World War I

American
Studies L
Mrs. Strief

Name__________________
Introduction

Germany and Britain were at war the day the passenger ship Lusitania left New York. It
carried 1,200 people bound for England. They dined and danced on the luxury ship. On May 7,
1915, a German torpedo sank it off the coast of Ireland. Everyone aboard, including 128
Americans, died. President Wilson protested. Germany said the ship carried arms. Germany
also had warned travelers not to sail in the war area. Europe’s war was now America’s war too.

Wilson’s Foreign Policy

President Wilson believed in self-determination. This was the right of all people to
choose their form of government. He believed that outsiders should not interfere in another
country’s affairs.
 1. What was self-determination?

Origins of World War I

Austria-Hungary ruled a large part of the Balkans in southeastern Europe. Many ethnic
groups there struggled for independence. A Serbian who supported Balkan independence killed
Archduke Ferdinand, the ruler of Austria-Hungary. This action started World War I.
In 1914 many countries were squabbling over control of territories. Germany’s strong
army and navy also worried neighboring countries. Many European countries formed alliances,
or unions, for security. Members promised to help each other in case of war. The Triple Entente
was Britain, France, and Russia. They were also called Allied Powers, or Allies. Opposing them
were the Central Powers-Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire. These alliances
could turn an incident into a war, as allies rushed to each other’s aid. The assassination of the
Archduke led the Central Powers to strike back. On July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war
on Serbia.
Soon all of Europe was at war. Germany troops stormed through Belgium to attack
France. Britain supported Belgium’s neutrality, or decision not to take sides. As a result of the
invasion of Belgium, Britain declared war on Germany. Italy entered the war in 1915 on the side
of the Allies.
The Eastern Front or battle line was in Russia and Germany. The Western Front was in
Belgium and France. The French and Germans were deadlocked on the Western Front in 1914.
The Central Powers rapidly pushed back the unprepared Russian army on the Eastern Front.
More people died in World War I than in any earlier war. The French and Germans lost
hundreds of thousands in the Battle of Verdun. Britain lost 60,000 in one day in the Battle of the
Somme. At battle’s end, the deaths numbered over 1 million. For this price, the Allies moved
forward only 7 miles.
Rushing foot soldiers were no match for machine guns.
Neither side could make much progress. Both sides
developed new weapons to try to break the deadlock. The
Germans first used poison gas that suffocated enemy
soldiers. Gas masks became necessary equipment.
Flamethrowers shot burning fuel. Tanks rolled over barbed
wire and trenches.
At first airplanes served mainly to watch the enemy on
the ground. Then Germany designed a machine gun timed
to shoot between the plane’s propeller blades. This
invention led to the dogfight, or fight between enemy aircraft.
In 1917 a revolution in Russia overthrew the
czar, or leader or Russia. The leader was Vladimir I.
Lenin took his place. Lenin made peace with
Germany. The fighting on the Eastern Front ended.
The Germans could then focus on the British and
French on the Western Front. The Allies’ only hope
was for the United States to enter the war.
Soldiers on the Western Front spent most of
their time in trenches. Only barbed wire and about
30 yards of dirt lay between enemy trenches. In the
trenches, soldiers fought mud, rats, cold, and
disease.

1. Who killed Austria-Hungary’s ruler Archduke Ferdinand? Why?

 2. Why did European countries form alliances?

3. Who belonged to the Allied Powers?

4. Who belonged to the Central Powers?

5. What happened on July 28, 1914?

6. What happened to the neutral country of Belgium?

7. Where was the Eastern Front?

8. Where was the Western Front?

9. What were some new weapons used?

10.What is a dogfight?

11.When and why did the fighting on the Eastern front end?

