The War to End War

American Pageant Chapter

30 1917-1918

Militarism In Europe

Kaiser Wilhem II

Militarism In Europe

German Strategy—

•Conquer France before Russia could mobilize

•Go through neutral Belgium

Major Players

Balkan Crisis

Sarajevo, Bosnia— province of Austria- Hungry

Slavicnationalists wanted to annex nearby Serbia

Francis Ferdinand & Wife Sophia The Collapse of

theEuropean Peace– June 28, 1914--

Assassination of Francis Ferdinand while on a state visit to Sarajevo (capital of Bosnia) by Serbian nationalist.

(The Black Hand)

Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria and Family

Assassination

Assassination

Gavrilo Princip

Ethnic Tensions

Funeral of Arch Duke Franz-Ferdinand

World War I

Lusitania

The Zimmerman Telegram

Russian Revolution

Brutality of the War

Brutality of the War

Brutality of the War

New Technology

New Technology

Trench Warfare

Trench Warfare

Trench Warfare

Trench Warfare

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

War by Act of Germany Germans announce “unrestricted

submarine warfare”--January 31, 1917 Wilson asks Congress to arm

American Merchant ships– Western Congressmen—filibuster

Zimmerman telegram March, 1917– German-Mexican alliance (return of TX,

NM, and AZ) Germans sank to unarmed U.S.

merchant shipsin first 2 weeks of March

Russian Revolution—U.S. could be alliesw /democratic countries.

April 6, 1917—Declaration of War

Wilson Idealism & 14 Points Wilson appeals to Americans:

– “Make the world safe fordemocracy”

The Fourteen Points—Jan. 8. 1918– Abolish secret treaties– Freedom of the seas– Reduction of armaments– Adjustment of colonial claims– Self-Determination– League of Nations

Enforcing Loyalty & Stifling Dissent

Committee on PublicInformation—George Creel– Propaganda to aid war effort

• “Four-minute men”• Bill boards, leaflets, songs,

movies

German-Americans—8% ofpopulation– Loyal, but…– Hatred of German music,

literature, food (hamburgers called “liberty steak”)

Enforcing Loyalty & Stifling Dissent

Espionage Act (1917) & Sedition Act(1918)– Fear against Germans and anti-

war Americans– Prosecution of IWW– Eugene Debs, William D. Haywood

(10year sentences)

– Schneck v. United States—Not violation of free speech if it posed a “clear and present danger.”

Factories and Workers U.S. unready for war Council of National

Defense(1915)

Economic mobilization– Still had laissez faire

attitude– War Industries Board—only

feeble powers• Bernard Baruch—March

1918

Factories and Workers “Work or fight” & “Labor will win the

war”– National War Labor Board—William H. Taft

• 8 hour day & other concessions—but no guarantee to right to organize union

– Mainstream labor had some success

• Samuel Gompers & American Federation of Labor– Supported the war; membership increased to over 3 million

Factories and Workers– Still..6,000 strikes during war years

• Steel Strike (1919)—1/4 million strikers; owners brought in 30,000 African American workers from the South

• Steel strike collapsed—damaged union efforts

– Many other southern African Americans also came North for work

• Led to race riots, i.e. St. Louis, MO 1917

Women and the War National Women’s Party—

antiwar progressives (Alice Paul) National American Woman

Suffrage Association—supported war– Wilson supported women

suffragebased on their efforts in the war

– Nineteenth Amendment passed in 1920

Job growth temporary--mostwomen gave up war jobs

Sheppard-Towner Maternity Act(1921)– Fed. Financed instruction in

maternal& infant health care

War Economy Food Administration—Herbert Hoover

– Volunteer-based (meatless Tuesdays,wheatless Wednesdays)—very successful

• Victory gardens• Farm production increased ¼ & food

exports to Allied tripled

Fuel Admin. copied Hoover’s methods

Treasury Department—Liberty Loan Drives– Made $21 billion

Social pressure to participate Prohibition—18th Amendment

(1919)– Suspicion of German beer, concern

of grainuse, & self-denial

Preparing the Armed Forces April-May 1917—Allies

desperate for supplies and men Conscription (draft)—necessity

(butcriticized)

