HIST_1302_CH_19_World War I
Transcript of HIST_1302_CH_19_World War I
AMERICA AND WORLD WAR I
(1916-1920)
Chapter 19
American International Relations Roosevelt Corollary
Roosevelt announced that the U.S. would intervene to ensure the stability and solvency of Latin American nations○ Particularly the Dominican Republic, Panama,
and Cuba○ Many of these nations were in severe debt
with EuropeRoosevelt also wanted to build a canal
across the Isthmus of Panama○ Opened in 1914
American International Relations Taft’s Dollar Diplomacy
Taft tried to substitute economic force for military power○ Money over the military○ Use economic investment and loans for
persuasionWorked in the Caribbean
○ However, it alienated China, Japan, and Russia
American International Relations Wilson’s Moral Imperialism
Rescinded Dollar Diplomacy and announced that he would respect Latin America’s independence
Believed that the spread of manufactured American goods and investments would spread democratic ideals
In reality, Wilson got the U.S. more involved militarily in Latin America○ More than any President before or since
Wilson also got involved with the Mexican Revolution○ Mexicans viewed American soldiers as invaders instead
of liberators○ America’s presence complicated issues in Mexico greatly
Principles of Just War War must be waged as a last resort War must be waged by a legitimate authority
against another legitimate authority War must be waged to redress a wrong suffered War must be waged with a reasonable chance of
success The ultimate goal of war is to reestablish peace Violence must be used proportionally to the injury
suffered Combatants must discriminate between mutual
combatants and non-combatants (civilians)
World War I Phase 1 – Neutrality
Wilson urges Americans to stay neutral in regard to the conflict in Europe○ In reality, he and most Americans were sympathetic
to the AlliesEarly in the war, a British luxury liner named the
Lusitania was sank by German submarine○ Germany sank a few other ships, but then pledged to
not attack any more ships without warningThese events gave American commercial ships
pause and concern over Germany’s neutrality toward the U.S.
World War I Phase 1 – Neutrality
Diplomats, politicians, and military experts began to debate the role the U.S. would play in world affairs; especially the situation in Europe
Debates over neutrality○ Immigrants wanted the U.S. to stay neutral because
Americans had a long tradition of neutrality and immigrants did not potentially want to get involved in a war against countries they shared ethnic backgrounds with
○ Progressives wanted to get involved with the war as quickly as possibleThey believed that Wilson’s reluctance to side with the Allies was
controlled by big business interests
World War I Phase 2 – Preparedness
By the end of 1915, Wilson began promoting a policy of preparedness regarding the conflict in Europe
Wilson began to negotiation with an increasingly aggressive Germany and a hostile Mexico in 1916○ Democrats champion him as the man “Who Kept
Us Out of the War”In the last months of 1916, Wilson appeals for
the embattled nations to work towards a “Peace Without Victory”
World War I Phase 2 – Preparedness
Wilson initially wanted to run his reelection campaign on a platform of Americanism and preparedness○ Better judgment called for him to run on a platform of
neutrality and “Keeping the Country out of the War”○ Wilson wins by only a ½ million votes despite a large
turnout by women votersGermany violated the U.S.’s neutrality agreement
shortly afterwards○ Germany reasoned that the U.S. had declared their
intent to side with the Allies because the U.S. was frequently trading with England
World War I Phase 2 – Preparedness
The Zimmerman Telegram○ A telegram from Germany to Mexico indicating that
Germany would wage unrestricted warfare on the seas against the United States
○ Germany wanted to offer Mexico financial support so Mexico could reclaim its lost territory in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona
○ After the U.S. intercepted the message, Wilson orders all American merchant ships to arm themselvesHe also ordered the U.S. Navy to sink any aggressive
submarines
World War I
Phase 3 – Declaring WarFive U.S. merchant ships were sunk by
German submarines in March 1917○ This propels Wilson to declare war
Wilson’s Secretary of War, William Jennings Bryan quits because of his fundamentalist stance against war
Wilson formally declares war on 2 April 1917
World War I Phase 3 – Declaring War
Americans initially believed they would fight the war by sending supplies to the Allies○ However, they quickly realize they would have to commit
troops because of the high casualty rates due to trench warfare in Europe
Americans thought the war would be like a safari○ Propaganda greatly portrayed it as such
The Wilson administration enacts the Selective Service Act○ Drafts over 2 million soldiers
June 1917 – American troops land in France Summer 1918 – American forces combined with Allied
forces were strong enough to persuade the Germans to ask for peace
World War I Under Just War Standards Wilson constantly portrayed America as an
innocent nationFree of self-interest and righteous in its cause; good
vs. evil Americans were fighting for the rights of
mankindFuture peace and security in the worldAmericans desire no conquest and see no dominion
Wilson effectively sets the tone for how Americans view foreign policy for the rest of the century and into the 21st century
World War I Under Just War Standards A tyrannical and total evil requires a total
responseEveryone has to be involved in the warWomen and minorities become involved
despite significant domestic issues Wilson was ultimately biased
Believed Germans started the problem and Britain was the savior trying to fix it
World War I Under Just War Standards Wilson’s view on conducting business
on the seas while remaining neutralIn reality, from 1897 to 1914, American
overseas investments soared to over $2.6 billion dollars
Unrestricted German warfare on the seas definitely cuts into profits
The shipping industry was vital to America’s economic prosperity
World War I Under Just War Standards Was it a just war?
