Module 7 Lessons 1 - 4

What did the war cost in terms of the number of . . . refugees?

10 million became refugees

Nationalism

A devotion to the interests and culture of one's nation

Committee on Public Information (CPI)

A government agency established during World War I that used communication to influence people's thoughts and actions.

Propaganda

A kind of biased communication designed to influence people's thoughts and actions

Conscientious Objector

A person who believes fighting is wrong and therefore does not want to serve in the military

Sussex Pledge

A promise by the Germans not to sink vessels without warning

What did the war cost in terms of the number of . . . military deaths?

About 11 million military deaths

What did the war cost in terms of the number of . . . injuries?

About 20 million people had been injured.

Balance of power

Act of giving two different sides equal strength or power

What circumstance at this time would eventually lead many Germans to support Adolf Hitler?

Adolf Hitler exploited Germans' discontent with the Treaty of Versailles and threatened to fight again.

War Industries Board

Agency to improve efficiency in war-related industries

How did American troops help end the war?

American soldiers arrived in Europe just in time to stop a German advance on Paris and other French cities.

Alvin York

American war hero

How did women's roles change during the war?

American women played new roles during the war. They did jobs that had previously been done only by men. They worked as railroad workers, cooks, dockworkers, and bricklayers. Women volunteered in the Red Cross and sold war bonds.

What were three things that influenced Americans' feelings about the war?

Americans tended to sympathize with Britain and France. They shared a common language and heritage with Britain. They were horrified at Britain's claims of German brutality. And they had strong economic ties with the Allies. American business found it hard to remain neutral. After all, trade with Britain and France had long been stronger than trade with Germany. During the war, the Allies began to order more and more military supplies from American businesses. Some businesses tried to remain neutral by shipping goods to Germany as well, but this proved risky. The British navy often stopped such shipments. Also, many Americans voiced concern about German brutalities and warned that a German victory would be a threat to democracy.

League of Nations

An international peacekeeping organization proposed by Wilson and founded in 1920

What did the following nations do to encourage U.S. participation in the war? Britain

British agents intercepted the Zimmermann note, a telegram that proposed an alliance between Germany and Mexico against the United States.

Lusitania

British passenger ship attacked and sunk by Germans

David Lloyd George

British prime minister

Militarism

Building up armed forces to prepare for war

What did the following nations do to encourage U.S. participation in the war? Russia

Change in government led Russia to remove itself from the conflict. With Russia out, Americans considered the war a struggle of democracies against brutal monarchies.

How did the Espionage and Sedition Acts contradict the First Amendment?

Congress passed the Espionage and Sedition Acts to punish people who did not support the war effort. People could not interfere with the draft or obstruct the sale of war bonds. They could not even speak against the war effort. These laws violated the spirit of the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech. The laws led to more than 2,000 prosecutions and about 1,000 convictions for antiwar activities.

How did the United States get ready for war?

Congress passed the Selective Service Act. It required men to register with the government so that some of them could be selected for military service. This process—called the draft—put about 3 million men in uniform.

Henry Cabot Lodge

Conservative senator who wanted to keep the United States out of the League of Nations

What were the functions or results of the following wartime agencies and laws? Railroad Administration

Controlled the nation's railroads.

What were the functions or results of the following wartime agencies and laws? Fuel Administration

Controlled the nation's railroads. Introduced the idea of daylight-saving time. This innovation provided a way to make best use of the longer days of summer.

How did the following help to ignite the war in Europe? Imperialism

Countries tried to increase their power and influence around the world. This led to competition among them in the contest for colonies under their control. These colonies would provide them both with raw materials and markets for selling manufactured goods.

What did the war cost in terms of the number of . . . civilian deaths?

Deaths numbered more than 22 million, about half of them were civilians.

Why did Henry Cabot Lodge object to the treaty?

Did not like the idea of working with other countries to take economic and military action against aggression. They wanted the treaty to include the constitutional right of Congress to declare war.

What were the functions or results of the following wartime agencies and laws? Food Administration

Established to help produce and conserve food supplies. This agency called on Americans to limit the amount of food they consumed.

Eddie Rickenbacker

Famous American fighter pilot

Trench Warfare

Fighting between fortified ditches

Georges Clemenceau

French premier

What did the following nations do to encourage U.S. participation in the war? Germany

Germany announced it would sink all ships in British waters on sight whether they were hostile or neutral.

Convoy System

Having merchant ships travel in groups protected by warships.

George Creel

Head of the Committee on Public Information

What were the functions or results of the following wartime agencies and laws? War Industries Board

Helped boost industrial production by 20 percent. It did this by encouraging companies to use mass-production techniques to increase productivity. It also encouraged companies to standardize products as a way to eliminate waste. In addition, it set production quotas and allocated raw materials, or decided how they would be used.