– Registration of all men 18-45— patriotic duty

– Army grew to 4 million– Women admitted to armed forces

— 1st time• 11,000 Navy; 269 marines

– African Americans• segregated units• Hesitant to train to fight;

constructionbattalions

– Draftees didn’t have time for full training

Fighting in France With Russian Revolution

— experience German troops now fully face the west

Fear of U.S. #s more than actual fighting demoralized Germany

U.S. forces deployed in France, Belgium, Italy & Russia (capture military supplies from Communists at Archangel & Siberia)

Ending the War Allied forces united under supreme

commander French Marshal Foch U.S.—ill-trained but just in time Chateau-Thierry (40 miles

from Paris)—30,000 fresh U.S. troops stop German advance

Second Battle of the Marne—July 1918– 243,000 U.S. join French forces to

push German forces out of St. Mihiel– Begins German withdrawal

Ending the War Meuse-Argonne Offensive

(Sep-Nov. 1918)– General John J. Pershing—separate

U.S. army– 85 miles—NW from Swiss border

toFrench lines

– Battle lasted 47 days– 1.2 million U.S. men fought– 120,000 U.S. killed or wounded– Alvin C. York—hero

• Killed 20 Germans & captured 132 more

– Germans ready to give up

14 Points Disarm Germany Wilson’s 14 Points

droppedall throughout Germany

Germany hope for Wilson’s fair, idealistic plans

November 11, 1918 at 11 A.M.—cease fire

U.S. contributions– Foodstuffs, munitions,

credits, oil, and manpower—not military victories

Cost of the War More than 50,000 U.S. soldiers

died in battle—many more died of disease– Would have been more but

Red Cross– Mental scars—shell shocked

8 million soldiers (total) died or 5,000soldiers/day

Germany, Austria-Hungry, Russia & France—more than a million soldiers each

Just under 900,000 British troops died

Most battles in Europe—but some inMiddle East & Africa

Millions of civilians died of starvation& disease or war-related injuries

Wilson’s Plans Fail Wilson’s ideals—popular at home

& abroad—parades, etc.– Some critics, i.e. Rep. Senator

Henry Cabot Lodge

Paris Peace Conference-Jan. 1919– Big Four: Vittorio Orlando

(Italy); David Lloyd George (Britain); Georges Clemenceau (France); and Wilson

– Wilson had to compromise 14 points with European imperialism and vengeance

– Wilson’s main goal: League of Nations

Treaty of Doom (a.k.a. Versailles) Henry Cabot Lodge &

other isolationists disliked League of Nations (Article X of treaty) idea, either:– It was too weak– It was an all

powerful “super-state”

– Worried U.S. morallyresponsible to help its allies

– 39 Republican senators did not want to ratify the Treaty of Versailles

Treaty of Doom (a.k.a. Versailles) Unfair treaty—violates 14 points

– Italy, France, & Japan all have claim to newland

– Germany forced to take terms– Wilson compromised to preserve the

League—treaty fairer than if he hadn’t been there

Treaty of Doom (a.k.a. Versailles) Treaty is not received well by Americans

– Isolations worried about “entangling alliances”– Liberals thought it was too harsh, others too

harsh

Wilson tours country in 1919 to promote treaty– Midwest—lukewarm reception; West

coast-- positive– Collapses on tour—leads to a stroke

Treaty of Doom (a.k.a. Versailles) Cabot-Lodge tacks on revisions

to treaty– Wilson (from sick-bed) has loyal

democrats not ratify treaty WITH the revisions

– 2 votes--ends up treaty never is ratified

1920 Election– Bull Moosers now back in G.O.P.

(T.Roosevelt had died)

– Republicans elect Warren G. Harding (“return to normalcy” with Calvin Coolidge as V.P.

• “[Republicans] were willing to accept a second-rate president—and they got a third- rate one.”