Weekly Blogs 12/11-12/15

MONDAY- 

War Goals

-There weren't any real goals at first, but as time wen ton casualties and cost increases, winning territory was a must.

-France wanted land from Germany and wanted colonies from Germany, Africa, and Turkey

-Great Britain wanted colonies in Africa and get Turkish colonies in the Mid-East

-Italy wanted land from Austria-Hungary

-Russia wanted land from Turkey

-Austria-Hungary just wanted to survive in the war

-Germany wanted land from France

-United States wanted to win and end the war

Part 1

Identify the US policy that Wilson declared when WWI broke out in 1914 - neutrality

 Woodrow Wilson- president, declared that the US was to be neutral when WWI broke out

1. "Impartial in thought as well as in action"

2. US stayed neutral for three years

We need to Americanize these people who come from Germany

Causes for US Involvement in WWI

-U.S was very upset with both sides in war 

-G.B and Germany were both stopping U.S ships

-German sinking of British/French ships and killing U.S citizens on those ships (Lusitania, Arabic, Sussex) (Germany declared unrestricted submarine warfare in early 1917)

-before you sink a ship you have to give a warning

-Unrestricted Submarine Warfare - going to sink any ship anytime within a certain area

Sussex Pledge -May 4, 1916

-President Wilson addressed Congress in April, 1916 and issued an ultimatum to the Germans- End the attack on unarmed ships or risk war

-Sussex Pledge- Germans promised to end sinking of passenger ships, search merchant ships for contraband and make provisions for passengers and crews before sinking merchant ships

-German guarantees were generally honored until the announcement of the resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare in February 1917.

2. The Zimmermann Note

-Coded telegram sent by the Foreign Secretary of the Germany

-Sent to German ambassador in the US

-Caused public outrage that contributed to the US declaration of war against Germany on April 6, 1917

-Backfired when it got into the US press

-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

4. Beliefs of War Hawks (Jingoes) (Teddy Roosevelt & Leonard Wood)

5. Trade with England increased and Germany decreased as years went on

-The US became economically tied  to the war and making sure Great Britain won

-US lent Germany 27 million dollars from 1914-1917 while it lent the United Kingdom and its allies 2.3 billions dollars during the same period

6. British and American Propaganda swayed public opinion against Germany

7. Preparedness Program (1915)

-US started arming and preparing for war

-Pushed by Teddy Roosevelt and Leonard Wood

-Opposed by President Wilson because of Spanish-American War

8. American businesses and banks pushed the US into the war for huge profits

-The Nye Committee investigated the impact that big business and banks had on getting the US involved into WWI

-Based on these facts, the Nye Committee concluded that the US entered the war for reasons of profit, not policy -because it was in American commercial interest for the United Kingdom not to lose

General John 'Black Jack" Pershing (WWI general)

American Doughboy -term used for soldiers 

Homefront- what people did back home in the US to help win the war 

What needs to happen on the Homefront to help win a war? Recruiting people, supplies, money, factories, keep people positive 

War Industries Board 

-Headed by Bernard Baruch

-Regulated industry in US

-Encourages mass production 

-Under the War Industries Board, industrial production in the US increased 20%

-Making tanks, guns, airplanes to help war

TUESDAY-

Food Administration 

-Headed by Herbert Hoover (conserve food)

-Urged people to conserve food

-Had "meatless days" and "wheatless days"

-"Victory gardens" were planted by schools and homes

-Prevented hoarding of food by people

-"Food is Ammunition -Don't waste it." 

National War Labor Board 

-Headed by William H. Taft

-Settled disputes between workers and employers

-Discouraged strikes

-"Work or fight"

-Women hired during the war were to receive equal pay for equal work

Committee on Public Information

-Goal was to influence U.S public to support WWI in their own way

-Created by George Creel

-Launched a huge propaganda campaign 

-The committee used newsprint, posters, radio, telegraph and movies to broadcast its message 

-Americanized German words:  German Measles (liberty measles)    Hamburger (liberty steak)      Sauerkraut (liberty cabbage) 

