The War to End All Wars was great because of its massive effect on all the major world powers. The boundaries and alliances that were forged at the end of this war shaped the foreign policy debate for many years. The flawed peace process led to World War II, and the Senate's failure to approve of the League of Nations became one of the biggest mistakes in American history.
Triple Entende (Allied Powers)
· France
· Great Britain
· Russia
· United States
Terrorism
· Serbian nationalists assassinate Archduke Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne
· Assassination prompts war
Trench warfare
· Great War saw the rise of trench warfare
· Stalled traditional wartime schedule
· Created a lasting stalemate
· chemical weapons
Life in the trenches
· Giant rats
· Flooding
· Disease
· Boredom
· Rum
· Odor
· Trench fever
· Trench foot
American neutrality
· President Woodrow Wilson was shocked that war broke out so unexpectedly
· Americans were very glad that the Atlantic Ocean separated them from the conflict
· Most Americans were first or second generation immigrants: Germans and Irish
· Landed gentry supported England and the Allied Powers
· President Wilson claimed to be neutral, but he was determined to support England
War of attrition
· Military stalemate in West France
· Entrenched forces waited for the other side to die off in significant numbers
German submarine warfare
· Germans began sinking all Allied ships
· Many British ships with Americans were sunk
· Civilians (women and children) were killed without warning
Sinking of the Lusitania
· May 7, 1915
· German U-boat sunk the British liner
· Departed from New York City
· Headed for Liverpool, England
· 1,198 people killed
· 128 Americans killed
Peace Movement
· Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan was the leader
· After the sinking of the Lusitania, Bryan resigned
Preparedness
· A growing feeling that America needed to be prepared to enter the Great War in Europe
· 1915 State of the Union: Wilson alerted Congress about his plans to prepare for war
· Funding for the mobilization became WilsonÕs main concern
Income Tax
1913: 16th Amendment
· Progressives felt that wealthy people should bear the financial burden for the military buildup
· New taxes amounted to the most clear-up victory of radical progressives
· Progressive tax versus regressive tax
"He kept us out of war"
· 1916: Wilson's reelection campaign highlighted his ability to keep America out of the European war
· A commitment to neutrality
· Peace and progressivism
· "Peace without victory"
Allied goals
· Exact reparations from Germany
· Break up Austria-Hungry empire
· Break up the Ottoman Empire
New German naval policy
· German military leaders announced a new polity
· "unrestricted submarine warfare"
· Feb. 3, 1917: Wilson informed a joint session of Congress that diplomatic relations with Germany had been broken
Zimmerman Telegram
· Germany sent a diplomatic message to Mexico
· Germany offered an alliance with the Central Powers, suggested Mexico might reclaim Texas
Rise of the Soviet Union
· In the midst of the war, a revolution in Russia put a group of communists in power
· "Peace, Land and Bread"
· Fall of czarist autocracy allowed Americans the illusion that all the Allied powers were fighting constitutional democracy
· Violence of the Bolsheviks shattered this illusion
A separate peace
· March 3, 1918: New communist Soviet Union made peace with the Central powers
· A dramatic shift in the war
· Now the Central powers didn' have an eastern front to handle
· All military resources were not focussed on France
Eastern France is in danger
· Without a Russian threat to the east, Central powers concentrated on France
· France's troops could not handle the threat
· America came to the rescue of France
New federal programs
· 1916: Council of National Defense was created to set up wartime agencies
· 1917: Food Administration was created, headed by Herbert Hoover
· 1917: Fuel Administration was created
Consumption was "Hooverized"
· "Food will win the war"
· Meatless Tuesdays
· Wheatless Wednesdays
· Porkless Saturdays
· Later, Heatless Mondays
New labor force
· Foreign immigration was stopped
· 4 million white men joined the armed forces
Labor shortage
White women entered the workforce
Black men and women entered the workforce
ÒGreat migrationÓ of blacks to the North
1919 Chicago Race Riot
· Tension: Native white workers resented new arrivals, especially since they were taking all the good jobs
· White mobs entered black neighborhoods to kill, burn and loot
· 23 black deaths
· 15 white deaths
Mobilization of Women
· Women entered the workforce on a scale never before seen
· Army nurse corps, government jobs, industrial jobs
· Working in railway crews, lumber mills, chemical plants, machine shops, steel mills
Women's progress
· After the war, male-dominated unions encouraged women to revert to their stereotypical domestic roles
· BUT President Wilson supported female suffrage
Civil liberties
· Zeal for "Americanism" turned into a witch hunt
· Popular prejudice against all things German
· Mobs hunted spies and chased rumors
Espionage and Sedition Act
· Effectively outlawed criticism of government leaders and war policies
· 1,500 prosecutions
· 1,000 convictions
· Impact fell severely upon radicals
Eugene V. Debbs
· 1912: Socialist Party polled more than 900,000 votes for president
· 1917: Debbs declares: "I am opposed to every war but one; I am for that war heart and soul, and that war is the worldwide revolution."
· Debbs urged men to refuse to serve in the military
· Debbs was thrown in jail for 20 years
All along the Western Front
· 1 million fresh troops arrived in Europe
· American troops expelled German from Eastern France
· For the first time since the beginning of the war, Germans were in retreat
· America became the decisive power in the war
Wilson's program for peace
A League of Nations would guarantee the independence and territorial integrity of all countries
Created impression that Allies fought for a noble cause
Demands of Allies
· Allies accpted Wilson's League of Nations but had some additional demands
· Freedom of the seas
· Reparations from Germany
Armistice Day
· November 11, 1918
· Peace was signed
· Day was celebrated every year
Casualties of the Great War
· United States: 114,000 dead
· German: 2 million dead
· France 1.5 million dead
· Russia: 1.5 million dead
League of Nations
· Members were pledged to consult on military and economic sanctions against aggressors
· Use of arms would be a last resort
· Each member received an equal voice in the Assembly
· A World Court would hear international cases
Territory
· League of Nations would administer Germany's coal-rich Saar Basin
· France was allowed unlimited use of the German coal mine for 15 years
· After 15 years, the region's voters would determine the region's status
New Nations
· Two new nations were created out of areas that had formerly been part of Germany
· Czechoslovakia
· Yugoslavia
Opposition to the League
· Led by Sen. Henry Cabot Lodge
· Disappointment of Wilson's compromises in Paris
· Revival of isolationism
· Even Teddy Roosevelt lambasted the idea of a League, noting that he "distrusted any man who cares for other nations as much as his own."
