WWI
What were the major ideas contained in the 14 Points?
-Peace agreements should be universal, no nation should make its own separate roles (no more secret agreements/alliances) -Freedom to navigate the oceans may be limited to enforce treaties -All sovereign nations should open their borders and allow trade with all other countries -Nations' armies and weaponry must be reduced to only what is necessary for domestic security -The population of colonial lands have an equal say in the government of the power controlling them (working on decolonization-->Ending imperialism) -Belgium should be independent like it was before the war -France should be fully liberated and allowed to recover Alsace-Lorraine -League of Nations must be set up to guarantee the political and territorial independence of all states
War Industries Board
Agency created by Woodrow Wilson during WW1 to oversee the production and distribution of goods manufactured by nations war industries.
Who were the members of each alliance (Allies and Central Powers) during the war?
Allies: France, Britain, Italy, Russia, Central: Germany, Austria Hungary, Ottoman Empire
What made the WWI era a time of terror for many Americans? How were German immigrants treated during the war years?
Americans sought out on a witch hunt mostly for German immigrants but also anyone who was remotely unpatriotic. German immigrants were treated horribly throughout these years. They were lynched, feathered and tarred (Example: Robert Praeger). And convicted of many crimes they may have not committed.
Zimmerman Telegram
Arthur Zimmerman, the German foreign secretary sent a telegram to the German minister in Mexico promising to get Mexico the territory it lost in Texas, NM, and AZ if it would aid Germany in fighting in the US (immediate trigger of the US involvement in the war)
Robert Lansing
Became Secretary of State during the First World War after the pacifist Bryan resigned in protest of America's non-neutrality neutrality. He helped negotiate the Lansing-Ishii treaty with Japan.
W.E.B Dubois/WWI
DuBois urged blacks to support the war, despite arguments that the government should address the atrocities in the south before getting involved in foreign affairs. He thought that the experience blacks and whites would share in the war would cause "the walls of prejudice to crumble"
What were the major features of the Espionage Act and the Sedition Act? What types of activities were illegal under these acts? How did they impact civil liberties during and after the war (be specific)?
Espionage Act provided imprisonment of up to 20 years or a fine up to $10,000 dollars for anyone who aided the enemy. It allowed postmaster to prohibit mail of any matter he thought advocated forcible resistance to U.S. laws. Sedition Act- Prohibited disloyal, profane, scurrilous and abusive remarks about the form of government, flag or uniform of U.S. Prohibited resistance to war bonds.
Eugene Debs & the Espionage Act
Eugene Debs was sentenced to 10 years in prison for violating the sedition act - giving a speech denouncing capitalism and the war, and defending free speech. Even in jail he still received 1 million votes for president as a socialist candidate
Lusitania
German U-Boat sunk the British luxury liner, the Lusitania, killing 1200 civilians including 128 Americans. Americans were confronted with the horror of total war and many of them wanted to go to war immediately
Why did the U.S. abandon its policy of neutrality to enter the war?
German U-boat sunk the Lusitania, also the Zimmerman telegram. The combination of these two things tipped US over the edge of neutrality joining the war with the Allies and against the Central powers. Russia also dropped out of the war
Robert Praeger
German immigrant. Seize by mob who dress him in American flag and then parade him through the streets. They lynch him. Wilson administration didn't condone domestic violence or murder. This fate happened to many people who were German Americans, radicals, pacifists and anyone who doubt war efforts.
sedition Act: montana
Illegal activities that would get people thrown into jail: Sedition Act made it a crime to say/publish anything disloyal about the government, soldiers or the American flag... -supporting Germany (illegal to speak german) -refusing to be drafted into the army -refusing to buy war bonds (considered pro-german if you didn't) The Anaconda Mining Company supported the Montana act because the mining company dominated the state economically, and viewed the law as a way to deal with labor unrest (many charged with sedition were immigrant laborers) The people who were accused of violating the Sedition Act ultimately got justice because the governor of Montana, urged by Clemens P. Work (author of "Darkest Before Dawn") and Jeffrey Renz (a law professor), pardoned the offenders
What were the major arguments made in Schenck v. United States? How did the Supreme Court's ruling in the case impact our First Amendment rights after World War I?
