Congress
established to settle international disputes
– Wilson’s “just peace” helped to shorten the
war because the terms encouraged the
Germans to surrender
Versailles Peace Conference
– The allies met in Versailles to draft a formal treaty
– Wilson represented the American delegation
• First time a President had left office to participate in this way
– Council of Four
• America, Great Britain, France, Italy
– Wilson was forced to agree to the terms set down by
the British, French and Italian representatives
• Germany had to pay the cost of ALL of the war (reparations-$33 billion)
• Not what Wilson had promised “Peace without victory”
– Established the League of Nations
So what were
the effects
of World War I?