This covers all of how America got into World War One through how we helped end the war in Europe. It also at the end discusses the treaty of Versailles.

1. WWI

2. WWI Begins
• At the start of Wilson declared that the US would
be neutral during the war
• Because of trade neutrality was a hard thing to
keep, and the Allied Powers soon benefited from
US resources
• Soon Germany began to attack ships traveling
between Europe and North America, with their
new invention the submarine
• Most Americans saw the sinking of civilian
merchant ships as an outrage and a violation of
the rules of war
• May 7, 1915 a German U-Boat sank the Lusitania
killing 128 Americans, which prompted protests
in the US, which caused Germany to change its
tactics

3. • January 1917 Germany resumed
unrestricted submarine warfare and
Wilson broke off diplomacy with
Germany
• February the British government
reveled through the Zimmerman
Telegram that Germany was trying
to get Mexico to attack the US, in
exchange for the former Mexican
territory
• End of 1917 Wilson asked congress
to declare war on Germany, thus
beginning WWI for the United States

4. WWI Battles
• In 1917 the Selective Service Act
was formed which instituted the
draft
• 2 million men would serve in the
American Expeditionary Force,
under the command of Gen. John
J. Pershing
• Most of the AEF would see combat
on the Western Front
• Most of the AEF that were sent over
were untrained and made little
contributions to the war effort.

5. • In 1918 the stalemate that had
taken place since 1914 was over
when Germany was freed from
fighting the Russians on the
Eastern Front
• In September of 1918 the AEF took
on two major offensives to drive the
Germans back.
• AEF declared victory in October
after breaking through the
Germany line
• By the end of 1919 Germany was
forced to sign the peace armistices
• American causalities were over
320,00o and more than 112,000
killed

6. WWI Ends
• Paris Peace Conference 1919
brought the UK, France, Italy, and
US together to decided the fate of
Europe
• Purpose of the conference:
negotiate a peace treaty with
Germany and to draw boundaries
for new countries

7. • The Treaty of Versailles was
signed June 28, 1919 ending
WWI
• Versailles included President
Wilson’s provisions to establish
the League of Nations (early
form of the United Nations)
• The end of World War I saw the
rise of several newly formed
nations within Europe;
including Poland

8. The Treaty of Versailles

9. The Punishment for Germany
•
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Germany had to accept total blame for the war
Germany had to pay war reparations ($300 Billion)
Germany downsized army and gave up their navy
Germany gave up their colonial holdings, which were
divided up amongst the allies.

10. Other Territorial Changes
• Austria-Hungary divided up into four separate nations
• Five other independent nations were established out
of parts of Germany

11. An International Organization Established
• The League of Nations & World Court are formed
• The League were suppose to work together to stop
international aggression
• The World Court was set up to mediate disputes
between countries.

12. Issues not Covered by the Treaty of Versailles
• US President Wilson wanted open negotiations and
elimination of secret treaties
• No mention of the rights of neutrals at sea or freedom
of the seas
• Free trade was largely ignored and tariffs left enacted
• No other country was ordered to reduce their army or
armaments except for Germany