Imprisonment: -violated the Espionage Act by petitioning for repeal of the draft -trying to create chaos within the citizens, in a time where the country must come together -undermining war effort/government "Clear and Present Danger" in his actions during wartime Freedom: -Espionage Act is unconstitutional, Schenk should be given his first amendment rights of freedom of speech The Supreme Court ultimately ruled that Schenk was guilty The Schenk case affected first amendment rights in the years after WWI because the decision resulted in a "balancing test" where the Supreme Court assess free speech challenged against the state's interests on a case-by-case basis.
How did WWI start in Europe? What were major causes of the war?
M-Militarization A-Alliances N-Nationalism I-Imperialism A-Assassination C-Competition for European Territory Started in Europe due to the immediate cause of the assassination of Franz Ferdinand to start the conflict
What major arguments came out in the Senate debate over ratification of the Versailles Treaty? Why did the Senate object to article ten (Article X) of the Treaty in particular? How did Wilson respond to their arguments about Article X?
Many were worried that the Treaty was too vague, would obligate America to fight in wars we had no need to fight in and would give the Congress's power to declare war away.
Was the U.S. ever truly neutral in all senses of the word? Why or why not?
No, never completely neutral. Export and import trading for the US was much more important with the Allies than with the Central Powers. Some of Wilson's advisors openly supported the French and British. Also, many newspapers had close ethnic, cultural, and economic ties with the British and the French (their propaganda affected the US). Also many Americans had different backgrounds in Europe, so to begin with, many Americans favored the side that their homeland was on (initially separating the US and making the minds of American's not truly neutral).
"Clear and Present Danger"
Relating to the Espionage Act where the supreme court declared that Shenk was showing a "clear and present danger" towards the country/citizens, therefore his actions were not protected by the first amendment.
Franz Ferdinand
Serbian terrorists who hoped to gain independence for Bosnia, a part of Austria-Hungary, shot Archduke Franz Ferdinand of AH in hopes of causing the empire to crumble. AH leaders were determined to punish Serbia, and their ally, Germany wanted to help, which led to WWI
Oliver Wendell Holmes
Supreme Court Justice who upheld schenks conviction
How did the war end? What were the major provisions of the Treaty of Versailles?
The central powers were falling apart. Major provisions were that Germany had to give back Alsace- Loraine, they had to leave Belgium and restore its sovereignty, they had to pay reparations, they would lose their colonies, and they had to admit guilt for the start of the war.
League of Nations
The point (in 14 points) that Wilson valued most. It would be a general assembly of nations in which countries could pursue diplomatic strategies in order to avoid conflicts. It consisted of a council of the 5 great powers, elected delegates from smaller countries, and a World Court to settle disputes.
How did World War I affect African Americans?
The war opened up industrial employment for black men. 4 million men in war, flow of immigrants interrupted by war, so employers forced to higher black men. By 1920, more than 300,000 blacks joined the "Great Migration" to the North.
How did Committee on Public Information mobilize Americans in support of the war?
They used propaganda to mobilize Americans in support of the war, claiming it was patriotic.
What made WWI unlike any other war before it?
This was the First World War, also used many weapons never seen before. Many more people died in this war than ever before.
Unrestricted U-Boat Warfare
U-boats were German submarines, international law required belligerent war ships to warn merchant/passenger ships before attacking, but the U-boats didn't do this b/c they would be blown out of the water. Germany announced a marine blockade with U-boats of the British isles that would continue until the British gave up their campaign to starve the German people. Wilson warned that Germany would be held accountable for the loss of American ships/lives, but even so a U-boat sunk a British ship enroute to Africa killing 103 people (1 american) and the Lusitania
Neutrality
US tried to maintain neutrality in the war, and Wilson was re-elected in 1916 with the slogan "he kept us out of war" and the promise of maintaining neutrality. Though most Americans had always favored the allies, they wanted to avoid fighting until the Z telegram and the sinking of the Lusitania Robert Lansing
National Security League
Wanted a bigger army and navy. Universal military training. Prepared for war.