What changes did the war bring about for the following groups of Americans? Immigrants

Immigrants from Germany were often targeted for attack. Americans with German-sounding names lost their jobs. Orchestras refused to play German music. Some towns with German names changed them. Some Americans even committed physical violence against German-Americans.

What were the long-term results of the war?

In Europe, the war left a legacy of massive destruction, loss of life, political instability, and violence. Communists ruled in Russia, and soon after the war, Fascist organizations seized power in Italy. Americans hoped that the war had convinced the world to never fight again. But in Europe, the war settled nothing. In Germany, Adolf Hitler exploited Germans' discontent with the Treaty of Versailles and threatened to fight again. Hitler was true to his predictions; America did have to fight again years later in a second world war.

Selective Service Act

Law requiring men to register for military service

Espionage and Sedition Acts

Laws that enacted harsh penalties against anyone opposing U.S. participation in World War I

Bernard M. Baruch

Leader of the War Industries Board

How did the following help to ignite the war in Europe? Nationalism

Led to competition and hard feelings. It also made ethnic groups want to gain independence for their nations.

Why did the following groups of Americans tend to oppose U.S. participation in the war? Naturalized citizens

Many naturalized citizens urged the United States to stay neutral and formed organizations to help the causes of their homelands.

Zimmermann Note

Message proposing an alliance between Germany and Mexico

How did the following help to ignite the war in Europe? Militarism

Militarism meant building up armed forces. For example, Germany tried to build up its navy to match the strength of Britain's. Both nations then competed to build the most battleships. Militarism also meant using armed forces as tools for negotiating with other countries.

Great Migration

Movement of many African Americans to northern cities from the South in the early 1900s

Name two causes of World War I.

Nationalism — The belief that the interests of a single country are more important than cooperation among countries. This led to competition and hard feelings. It also made ethnic groups want to gain independence for their nations. Militarism meant building up armed forces. Militarism also meant using armed forces as tools for negotiating with other countries.

What new weapons of mechanized warfare threatened those in combat?

New weapons played a decisive role in the war. The two most innovative weapons were the tank and the airplane. Air warfare developed rapidly during the war. Pilots went from shooting at each other with pistols to using mounted machine guns.

Allies

One side in World War I: Britain, France, and Russia, later joined by the United States

Central powers

One side in World War I: Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire

Why did the following groups of Americans tend to oppose U.S. participation in the war? Pacifists

Pacifists believed that all wars were bad. They urged the United States to set an example for peace.

War-Guilt Clause

Part of the Treaty of Versailles in which Germany took responsibility for the war

Reparations

Payments made by defeated countries after a war

What were the functions or results of the following wartime agencies and laws? Espionage and Sedition Acts

Punish people who did not support the war effort. People could not interfere with the draft or obstruct the sale of war bonds. They could not even speak against the war effort.

How did women serve in World War I?

Served as nurses, secretaries, and telephone operators.

Why did the following groups of Americans tend to oppose U.S. participation in the war? Socialists

Socialists saw the war as an imperialist struggle between German and English businessmen.

How did the following help to ignite the war in Europe? Alliances

Some countries in Europe had made treaties promising to defend each other. These mutual-defense treaties placed European countries in two main groups. The Allies were made up of France, Britain, and Russia. The Central powers were made up of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire.

Treaty of Versailles

The 1919 treaty that ended World War I

How did the U.S. Navy help win the war?

The Allied forces were tired and eager for help in fighting the war. They welcomed the American troops and much-needed supplies.

How did the United States build its naval force?

The United States built new ships to do this. Shipyard workers were exempted from the draft. Prefabrication techniques were used to speed the production of ships.

How did the United States help the Allies?

The United States helped create a barrier of mines across the North Sea to stop U-boats. American soldiers helped turn the tide of battle in Europe. The Allies had experienced many casualties and were running out of men. Thousands of fresh American soldiers were full of energy and enthusiasm.

How did the United States raise an army?

The United States passed the Selective Service Act. It required men to register with the government so that some of them could be selected for military service. This process called the draft put about 3 million men in uniform.

Why did the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand lead to fighting?

The alliance system pulled one nation after another into the conflict. If a nation had sworn to protect another, it had to declare war on that nation's enemies.

John J. Pershing

The commander of the American Expeditionary Force

How did Wilson control the economy?

The economy had to change from making consumer goods to making weapons and war supplies. Congress gave President Wilson direct control over much of the economy. He had the power to fix prices and to regulate war-related industries.

What did Wilson's first five points address?

The first five points suggested ways that wars could be avoided. They stated that (1) countries should not make secret treaties with one another, (2) freedom of the seas should be maintained, (3) tariffs should be lowered or ended to promote free trade, (4) countries should reduce their arms, and (5) the interests of the colonial people should be considered.