World War I destroyed an entire generation of European men○ Europe never recovers from World War I spiritually○ Most stop going to church, lose hope in the traditional
sense of a benevolent God loving and protecting themIn contrast, Americans view themselves as the
victors who saved the day○ Europe could not have won without us
The American clergy gets a boost from their ardent support of the war○ Fundamentalism grows throughout the next decade
The Progressive Clergy’s War Christian fundamentalist theologians
saw the war as a chance to confront the timeless problems of Christian theology in the context of total warSort of a spin on the social gospel;
Americans would be serving the kingdom of God by embarking on a religious war against a pagan nation (Germany)
Their goals required the war to be an epic battle between good and evil
The Progressive Clergy’s War Wilson’s administration becomes
intimately tied with the Progressive clergyNational week of prayer after war broke out
in EuropeWilson becomes the poster boy for Southern
Baptists who believed he was God’s chosen agent to fix the ills of the world
The Progressive Clergy’s War Unique blend of social service, personal
salvation, and military servicePastor William P. Merrill: “The best mark of a
‘saved’ man is not that he wants to go to heaven, but that he is willing to go to China, or the battle-field in France, or to the slums of the city, or to the last dollar of his resources, or to the limit of his energy, to set forward the Kingdom of God.”
The Progressive Clergy’s War Even after the war is over, the clergy
tried anything to keep the agenda of social service, personal salvation, and military service goingThey wanted military conscription and
training to be permanent features of AmericaAlways willing and diligent to go forth as
Christian soldiersBeginning of a new American militarism
Prohibition: The 18th Amendment Progressive agenda called for the
banning of intoxicating liquorsSaw national legislation as the best strategyA resurgence of the temperance movement
World War I gave this agenda backingProgressive clergy at the forefront of the
media and very willing to help the Progressives out
The amendment did not ban all alcohol, but made it extremely difficult to obtain
Prohibition: The 18th Amendment One of the few amendments to have a
time constraint on ratification Only amendment to be repealed
21st amendment repeals the 18th amendment
The 18th amendment went into effect in January 1920
Organized crime and illegal liquor trafficking go up astronomically
Women’s Suffrage: The 19th Amendment The U.S.’s entry into World War I threatened the
suffrage movement The National Women’s Party militantly fought for
suffrage despite World War IUrged people to vote against Senators who would not
recognize women’s suffrage in the 1918 mid-term elections
Women’s efforts during the war won them the respect they needed to get the 19th amendment passed
Wilson began to publically support the amendment in January 1918
In August 1920, the 19th amendment was certified
The Espionage and Sedition Acts Espionage Act of 1917 – prohibited spying,
interfering with the military draft, and making “false statements” that might impede military success
Sedition Act of 1918 – forbade Americans to use “disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language” regarding the U.S. government, flag, or armed forces during times of warThe act also allowed the Postmaster General to
deny mail delivery to dissenters of government policy during wartime
The Espionage and Sedition Acts Wilson’s support from the Progressive
Democrats and clergy allowed him to easily support these harsh policies that fostered a culture of paranoia
The passage of these acts turned World War I into a holy, righteous warOpposite of the just war that the United
States was committed to win
100 Percent Americanism Overall push to Americanize – make a more
homogeneous national cultureThis became the battle cry for the Ku Klux Klan
in Texas during the 1920s Anti-German sentiment
Germans were persecutedGerman literature was destroyed, German
teachers were fired, education was almost non-existent for German-Americans during the war
Germans became a symbol of total and ultimate evil during World War I
100 Percent Americanism Eugenics Movement
A very Progressive idea that combined Social Darwinism with Evolution○ Selective breeding should be applied to humans in
order to improve the speciesEugenics professionals studied the mental
characteristics of different races extensively○ Gave anti-immigration and racism a significant
boost, making it seem ‘professional’Eugenics festivals
○ Prizes for families with the best lineage; awarded on a point system
100 Percent Americanism Black Protest
Roosevelt and Wilson both felt that blacks were unfit for suffrage○ Largely ignored the 14th and 15th amendments
W.E.B. DuBois wrote the Souls of Black Folk○ A Progressive attempt to investigate, expose,
and reconcile conflicting ideals of American freedom for blacks and whites
DuBois also was a co-founder of the NAACP
Spanish Influenza What is a pandemic?
