What are the reasons the war started? 1. MILITARISM During the late 1800’s the European countries such as Germany, Great Britain and France were building up their military forces (Britain was viewed as having the strongest navy, while Germany was recognized for having the strongest army). They were competing for the largest navy, strongest army, etc. With these large military forces, the countries were then more likely to use their military to help resolve any disputes – they were more likely to use their military force as opposed to discussion. 2. ALLIANCE SYSTEM There were two main alliance systems that were set up in Europe during this time. Their purpose was to maintain the power structure within Europe. One was called the Triple Alliance; it consisted of Germany, Austria-­‐Hungary, and Italy. Not wanting the balance of power to be tipped, the Triple Entente was also formed; it consisted of France, Great Britain, and Russia. With Europe’s super powers thus aligned any of these countries that had a disagreement with another country could possible bring many more nations into the conflict. 3. IMPERIALISM Many European countries were trying to extend their power to other parts of the world. These countries were being imperialistic – wanting to extent their power over other countries for their own gain. European countries were thus competing with each other for influence – particularly in Africa. This competition increased the tensions between these countries. 4. NATIONALISM There was a rise in the feelings of nationalism throughout Europe. Not only was there a belief that ‘our nation is better than yours’, but also many of the smaller countries had pride rising up within their borders. They were beginning to want more independence from the influence of the larger, stronger countries. These feelings also lead to a rise in tensions between countries. 5. THE SPARK THAT STARTED IT ALL A Serbian terrorist group called the Black Hand planned to assassinate the heir to the Austria-­‐Hungarian Empire, Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The tensions in the Balkans had been growing and members of the Black Hand believed that the Archduke should be assassinated. On June 28, 1914 Gavrillo Pincip shot and killed the Archduke, his wife, Sophie, and their unborn child. With the tensions in Europe already high, this event set off a chain reaction that lead to The Great War (consult your maps showing the beginning of the war). What was warfare like during The Great War? 6. WEAPONS USED DURING THE GREAT WAR a. Tanks – used with limited success, but the idea of this type of weapon caught on for use later in history b. Planes (air warfare)– were used mainly for looking, or ‘spying’ on the enemy – to see what they were planning. They were also used to drop canisters of poisonous gas on the enemies. As the war progressed so too did the development of airplanes for use in war. By the time the war ended in 1918 fighter and bomber planes were being used. c. Poisonous Gas-­‐ There were a few different types use, including mustard gas. It became the most feared weapon in the war because of the effects it had on those exposed to it. Deaths would be slow and very painful. The overall importance of gas to the war is debated, but the fear of it is not. d. Submarines (U-­‐boats) – these naval weapons were very good at sinking war and transport ships without being seen. The use of ‘unrestricted submarine’ warfare was one of the reasons the United States finally entered into the war e. Machine guns – were very useful against trench-­‐invading soldiers 7. TRENCH WARFARE a. Was a series of trenches dug out from which the war was fought. Each side ‘hunkered down’ in their trench and moving the opponent from their trench proved to be a difficult job. These ‘lines’ did not move very much during the war and as such the death tolls were quite high. b. “No Man’s Land” was there area between the opposing trenches that soldiers had to run through for an attack against the other side. There was no protection in no man’s land. c. What was trench life like for the soldiers? Terrible. Some of the issues facing them included i. Rats as big as cats that would run across a soldier’s face in the dark of night. There were two types, black and brown, and they would contaminate the food, eat the bodies of dead soldiers and spread diseases. ii. Lice – caused rashes, would hatch when soldiers scratched and there really wasn’t any protection against them. There were enough around to move a shirt iii. Trench foot – standing in the cold, muddy water for as long as they did led to diseased, decaying feet – most often leading to amputation iv. Disease and infections 8. Why did Trench Warfare make the war so long? a. It was difficult for either side to advance b. The trenches were a base. They were heavily protected and difficult to attack c. There was barbed wire to cut through as well as walls above the trenches making it hard to see the people in the trenches Why did the US not jump into the war right away? 9. United States Declares Neutrality a. Public responses (No early favorites) i. The war is 3,000 miles away from us and has nothing to do with us ii. 10 million citizens either came from Germany or had parents who emigrated from Germany and Austria-­‐Hungary who did not support Britain iii. The Irish did not like England and therefore would not support Britain iv. There are close cultural, institutional and political ties to Britain b. Hard to Stay Neutral i. April 1915 German U-­‐boat sinks Lusitania – a “passenger” ship ii. Britain’s Naval Blockade of Germany iii. British propaganda iv. Our close military-­‐economic ties to Britain and France v. Unrestricted Submarine Warfare vi. Sussex Pledge ‘we won’t sink any more ships without prior warning’ vii. Zimmerman Note – Britain’s Beautiful Play viii. Russia – Soviet Union Wild Card 10. Should we go to War? a. Reasons For War i. We have been under attack despite our neutrality ii. ‘Safe for Democracy’ iii. Our economic involvement with Britain and France (We need to get our money back from them and if they lose, too bad!) iv. Zimmerman Note, Unrestricted Submarine Warfare, and the sinking of the Lusitania v. Russia pulls out of the war to deal with the two revolutions they have had during 1917. As we enter on the Allies side, they are actually losing the war. b. Reasons to Stay Out of War i. Not to get caught up in Europe’s Problems (Monroe Doctrine) ii. Lost American Lives iii. Economic cost (who