Major Goals of US Propaganda in WWI

-Enlist in the military

-Buy war bonds

-Conserve food

-Encourage patriotism

-Dehumanize the enemy 

Liberty loans (War bonds) -how the government payed for the war 

WEDNESDAY-

8.5 million dead all together

The Peace Process

The Paris Peace Conference- where major powers met to set up the treaty of versai 

-Came up with a series of treaties "Peace of Paris Treaties" that reshaped the map of Europe and the world and imposed guilt and still financial penalties on Germany

Great Britain, Italy, France, US

Wilson's 14 Points

-Speech delivered by Woodrow Wilson

-The speech was intended to assure the country that the Great War was being fought for a moral case and for postwar peace in Europe-not imperialism

-Countries didn't like it because they thought is was too easy on Germany

-The speech became the basis for the terms of the German surrender, as negotiated at the Pairs Peace Conference in 1919

1. And end to secret treaties -don't know what countries are doing    -secretly do them 

2. Freedom of the seas -go on the high-seas without the fear of getting sunken

3. Free trade for all countries -lower tariffs

4. Disarmament - reduce military size

5. End to colonial claims -don't want land 

6. Self-determination for all countries -Russia  -let people choose what they want for government

7. Restoration of Belgium

8. Restoration of France

9. Readjustment of Italy's boundaries

10. Austria - Hungary would be given opportunity for autonomous development 

11. Romania, Serbia, and Montenegro should be evacuated and restored

12. Turkey should be sovereign (free & independent)

13. Poland would be given their independence

14. The "League of Nations" would be developed -countries come together to help get closer   

1-6 know and 14

Treaty of Versailles -1919

-The Treaty that officially ended the war with Germany

Territorial 

-The following land was taken away from Germany 

lost land and was given to France, Belgium, Denmark, Czechoslovakia, Poland

Military

-Germany's army was reduced to 100,000 men; the army was not allowed tanks

-Germany was not allowed an air force 

-Germany was allowed only 6 capital naval ships and no submarines

-The west of the Rhineland and 50 kms east of the River Rhine was made into a demilitarize zone (DMZ)

-No German soldier or weapon was allowed into this zone.

-The Allies were to keep an army of occupation on the west bank of the Rhine for 15 years

Financial

-The loss of vital industrial territory would be a severe blow to Germany's economy 

-Coal from the Saar and Upper Silesia in particular was vital economic loss.

-Germany had to pay war reparations

THURSDAY-

General - Germany had to admit full responsibility for starting the war. This was Clause 231 - the infamous "War Guilt Clause" 

The war started in Austria 

A League of Nations was set up to keep world peace 

League of Nations - 5 permanent members(G.B, France, Italy, U.S, Japan. 4 non-permanent members that rotated. All members must submit disputes for investigation, arbitration and settlement. 

If member nation ignored, League could take action. What type of action? Economic sanctions

France wanted an international army but US and GB did not 

Germany and Soviet Union were not allowed to join right away

U.S. never joined 

Why did the League of Nations fail in preventing WWll? 

The US never signed the Treaty of Versailles or joined the League of Nations 

FRIDAY-  Watch the Christmas story

Dollar Diplomacy- not taking country over but you are in charge of it 

Old- waited to see what happened, weak, didn't want to get involved, didn't want to get with allies

New- build up military, larger, nationalistic, wanted to get involved

Spain -sinking of US Maine 

Panama Canal- saving time and money (Panama and Columbia)

Alaska -bought from Russia 7.2 million

Alaska, Hawaii, Philippines, Cuba

Philippines allies then war broke out

Open door policy -save China (trade freely with China)

Big stick - not gonna brag but letting people know we're strong

Monroe Doctrine -told Russia/Europe to stay to stay out of western hemisphere

Missionary- not gonna recognize any country that is violent

Goals was to gain land/colonies from the loser

Fighting- trench warfare and guns 

1-6 changing the world 14- league of nation 7-13 restoring 

Freedom of the Seas

US didn't join, didn't have a military force

Treaty of Versailles -punishing Germany )lost land/germany/no navy

Wilson came back - prevent war/ don't want someone telling us when to join/ congress didn't like Treaty of Versaille

E-mail me when people leave their comments –

You need to be a member of History 360 to add comments!

Join History 360

eXTReMe Tracker