Chapter 22: America and the Great War, 1914-1920

The German decision on January 31, 1917 to sink all non-German ships in the Atlantic ultimately resulted in the United States joining World War I.

TRUE

How did the Bolshevik Revolution affect the war?

The Bolsheviks ended Russia's fighting in World War I, eliminating the fighting on the Eastern Front.

Identify some of the factors that contributed to the Red Summer of 1919.

-The Great Migration of African Americans out of the South into northern urban areas led to heightened racial tension in many cities. -Workers belonging to unions felt that African Americans were threatening their jobs. -Many Americans associated African American civil rights activists with communism and anarchism.

President Wilson said, "It is not the army we must train and shape for war, it is a nation." What does this quotation illustrate about America's readiness for war?

Americans needed to prepare to make sacrifices on the home front as industries were converted to meet the supply needs of the armed forces.

Identify some of the problems that the United States faced domestically following the end of World War I

-American workers began striking in far greater numbers. -Racial tensions increased and resulted in race riots as more and more African Americans moved out of the South. -Americans developed an overwhelming fear of communism.

Put in chronological order the following German actions that pushed the United States to join the war.

-German U-boats sink the Lusitania. -German U-boats sink the Arabic. -The Germans agree to the Sussex Pledge. -The Germans announce a policy shift: they would renew unrestricted submarine warfare in the Atlantic Ocean. -The British intercept the Zimmermann telegram and learn of a German conspiracy. -German U-boats sink five American ships in the Atlantic Ocean.

What were the consequences of the war at home and abroad? Put the following post-World War I events in chronological order.

-Postal workers intercept nearly forty mail bombs addressed to government officials. -A bomb damages U.S. Attorney General Palmer's house. -J. Edgar Hoover is appointed to head a government agency tasked with gathering information on radical groups, such as anarchists and socialists. -Federal agents round up more than 5,000 suspected radicals and deport some to Russia.

Identify the criticisms levied against Wilson's League of Nations proposal.

-Some critics believed that the goals set forth in the League of Nations proposal were far too idealistic to be accomplished. -Some critics argued that it would reignite German militarist nationalism. -Some critics argued that it would put limits on American sovereignty.

What does it reveal about the fear of espionage during World War I?

-The "enemy" was often difficult to detect and blended in with other Americans. -Anyone could inadvertently share information that an enemy could use against America.

In December 1917, seven months after the United States declared war on Germany, French premier Georges Clemenceau told an American journalist, "A terrible blow is imminent. Tell your Americans to come quickly." What was Clemenceau's concern?

-The Bolsheviks' seizure of power meant that Russia would no longer play a role in the war, and the Germans would soon launch a massive offensive along the Western Front. -Though America had entered the war, the time and effort spent enlisting, training, and organizing its troops meant that it had made little contribution to the fighting along the Western Front at this time.

In what ways did the entry of the United States into World War I contribute to the defeat of the Central Powers?

-The mobilization of 650,000 U.S. troops helped French troops halt and turn back the Germans in the Battle of Belleau Wood in 1918. -The 1.2 million U.S. soldiers deployed during the largest Allied offensive critically turned the tide of the war in favor of the Allied Powers.

Identify how the First World War shaped postwar events on the international stage.

-The resolution to the war, and particularly the terms of peace, left Germany wanting revenge. -The war accelerated the triumph of the Bolshevik Revolution.

What were some of the characteristics of World War I that made it the first industrial war?

-The weaponry was technologically sophisticated. -The intensity of the war caused massive casualties on a scale never seen before.

Identify the overarching issues addressed in President Wilson's Fourteen Points.

-They addressed territorial claims after World War I. -They called for the elimination of trade barriers and the ability for countries to trade during war time. -They addressed how countries should conduct diplomacy.

German general Erich Ludendorff said that "America became the decisive power in the war." Place the following events in chronological order to explain the importance of American troops to the defeat of Germany.

-Tsar Nicholas II abdicates the Russian monarchy. -Lenin signs the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. -The return of German troops from the Eastern Front strengthens the Western Front for a final campaign against France and Belgium. -Over 1 million Americans take part in an Allied offensive to repel the German advance into France. -The Allied offensive forces German leaders to ask for peace based on Wilson's Fourteen Points.

Identify the positions President Wilson held, and ultimately conceded, during and following the Paris Peace Conference.

-Wilson ultimately relented to French demands for German territorial concessions. -Wilson had to forgo his desire to see all ethnic groups experience a degree of self-determination.

Identify how the war mobilization efforts affected Latinos and African Americans.

-World War I provided considerable economic opportunities for both communities. -Many African Americans were drafted into the army and hundreds of thousands migrated north from the South in what became known as the Great Migration. -Latinos working as farmworkers in the United States prior to the war were able to gain employment in the industrial sectors because of the economic expansion caused by the war.

Communists were few in number in the United States during the immediate aftermath of the First World War, roughly __1__. Most Americans believed that there were many more fomenting a Communist revolution based on the __2__ of a few radical militants. Additionally, a number of __3__ were sent to __4__, which helped fuel the anti-Communist hysteria. This fear motivated the roundup that occurred during the __5__.

1 70,000 2 violent acts 3 mail bombs 4 politicians 5 red scare

How did Wilson promote his plans for a peaceful world order as outlined in his Fourteen Points? Put the following postwar events in chronological order.

1 Democrats lose control of both houses of Congress. 2 Peace talks begin in Paris. 3 The Treaty of Versailles is signed. 4 President Wilson begins a transcontinental speaking tour to bolster public support for the League of Nations.

