U.S. History First World War - IComets

U.S. History – AFirstWorld WarChapter 11

370-371-Chapter 1110/21/025:12 PMPage 370Page 1 of 2Battle scene on the western front during World War I.1914 Hollywood,California, becomesthe center of movieproduction in the U.S.USAWORLD19141914 Archduke FranzFerdinand and his wifeare assassinated.370CHAPTER 111914 Germany declareswar on Russia and France.Great Britain declares waron Germany and AustriaHungary.1915 German U-boatssink the Lusitania, and1,198 people die.1915 Alexander GrahamBell makes first transcontinental telephone call.19151915 Albert Einsteinproposes his generaltheory of relativity.1916 Woodrow Wilsonis reelected president.19161916 The battles ofVerdun and the Sommeclaim millions of lives.

370-371-Chapter 1110/21/025:12 PMPage 371Page 2 of 2INTERACTWI T HHI S T O RYThe year is 1917. A bitter war is ragingin Europe—a war that has been calleda threat to civilization. At home manypeople are urging America to wake upand get involved, while others arecalling for the country to isolate itselfand avoid the fight.Do you thinkAmerica shouldenter the war?Examine the Issues Is it right for America to intervenein foreign conflicts? When American lives are threatened, how should the governmentrespond? Should America go to war to makethe world “safe for democracy”?RESEARCH LINKSCLASSZONE.COMVisit the Chapter 11 links for more informationabout The First World War.1917 The Selective ServiceAct sets up the draft.1917 The United Statesdeclares war on Germany.19171917 Russiawithdraws fromthe war.1918 Congress passesthe Sedition Act.1918 President Wilsonproposes the League ofNations.19181918 The Bolsheviks establisha Communist regime in Russia.1918 The First World War1919 Congress approvesthe NineteenthAmendment, grantingwomen the vote.19191919 A worldwideinfluenza epidemickills over 30 million.The First World War371

372-380-Chapter 1110/21/025:13 PMPage 372Page 1 of 9World War IBeginsMAIN IDEAAs World War I intensified,the United States was forcedto abandon its neutrality.Terms & NamesWHY IT MATTERS NOWThe United States remainsinvolved in European andworld affairs. nationalism militarism Allies Central Powers Archduke FranzFerdinand no man’s land trench warfare Lusitania ZimmermannnoteOne American's StoryIt was about 1:00 A.M. on April 6, 1917, and the members of the U.S.House of Representatives were tired. For the past 15 hours they hadbeen debating President Wilson’s request for a declaration of waragainst Germany. There was a breathless hush as JeannetteRankin of Montana, the first woman elected to Congress, stoodup. Rankin declared, “I want to stand by my country but I cannot vote for war. I vote no.” Later she reflected on her action.A PERSONAL VOICE JEANNETTE RANKIN“ I believe that the first vote I cast was the most significant vote—quoted in Jeannette Rankin: First Lady in CongressAfter much debate as to whether the United States should join the fight,Congress voted in favor of U.S. entry into World War I. With this decision,the government abandoned the neutrality that America had maintained forthree years. What made the United States change its policy in 1917? and a most significant act on the part of women, because womenare going to have to stop war. I felt at the time that the first woman[in Congress] should take the first stand, that the first time the firstwoman had a chance to say no to war she should say it.”Jeannette Rankin wasthe only member of theHouse to vote againstthe U.S. entering bothWorld War I and WorldWar II.Causes of World War IAlthough many Americans wanted to stay out of the war, several factors madeAmerican neutrality difficult to maintain. As an industrial and imperial power,the United States felt many of the same pressures that had led the nations ofEurope into devastating warfare. Historians generally cite four long-term causes ofthe First World War: nationalism, imperialism, militarism, and the formation of asystem of alliances.372CHAPTER 11

372-380-Chapter 1110/21/025:13 PMPage 373Page 2 of 9NATIONALISM Throughout the 19th century, politics in the Western world weredeeply influenced by the concept of nationalism—a devotion to the interestsand culture of one’s nation. Often, nationalism led to competitive and antagonistic rivalries among nations. In this atmosphere of competition, many fearedGermany’s growing power in Europe.In addition, various ethnic groups resented domination by others and longedfor their nations to become independent. Many ethnic groups looked to largernations for protection. Russia regarded itself as the protector of Europe’s Slavicpeoples, no matter which government they lived under. Among these Slavic peoples were the Serbs. Serbia, located in the Balkans, was an independent nation,but millions of ethnic Serbs lived under the rule of Austria-Hungary. As a result,Russia and Austria-Hungary were rivals for influence over Serbia.MAIN IDEAAnalyzingCausesA How didnationalism andimperialism leadto conflict inEurope?A. AnswerNationalismand imperialismencouragedeach Europeannation to pursueits own interestsand competefor power.Vocabularyalliance: a formalagreement orunion betweennationsIMPERIALISM For many centuries, European nations had been buildingempires, slowly extending their economic and political control over various peoples of the world. Colonies supplied the European imperial powers with raw materials and provided markets for manufactured goods. As Germany industrialized,it competed with France and Britain in the contest for colonies. AMILITARISM Empires were expensive to build and to defend. The growth ofnationalism and imperialism led to increased military spending. Because eachnation wanted stronger armed forces than those of any potential enemy, theimperial powers followed a policy of militarism—the development of armedforces and their use as a tool of diplomacy.By 1890 the strongest nation on the European continent was Germany, whichhad set up an army reserve system that drafted and trained young men. Britain wasnot initially alarmed by Germany’s military expansion. As an island nation, Britainhad always relied on its navy for defense and protection of its shipping routes—and the British navy was the strongest in the world. However, in 1897, Wilhelm II,Germany’s kaiser, or emperor, decided that his nation should also become a majorsea power in order to compete more successfully against the British. Soon Britishand German shipyards competed to build the largest battleships and destroyers.France, Italy, Japan, and the United States quickly joined the naval arms race.ALLIANCE SYSTEM By 1907 there were two major defense alliances in Europe.The Triple Entente, later known as the Allies, consisted of France, Britain, andRussia. The Triple Alliance consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. German EmperorWilhelm II (center)marches with twoof his generals,Hindenburg (left)and Ludendorff,during WorldWar I.373

