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World War I (Chapters 29 and 30)
Impromptus and Discussion Topics

1. People a. Woodrow Wilson * Anti-imperialistdeclared war on dollar diplomacy * Signed Johns Act gave Philippines territorial status and independence soon after * President during World War I. * For neutrality, tried his best to keep the neutrality, but something’s made it difficult for him toHaiti, Mexico & with Germany * Wilson was angered with Germany sinking the Lusitania and other ships without proper inspection (Americans killed) * Sussex Pledge with Germanylast chance Wilson gave Germany * He ended up becoming un-neutral and entered into the war because Germany decided to declare unrestricted submarine warfare. * Wilson made the war have some reasons to fight for with is 14 points, they talked about uniting the nations, freedoms, restoring territories

b. The Big Four * The Big four were the allies in World War 1. * They were the US, Great Britain, France, and Italy. * The leaders of the Big Four met at the Paris Peace Conference following the end of WW1. * The big four agreed on the Treaty of Versailles. (Russia, GB, France just wanted revenge on the Germans after the war)(The United States did not think that was right) The treaty did not work because of this * Wilson proposed his 14 points to the world and the big four to try to create democracy for the world. * The Big Four never reached any results however.

c. Henry Cabot Lodge i. Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations ii. Harvard Ph.D. iii. Wilson angered Republicans because he neglected to include a Republican senator in his official party iv. Logical choice would have been Henry Lodge. But including Lodge would have made problematic for the President 1. A critic had said the senator’s mind “was like the soil of his native New England: naturally barren but highly cultivated” 2. Wilson loathed him 3. Lodge was known as the “scholar in politics” until Wilson came on the scene v. Wanted to amend the Treaty of Versailles as to “Americanize”, “Republicanize”, or “senatorialize” it. vi. After failing to amend the treaty outright, he came up with 14 formal reservations to it – a sardonic slap at Wilson’s 14 points. 4. Wilson convinced all loyal democrats to vote this down and succeeded

2. Topics d. Causes of World War I in Europe * SPARK: Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand (heir to the throne in Austro-Hungarian empire * Nationalism: * Darwinism “survival of the fittest” * Newspapers patriotic messages spread * Nationalism was mainly the nations pride and wanting to show strength * Imperialism: * Mad dash to imperialize areas of Asia & Africa * Berlin conference: divided up Africa * This created bad blood between nations and competition * Militarism: * Arms buildup (especially Germany and Great Britain) * Entangling Alliances: * Alliances made the war grow and caused the war to break out and be bigger than it should have been * Long chain of allies

e. Sussex Pledge * Pledge made between the United States and Germany. * Limiting Germany with their submarine warfare * The Sussex pledge was critical in starting WW1. * The Sussex was an unarmed civilian ship that was sunk by the Germans. * This was not the first time innocent lives have been killed because Germany sunk a ship. In this pledge, Germany promised it wouldn’t sink another unarmed ship without warning again. * The last string holding them together * If they did the U.S. will help the allies and cut off all diplomatic relations. * This did not last long as Germany went against it and was a major reason for the U.S’ intervention in the World War.

f. Zimmermann Telegram vii. A 1917 diplomatic proposal from the German Empire to Mexico to make war against the United States viii. Was intercepted and decoded by British intelligence. ix. Exposure of the contents outraged American public opinion and helped generate support for the United States declaration of war on Germany x. Dispatched by the Foreign Secretary of the German Empire, Arthur Zimmerman to the German ambassador in Mexico xi. Zimmermann sent the telegram in anticipation of the continuation of unrestricted submarine warfare, an act which Germany predicted would draw the neutral U.S. into war on the side of the Allies because it was against the Sussex Pledge xii. Mexico was promised territories in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona that had been lost to the United States xiii. The Zimmermann note helped turn U.S. public view against Germany during World War I and strengthened the advocates of U.S. entry into the war

g. Wilson’s Fourteen Points

h. Committee on Public Information * Created to influence U.S. public opinion regarding American participation in WWI. * Used every medium available to create enthusiasm for the war effort and enlist public support against foreign attempts to undercut America's war aims. * Created by Woodrow Wilson in order to unite public support for going into war. * Its efforts represent the first time that a modern government disseminated propaganda on such a large scale.

