Before the War
Who was assassinated that many attribute as the spark that began the war?
Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie
Which country was invaded first by Germany and what was the name of the battle that followed?
Belgium and the Battle of Somme
What was the Selective Service Act?
Congress passed the Selective Service Act in May, 1917.
It required men to register with the government to be selected randomly for service.
When did Germany surrender?
The Germans were too exhausted to keep fighting, so on the 11th hour, on the 11th day, on the 11th month, Germany agreed to an armistice that ended the war.
What was the Great Migration?
The Great Migration was a large-scale movement of African Americans moving up north to escape racism and the Jim Crow laws.
The South was also suffering agriculturally, which led many to seek new job opportunities.
What was the Zimmerman note and what did it cause?
A secret telegram from the Germans to Mexico was intercepted and decoded.
It was a proposed alliance between Mexico and Germany.
Germany promised that if Mexico allied with them, they would support Mexico’s recovering of Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico.
America joined the war.
What was the function of the trenches and what was it like living in them?
Armies would fight over mere yards of ground.
Between the trench complexes lay “no man’s land.”
This was a barren expanse of land filled with shells and barbed wire.
Soldiers would try to charge enemy lines only to be mowed down by machine gun fire.
Within the trenches soldiers were surrounded by filth, lice, rats, and polluted water.
How did America popularize the war?
The popularize the war, government set up the nation’s first propaganda industry.
It was called the Committee on Public Information (CPI)
What were the 14 points?
Even before the war ended, Wilson created a plan for a postwar world.
He presented this plan, called The Fourteen Points to Congress.
Who was the 369th Infantry Regiment?
The 369th Infantry Regiment was an all-black regiment and served continually on the front lines more than any other American regiment
What led up to the Lusitania being attacked?
The British blocked the German coast with their superior navy to prevent goods from coming in.
America was angry because it meant it restricted our freedom of the seas.
Germany, angry as well, struck back, this time targeting the U.S and Britain.
In 1915, a German u-boat sunk the British liner, Lusitania.
What was it that made WWI more deadly than any other conflict?
WWI was the first large-scale war that used newly refined weapons such as the machine gun, a consequence of industrialization.
It could inflict heavy casualties by firing 600 rounds per minute.
The tanks and the airplane was used as well, an eventually marked the end of trench warfare.
Armies used chemical warfare.
Toxic tear gas, mustard gas, and chlorine were used and could reach even the most sheltered of places.
How did America regulate its economy for the war effort?
The entire economy had to shift in order to win the war.
The U.S. had to shift from a consumer economy to producing war supplies.
This job was too big for industry, and was managed by President Wilson himself.
What was the League of Nations and why did the U.S. not want to join?
The final point called for the creation of the League of Nations - a forum for nations to discuss and settle disputes without war.
The U.S. believed it was too much like the alliance system.
What was the hope of many minorities when it came to serving in the war?
Many minorities hoped that if they served they would be given more respect and opportunities.
Name and describe three reasons why America wished to remain neutral in the war.
Many believed that America should be an example of peace to the rest of the world.
Some simply did not wish their sons to go to war.
Pressure from various ethnic groups impacted America’s stance on neutrality
It was hard to remain neutral when it came to business. The economic ties with the Allies was strong.
How did the U.S. help the war effort the most?
The U.S. joined in time to stop the German advance in France, and continued pushing them back.
Describe the some of the negative effects of propaganda in the U.S.
Anti-Immigrant Hysteria
The main targets were immigrants especially those from Germany and Austria-Hungary.
Many Americans with German names lost their jobs.
In June 1917, Congress passed the Espionage Act.
A person could be fined up to $10,000 dollars and sentenced to 20 years in prison if they were interfering with the war effort or saying anything disloyal, profane. Or abusive about the government or the war effort.
What was the Paris-Peace Conference and why was it odd?
32 world leaders came together to to determine what to do as the war came to an end.
The conference did not include the defeated Central Powers.
What international crisis occurred in 1918?
In the fall of 1918, the U.S suffered a crisis.
An international flu-epidemic affected about one-quarter of the U.S. population.
Name and explain the four main reason historians believe WWI started
Nationalism
Imperialism
Militarism
The formation of a system of alliances.
By the end of the war, what was the state of Germany?
By 1918, Germany’s economy was crippled.
Food strikes and riots began to break out in Germany and a revolution in Austria-Hungary.
People were tired of fighting.
Austria-Hungary surrendered in 1918, and German sailors mutinied against the German government.
Mutiny spread quickly.
How did life for women change in the U.S. due to the war?
The contributions women made to the war effort did not go unnoticed.
President Wilson gave his vocal support to women, which helped bolster public support for women’s suffrage.
In 1919, Congress finally passed the Nineteenth Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. It was ratified in 1920.
What were the main conditions of the Treaty of Versailles and what was its consequence?
A treaty of anger, instead of stability and reconciliation was made.
Germany was barred from having an army, had to give up territory to France, and ordered reparations, or war damages, to the Allies in the amount of $33 billion.
Self-determination was largely ignored, and new borders were drawn up, creating nine new nations.
The treaty prevented a lasting peace in Europe, later leading to WWII.
It humiliated Germany, forcing them to admit sole responsibility for the war.
What is the definition of armistice?
A truce