WORLD WAR I AND BEYOND

1914-1920

Standards

SSUSH15 The student will analyze the origins and impact of U.S. involvement in World War I.

a. Describe the movement from U.S. neutrality to engagement in World War I, with reference to unrestricted submarine warfare.

b. Explain the domestic impact of World War I, as reflected by the origins of the Great Migration, the Espionage Act, and socialist Eugene Debs.

c. Explain Wilson’s Fourteen Points and the proposed League of Nations.

SSUSH16 The student will identify key developments in the aftermath of WW I.

a. Explain how rising communism and socialism in the United States led to the Red Scare and immigrant restriction.

From Neutrality to War

What caused WWI? Nationalism –

devotion to one’s nation; concept sweeping through Europe

Militarism – glorification of the military; arms race

Alliances – Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary vs. France, Russia and Great Britain

Assassination Exacerbates War

June 1914 – Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary killed by Serb nationalists

Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia

Others within alliances follow and war begins

Check for Understanding

Which of the following created the “spark” that started World War I? A. European alliances B. American imperialism C. the growth of military power D. the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand

Deadly Technology

Trench warfare – soldiers dig trenches; new form of battle

New weapons prove devastating: Machine gun Poison gas Submarines Tanks Airplanes

President Wilson Urges Neutrality

Three groups dominate American public opinion: 1. Isolationists –

America should stay out of war

2. Interventionists – America should enter the war

3. Internationalists – America should work towards achieving global peace, but not enter war

An End to US Neutrality

German U-Boats began the practice of unrestricted submarine warfare – sinking all enemy ships, including passenger ships

May 1915 – Germans sink the Lusitania killing 1200 people

An End to US Neutrality

January 1917 – Germany sends telegram (known as the ZIMMERMAN NOTE) proposing an alliance with Mexico

Germany promised Mexico a return of the lands lost to US in the Mexican War of the 1840s

Afterwards, Wilson asks Congress to declare war on Germany

Anti-German Propaganda

Check for Understanding

All of the following contributed to American involvement in WWI EXCEPT: A. isolationism B. anti-German propaganda C. submarine warfare D. the Zimmerman note

Espionage Act

Espionage Act – enacted severe penalties for anyone engaged in disloyal of treasonable activities; wanted to challenge anyone who threatened American authority

Sedition Act of 1918 – made it unlawful to use “disloyal, profane scurrilous or abusive language” about America and/or its policies

Opponents saw both as infringements on First Amendment rights.

Recall the Alien and Sedition Acts of the 1790s!

Check for Understanding

What was the purpose of the Espionage Act and the Sedition Act of 1917? A. to promote cooperation between US and

Great Britain B. to silence any resistance to American

authority C. to end Jim Crow laws in the South D. to encourage the migration of African

Americans to industrial cities

Eugene V. Debs and the Socialist Party

Socialism – system under which the means of production are publically controlled rather than owned by individuals

Party leader Eugene V. Debs was imprisoned for violating the Sedition Act of 1917

Socialist Party proved powerful in politics of the 1920s

The Great Migration

Seeking employment and escape from racism, approximately 1.2 million African American moved to Northern industrial cities in the early 1900s.

Rise of black populations in cities such as Chicago, Detroit and St. Louis.

“Until it’s over, over there!”

Mounting problems for the Allies German U-boats

attacking more merchant ships

Russian Revolution causes Russia to abandon war effort

War seemed to be going nowhere; until America joined the fight Selective Service Act of

1917 – America held a small peacetime army, needed troops quickly

Check for Understanding

What was the main reason for the adoption of the Selective Service Act of 1917? A. to increase production of agriculture B. to allow women the right to vote C. to rapidly increase the size of the small

peacetime army D. to choose a new method of electing

Senators

The War Ends

US Commander John J. Pershing led Allies to victory on the Western Front

November 11, 1918 – Germany surrenders

Treaty of Versailles officially ends war one year later in 1919; strongly opposed by isolationists

Wilson and the Fourteen Points

Fourteen Point plan – list of terms resolving World War I; included proposed League of Nations

Wilson wanted “Peace Without Victory” – no winner, no loser

Wanted the “Great War” to be the war that ended all wars

Most of Wilson’s ideas were rejected by Allies; Germany forced to pay reparations – payments for war damage

League of Nations – world organization established to promote cooperation between countries

Check for Understanding

Among the president’s Fourteen Points was a proposal to: A. disarm all major powers B. form a League of Nations C. create an alliance with Germany D. make Great Britain repay its war debts

The Red Scare

Uncertainty of the future and the crippled economies of Europe left many Americans uneasy.

The Bolshevik Revolution of 1917– Russia becomes communist nation; leads to the first “Red Scare”

Communism – control of means of production by the government

Laid the groundwork for the Cold War that would follow WWII

Check for Understanding

The Red Scare was prompted by A. westward expansion due to increased

migration B. the rise of communism and socialism in the

US after the Bolshevik Revolution C. the annexation of Hawaii following military

action by the US Navy D. US involvement in Latin America