i. Espionage and Sedition Acts xiv. One of the most controversial laws ever passed xv. With World War I raging in 1917, the administration of President woodrow wilson decided that there needed to be a law protecting the United States against "the insidious methods of internal hostile activities." xvi. Thus the Wilson administration proposed and Congress passed the "Espionage Act of 1917." xvii. It originally prohibited any attempt to interfere with military operations, to support U.S. enemies during wartime, to promote insubordination in the military, or to interfere with military recruitment.

j. Treaty of Versailles * Big Four got together in Paris * Paris peace commerce * Signed this treaty saying they would give Germany all the debt * Us 14 points * Did not end up working out because the other three wanted revenge on Germany and the US did not

k. Election of 1920 xviii. The Republicans nominated newspaper publisher and Senator Warren G. Harding, while the Democrats chose newspaper publisher and Governor James M. Cox. xix. By 1920, World War I was over. The wartime boom had collapsed. Diplomats and politicians were arguing over peace treaties and the question of America's entry into the League of Nations. xx. On June 8, 1920, the Republicans nominated Warren G. Harding, an Ohio newspaper editor and United States Senator, to run for president with Calvin Coolidge, governor of Massachusetts, as his running mate. xxi. The Democrats nominated another newspaper editor from Ohio, Governor James M. Cox, as their presidential candidate, and thirty-seven-year-old Franklin Delano Roosevelt for vice president.

3. Questions l. How was Woodrow Wilson’s foreign policy different from Roosevelt’s and Taft’s? * Roosevelt: * Big Stick * Words and man power * Would have probably picked a side right away and fight, to show power * Probably would have had alliances already * Taft: * Dollar Diplomacy * Invested the money * Didn’t have the values of Wilson and keeping democracy * Probably would have fought to try to showcase the Americans power with people and money

* Taft and Roosevelt probably would have fought in the war without a good reason, like greed * Wilson: * Anti-Imperialistic * Preserve democracy * Keep the rights we have right now * Wants to keep the world in the way he sees it * Doesn’t want to get involved where he doesn’t belong * If he sees it needs to happen he will step in

m. How did the United States transition from neutrality in 1914 to entry into World War I by 1917? * The U.S. transitioned from neutrality to entry with a few events. * The first major event was the sinking of the Lusitania. * This was the event in which Germany sunk a passenger ship and killed 1200 people, 130 Americans. * The next event was the Sussex pledge, when Germany vowed it would not sink another unarmed ship after it sunk the Sussex. * Germany broke this pledge and caused the U.S. to lean towards entry. * The last event was the Zimmerman telegraph, when Germany sent a message to Mexico to attack America. After these events, the U.S, entered the war. * n. How and why did Woodrow Wilson turn the war into an ideological crusade? xxii. Pressed against a wall by millions of Americans seeking revenge Wilson had no choice but to yield to popular opinion. xxiii. Despite Wilson's best efforts to keep America neutral, the United States was now officially involved in the war 5. Instead of trying to promote peace Wilson set about justifying the war. a. He turned every click of the hammer into a cry for peace and every battle fought into an ideological crusade. b. Wilson urged the war was about liberty and democracy, he vowed it would be the last international war and he set up the Committee on Public Information to spread his word. c. Wilson claimed that the war was to "make the world safe for democracy." d. Wilson urged this war to be our final international conflict, in fact the final international conflict. e. Declared that this was "the war to end all wars" and that Americans were to lead this great crusade of peace. f. Wilson could whip up no enthusiasm, especially in the landlocked Midwest, by fighting to make the world safe from the submarine i. To galvanize the country, Wilson would have to proclaim more glorified aims. ii. Virtually hypnotized the nation with his lofty ideas iii. He contrasted the selfish war aims of enemies and allies 1. America was not to fight for the sake of riches or territorial conquest.

o. How was America’s “voluntary” method of organizing for war different than European wartime regimes, and which way was more effective?