Struggle for Neutrality

Woodrow Wilson wanted to keep the United States out of the war.
Many Americans, however, had recently emigrated, or moved away, from
countries in Europe to settle in the United States. They felt ties to their home
countries. Still, most preferred to stay out of the killing overseas. Publicly
the United States did not take sides.
Feelings leaned toward the Allies,
however.
The Germans developed a new
weapon, the submarine, or U-boat.
These boats could surprise ships that
were bringing supplies to Britain.
The Germans knew that the Lusitania, a passenger ship,
secretly carried arms. The warned the United States
that they might attack the ship. Still, Wilson felt that
ships of a neutral country should be able to travel freely.
The sinking of the Lusitania enraged Americans against
Germany.
Wilson won reelection in 1916. Many voted for him because he kept them out of the war.
Wilson knew, though, that the country was getting closer to war. He felt a moral commitment to
the Allies. He also wanted to help create a peace that would keep war from ever happening
again.
 Several events led the United States to enter the war. One was a German offer to give
Mexico part of the United States if Mexico fought with Germany. A British official got a copy of
this telegram and told the United States. Another event was Germany’s announcement that it
would attack any country’s ships in the war zone. The Germans sank one American supply ship
after another. The United States declared war on April 2, 1917.

1. Whose side did American choose (even though they never publicly picked a side)?

2. What was the Lusitania and why is it important?

3. Why did many people vote for Wilson in the election of 1916?

4. What were some events that lead the United States to finally join the war?

Mobilization
Mobilization is preparation for war by citizens and businesses as well as the military.
Everyone had to support the war effort. To raise money for the war, Wilson raised taxes and
organized the sale of liberty bonds. He started conscription, or required military service, also
called the draft. Men 21 to 30 had to register for the draft. Later the draft ages became 18 to
45. A drawing determined who actually went into the military.
Many progressives agreed with the draft. They felt that it would help bring equality.
Young men from all classes and ethnic groups would fight side by side. They would then learn to
live together as brothers.
The military did not bring equality for African Americans. They were segregated. More
than 600 African Americans graduated from officer training school. The military, however, did
not give them high rank. Whites commanded African Americans troops. African Americans
found more acceptances among white French troops than at home.

1. How did Americans mobilize for the war?

2. How did the military bring equality for some, but not for others?

Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of information designed to mold public opinion. The government
used propaganda to get citizens, business, and labor behind the war
effort. The government appealed to patriotism to sell Liberty Bonds.
Slogans urged women not to waste food. Flyers, movies, speeches, and
posters used emotion and peer pressure to gather support for the war.
The troops needed food. Americans at home had to conserve, so that
crops could be shipped overseas. Women and children ran the farms
while men fought.
Business did their part for the war effort. Big business joined with
government to coordinate the purchase of war supplies. The huge need
for war supplies increased profits for businesses of all sizes.
Labor unions were divided over whether or not to support the war.
Samuel Gompers, head of the American Federation of Labor, helped get
labor behind the war effort. By cooperating with the government, Gompers believed he could
win better pay and conditions for his union members.
The government passed laws to unite everyone behind the war effort. The Espionage Act
and the Sedition Amendment outlawed any act that hindered the war effort. These laws limited
the right to speak against the war. Loyalty Leagues encouraged Americans to report anyone
who might be “disloyal.”
This atmosphere led to harassment. Socialist were jailed for speaking against the war.
German Americans were subject to hate crimes. Some Americans spoke out against the laws
that limited free speech. Groups formed to protect the rights of antiwar protesters. The Civil
Liberties Union helped people who were abused for their belief that was is wrong.

1. What were some forms of propaganda used to get people behind the war effort?

2. What were the roles of women and children?

3. Why did Samuel Gompers want to cooperate with the Government?

4. What were two laws passed that united everyone behind the war effort?

5. What was the Civil Liberties Union?

Fighting Over There

General John J. Pershing commanded the first American troops in
Europe. They arrived in France in June 1917. The Doughboys, as the
foot soldiers were called, had courage but lacked training. They were
not prepared for war.
They American Expeditionary Force (A.E.F.) filled the gap left by
the huge losses the Allies had suffered. More than 2 million American
soldiers went to France. Most arrived in July 1918. Nearly 1.4 million of
them took part in active combat.
Beginning in March 1918, the Germans began a series of attacks
on the Western Front. The turning point of the war was at the Second
Battle of the Marne in July. American troops helped stop the German
push. After that, the Allies advanced steadily. The last major battle took
place between the Meuse River and Argonne Forrest in September 1918.
More than 1 million Americans took part. Germany surrendered on
November 11, 1918, ending World War I.
Americans had fought just over a year. They did not suffer nearly
as much as the Europeans who had battled much longer. Some
American soldiers thought of the “Great War” as an adventure. Others saw the death and
destruction.

1. Who were doughboys?

2. What was the American Expeditionary Force?

3. When did the war end?