World War IThe Great War

World War I

• The outbreak of World War I forced the United States to focus on foreign affairs.

• European causes of the “Great War”:– Militarism and “Entangling Alliances”– Nationalism and competing colonial ambitions

• The immediate cause was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, June 28, 1914 at Sarajevo by Gavril Princeps.

Franz Ferdinand and SophieJune 28, 1914

The AlliancesThe “Triple Entente”

• The Allies:– Great Britain

– France

– Russia (until 1917)

– The United States (after 1917)

The AlliancesThe Central Powers

• Germany

• Austro-Hungarian Empire

• The Ottoman Empire

The Great WarThe Western Front

• After initial German successes, new technology forced both sides into the bloody stalemate known as “trench warfare.” Thousands died for the gain of a few yards.

World War IThe New Technology

Poison Gas The Machinegun

AircraftThe Submarine

World War I

• President Wilson promised neutrality

• Germany’s use of “unrestricted” submarine warfare leads to the sinking of the “Lusitania” on May 7th, 1915. Over 120 Americans killed.

• Due to our protest, Germany suspends policy.

World War I

• America declares war on April 2, 1917. Causes:– Renewal of submarine

warfare

– Zimmerman Telegram

– Collapse of Russia

– Our economic and cultural ties to the Allies

World War I

• American Expeditionary Force (AEF) commanded by Gen. John Pershing

• Battles:– Chateau-Thierry

– Belleau Wood

– Argonne Forest

• Armistice at 11:00, 11 November 1918.

World War I“Over There”

Sergeant Alvin C. York

Captain Eddie Rickenbacker

General John J. Pershing

“Doughboys”

World War IThe War at Home

• Just as the Doughboys were mobilized by the draft, the home front was mobilized:

– The National War Labor Board resolved labor disputes to insure production of vital materials

– Afro-Americans moved north to take new defense jobs

– Liberty Bond drives and increased taxation helped raise funds.

World War IThe War at Home

• Herbert Hoover led the new Food Administration in rationing, featuring:– “Wheatless Mondays”– “Meatless Tuesdays”– “Porkless Thursdays”

• Victory Gardens were popular

World War IThe War at Home

• The end of World War I overshadowed one of the greatest epidemics of all time - the 1918 Flu Epidemic. Worldwide, over 20 million died.

• More troops died of the flu than enemy action.

World War ILosing the Peace

• The Treaty of Versailles set the stage for World War II:– Allied desire for

revenge

– US refusal to ratify

– Wilson’s idealism, the “14 Points”

– Failure of the League of Nations

World War IReturn to “Normalcy”

• Disenchantment with our experience in World War I led to– A rejection of all

foreign involvement

– Repression at home• The Palmer Raids

• Rebirth of the KKK

• Fear of “Radicalism”

Works Cited

• Appleby, Joyce. The American Journey. New York: Glencoe, McGraw-Hill, 1998.

• Tindall, George Brown. America: A Narrative History. 4th ed.. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 1996.

• Albright, Alan. "The World War I Document Archive" World War I Military History List. Apr. 2003 <http://www.lib.byu.edu/~rdh/wwi/>

• Cohen, George M.. ""Over There"" Library of Congress Library of Congress. 29 Apr. 2003 <http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/vshtml/vssnde.html>