Although one early commentator wrote in the Literary Digest, "Our isolated position and freedom from entangling alliances [ensure that] we are in no peril of being drawn into the European quarrel," America would ultimately be drawn into the conflict. Put in chronological order the following events that contributed to the United States joining the First World War.

1 World War I begins with a German declaration of war. 2 President Wilson allows American banks to loan money to the governments of nations at war. 3 The sinking of the Lusitania outrages the American public and leaders. 4 Germany resumes unrestricted submarine warfare in the Atlantic. 5 The American public reacted angrily to the Zimmermann telegram.

In the aftermath of World War I, President Wilson was able to __1__ over the Paris Peace Conference because of the role that the United States played in the victory of the Allied Powers. The government that was most effective in opposing President Wilson's vision of a postwar world was __2__. The __3__ process was constantly obstructed in the __4__. As a result, President Wilson embarked on a __5__ to sway the American people to support the ratification of the Treaty of Versailles. In the end, the Senate __6__ the treaty.

1 assert his unfluence 2 his own 3 ratification 4 U.S. senate 5 transcontinental speaking tour 6 rejected

To mobilize the American economy and society to fight World War I, the __1__ created numerous new agencies and laws. The __2__ organized industrial production, while the __3__ focused on increasing __4__ production and limiting civilian consumption. The Espionage Act made it a crime to __5__ or disrupt the war, while the __6__, as mandated by __7__, made it a crime to criticize the government. Several people were convicted of violating these laws, which the __8__ held to be permissible.

1 federal government 2 war industries board 3 food administration 4 agricultural 5 criticize 6 sedition act 7 congress 8 supreme court

Complete the passage below describing the ramifications of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with __1__ support, attempted to exercise control over Serbian internal affairs. In response, __2__ forces mobilized in defense of Serbia. This initial military mobilization activated both major European military alliances: the __3__ composed of Italy, Germany, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire; and the opposing __4__ were made up of Great Britain, Russia, and France. It was the German __5__ that, at that time, began the bloodiest war in human history.

1 german 2 russian 3 central powers 4 allied powers 5 declaration of war

Following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with __1__ support, attempted to exercise control over Serbian internal affairs. In response, __2__ forces mobilized in defense of Serbia. This initial military mobilization activated both major European military alliances: the __3__ composed of Italy, Germany, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire; and the opposing __4__ were made up of Great Britain, Russia, and France. It was the German __5__ that, at that time, began the bloodiest war in human history.

1 german 2 russian 3 central powers 4 allied powers 5 declared of war

When the United States declared war on Germany, the U.S. Army was __1__ for battle. The size of the existing army was __2__ compared with those of the Central Powers and Allied Powers; further, American troops were armed with __3__ weaponry. The federal government's authority __4__ in order to expedite the American entry into World War I. Millions of troops between the ages of twenty-one and thirty __5__ to fight in World War I.

1 unprepared 2 grossly inadequate 3 inferior 4 grew 5 were drafted

What was the content of the Zimmermann telegram, and why was it so significant in bringing the United States into World War I?

A German official contacted the Mexican government and encouraged Mexico to invade the United States, which pushed the United States toward joining the war.

During the period when the United States remained neutral, it treated both the Allied Powers and the Central Powers equally.

FALSE

In the decision of Schenck v. United States (1919), the Supreme Court overturned the conviction of Charles T. Schenck for distributing leaflets that contained anti-war material, on the basis that the Espionage and Sedition Acts violated Schenck's First Amendment right to free speech.

FALSE

President Wilson's populist transcontinental speaking tour caused enough voters to put pressure on their senators to get the Treaty of Versailles ratified.

FALSE

The majority of the American troops who died during World War I died in combat.

FALSE

Identify how the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment changed the political landscape of the United States.

It immediately reshaped the electoral landscape, as women accounted for 40 percent of the electorate in the presidential election of 1920.

How were Wilson's Fourteen Points received by heads of state of European nations at the Paris Peace Conference?

They rebuked Wilson's idealism as unrealistic and resented his efforts to model the peace settlement on American values.

How did President Wilson respond to the request from African American civil rights leaders for the inclusion of a fifteenth point in Wilson's Fourteen Points that promised an end to racial discrimination?

Wilson did not respond to their request.

What were some of the issues that impeded the implementation of President Wilson's ideal peace plan?

Wilson opposed Republicans in Congress who supported him during the war. -At the end of the war, Wilson left the United States for six months to attend the peace talks. -In a partisan political move, Wilson refused to appoint Senator Henry Cabot Lodge to the American peace talks delegation. -Wilson's Fourteen Points were considered to be too idealistic for European leaders, who would not support them without reservations.

Shortly after the United States declared war on Germany, millions of young working-age men were removed from the labor force as a result of the draft. How did this change impact women's roles in the job market?

Women increasingly took industrial jobs as the men who would traditionally fill those positions were away fighting the war.

What aspect of American neutrality during the first years of World War I does this cartoon criticize?

the Wilson administration's policy of strict neutrality, while not limiting U.S. banks from loaning money to nations at war to buy weapons, food, and other supplies from the United States

A British army chaplain declared World War I to be a "Waste of Muscle, Waste of Brain, Waste of Patience, Waste of Pain ... Waste of Glory, Waste of God." What unique aspects of World War I does this quotation address?

the brutal nature of industrial warfare and the massive casualties it inflicted on combatants

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was part of which of the following larger conflicts that led to the outbreak of World War I?

the conflict between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Serbia