The American JourneyA History of the United States, 7th Edition

By: Goldfield • Abbott • Anderson • Argersinger • Argersinger • Barney • Weir

Chapter

•America and the

Great War

•1914-1920

23

America and the Great War

1914-1920

Waging Neutrality

Waging War in America

Waging War and Peace Abroad

Waging Peace at Home

Conclusion

Learning Objectives

Why were Americans so reluctant to get involved in World

War I?

How did the war effort threaten civil liberties?

What hopes did Wilson have for the Treaty of Versailles?

What challenges did America face in the aftermath of the

war?

Waging Neutrality

The Origins of Conflict

Competing imperial ambitions that had led to economic

rivalries, military alliances, and diplomatic maneuvering

had divided Europe into two blocs.

The killing of Austrian Franz Ferdinand touched off World

War I.

Central Powers

Germany and its World War I allies Austria, Turkey, and Bulgaria.

The Origins of Conflict (cont'd)

Allies

In World War I, Britain, France, Russia, and other belligerent nations

fighting against the Central Powers but not including the United

States, which insisted upon being merely an associated nation. In

World War II, the Allies fighting the Axis Powers included the United

States as well as the Soviet Union, Great Britain, France, China, and

other nations.

American Attitudes

The war surprised Americans but most believed the United

States should not become involved.

Most Americans sympathized with the Allies as ethnic,

cultural, and economic ties bound most Americans to

Britain and France.

American Attitudes (cont’d)

British propaganda writers bolstered American support with

stories of German atrocities.

The Economy of War

While international law permitted neutral nations to sell war

material to all belligerents, the British navy prevented

trade with the Central Powers.

Supplying the Allies helped pull the United States out of a

recession.

The Diplomacy of Neutrality

The United States asked all parties to respect neutral rights

outlined in the 1909 Declaration of London. Germany

agreed but Britain refused.

The British blockade infringed on American neutrality but

Wilson conceded many rights to avoid conflict with the

British.

The Diplomacy of Neutrality (cont'd)

Germany began submarine warfare in 1915. The sinking of

the British passenger liner Lusitania led to American

condemnation.

The submarine issues climaxed in 1916 when Germany

made the Sussex Pledge not to sink merchant ships

without warning.

The Diplomacy of Neutrality (cont'd)

Declaration of London

Statement drafted by an international conference in 1909 to clarify

international law and specify the rights of neutral nations.

Sussex Pledge

Germany’s pledge during World War I not to sink merchant ships without

warning, on the condition that Britain also observe recognized rules of

international law.

The Battle over Preparedness

The threat of war sparked a debate over military

preparedness.

Republicans favors preparedness, the building up of U.S.

military forces.

A large peace movement emerged over preparedness.

The Battle over Preparedness (cont'd)

Wilson initially opposed preparedness but reversed his

position when the submarine crisis worsened.

Preparedness

Military buildup in preparation for possible U.S. participation in World War

I.

The Election of 1916

Running on a platform of keeping America out of war,

Wilson won reelection.

MAP 23–1 The Election of 1916

Descent into War

Wilson recognized the war was inevitable and sought to

avert it. He also developed a plan for a new world order.

Germany’s decision to resume unrestricted submarine

warfare combined with the release of the Zimmerman

note promoted Wilson to ask Congress to declare war on

April 2, 1917.

Waging Neutrality (cont'd)

Self-determination

The right of a people or nation to decide on its own political allegiance or

form of government without external influence.

Waging War in America

Managing the War Economy

To mobilize the American economy for the war effort, the

federal and state governments developed a complex

structure of agencies and regulations that controlled every

sector of the economy.

The War Industries Board set industrial priorities,

coordinated military purchasing, and supervised business.

Managing the War Economy (cont'd)

The Railroad Board operated the nationals railroads as a

unified system.

The Food Administration organized relief for Belgium and

controlled the production and distribution of food.

The national War Labor Board supervised labor relations,

guaranteeing union organizing and collective bargaining.

Managing the War Economy (cont'd)

War Industries Board (WIB)

The federal agency that reorganized industry for maximum efficiency and

productivity during World War I.

Major Government Wartime Agencies

Women and Minorities: New Opportunities, Old

Inequities

As white women shifted jobs, African American enjoyed

expanded employment opportunities.

The demand for industrial labor stimulated a huge migration

of southern African Americans to northern cities.

African Americans often encountered racism and violence in

the North.

Financing the War

The war opened manufacturing and other jobs to women

that had been previously been closed.

The federal government financed the war by borrowing

money and raising taxes.

Two-thirds of the war costs were aided by Liberty Bonds

sold to the general public, banks, and wealthy investors.

Financing the War (cont’d)

Liberty Bonds

Interest-bearing certificates sold by the U.S. government to finance the

American World War I effort.

Conquering Minds

To promote support for the war the government established

propaganda agencies and enacted legislation to control

social attitudes and behavior.