benefits? Companies that make war supplies!) iv. Both sides have done wrong (Britain and Germany) v. Not Publicly supported – most people in the beginning did not support the idea of going to war, vi. Not supported by President Wilson c. Declaration of War i. April 1917 Woodrow Wilson asks Congress for a Declaration of War (82-­‐6 in Senate and 373 – 50 in the House) How did everyday life change in the US during the war? 11. Getting ready for War a. Need to raise an Army – Selective Service Act b. Need to Raise Money i. War Revenue Act also known as Taxes (made people uncomfortable because the government then knew about their economic affairs) ii. Bonds (buy now get $ back later) [i. and ii. Account for 80% of money raised] iii. Print more money c. Switching over the factories (Government control?) d. Training soldiers – 38 new training facilities were built. Each one was able to hold about 28,000 men. e. Women in war – women took over many of the jobs that men had left as they became soldiers and left for war 12. Government Steps in a. War Industries Board – works with businesses to increase productivity. Production jumps 20% b. National War Labor Board – worked with labor and management to settle any disputes and to improve factory conditions– we cannot afford to lose production. Possible loss of draft exemption if labor goes on strike. c. Committee on Public Information (CPI) – pure pro-­‐war propaganda. Again, the public needs to be sold on the idea of war and we need a focused attention on winning! (4-­‐minute Men) Pamphlets and art were created to help sell the idea of war to the American public. d. Food Administration – Headed by Herbert Hoover. US needed to increase food production. Set minimum price for wheat, helps farmers buy more land for more production. ‘Meatless Mondays’ Wheatless Wednesdays’, etc. Importance of food for home, our military force and for Europe. e. Fuel Administration – set up to monitor coal supplies, ration gas and heating oil and establish bold daylight savings. f. Railroad Administration – helped increase the efficiency of the railroads, cut down on the congestion of the railways g. There were other agencies set up. The key to all of this is that the government was taking more control of production, labor and management to make sure our war effort was successful. h. Gave draft exemptions to shipyard workers, manufacturing parts outside of shipyard and gave service flags to workers. i.
Encouraged citizens to plant victory gardens to increase the amount of food that could then be sent over seas. 13. Curtailing Freedoms a. Espionage and Sedition Acts – makes it unlawful saying or doing anything seen as detrimental to the US war effort. Could be fined $10,000 and sentenced up to 20 years in jail. b. These acts targeted socialist, communist and labor leaders – those most likely to speak out against the war efforts. (You certainly don’t want to encourage any workers to go on strike during the war) c. Give yourself a bonus point if you realize these laws are curtailing the rights guaranteed by the 1st Amendment. The question though is this a bad thing? Why? 14. Cost of the War a. Many people died b. It was the deadliest war yet to be seen c. Flu pandemic killed as many soldiers and civilians as the war itself Why did the US not sign the Treaty of Versailles? 13. What do each of the European Powers want once the War is over? a. France – Georges Clemenceau They ‘hosted’ this war and have been devastated economically, they have had heavy loss of population, their land has been torn up – it is a mess. They want revenge and a great deal of it! This was the second time (The Franco-­‐Prussian war earlier in the 1870’s being the first) that Germany had invaded France and they wanted to make sure Germany would never be in a position to do it again b. Britain – David Lloyd George – privately he wants to go easy on Germany thinking that if Germany is allowed to rebuild then it can be a buffer between Britain and the newly created Soviet Union. He feared the spread of communism from the Soviet Union. Publicly he had just been re-­‐elected and the people wanted to make Germany pay. He followed what the people of Britain wanted. c. US – President Woodrow Wilson – wanted ‘Peace without Victory’. He believed that Germany should not have to pay heavily for the war. He proposed his Fourteen Points. These ideas included: i. No more secret treaties ii. There should be freedom of the seas and unrestricted international trade iii. Militaries should be reduced iv. Self-­‐determination – the right of a country to regulate and govern itself on its own terms. Not being controlled by a foreign power. v. League of Nations – a group formed from all leading nations as a means for resolving conflicts between nations without having to go to war. (An issue that President Wilson refused to compromise on with Congress) 14. What does the Treaty of Versailles look like: a. Germany is stripped of massive amounts of land (good resource rich lands) b. Germany’s military forces are greatly limited (100,000 standing army, restrictions on the amount of ships and tanks they can have) c. Germany must agree to Article 231 – which states that Germany alone is responsible for the war. This became known as The War Guild Clause d. Germany must pay reparations – they owe $33 billion dollars to the allies e. Many new nations are formed (look at the Post-­‐war map given out) 15. Wilson and his Peace proposal a. In Europe they thought he was too idealistic. His country had not suffered nearly as much as everyone else had, nor had the US fought as long and therefore Wilson really did not have a firm grasp on what needed to happen to secure the peace. Also Britain did not want to give up its control of the seas. b. In the US i. Some thought it simply was too harsh and should be modified ii. Some (The Republicans) were upset with Wilson for not including any Republican representatives in the peace negotiations, therefore they would not agree with anything Wilson brought back. iii. Foreign policy became more Isolationistic. Some thought the League of Nations would limit our ability to declare war and that we would be too involved in European affairs iv. Because any treaty needs to be approved by a two-­‐thirds majority vote in the Senate, Wilson did not have this type of backing. As a result the Treaty of Versailles was never ratified in the US. v. Some (with economic ties) thought the treaty would sink Europe financially and in turn sink the US