Chapter 23:World War I
Title
Section 1
The War Begins in Europe
President Woodrow Wilson
Wilson proved to be a strong president
He was very skillful in getting Congress to pass the reform laws he wanted
Progressive reformers were pleased with Wilson' actions
Changes during Wilson's Administration
A new national banking system called the Federal Reserve System
- This change made it easier to put money into the economy when needed
16th Amendment ratified
- Made it constitutional to tax someone's personal income
How Did the War Start in Europe?
European countries:
- Had been competing for trade markets
- Trying to get back land lost in earlier wars
- Some wanted independence
- Did not trust each other
- Each trying to build the strongest armies
Alliances
Alliance 1: Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Italy Alliance 2: Great Britain, France, and Russia
Bosnia
Wanted to be part of Serbia, not Austro-Hungarian Empire
People started to rebel
Assassination of Ferdinand
Emperor of Austro-Hungary sends his nephew Francis Ferdinand to Sarajevo to improve relations
Ferdinand and his wife are assassinated
Emperor blames Serbia and declares war on the country
Assassination of Ferdinand
Other Nations Declare War
Chain reaction happens:
- Russia helps Serbia → France helps Russia → Great Britain helps France
- Germany help Austria-Hungary → Germany attacks Belgium and France
7 countries are now at war
Central Powers
Germany Austria-Hungary Turkey Bulgaria
Allied Powers
Great Britain France Serbia Belgium Russia Japan Italy (later on)
By 1917
Central Powers had gained an advantage over the Allied Nations
Describe what is happening in this cartoon...
Section 2
The United States Stays Neutral
A Question of Being Neutral
Wilson wanted to remain neutral
Germany said the US was not neutral because American companies sold war supplies to France and Great Britain
“War Zones”
Ships from US carried the war supplies to European countries
Both sides set up zones in the Atlantic Ocean that ships couldn't enter
Germany threatened to use their submarines to sink any boats that entered their war zone
US Concerned for Allied Nations
US and Great Britain had become close
France had been an ally to US during Revolutionary War
Germans Sink the Lusitania
In 1915, Germans fired a torpedo that sunk a British passenger ship called the Lusitania
Germans claimed the ship carried war supplies
1200 people died, 128 were Americans
Americans Want to Go to War
Germany fears that US will join war now, so they told the submarine captains to be more careful
German “war zones” then become less effective, and US gets supplies to Great Britain
Election of 1916
Wilson's slogan: “He Kept Us Out of War”
Wilson wins, but it was very close
Section 3
America Enters the Great War
Germany Pushes to End War
After 3 years, the war was at a standstill
Germany wanting Britain to end war, announces they would torpedo any ship without warning that enters their war zone
Tension Between Germany and US Increases
Germany torpedoes ships flying American flag
Zimmerman Note, a secret letter written by Germany asking Mexico to help Germany if US enters the war, is discovered by US government and released to newspapers
US Enters War
President Wilson asked Congress to declare war on April 2, 1917
Congress agrees on April 6, 1917 and declares war on Germany
US at War
American factories stopped production of consumer goods to make war supplies
People work longer hours to help increase production
Women Help in the War
Replace men in workforce who had gone off to war
Women join armed forces as nurses and office workers
US at War
Government increased taxes and sold bonds to raise money for war
Government asks Americans to conserve
Farmers use more land to increase food production
US at War
US Selective Service started to draft young men into the armed forces
American Troops Arrive in Europe
Germans are surprised at how fast first American soldiers, or “doughboys,” arrive
Large groups of US ships block German ports
US uses mines to destroy German ships, and torpedo German submarines
War Ends
Two million soldiers upset German stronghold
Germany asks for an armistice
German and Allied Forces leaders meet privately and end war
Consequence of War
War had weakened the great powers of Europe
Increased the power of the US
Section 4
Wilson's Plan for a Permanent Peace
Wilson's Fourteen Points
Five major ideas of fourteen points (p. 460)
1. Secret treaties between nations would end
2. Any nation would be free to sail any seas or oceans of the world
3. Nations would decrease the size of their armies and navies
4. Boundaries of nations would be changed so people with the same language and customs could live together
5. A League of Nations would be created to settle disputes between countries in a peaceful way
Paris Peace Conference
“Big Four” leaders met to write a peace treaty
US, Britain, France, and Italy
Germany was not invited until after the treaty was written
Treaty of Versailles
Austria and Hungary broken up
New nations: Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia
Bosnia and Serbia became part of Yugoslavia
Treaty of Versailles
President Wilson felt treaty did not provide enough peace, but League of Nations would correct problem of the treaty
Treaty of Versailles
Germany would
- Give land to France and Poland
- Pay a huge sum of money for war damages
- Give up colonies in Asia, Africa, and the North Pacific
- Not build a new army
Congress Doesn't Ratify Treaty
Republican Senators thought League of Nations would force US into too many foreign wars
Wilson Pushes for Treaty
Wilson went on a tour to get the American people's support for Treaty
Wilson fell ill and had a stroke, but Treaty was not approved by Senate
League of Nations
Without the US as a member, the League of Nations was a weak organization
The Treaty of Versailles did not bring about a fair and just peace