The Committee on Public Information sought to manipulate

public opinion focusing on national unity, the loathsome

character of the enemy, and the war a grand crusade for

liberty and democracy.

Conquering Minds (cont'd)

Committee on Public Information (CPI)

Government agency during World War I that sought to shape public

opinion in support of the war effort through newspapers, pamphlets,

speeches, films, and other media.

Suppressing Dissent

The Espionage Acts provided heavy fines and prison

sentences for obstructing the war effort and became a

weapon to crush dissent.

The Sedition Act of 1918 provided severe penalties for

speaking or writing against the war or criticizing

government personnel.

Suppressing Dissent

Radical newspapers and magazines were banned from the

mail.

State and local authorities suppressed antiwar and radical

activity by establishing councils of defense or public

safety agencies.

Public hysteria led to absurd anti-German activities.

Suppressing Dissent (cont'd)

Espionage Act

Law whose vague prohibition against obstructing the nation’s war effort

was used to crush dissent and criticism during World War I.

Sedition Act of 1918

Broad law restricting criticism of America’s involvement in World War I or

its government, flag, military, taxes, or officials.

Waging War and Peace Abroad

The War to End All Wars

The Selective Service Act of 1917 instituted a draft that

eventually registered over 24 million men. Three million

men and two million volunteers joined the military.

More than 40,000 women also served in the military.

Full-scale American military intervention began in late

spring of 1918.

The War to End All Wars (cont'd)

Wilson committed American troops to fight the Bolshevik

Revolution in Russia.

Allied advances on the western front led to an armistice on

November 11, 1918.

Selective Service Act of 1917

The law establishing the military draft for World War I.

The War to End All Wars (cont'd)

Bolshevik

Member of the communist movement in Russia that established the Soviet

government after the 1917 Russian Revolution; hence, by extension, any radical

or disruptive person or movement seeking to transform economic and political

relationships.

MAP 23–2 The Western Front, 1918

This bloody Trench Warfare continued for more than

3 years…

Neither side gained territory, but more than 1 million

soldiers died.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/war/wwone/launch_ani_wwone_movies.shtml

The Fourteen Points

Wilson’s peace plan included 14 points for a more

democratic and peaceful world, including self-

determination and a League of Nations.

The Paris Peace Conference

The Paris Peace Conference at Versailles moved away

from Wilson’s program and made Germany accept war

guilt and pay a huge reparation.

Wilson did achieve self-determination of some borders and

a League of Nations.

The Paris Peace Conference (cont'd)

Treaty of Versailles

The treaty ending World War I and creating the League of Nations.

League of Nations

International organization created by the Versailles Treaty after World

War I to ensure world stability.

MAP 23–3 Europe and the Middle East after the

Treaty of Versailles

Waging Peace at Home

Waging Peace at Home

Most Americans favored the Versailles Treaty but some

Republicans opposed it.

Irreconcilables opposed participation in the League and

favored restoring civil liberty and reforms at home.

Reservationists wanted changes in the Treaty.

Waging Peace at Home (cont'd)

Wilson undertook a nationwide tour to drum up support for

the treaty but suffered a stroke.

Unable to get the treaty provisions he desired, Wilson

asked Democrats to defeat the treaty as amended by the

reservationists.

Waging Peace at Home (cont'd)

Irreconcilables

Group of U.S. senators adamantly opposed to ratification of the Treaty

of Versailles after World War I.

Reservationists

Group of U.S. senators favoring approval of the Treaty of Versailles, the

peace agreement after World War I, after amending it to incorporate

their reservations.

Economic Readjustment and Social Conflict

A severe influenza epidemic killed 700,000 Americans and

a chaotic reconversion to peace conditions created

unemployment and inflation.

Women lost their wartime jobs as men returned. African

Americans had hoped support for the war would improve

their situation but race riots dashed these hopes.

Economic Readjustment and Social Conflict (cont'd)

Strikes swept through many industries leading employers to

employ violence, hire strike breakers, and brand the

strikers as radicals.

The Red Scare

The strikes contributed to anti-Bolshevik hysteria that

culminated in the Red Scare of 1919.

The government led a campaign of repression, including

raids on groups suspected of radical activities that led to

the rounding up of 4,000 people in 33 cities.

The Red Scare (cont’d)

Support for the Red Scare withered in the face of excesses

and illegal acts.

Red Scare

Post-World War I public hysteria over Bolshevik influence in the United

States directed against labor activists, radical dissenters, and some

ethnic groups.

The Election of 1920

Wilson believed the election of 1920 was a referendum on

the League.

The Republican nominee Warren G. Harding won the

election by promising a return to normalcy.

Conclusion

Conclusion

Participation in World War I changed the American

government, economy, and society.

Many of the changes had been building in the prewar years

such as centralization of the economy, woman suffrage,

and prohibition.

Conclusion (cont'd)

The suppression of civil rights and repression of radicals

and minorities betrayed progressive principles.