Becoming a World Power - World War I

The First World War (WWI)
TB Connection
Pgs. 450-457
Boys and Girls! War savings Stamps Poster
by James Montgomery Flagg 1917-18

2
The First World War:
•War involving
nearly all the
nations of the
world
•1914-1918
What?
When?

3
Why did the war begin?
Long term -
1. Alliance system
2. Imperialist competition
3. Stockpiling of weapons
by countries
Short term –
Assassination of Franz
Ferdinand of the Austro-
Hungarian Empire
Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of
Austria and his Wife Sophie,
Duchess of Hohenberg one hour

4
Who was in the war?
Germany
Austria-Hungary
Ottoman Empire
Bulgaria
Russia
France
Great Britain
Italy
Japan
United States (1917)
Central
Powers:
Allies:
Some countries formed alliances with other countries
to strengthen their power.
These countries that joined together were called allies

5
Where was the war fought?

6
Why did it take so long for America to
get involved in the war?
•America was isolationist
•“Why should I get involved in someone else’s
problems?”

7
Why did it take so long for America to
get involved in the war?
•America was isolationist
•“Why should I get involved in someone else’s
problems?”Isolationism is the desire to remain neutral
and let other countries handle their own
affairs. With the Atlantic Ocean between
the US and Europe,
it was easy to stay isolated.

8
Thinking Slide
Is isolationism really an
option for a country as
powerful as the United
States?

9
Which side should the US pick?
There were many factors the US could consider:
•11 million German- Americans
•Irish-Americans hated Great
Britain
•Close cultural ties with the US
•Countries shared transatlantic
cables
(so stories might be censored)
•Big businesses loaned lots of
$$$ to allies
Central
Powers:
Allies:
Nations 1914 1915 1916
Britain $594,271,863 $911,794,954 $1,526,685,102
France $159,818,924 $364,397,170 $628,851,988
Germany $344,794,276 $28,863,354 $288,899
$$$ US Exports to both
sides $$$

10
What did it take to get the US involved?
1. Blockades •Britain
blockaded
(stopped) all
German ships
going to
America
•Germany
announced a
submarine war
around Britain
Y-53 German

11
1. Blockades
•In May, 1915
Germany told
Americans to stay off
of British ships
•They could/would
sink them

12
What did it take to get the US
involved?
1. Blockades
•Lusitania was
torpedoed,
sinking with 1200
passengers and
crew (including
128 Americans)
•Was eventually
found to be
carrying 4200
cases of
ammunition
German Propaganda Justifying

13
1. Blockades
•The US sharply
criticized
Germany for
their action
•Germany agreed
not to sink
passenger ships
without warning in
the future
Note in Bottle After

14
2. Unlimited Submarine Warfare
•1917 Germany
announced “unlimited
submarine warfare” in
the war zone
Why?
Otherwise their
blockade would not
be successful

15
3. Zimmerman Note
•US intercepted a note from Germany to
Mexico,
•It promised Texas, New Mexico, and
Arizona back in return for an alliance

16
Zimmerman Note
plus the sinking
of 4 unarmed
American ships
led to a
declaration of
war
US
Involvement
summary

17
How was the war looking for the allies?
•Russia left the war after its communist
revolution in 1917
•This made it a one front war for Germany-
all its troops could concentrate on France
Not Good...

18
Convincing the American People
to Get Involved in the War:
Posters - Gee!!
How do you think
this poster helped
to convince the
American people
that the war was a
good idea?
Propaganda Poster Activity

19
Convincing the American People to
Get Involved in the War
1. War to End All Wars
Idealism: 2 Goals For War:
2. Making the World Safe for Democracy
Idealism is the practice of
forming ideals and/or living
under their influence

20
Convincing the American People
to Get Involved in the War
Idealism: Fourteen Points
What was this?
President Wilson’s
Plan for after the war
•It included fourteen
promises, including
freedom of the seas & a
League of Nations to
work for world peace
President Woodrow Wilson

21
What did the US do to help?
The US provided food,
money, supplies and
the fresh troops
needed to win the war.
American Troops March
Supplies:
US troops were
sometimes
referred to as
doughboys.
They contributed
to the allied
victory by
breaking the
deadlock of trench
warfare.

22
How did the War Affect the US?
Women
•Women filled factory jobs
•This may have led to the 19th Amendment
after the war ( the 19th
Amendment gave
women the right to vote)
•Black soldiers still served in Segregated
Units
African Americans
•A “Great Migration” occurred when thousands
of African Americans moved North to work in
factories

23
How did the War Affect the US?
Enforcing Loyalty
•Hatred of all things German
Ex. “Liberty Cabbage”
•Espionage Act 1917 & Sedition Act of 1918
punished those against the war (this included
many labor leaders)

24
How was war evolving (changing) for WWI?
New Technologies of the War
More destructive combat:
•Machine guns
•Tanks
•Poison gas and gas
masks
•Airplanes
•Trench warfare

25
•Machine guns
•Tanks
masks
•Airplanes
•Trench warfare

26
•Machine guns
•Tanks
masks
•Airplanes
•Trench warfare

27
New Technologies of the War
•Machine guns
•Tanks
masks
•Airplanes
•Trench warfare

 After four long years, on November 11, 1918
the Central Powers surrendered
 The US troops contributed to the Allied victory
by breaking the deadlock of trench warfare
 The US troops also helped in the peacemaking
process by helping redraw state borders in
Europe
 In January 1919 the Treaty of Versailles
officially ended WWI
28
TheEndoftheWar

29
The Treaty of Versailles:
Took away Germany’s colonies
Redrew its national borders
Demanded it not to rebuild its army
Demanded it pay heavy fines to the Allied
Powers
TheEndoftheWar

Becoming a World Power - World War I

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