p. How did the United States contribute to Allied victory? * Naval Strategy: The German's use of unrestricted submarine warfare had brought havoc on allied ships. The U.S. established the use of convoys to fight against the German U-boats * American troops: the number of allied troops was beginning to dwindle. Many believed the U.S. troops could not make a difference. However, German and other Central Power troops were also decreasing in numbers. All either side of the war needed were more troops (not necessarily better troops) to tip the scales of victory in their favor. The U.S. offered more troops, which caused their numbers to exceed what was left of the German army. * American supplies: the Allied powers in Europe were beginning to run out of supplies (it was hard to get trade ships through the u-boat blockade). When America joined the war we brought with us food, weapons, ammunition, etc. that had been produced in large quantities in the U.S. * Biggest way we contributed was by troops. The thought of endless amounts of American troops fighting against the Germans allied troops made them (the Germans/ the enemy) very scared.

q. How was Wilson forced to compromise during the peace negotiations? xxiv. Woodrow Wilson entered the war with a very idealistic vision of American’s mission. In his eyes, the purpose of the war was not to punish Germany or to gain wealth or territory for the U.S., but to create a new international order in which nothing like the Great War could ever occur again. xxv. He hoped that WWI would be "the war to end all wars." xxvi. Wilson responded by trying to make clear to the world what the United States was fighting for. With this in mind, he addressed Congress on Jan. 1, 1918 in a famous speech outlining what came to be known as the Fourteen Points. xxvii. If these points were established after the war, he believed that the world would be a peaceful and democratic place. xxviii. President Wilson became sick at the beginning of the Paris Peace Conference, giving way to the right-wing, French chancellor Georges Clemenceau to change a lot of Wilson's plan.

r. What about the Treaty of Versailles might have paved the way for another world war (WWII)? ty of Versailles asked for Germany to accept the responsibilities for all of the loss and damages of the war.
Germany was also made to pay for an Allied military force that would occupy the west bank of the Rhine River, intended to keep Germany in check for the next 15 years. The treaty also limited the size of Germany's military
Germany owed reparation for 33 milliom.
Caused german government to weaken

4. Discussion Topics s. Discuss all sides of the argument that neutrality was doomed from the start in 1914. * The United States had there strong beliefs on what was right and were not going to change their mind * When Germany was destroying the ships the United States just could not hold back from getting into it because Americans died * It is near impossible for the United States to stay neutral when they get themselves into things like with Germany * It is also hard when there are so many alliances not to be dragged into one as well, especially when the United States was as powerful as it was * TRADE: if trade involved then someone is going to get bad if you are trading with their enemy: that is why the Germany situation happened * SIMILE: The situation the United States were in for being neutral is like telling the secrets you promised your friend you wouldn’t tell to your other friend. That friend that you promised will find out and get mad. Tension will rise and drama will occur. * QUESTION: What do you think the United States could have done to stay out of the war? * Do you think that if the United States would have stayed neutral that their relationship and trust with Germany would ever be the same? t. Was the U.S. crucial to Allied victory in World War I? * The U.S. was crucial to Allied Victory in World War 1. * Supplies, the United States contributed tons of ammo, guns, food, medicine, and other things that the allies needed to win * Troops, the U.S. supplied troops that played key roles in two major battles that closed up the War. Even though their manpower did not help right away it helped down the road * Reason to fight, The U.S. contributed major ideas to why this war should be fought and what it is being fought for. The European countries were fighting for greed, power, and land. The U.S. was fighting for democracy. * Question: What was the most important factor that the U.S. contributed to?

u. Considering the national economy, civil liberties, and public attitudes, was the U.S. better off for having participated in World War I? * WWI had a positive effect on the United States for it stimulated social, political, and economic change within the nation. * WWI promoted much social reform, which positively benefited the people of the United States. * One major reform in U.S. society that occurred was the 19th amendment, which granted women the right to vote. * Before the war women had been prohibited from many jobs. * Wartime necessity for labor brought a million more women than before into the work force. * Railroad workers, cooks, dockworkers, bricklayers, and shipbuilders.

* Another major social reform was the Great Migration * Large-scale movement of thousands and thousands of blacks from the South to big cities in the North. * Transformed the lives of many African Americans.

* WWI was advantageous to the U.S. economy in various ways. * WW1 caused the U.S. economy to undergo an exceptionally prosperous period of time, which was undoubtedly beneficial to the nation. * Unemployment virtually disappeared. * Wages increased * Working conditions improved * Production and profits soared higher than ever. * Numerous industries expanded, especially farming. * Farmers "put an additional 40 million acres into production"

v. Discuss all sides of the argument that Woodrow Wilson held primary responsibility for the failure of America to join the League of Nations.