Virtually all parts of the world are affected by an illness
What was the Spanish Influenza?Subtype of the H1N1 flu virus (similar to the Swine
flu)Lasted approximately from March 1918 to June
1920Began as a strain that resembled typical flu
symptomsMutated into a deadlier strain in the latter part of
1918
Spanish Influenza
What was the Spanish Influenza?Troop movements in war zones probably
hastened the mutation of the virus○ Due to the poor conditions the troops were
living in; trenches○ Living and traveling in small quarters and in
large groupsTroops became the most vulnerable to the
virusCivilians typically developed immunity to the
lighter strain of the virus
Spanish Influenza
Mortality rateRoughly 3 to 6 percent of the world’s
population25 million dead in the first 25 weeks aloneSpread to the Arctic and Pacific IslandsAffected healthy, young adults; made the
immune system go into overdrive
Spanish Influenza Why was it called the Spanish Influenza?
Spain was a neutral country during World War I○ News and media was not censored like the rest of
the worldGave the disproportionate notion that Spain had
the most cases of the virus○ Led people to think that the virus originated there
No one really knows where the virus came from Survivors of the virus
Woodrow Wilson, Walt Disney, and Gen. John J. Pershing
The Strike Wave of 1919 Wartime rhetoric regarding economic
democracy and freedom helped inspire the labor uprising
The uprising started world-wideSocialism and Communism began to influence the
United States again The strike wave began in Seattle in January
1919 Great Steel Strike – striking for union
recognition, higher waves, and an 8-hour work day
Wilson’s Fourteen Points “It took God Ten Commandments, and it
took Wilson Fourteen Points” Basically, this was his outline for peace and
to bring about a lasting peaceCopies of the speech were dropped behind
enemy lines as propagandaHe was encouraged when the Germans asked
for peaceHe thought his Fourteen Points would prevail
during the peace talksUltimately, they did not
The Treaty of Versailles
Peace treaty for World War I Wilson attends with Great Britain and
France’s leadersThe terms of agreement definite are not
what he wanted The victors take a much harsher policy
towards GermanyGermany has to pay back all the war debtHas to acknowledge they are completely
responsible for the war
The Treaty of Versailles
Wilson’s language of self-determination and hope does not apply to Britain and France’s point of view
Wilson has to accept these terms in order to convince France and Britain regarding his “League of Nations”Got support to add this into the conditions of
the treaty
Wilson’s League of Nations Goal: “Making the world safe for
democracy” Wilson saw this as the holiest of goals and
the greatest potential legacy Opponents saw it as a way for America to
lose its freedom of action in times of warToo much legislation and red tape to go through
in order to act when needed The League of Nations is essentially a
precursor to the United Nations
The Red Scare
Alarmed by the violent acts of a few anarchists and Communists after World War I, the government resorted to the illegal roundups of innocent people and forcible deportation of aliensLasted roughly a year and a half
The government’s actions encouraged lynchings and other forms of terrorism against radicals and immigrants (blacks were still included)
The Red Scare The Secretary of Labor eventually secures
the release of political prisoners arrested in the witch hunt
This effectively causes the Red Scare to collapseMakes a resurgence in the 1950s with
McCarthyism Republican Warren G. Harding won the 1920
election by promising a return to “normalcy”Everyone was getting tired of the Progressives,
Democrats, and the Red Scare
The Red Scare
The Red Scare quickly subsided, but nativism, bigotry, and fear of foreign influence left its mark on the country well into the 1920s
Legal restrictions on immigrants increased