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THE WORLD AT WARChapter 18.2 The United States in World War I
Focus Your Thoughts . . .
The Great War has reached a stalemate, yet the United States maintains
neutrality . . .
Why do you think this might be?
What, in your mind, likely led to U.S. involvement?
Leaning Toward the Allies Privately, President Wilson was
sympathetic to the Allied Powers He was very concerned with Germany’s war
tactics and the invasion and subsequent destruction of neutral Belgium
In addition, our financial ties to Great Britain and France were much stronger than our ties to Germany Financially, the U.S. was far from neutral . . . By
1917, Britain was purchasing nearly $75 million worth of war goods from American businesses each weekReview: Which three countries made up the Allied Powers
(The Triple Entente)?
Submarine Warfare Great Britain’s navy was blockading
German ports and transportation routes making it difficult for other countries to trade with them
Germany had to come up with some way to retaliate against the British . . .
Enter the U-Boats!
Submarine Warfare
Germany declared the waters around Great Britain to be a war zone and warned other countries not to sail into the area lest their ships be destroyed
Wilson considered this a violation of U.S. neutrality and warned Germany that if any American lives were lost, Germany would be held responsible . . .
Sailing into War
May 1, 1915, a British luxury ship, the Lusitania (sister ship of the Titanic), destined for Britain was torpedoed by German submarines
The Lusitania sank just eighteen minutes after it was struck killing 1,200 people 128 Americans among
the deadIllustration of the sinking of the Lusitania
Heading Toward War Americans were outraged by the sinking of the Lusitania
Facing international criticism, Germany agreed to attack only supply ships, however . . .
Less than a year later, German u-boats attacked a French passenger ship, the Sussex, killing eighty people; Wilson threatens to end diplomatic relations with Germany
Germany, fearing U.S. involvement in the war, issues the Sussex Pledge
A promise not to sink merchant vessels “without warning and without saving human lives”
Wilson Works Towards Peace In January of 1917, Wilson asks the Allied and
Central Powers to accept “peace without victory”
This request angers the Allied Powers, who blame the Central Powers for starting the war and demand they be held responsible for wartime damage and destruction
Germany resumes unrestricted submarine warfare and the U.S. ends diplomatic relations with Germany
The Zimmerman Note
German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmermann sent a telegram to a German official in Mexico Proposed an alliance between Mexico and Germany In exchange, Mexico is to reconquer the lost territories of
New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona
The Germans hoped that an American war with Mexico would keep the U.S. out of the war in Europe
Mexico declined this offer, and the British intercepted the note, decoded it, and sent it to American officials
A Russian Uprising Czar Nicholas II is
overthrown in Russia, and a democratic government is put into place . . . The United States is
pleased with this because we’re very interested in spreading democracy
Support for the war increases now that we’re sympathetic to all three countries of the Entente Czar Nicholas II
The United States Declares War German boats sink three American
merchant ships The United States joins the Allied Powers
“We shall fight for the things which we have always carried nearest our hearts, for
democracy . . . and to bring peace and safety to all nations and make the world itself at last free.”
- Woodrow Wilson
Allied Setbacks In November,
Vladimir Lenin, a communist, took control of the Russian government
He waged a peace agreement with the Central powers, freeing the German’s to focus on Americans
Vladimir Lenin
U.S. Troops in Action Twelve months after arriving in France,
American troops finally saw combat
The American troops were a major factor in the war, U.S. troops helped the French retain control of Paris, the capital city and halting the German advance
On July 15, 1918, the German’s launched their last desperate offensive
The Second Battle of the Marne The U.S. 3rd Division blew up every bridge the Germans
had built across the Marne
The German army retreated on August 3, having suffered 150,000 casualties
In September, the Allies began a counterattack; for the first time, Americans fought as a separate army and defeated the German troops at Mihiel
Allied forces continued their advance for more than a month
The Armistice: November 11, 1918 Germany’s economy was crumbling
Food riots and strikes broke out and a revolution swept Austria-Hungary
Many soldiers abandoned the German cause; lacking the will to continue fighting, the Central Powers began to surrender
In early November, Austria-Hungary signs a peace agreement with the Allies; Germany quickly followed suit Conditions of the Armistice:
Germany must leave all the territories it had occupied Germany must surrender its aircraft, heavy artillery, tanks and u-boats and
allow Allied troops to occupy German territory
The War to End All Wars?
The world had grown weary of war and death
The magnitude of the tragedy muted any celebration
By the end of the war, some 8.5 million people had died . . .
Many hoped the ‘Great War’ would be the war to end all wars, unfortunately, this will not be the case.
In-Class Writing Assignment Read the quote below:
“I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it.”
-Anonymous
What was it’s author implying about humanity in terms of our innate inclinations to wage war amongst ourselves?
Will we ever live in a world free of war? Why or why not.
Had you been alive during this time period, would you have supported U.S. involvement in World War I or continued neutrality? If you chose neutrality, how might this have impacted the outcome of World War I?