372-380-Chapter 1110/21/025:13 PMPage 374Page 3 of 9Germany and Austria-Hungary, together with the Ottoman Empire—an empire ofmostly Middle Eastern lands controlled by the Turks—were later known as theCentral Powers. The alliances provided a measure of international securitybecause nations were reluctant to disturb the balance of power. As it turned out,a spark set off a major conflict.An Assassination Leads to WarThat spark flared in the Balkan Peninsula, which was known as “the powder kegof Europe.” In addition to the ethnic rivalries among the Balkan peoples, Europe’sleading powers had interests there. Russia wanted access to the MediterraneanSea. Germany wanted a rail link to the Ottoman Empire. Austria-Hungary, whichhad taken control of Bosnia in 1878, accused Serbia of subverting its rule overBosnia. The “powder keg” was ready to explode.In June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir tothe Austrian throne, visited the Bosnian capital Sarajevo. Asthe royal entourage drove through the city, Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip stepped from the crowd and shot theArchduke and his wife Sophie. Princip was a member of theBlack Hand, an organization promoting Serbian nationalism. The assassinations touched off a diplomatic crisis. OnJuly 28, Austria-Hungary declared what was expected to be ashort war against Serbia.The alliance system pulled one nation after another intothe conflict. On August 1, Germany, obligated by treatyto support Austria-Hungary, declared war on Russia. OnAugust 3, Germany declared war on Russia’s ally France. AfterCRISIS IN THE BALKANSGermany invaded Belgium, Britain declared war on GermanyAfter World War I, Bosnia becameand Austria-Hungary. The Great War had begun. BN OWTHENpart of a country that eventuallybecame known as Yugoslavia.Although Yugoslavia included various religious and ethnic groups,the government was dominatedby Serbs.In 1991, Yugoslavia broke apart,and Bosnia declared independence in 1992. However, Serbswanted Bosnia to remain part ofSerbian-controlled Yugoslavia.A bloody civil war broke out.This war became notorious forthe mass murder and deportationof Bosnian Muslims, a processknown as “ethnic cleansing.” In1995, the United States helpednegotiate a cease-fire.But peace in the Balkans didnot last. In the late 1990s,Albanians in the province ofKosovo also tried to break awayfrom Serbia. Serbia’s violentresponse, which included the“ethnic cleansing” of Albanians,prompted NATO to intervene.Today, peacekeepers in theBalkans struggle to control thecontinuing ethnic violence.374CHAPTER 11The Fighting StartsOn August 3, 1914, Germany invaded Belgium, followinga strategy known as the Schlieffen Plan. This plan calledfor a holding action against Russia, combined with a quickdrive through Belgium to Paris; after France had fallen, thetwo German armies would defeat Russia. As Germantroops swept across Belgium, thousands of civilians fled interror. In Brussels, the Belgian capital, an American warcorrespondent described the first major refugee crisis ofthe 20th century.A PERSONAL VOICE RICHARD HARDING DAVIS“ [We] found the side streets blocked with their carts.Into these they had thrown mattresses, or bundles ofgrain, and heaped upon them were families of threegenerations. Old men in blue smocks, white-haired andbent, old women in caps, the daughters dressed in theirone best frock and hat, and clasping in their hands allthat was left to them, all that they could stuff into a pillow-case or flour-sack. . . . Heart-broken, weary, hungry,they passed in an unending caravan.”—from Hooray for Peace, Hurrah for WarMAIN IDEAAnalyzingEffectsB Why were somany Europeannations pulled intothe conflict?B. AnswerThe alliancesystem pulledone nation afteranother intothe conflict.Vocabularyrefugee: a personwho flees insearch ofprotection orshelter, as intimes of waror religiouspersecutionSkillbuilderAnswers1. About 10 miles.2. The Alliessurrounded theCentral Powers;because of this,Germany had tofight on twofronts.