Causes of World War I
What does the “M” in MAIN stand for?
Militarism.
Who was president of the United States when World War I began?
Woodrow Wilson.
What law required eligible American men to register for military service during World War I?
The Selective Service Act.
What date did the armistice end the fighting between the Allies and Germany?
November 11, 1918.
What is nativism?
Favoring native-born citizens over immigrants.
What assassination helped trigger World War I in 1914?
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
What British passenger ship was sunk by a German submarine in 1915, killing 128 Americans?
The Lusitania.
What were Liberty Bonds used to do?
To raise money to help pay for the war.
Who commanded the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe?
General John J. Pershing.
What was the First Red Scare?
Fear of communism and radical political movements in the United States after World War I.
What were the two major alliance groups in Europe before World War I?
The Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente. / Allies
What did Germany announce it would resume in 1917 that helped push the United States toward war?
Unrestricted submarine warfare.
What government organization used propaganda to build public support for the war?
The Committee on Public Information (CPI).
What was Wilson’s plan for peace after World War I called?
The Fourteen Points.
What 1919–1920 government raids targeted suspected radicals?
The Palmer Raids.
Why did the alliance system cause a local conflict to spread across Europe?
Alliances pulled additional countries into the conflict when their partners went to war.
What was the Zimmermann Telegram?
A German message proposing an alliance with Mexico if the United States entered the war.
What was the Great Migration, and how did World War I contribute to it?
The movement of many African Americans from the rural South to Northern cities; wartime industrial jobs helped encourage this migration.
What was the League of Nations supposed to accomplish?
To encourage international cooperation and help prevent future wars.
How did World War I contribute to changes in American immigration policy?
Wartime fears and nativism contributed to support for restrictive immigration quotas in the 1920s.
Name all four MAIN causes of World War I and explain how one contributed to the conflict.
Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, and Nationalism. Explanations will vary.
What two major events in 1917 helped convince the United States to enter World War I?
Germany's resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare and the Zimmermann Telegram.
How did the Espionage Act and Sedition Act affect civil liberties during the war?
They restricted certain speech and activities, leading to concerns about freedom of expression and government power.
Why did the U.S. Senate reject the Treaty of Versailles?
Senators disagreed with the treaty and feared League of Nations membership, especially the obligations associated with Article X.
What was the major consequence of the United States refusing to ratify the Treaty of Versailles?
The United States did not ratify the treaty or join the League of Nations.