10th - Today reviewed part 1 and 2 for World War One.
US was very upset with both sides in war. GB and Germany were both stopping US ships. Eventually, US drew closer to war and the Allies. The Lusitania was a British ship where German subs killed Americans. The Zimmerman Note is where Germany tried to get Mexico to declare war on the United States. Germany promised Mexico that they would get the Mexican Cession back if they won. Germany wanted to keep the US out of Europe. We had very bad relations with Mexico. Jingoes are War Hawks, a few examples were Teddy Roosevelt and Leonard Wood. British and American Propaganda swayed public opinion against Germany. The Preparedness Program of 1915 was when the US started arming and preparing for war, pushed by Tedd and Leonard, Opposed by President Wilson. The Nye Committee investigated the impact of the US getting into WW1. They found that the United States had to make sure Britain won because we lent them so much money and we could get military contracts.
11th - The Homefront is what people did back in the US to help win the war. Bernard Baruch headed the War Industries Board. The board regulated industry in the US and encouraged mass production. Under the War Industries Board, industry production in the US increased by 20%. It also transitioned commercial production to military production. The Food Administration was headed by Herbert Hoover. It urged people to conserve food. They had meatless days and wheatless days. Victory gardens were planted by schools and homes. They prevented food hoarding, "Food is Ammunition-Don't waste it." The National War Labor Board settled disputes between workers and employers. It discouraged strikes, "Work or strike". Women were hired during the war were to receive equal pay for equal work. Headed by Wiliam H. Taft. The total number of military and civilian casualties in World War 1, was around 40 million. There were 20 million deaths and 21 wounded. The number of deaths includes 9.7 million military personnel and about 10 million civilians. The Allied powers lost 5.7 million soldiers while the Central Powers lost about 4 million.
12th - The Paris Peace Treaty is when both sides came to set the peace terms for Germany and other defeated nations and to deal with the empires of the defeated powers following the Armistice of 1918. It took place in Paris in 1919 from more than 29 countries. The big four were GB, Italy, France, and US. The Fourteen Points was a speech by Wilson to Congress on January 8, 1918. The speech was to assure citizens that the Great War was being fought for a moral cause and having nor more imperialism. Others thought the 14 points were easy on Germany. Congress did not recognize the Treaty of Versailles. The points were an end to secret treaties, freedom of seas, free trade for all countries, disarmament, end to colonial claims, self-determination for all countries - Russia, restoration of Belgium, restoration of France, readjustment of Italy's boundaries, Austria-Hungary would be given opportunity for autonomous development, Romania, Montenegro, Serbia independence, turkey should be sovereign, Poland would be given their independence, the league of nations would be developed. Germany lost land to France, Belgium, Denmark, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. Germany lost all of their colonies. Germany had to return to Russia land taken in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. This would be made into Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, and Finland. Germany was not allowed to have tanks, an air force, it was allowed 6 capital naval ships and no submarines, Germany was limited to 100,000 men as well. The Rhineland to the West was made into a DMZ.
13th - The loss of vital industrial territory to Allied Powers would be a severe blow to Germany's economy. Germany had to pay war reparations($33 billion). Germany had to admit full responsibility for starting the war. This was Clause 231 - the infamous "War Guilt Clause". A League of Nations was set up to keep world peace. League of Nations had five permanent members that were GB, France, Italy, US, and Japan. Four non-permanent members rotated. All members must submit disputes for investigation, arbitration, and settlement. If a member nation ignored, League could take actions in economic sanctions. France wanted an international army but US and GB did not. Germany and the Soviet Union were not allowed to join right away. The US never joined. The League of Nations could not do much since it did not have an international army. The US never signed the Treaty of Versailles or joined the League of Nations. This was because the Republicans controlled the Congress and Wilson was a Democrat, Congress was worried that they would be pulled into wars, then Congress thought the League would strip Congress' power to declare war, Wilson had numerous strokes. Wilson traveled across the nation to convince people to join the League of Nations. We refused and we went back into being isolationists.
14th - We watched a Christmas truce video.
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