A brief overview of the Great War

1. WWI
The War and
Aftermath

2. Spark
 Franz Ferdinand:
 Assassinated by a Bosnian student in June, 1914
 Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia
 Declared war on July 28

3. This led to…
 Russia had a secret alliance with Serbia, they
were ready to fight
 Germany declared war on Russia
 Germany declared war on France by invading
neutral Belgium
 Britain declared war on Germany on Aug. 4, due
to invasion of Germany on Belgium

4. Taking Sides
 Allied Powers:
 Britain, France, Japan, Russia, later Italy
 Central Powers:
 Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, later Bulgaria

5. War in Other Areas
 Spread to other areas in the world such as the
Middle East, China, Africa
 Due to imperial competition for land
 This worldwide scope was the reason the war
was called the “Great War” & “The War to End
All Wars”
 Additionally, the devastation that was caused to
civilian populations

6. So…
WHERE IS
THE UNITED
STATES?

7. Why Not There?
 Americans saw no reason to involve themselves
in the struggle among Europe’s imperialistic
powers
 No vital US interests were at stake
 US had positive relationships on both sides
 US was able to provide war materials for both
sides (weaponry and transportation)
 Good for our economy!

8. Neutrality: Would it last?
 Wilson called for it to continue: …“neutral in fact
as well as in name, impartial in thought as well as
action”
 Difficult to do though; most favored one side or the
other
 Wilson wanted to be the chief negotiator after
the end of the war

9. Immigrants: What Did They
Think?
 Divided among their loyalties
 Most Americans believed that we should side with
Britain or France
 Some Irish resented the British
 10 million German immigrants sided with the
Central Powers to some extent
 Other Americans took no side at all
 It was NOT a partisan issue

10. Biggest Issue: Trade
 US wanted to trade with both sides
 August 1914: Britain imposed a naval blockade
on Central Powers
 Intent was to cut off supplies and starve
Germany into submission
 US thus did not trade with Germany either
 Didn’t affect economy, as trade with Allied Powers
was up due to war production needs

11. U-Boats
 Germany warned that Allied Powers or anyone
who would side with them could be subject to
being fired upon
 May 7, 1915: U-Boat fired on Lusitania
 1,198 killed; included128 Americans
 Munitions on board
 Fueled anger of Americans
 Sept. 1915: Germany said they would no longer fire
on unarmed ships without warning

12. Wilson’s War Feelings
 Wanted to negotiate the end of the war
 Nobody was serious about it
 Wilson felt that war was inevitable
 He began to strengthen army and navy
 National Defense Act of 1916 passed
 Created Council of Defense
 Planned industrial mobilization in event of war
 Still was elected in 1916 for 2nd term on neutrality
stance…but it looks like he was far from neutral!

13. Entry of US Into War
 January 1917: Germany started unrestricted
submarine warfare
 US broke off diplomatic relations with Germany
 Germany tried to get Mexico to join Central
Powers
 Promised Mexico would get back TX, NM, and AZ
from US

14. Entry of US Into War
 March 18, 1917: U-Boats attacked 3 American
ships with no warning
 By April 2, Wilson asked Congress to declare war
 Stated that it was the role of the US to be
“champions of the rights of mankind”

15. War Mobilization
 US did not have a large peacetime army
 Conscription into effect
 Selective Service Act of 1917 passed to get
civilians registered to enter the military
 4.4 million troops called to duty

16. American Expeditionary Forces
(AEF)
 American troops nicknamed “Doughboys”
 Boosted Allies’ morale
 John J. Pershing led forces into war
 First task was to secure safety of the seas
 American troops arrived on Western Front by mid-1918
 They were fresh and outnumbered German troops
 Battle of Chateau-Thierry—American/French force stopped
Germans from taking Paris
 WWI ended on November 11, 1918
 This allows US to emerge as THE world power

17. Facts about WWI:
 48,000 servicemen died in action or being wounded
 27,000 died from influenza alone
 8 million Allied and Central Powers died
 25% of all Native Americans served in military (12,000)
 20% of those who served were born elsewhere
 400,000 African Americans served (13% of force)
 Early post-war feelings were positive, romantic?