Mobilizing the Country for War

Military, Industry, Public Opinion

SECTION 3: THE WAR AT HOME

The entire U.S. economy was focused on the war effort

The shift from a consumer economy to war economy required a collaboration between business and government

In the process, the power of the U.S. government expanded

Congress gave President Wilson direct control over the economy

WAR INDUSTRIES BOARD The War Industries Board

(WIB) encouraged companies to use mass-production techniques

Under the WIB, industrial production and wages increased 20%

Union membership almost doubled during the war years – from 2.5 million to 4 million

To deal with disputes between management and labor, President Wilson set up the National War Labor Board in 1918

Poster encouraging production

Preparing for War

-War Industries Board

• Encourage companies to increase efficiency and decrease waste in production (waste less)

• Set quotas on raw materials

-Conservation efforts

Victory Gardens – citizens plant gardens to conserve food

Daylight Savings Time – conserve fuel and energy

-Liberty Bonds, increased taxes

• Income taxes increased, war-profits tax passed, higher excise taxes

• Volunteers sold government bonds

-Opportunities for Women and Minorities

VICTORY GARDENS To conserve food, Wilson

set up the Food Administration (FA)

The FA declared one day a week “meatless” another “sweetless” and two days “wheatless”

Homeowners planted “victory gardens” in their yards

Schoolchildren worked after-school growing tomatoes and cucumbers in public parks

Farmers increased production by almost 30% by adding 40 million acres of farmland

SELLING THE WAR

The U.S. had two major tasks; raising money and convincing the public to support the war

The U.S. spent $35.5 billion on the war effort

The government raised about 1/3 of that through an income tax and “sin” taxes

The rest was raised through war bonds sold to the public (Liberty Loans & Victory Loans)

PROPAGANDA

To popularize the war, the government set up the nations first propaganda agency called the Committee on Public Information (CPI)

George Creel led the agency and persuaded many of the nation’s artists to create thousands of paintings, posters, cartoons and sculptures to promote the war

Conquering Minds

• The need to gain support of those who opposed the war

• Government propaganda– Committee on Public Information (CPI)

• Woman’s Committee of the Council of National Defense– Headed by Carrie Chapman Catt

Waging War in America

Common Objectives and Tools of PropagandaObjectives:

1. Recruitment of Soldiers

2. Finance the War

3. Eliminate Dissent/ Unify the Country

4. Conserve Resources

5. Participate in Home Front Efforts

Tools:

6. Demonization

7. Emotional Appeals

8. Name Calling

9. Patriotic Appeals

10. Half-Truths/ Lies

11. Catchy Slogans

12. Evocative Visual Symbols

13. Humor or Caricatures

Public Opinion-Committee on Public Information

• Propaganda agency to sell the war

George Creel

4 Minute Men – volunteers who spoke out about the war (draft, rationing, bonds, etc.)

“I Want You” Campaign

• Army and Navy recruitment

-Espionage and Sedition Act

• Fined $10,000 or jailed 20 years for interfering with the war effort or saying anything disloyal about the government

Schenck v. United States

Can limit freedoms in times of clear and present danger

-Anti-immigrant sentiment

• Discrimination and violence against immigrants

"Falsehood is a recognized and extremely useful weapon in warfare, and every country uses it quite deliberately to deceive its own people, to attract neutrals,

and to mislead the enemy.“

Arthur Ponsonby, Member of Parliament, England - 1928

ATTACK ON CIVIL LIBERTIES

As the war progressed, Civil Liberties were compromised

Anti-Immigrant feelings were openly expressed especially anti-German and Austrian- Hungarian

Espionage and Sedition Acts were passed by Congress

These acts were designed to prevent anti-war protests but went against the spirit of the First Amendment (Free speech)

Socialists and labor leaders were targeted

Any anti-American sentiments were targeted

during wartime

SOCIAL CHANGE DURING THE WAR

The greatest effect of the First World War on the African American population was that it accelerated the Great Migration

The Great Migration was the large scale population shift for hundreds of thousands of blacks from the south to Northern cities

They left to escape discrimination and to seek greater job opportunities

Popular destinations included Chicago, New York and Philadelphia

This African American family settled in Chicago

Social Changes

-African Americans

Great Migration brought increased opportunities

• Movement of blacks into the cities to escape discrimination and work in industry

Civil Rights Debated??

• Put aside differences to fight

-Women

took the jobs left by many men

• Jobs previously reserved for men ONLY

19th Amendment was passed

Women get right to vote

About 400,000 African-Americans served in the armed forces. More than half of them served on the Western Front in France. African-American soldiers served in segregated units and were excluded from the navy and marines. Most

African-Americans were assigned to non-combat duties, although there were exceptions.