Name the three weaknesses of the treaty.

The first was its harsh treatment of Germany. Germany was humiliated. Germany was not the only country that had also been militaristic, yet Germany alone was punished. And Germany would not be able to pay the huge reparations. Germany had lost all its colonies in the Pacific, so they could not make use of their resources. This eliminated one way to help pay Germany's steep reparation bill. The second weakness was that the Soviet Union (formerly Russia) lost more territory than Germany did. Russia had been one of the Allies and had suffered more casualties than any other country. The Soviet Union was determined to get its territories back. The third weakness concerned colonies. The treaty did not recognize the claims of colonies for self-determination. One example was Vietnam in Southeast Asia. The Vietnamese people wanted to gain political rights.

American Expeditionary Force

The name given to the American military force that fought in World War I

Self-determination

The right of people to choose their own political status

"No Man's Land"

The space between armies fighting each other

What were the estimated economic costs?

The total economic costs of the war were about $338 million.

What terms of the treaty specifically affected Germany?

The treaty took away Germany's army. It required Germany to return the region of Alsace-Lorraine to France. It also forced Germany to pay reparations, or war damages, to the winners. These payments amounted to $33 billion. In addition, the treaty contained a war-guilt clause. Germany had to admit that it was responsible for causing the war.

In what ways did the war affect American citizens?

The war affected American shipping. Britain set up a blockade along the German coast to keep goods from getting through. American ships would not challenge Britain's blockade. German U-boats attacked ships from all nations. A U-boat sank the British ship Lusitania, killing more than 1,000 people, including 128 Americans. Later, the Germans agreed in the Sussex pledge not to sink merchant ships without warning.

What changes did the war bring about for the following groups of Americans? African Americans

The war sped up the Great Migration. This was the movement of thousands of African Americans from the rural South to cities of the North. They wanted to escape racial discrimination. They also wanted to find jobs in northern industries.

What changes did the war bring about for the following groups of Americans? Women

They did jobs that had previously been done only by men. They worked as railroad workers, cooks, dockworkers, and bricklayers. Women volunteered in the Red Cross and sold war bonds. Women's activities made them more visible. They were not paid the same as men.

What were Wilson's points?

They stated that (1) countries should not make secret treaties with one another, (2) freedom of the seas should be maintained, (3) tariffs should be lowered or ended to promote free trade, (4) countries should reduce their arms, and (5) the interests of the colonial people should be considered. The next eight points suggested new national boundaries. Wilson believed in self-determination: different ethnic groups should be able to decide for themselves what nation they would belong to. The 14th point called for a League of Nations.

How did the following help to ignite the war in Europe? Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand

This touched off an action to punish the Serbs. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. The alliance system pulled one nation after another into the conflict.

What are the three incidents that led the United States to declare war?

Three incidents brought the United States into the war. First, in January 1917 Germany announced it would sink all ships in British waters on sight whether they were hostile or neutral. Second, British agents intercepted the Zimmermann note, a telegram that proposed an alliance between Germany and Mexico against the United States. Third, a change in government led Russia to remove itself from the conflict. With Russia out, Americans considered the war a struggle of democracies against brutal monarchies. On April 6, 1917, at President Wilson's request, Congress declared war on Germany.

What were the functions or results of the following wartime agencies and laws? Committee on Public Information

To popularize the war, the government created the Committee on Public Information (CPI). It was the nation's first propaganda agency. He also recruited about 75,000 men to act as "Four-Minute Men." Their job was to talk about the war effort. Topics included the draft, rationing, bond drives, and victory gardens. The government did whatever it could to gain support for the war.

Armistice

Truce agreement

How did Wilson help bring about the Senate's rejection of the treaty?

Wilson refused to compromise on the league. He believed that the league would allow nations a place to discuss disagreements and to reconcile them. He saw the league as a pathway to peace. Therefore, he would not accept amendments to the Treaty of Versailles that were proposed by Republican leaders. The Republican majority of Senate had felt left out when Wilson had not included many Republicans as representatives of the American delegation in Versailles. Wilson's unwillingness to compromise about the League of Nations dismayed them even more.

Fourteen Points

Wilson's plan for world peace following World War I

What were the functions or results of the following wartime agencies and laws? National War Labor Board

Worked to settle disputes between management and labor. It also helped to improve working conditions.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Young heir whose assassination triggered World War I

How did the U.S. government pay for the war?

increasing or adding several kinds of taxes. Taxes paid during the war included a progressive income tax and war-profits tax. Another way the government raised money was by selling war bonds. Thousands of volunteers sold the bonds. Famous people spoke at rallies to promote the sales. Newspapers and billboards carried advertisements free of charge.