Chapter 9, Section 1 The United States Enters World War I

World War I Begins

Big Ideas:

A network of alliances, nationalism, and militarism set the stage for World War I.

World War I Begins

• For centuries the “Great Powers of Europe” were obsessed with maintaining a balance of power, but with the creation of Germany in 1871, the balance was upset.

• France felt vulnerable.

• Germany’s growing navy worried the British.

Militarism & Alliances • After losing the territory of Alsace

and Lorraine to Germany in 1871, France began to rely on Russia as an ally to keep the Germans from taking more.

• The Russians looked towards expanding their influence in the Balkans where there were Slavs, Croats, and Serbs.

• Russia had a dream of uniting all Slavic people.

• There were also Slavs, Serbs, and Croats in Austria-Hungary, an ally of Germany, and the Russians encouraged them to rebel.

Militarism & Alliances • The system of alliances encouraged

militarism: the build-up of armed forces to intimidate or threaten other nations.

• In Germany the military was the dominant social class.

• The Kaiser always appeared in military uniform with the rank of All Highest Warlord.

• Germany’s naval ambitions forced Britain to back her traditional rivals, France & Russia.

• Germany also surpassed Britain in the production of steel and coal.

Imperialism & Nationalism • Nationalism, a feeling of intense

pride in one’s homeland became a powerful idea in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

• Nationalism fueled the competition between nations as each thought of their culture as being superior to all others

• Nationalism, being incompatible with imperialism, also encouraged dominated populations to seek independence.

Imperialism & Nationalism • Nationalism became a serious

issue in the Balkans, a southeast region of Europe. The weak Ottoman Empire was losing its grip on the area.

• Serbia was the first of the nations to achieve independence from the Ottomans and they encouraged the unification of Slavic peoples, many of whom lived in Austria-Hungary. • Austria-Hungary worked

against this plan, while Russia encouraged it.

Assassination Brings War • In order to curb Slavic nationalism

in the Balkans, Austria-Hungary annexed the nation of Bosnia from the Ottoman Empire who had ruled the region for 400 years.

• The annexation of Bosnia infuriated Serbians.

• In June 1914, the heir to the Austrian-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were shot to death as their motorcade passed through the streets of the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo.

Assassination Brings War • The assassin, 19-year-old Gavrilo

Princip, was a member of the Serbian nationalist group “The Black Hand.”

• The Serbian government hoped it would start a war that would bring down the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

• They knew the Russians would back them.

• And the Russians knew the French would support them if they went to war.

• The Austro-Hungarians issued an ultimatum that would place Serbia under its authority.

• They knew full well that it would probably lead to war, so they first got the ‘okay’ that Germany would back them up.

Assassination Brings War • On July 28, 1914, the Austro-Hungarian government declared war on

Serbia.

• Russia mobilized its troops.

• The Serbs expected Russia to keep Germany busy long enough to allow them to take Bosnia.

• On August 1st, Germany declared war on Russia.

• August 3rd Germany declared war on France.

Assassination Brings War • The Germans knew that backing

Austria would lead to war, but it was a war they expected to win.

• However, they were counting on the Brits to remain neutral.

• Russia could not let Serbia fall or they would give up their goal of uniting the Slavs, and probably end up with a revolution at home.

• If France let the Germans beat Russia, the French would become a 3rd rate power under the thumb of the Germans.

Assassination Brings War • The Schlieffen Plan called for

German troops to march through Belgium in order to flank the French and close off the coastal ports to any possible British reinforcements.

• Belgium was neutral, but they declared war on Germany when the Germans invaded.

• The British had previously guaranteed to protect the neutrality of Belgium.

• In order to solidify their authority over the Belgians, the German troops captured and executed 5,000 civilians.

Assassination Brings War • The British could not allow

German aggression to go unchecked. The British people demanded action; Great Britain entered the war.

• The Triple Entente, known as The Allies, comprised France, Russia, & Britain. –Italy joined in 1915.

• The alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, & the Ottoman Empire became known as the Central Powers.

The Schlieffen Plan Fails • The Germans hoped for a quick

victory over France so they could reinforce their eastern borders against the Russians.

• The Belgians fought back and slowed the German advance.

• Also, the Russians mobilized faster than expected and invaded Germany.

• The Germans were within 30 miles of Paris, but were stopped at the Battle of the Marne.

• In the East, the Germans advanced into Russia scoring multiple victories.

America Declares War

Big Ideas: President Wilson campaigned on keeping America neutral, but it was becoming more and more difficult to remain so.

America Declares War • While the President declared the

US to be neutral, the public discussed the war in Europe openly and chose to support one side or another.

• Some saw Britain as a natural enemy of the US.

• The large population of Irish immigrants in the US favored the Central Powers.

• However, many Americans remembered France as a helpful ally during the American Revolution and were disgusted by stories of atrocities committed by the Germans occupying Belgium.

America Declares War • Wilson’s advisors, except William

Jennings Bryan, supported the Allies.

• They feared an upset in the balance of power should Germany win the war.

• The British used propaganda to influence US public opinion.

• They even cut the telegraph line from the US to Europe so that England would be the sole supplier of war news to the US.

America Declares War • American business supported the

Allies.

• With the British controlling the seas, the Allies were the easiest customer for US weapons.

• American banks bet on American involvement and an allied victory, and loaned billions of dollars to the British and French.

America Declares War • The British searched ships heading for Europe to ensure that they

were not bringing contraband –items that would aid the German war effort.

• The Germans also wanted to stop their enemies from receiving shipments of food and materials.

• With the Brits in control of the ocean’s surface, the Germans controlled the region beneath the waves using submarines (U-Boats).

America Declares War • The use of unrestricted

submarine warfare angered President Wilson.

• In 1915, Germans sank the British cruise ship Lusitania, killing 1,200 (128 Americans).

• Germany issued a promise, the Sussex Pledge, that they would no longer sink merchant ships without warning.

• The Germans did not want the US to enter the war.

• The US stayed neutral and Wilson’s pledge of neutrality earned him a narrow reelection.

America Declares War • The American public ceased their

efforts to be neutral when a memo, the Zimmermann Telegram, was leaked.

• In the Zimmerman Telegram, the Germans said they would help Mexico take back Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona if they joined the war against the US.

• Also, in the beginning of 1917, the Germans resumed unrestricted submarine warfare.

• They felt that they could starve the Brits into surrender before the US could organize an offensive.

America Declares War • President Wilson addressed

Congress and asked for a declaration of war against Germany.