National War Labor Board
Wanted to extend rights of organized labor in order to create peace and keep war effort going. Gov. controlled.
Why did the U.S. remain neutral from 1914-1917?
Wanted to stay neutral/not involve themselves into European affairs (isolationist).
What potential problems existed with the Treaty? How did these flaws contribute to WWII?
all the blame on Germany, lead to later bitterness of Germnay in WWII
Herbert Hoover
appointed by Wilson as the head of the Food Administration
Anaconda Mining Co.
dominated Montana economy at the time of the sedition act and used the law to deal with labor unrest: many of those charged with sedition were labor workers
Albert Burleson
espionage act resign, scared many into silence (reactionary)
Robert Goldstein
filmmaker who was prosecuted under the espionage act for making a movie about American revolution that depicted Britain (now an ally) in a bad way.
William Jennings Bryan
first secretary of state under Wilson, was forced to resign because Wilson would've fired him due to the fact that he was completely opposed to war
Why did Britain and France demand that Germany accept responsibility for World War I? Why did Wilson go along with this change?
he American banks loaned so much money to Britain and France for the war effort and the U.S. wasn't going to wave the debts because that would sent our economy into a downward spiral because all the money was privately owned. Britain and France wanted someone to pay reparations so they blamed Germany.
Collective Security
idea in article X of the League of Nations covenant that was meant to ensure that countries would follow the provisions of the treaty. Idea that if country broke the treaty (with aggression) than the members of the league would take 3 steps to ensure security: 1. diplomacy, 2. economic sanctions and finally 3. war: to attack the aggressive nation
Russian Revolution
in 1917 in Russia, a revolution was taking place: Czar Nicholas II had abdicated and the radical Bolshevik (communist) leader Lenin had returned from exile in Switzerland and led the Bolsheviks to victory over the moderate Kerensky regime. When Lenin came to power he immediately signed a treaty that got Russia out of the war (treaty of Brest-Litovvsk) and freed up German troops to fight on the western front
Jeffrey Renz
law professor at the University of Montana who with his law students researched the law and petitioned the Montana government for pardons
General John Pershing
leader of the US forces in Europe, fought in the Spanish American war and was a West Point grad. He and US army other leaders worried about the lack of experience of their troops, and wanted to keep them separate from the British and French troops, but after the battle of St. Mihiel, he decided that keeping the forces separate was unnecessary
War Trade Board
license foreign trade and punished firms suspected of dealing with the enemy
Article X
outlined the idea of collective security and was the most controversial article in the League covenant because many people thought it would limit the US's sovereignty
Reparation
part of the Treaty of Versailles was that Germany had to admit complete guilt for the war, and because of this they were forced to pay $56 billion dollar in reparations (also had to give up a lot of its land and oil/coal rich territory). Britain and France were adamant about making Germany pay because they needed money to pay back their debt to America, but in the end, the debt created by the treaty would create many economic problems in Europe.
Describe the experience of African American soldiers during World War I:
segregation among the units, even though showed courage, were never seen as useful in the war
How did U.S. troops contribute to the Allied victory in World War I?
supplies, money
Food Administration
tried to create federal agencies to deal with war emergency, specifically food.
George Creel
was the head of the Committee for Public Intelligence, which started a national propaganda campaign to get people to support the war (esp. financially: he tried to get people to buy war bonds)
Henry Cabot Lodge
was the most powerful senator in the Senate in 1919, b/c he was the majority (Republican) leader. He hated all Democrats, especially Wilson. Though he had endorsed the idea of some type of peacekeeping organization, he objected to article X b/c he claimed it would force America to fight in the wars of foreigners.
Great Migration
when blacks moved from the South to the North for jobs and better treatment
Clemens P. Work
wrote a book called "Darkest Before the Dawn: Sedition and Free Speech in the American West" which chronicled times in Montana history when people were jailed for voicing their opinion about war. Because of this book, pardons were granted to the people who were convicted