Women and Minorities: New Opportunities, Old Inequities

• Women and war work– 100,000 women worked in munitions– New opportunities for black women

• Woman suffrage and prohibition• African Americans and war work

– Northward migration to Chicago, Detroit

Waging War in America

WOMEN IN THE WAR

Many women were called upon to take on jobs previously held by men who were serving in the war

They became railroad workers, cooks, dockworkers, factory workers, and miners

Many women served as volunteers in organizations such as the Red Cross

Their service hastened the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920 giving women the right to vote

THE FLU EPIDEMIC

In the fall of 1918, the United States suffered a home-front crises when a flu epidemic affected 25% of the population

Mines shut down, telephone service was cut in half, factory work was delayed

Cities ran short on coffins while corpses lay unburied for as long as a week

The epidemic killed as many as 500,000 in the U.S. before it disappeared in 1919

Worldwide the epidemic killed 30 million people

Seattle, like many other places, became a masked city. All police wore

them, as shown in this photo from "The Great Influenza"

Epidemic

-World War brought disease to a new level

-large groups of people were exposed

-Influenza (flu) outbreak of 1918 spread all over the world

-1/4 of the U.S. fell victim and ½ million died

-as many as 40 million dead worldwide

• Epidemic ended about the same time as the war

In the fall of 1918, about ¼ of the U.S. population was a victim of the international flu epidemic. The effect on the economy was devastating.

Mines shut down, telephone service was cut in half, and factories and offices staggered working

hours to avoid contagion. Cities ran short of coffins, and the corpses of poor people lay

unburied for as long as a week. The mysterious illness seemed to strike people who were

otherwise in the best of health, and death could come in a matter of days.

The Great War Ends

The end of one war leads to the

beginnings of the next

Despite the hero’s welcome he received in Europe, Wilson’s plan for peace would be rejected by the Allies

Wilson’s plan was called the “Fourteen points”

Included in his “points” were: No secret treaties

Freedom of the Seas

More free trade

Reduction of arms

Less colonialism

League of Nations to promote peace

SECTION 4: WILSON FIGHTS FOR PEACE

Wilson’s 14 points in his own

short hand

What was Wilson’s Plan to End the WarWilson’s 14 Point Plan (January 8,1918)- GOAL FOR POSTWAR SETTLEMENT. HOPED IT WOULD PREVENT

FURTHER INTERNATIONAL TENSIONS.

- 1st Point: Open treaties of peace (secret treaties were a cause of WWI)

- 2-5 Points: Called for freedom of the seas, free trade, limits on

armaments and the peaceful adjustment of all colonial claims.

- 6-13 Points: Involved territorial settlements in Europe.- This meant determining boarders on the basis of ethnic groups living in an area. Wilson also

supported self-determination by which the people could choose their own

governments.

- 14th Point: Called for a “general association of

nations” to guarantee the “political independence”

and territorial integrity of great and small nations.

- Eventually becomes the LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Treaty of VersaillesNovember 9, 1918: Kaiser Wilhelm abdicates and flees to the Netherlands.November 11, 1918: New Government signs armistice ending the Great War

In many ways the German population is surprised by the armistice. Why?1. German population not even aware the German Army had surrendered.2. Never witnessed any fighting within their own borders and therefore believed myth that the German Army was never really defeated.

What kind of peace agreementdo you think the German populationpopulation anticipated based on these beliefs?

ALLIES REJECT WILSON”S PLAN, SIGN TREATY

The Big Four leaders, Wilson (U.S.), Clemenceau (France), Lloyd George (England), and Orlando (Italy), worked out the Treaty’s details

Wilson conceded on most of his 14 points in return for the establishment of the League of Nations

On June 28, 1919, the Big Four and the leaders of the defeated nations gathered in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles and signed the Treaty of Versailles

Hall of Mirrors

Treaty of Versailles and the Paris

Peace ConferenceAllied Leaders and Expectations1) France (George Clemenceau)

- Return of Alsace-Lorraine region/Rhineland become part of France

- Germany pay reparations

2) Great Britain (David Lloyd George)

- Germany should not be treated to harshly

- Afraid they’d fall to Communism

- Allow Germany to recover

3) Italy (Vittorio Orlando)

- Wanted promises made during Treaty of London (Land)

4) United States (Woodrow Wilson)

- Brought “14 Points” program

- No more secret treaties

- Reduction of weapons/militaries

- Self-determination of nations

- Create League of Nations

TREATY OF VERSAILLES

The Treaty established nine new nations including;

Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia

The Treaty broke up the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire empires

The Treaty barred Germany from maintaining an army, required them to give Alsace-Lorraine back to France, and forced them to pay $33 billion in reparations to the Allies

The Big Four met at Versailles

Peace Treaty-nine new nations created and several borders moved

• Some new nations given to Britain and France until ready to be on own

-Germany is demilitarized

• Is not allowed to have army/navy

-reparations must be paid

• Germany pays $33 billion to the Allies

-Germany must acknowledge war guilt

• Germans admit sole responsibility Weaknesses of Treaty will lead to future wars

Germany can’t repay – depression leads to rise of Hitler

Russia is ignored – wants land back

Italy gets nothing

Colonialism remained

The treaty humiliated Germany. Although German militarism had played a major role in igniting the war, other

European nations had been no less guilty in provoking the diplomatic

crises before the war. The war-guilt clause caused Germans of all political

viewpoints to despise the treaty.

