The Great War (World War I)

“The War to End All Wars”

“The great rule of conduct for us in regard to foreign

nations is, in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection

as possible.”

-George Washington, Farewell Address, 1796

Causes of War• Nationalism—sense of pride and

loyalty to a nation ex. uniting ethnic peoples living in

other areas, flags, boundaries, songs, etc

• Imperialism—quest for colonies (territory and raw materials) and extending one’s power across the world

ex. Territorial rivalries included Russia desiring a warm water port, the French wanting land (rich in coal and iron) back from Germany, overseas possessions in Africa, Asia and the Middle East

Causes of War

• Militarism—glorification of armed strength, arms race, rapid industrialization

• Alliances—involved treaties in which members agreed to aid each other if attacked by an outside power

ex. Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy

Triple Entente: Great Britain, France, Russia

The Spark

• 28 June 1914—Assassination of Archduke Francis (Franz) Ferdinand (heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary) and his wife by a Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo, Bosnia (province in the Empire)

War Begins

In a complex chain of events:• Austria-Hungary declared war on

Serbia on 28 July• Russia declared war on Austria-

Hungary• Germany declared war on Russia and

France• Great Britain declared war on

Germany and Austria-Hungary• Italy remained neutral until 1915

(when they joined Great Britain and France)

Alliances

• Allied Powers: France, Great Britain, Russia, Italy

• Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire (Turkey)

• U.S. originally remained neutral

War in Europe• war of attrition—each side tried to wear

down the other side through constant attacks

• trench warfare—400 miles on the Western Front were dug out, armies fought from behind fixed fortifications.

• heavy artillery fire followed by a charge across the territory in between—no-man’s land.

• barbed wire, land mines, enemy’s bullets• unsanitary conditions: flooding, rats, and

lice.

Territory gained between 1915-1917 was only a few miles.

American Intervention• 28 million Americans (almost 30%)

were immigrants or children of immigrants.

• German submarine warfare destroyed ships with American passengers: Lusitania

• Wilson threatened to cut diplomatic ties with Germany. They responded with the Sussex pledge: promise to not sink ships without warning.

• Germans asked Mexico to form an alliance against the U.S. in exchange for reconquering lost territories in America.

Zimmerman Note

Involvement

• The U.S. entered the war in April 1917 on the side of the Allied Powers.

• American Expeditionary Force (AEF): led by General John J. Pershing, pushed the German army back in 1918.

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/launch_ani_western_front.shtml

War at Home

• Taxes were raised• War bonds were sold• Americans were asked to

reduced their food and fuel consumption

• Business and government worked together--boards and agencies regulated production and prices

Selective Service Act• required men age 21-30 to register (later changed to 18-45).

By the end of the war: • 24 million had registered• 2.8 million were drafted• 4.8 million had served

War at Home (cont.)

• War propaganda: films, posters, pamphlets, etc. to portray the war as a good vs. evil battle

• Committee on Public Information (CPI)—used an intense propaganda campaign to “sell” the war to Americans

• Anti-German sentiment

War at Home (cont.)• New jobs were created• Women working grew by 6% and

1.5 million worked in industry• Labor shortage gave

opportunities to Mexicans and African American workers

• Great Migration (1915-1930) of African Americans--hundreds of thousands moved from the South to northern cities

War at Home (cont.)

• Censorship of the press• Espionage Act and Sedition Act

made opposition to the war a crime

Armistice (cease-fire)

• League of Nations—international body designed to prevent wars

• Other leaders were more concerned with punishing Germany

Big Four: Wilson• David Lloyd George• Georges Clemenceau• Vittorio Orlando

The Big Four

Plan for Peace• Wilson’s Fourteen

Points—intense and idealistic vision of world peace

• self-determination—the right of people to govern themselves

• Other points dealt with secret diplomacy, the arms race, violations of freedom of the seas, and trade barriers

Treaty of Versailles

• compromise• Germany blamed for war, forced

to pay billions of dollars in reparations

• New nations created/re-established: Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania

• France reclaimed Alsace-Lorraine• League of Nations established

Treaty of Versailles

• U.S. Senate never ratified the treaty—opposition to League and possible U.S. involvement in future foreign conflicts

• Wilson suffered stroke

Cost of War

• 113,000 U.S. soldiers died (51,000 battle, 62,000 disease)

• $33,000,000,000 total cost to U.S.

• 10,000,000 total dead