The Russian government felt the Big Four had ignored its needs. For three

years, the Russians had fought with the Allies and suffered higher casualties

than any other nation. Yet, Russia lost more territory than Germany.

Treaty of VersaillesWhat were the Key Points to the Treaty of Versailles?1) Germany required to reduce army to 100,000 men.

2) Navy reduced to 6 warships, 0 submarines.

3) Give land to Belgium, France, Denmark and Poland.

4) NO AIR FORCE

5) Turn over colonies

6) Pay reparations 5billion/year until 1921; pay rest in 30 years.

7) No military within 30 miles of the East bank of the Rhine River

8) War Guilt Clause: Accept all blame for the war. (Article 231)

What were the Perceptions of the Treaty

of Versailles?1) Germans- Horrified by Treaty

- Not allowed to participate: Told to accept terms or else

- Though clauses were to harsh, felt betrayed by their own

government

- People upset with new boundaries

2) Americans- Rejected Wilson’s idea of a League of Nations and the United States

Senate voted not to join the organization.

THE WEAKNESS OF THE TREATY

The harsh treatment of Germany prevented the Treaty from creating a lasting peace in Europe

The Treaty humiliated the Germans by forcing them to admit sole responsibility for the war (War-Guilt Clause)

Furthermore, Germany would never be able to pay $33 billion in reparations

Germans felt the Versailles Treaty was unfair

Answer in your notes

Do you think Germany “got what it deserved” or

were they treated to harshly by the victorious

Allies? Explain you answer.

In the United States, the Treaty was hotly debated especially the League of Nations

Conservative senators, headed by Henry Cabot Lodge, were suspicious of the Leagues’ joint economic and military commitments

Many wanted the U.S. Congress to maintain the right to declare war

Ultimately, Congress rejected U.S. involvement in the very League the U.S. President had created

DEBATE OVER TREATY AT HOME

The U.S. never did join the league

Opposition

-Some thought it too harsh

•Especially against Germany

-others thought it changed nothing

-U.S. leaders disliked the League of Nations

•Threatened U.S. policy of isolationism

Henry Cabot Lodge

•Leader against League of Nations

threatens our ability to stay out of foreign affairs

-Wilson sets out to appeal to the people – to back League of Nations

Wilson suffers a stroke

-U.S. Senate never approves the treaty

Battle over the League

• Most Americans supported the League of Nations

• Irreconcilables– Progressive Republicans

• Reservationists– Henry Cabot Lodge

• Wilson collapsed ‒ October 1919• Treaty rejected ‒ March 1920

Waging Peace at Home

Economic Readjustment and Social Conflict

• Influenza epidemic• Return to peacetime economy• Postwar battles: gender and race

– African Americans less willing to compromise• Fighting for industrial democracy

– American Federation of Labor– Seattle’s Central Labor Council strike– Boston police

Waging Peace at Home

The Red Scare

• Fear of Bolshevism– The Red Scare– Linked to labor, foreigners

• Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer– Palmer Raids

• Reaction set in– Faded in mid-1920

Waging Peace at Home

THE LEGACY OF WWI

At home, the war strengthened both the military and the power of the government

The propaganda campaign provoked powerful fears in society

For many countries the war created political instability and violence that lasted for years

Russia established the first Communist state during the war

Americans called World War I, “The War to end all Wars” --- however unresolved issues would eventually drag the U.S. into an even deadlier conflictWWI 1914-1918

Wilson’s Legacy

•Ushers the U.S. into a new era – the Roaring Twenties

-Progressive reformer

•Many Progressive changes

-Prohibition starts

•18th Amendment, no alcohol

-women’s suffrage

•19th Amendment

-Victory in the Great War

-vision of a world organization to prevent war

•League of Nations

-prediction of future wars

WW II

“The Germans never believe that they were beaten. It will

have to be done all over again.”

General John J. Pershing

Conclusion

• Participation in World War I changed the American government, economy, and society.

• Many of the changes had been building in the prewar years, such as centralization of the economy, woman suffrage, and prohibition.

• The suppression of civil rights and repression of radicals and minorities betrayed progressive principles.

The Election of 1920

• Less desire for cooperation• Warren Harding and “normalcy”

– Landslide victory

Waging Peace at Home