1. The First World War
Boys and Girls! War Savings
Stamps Poster by James
Montgomery Flagg 1917-18

2. SSUSH 15
SSUSH15.a
• Describe the movement from U.S. neutrality to engagement in World
War I, with reference to unrestricted submarine warfare.
SSUSH15.b
• Explain the domestic impact of World War I, reflected by the origins of
the Great Migration, and the Espionage Act and socialist Eugene Debs.
SSUSH15.c
• Explain Wilson's Fourteen Points, the proposed League of Nations.
SSUSH15.d
• Passage of the Eighteenth Amendment, establishing Prohibition, and
the Nineteenth Amendment, establishing women’s suffrage.
2

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The First World War:
•War involving nearly all the nations of the world
•1914-1918
What?
When?

4. 4
The First World War:
Why? Long term -
1. Alliance system
2. Imperialist
Competition
3. Stockpiling of
Weapons
Short term -
Assassination of
Franz Ferdinand of
the Austro-
Hungarian Empire
Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria and his
Wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg one hour
before their deaths, June 28, 1914

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The First World War:
Who?
Germany
Austria-Hungary
Ottoman Empire
Bulgaria
Russia
France
Great Britain
Italy
Japan
United States (1917)
Central Powers: Allies:

6. 6
The First World War:
Where?

7. 7
Why did it take so long for America to
get involved in the war?
•America was isolationist
•“Why should I get involved in someone else’s
problems”

8. 8
The Conflicts Expands
July 28, 1914 Austria-Hungry declares
war on Serbia.
July 29th
, Serbia’s protector, Russia
began mobilization.
Germany demands that Russia stops
mobilizing.
France begins to ready it’s troops.
Aug. 1, 1914 Germany declares war on
Russia.
• Schlieffen Plan
• Brings Great Britain into war.
Great powers divided
• Central Powers
• Allies
Stalemate: a situation in which neither
side is able to gain the advantage.
Trench Warfare
American Response
1/3 of American population
were 1st
or 2nd
generation
immigrants. (1/4 German American,
1/8 Irish)
Most Americans opposed Kaiser
Wilhelm of Germany.
(autocracy)
American Neutrality
• Preparedness Movement
• Peace Movement

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Thinking Slide:
•Is isolationism really an option for
a country as powerful as the United
States?

10. 10
Which side should the US pick?
•11 million German-
Americans
•Irish-Americans hated
Great Britain
•Close cultural ties
•Shared transatlantic
cables (so censored
stories)
•Big business loaned
much $ to allies
Central Powers: Allies:
Nations 1914 1915 1916
Britain $594,271,863 $911,794,954 $1,526,685,102
France $159,818,924 $364,397,170 $628,851,988
Germany $344,794,276 $28,863,354 $288,899
US Exports to both sides:

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1914 – 1915 Illusions and Stalemate
Many Europeans were
excited about war
“Defend yourself against
the aggressors”
Domestic differences were
put aside

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1914 – 1915 Illusions and Stalemate
War would be over in a
few weeks
Ignored the length and
brutality of the American
Civil War
(prototype to World War I)

14. 14
1914 – 1915 Illusions and Stalemate
Belief that Modern
industrial war could
not be conducted for
more than a few
months
“Home by Christmas”

15. 15
1914 – 1915 Illusions and Stalemate
“Fatal attraction of war”
Exhilarating release from
every day life
A glorious adventure
War would rid the nations
of selfishness
Spark a national re-birth
based on heroism

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What did it take to get the US involved?
1. Blockades
•Britain blockaded
(stopped) all
German ships
going to America
•Germany
announced a
submarine war
around Britain
Y-53 German Submarine 1916

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What did it take to get the US involved?
1. Blockades
•In May, 1915 Germany told
Americans to stay off of British
ships
•They could/would sink them

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What did it take to get the US involved?
1. Blockades
•Lusitania
torpedoed, sinking
with 1200
passengers and
crew (including 128
Americans)
•Was eventually
found to be
carrying 4200
cases of
ammunitionGerman Propaganda Justifying Lusitania sinking

19. 19
What did it take to get the US involved?
1. Blockades
•The US sharply
criticized Germany
for their action
•Germany agreed
not to sink
passenger ships
without warning in
the future
Note in Bottle After Lusitania Disaster

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What did it take to get the US involved?
2. Unlimited Submarine Warfare
•1917 Germany
announced
“unlimited
submarine warfare”
in the war zone
Why? Otherwise
their blockade
would not be
successful

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What did it take to get the US involved?
3. Zimmerman Note
•US intercepted a note from Germany to Mexico,
•It promised Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona back
in return for an alliance

22. 22
What did it take to get the US involved?
•Zimmerman
Note + the
sinking of 4
unarmed
American ships
led to a
declaration of
war

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Thinking Slide:
•Should we tell the story of
WWI with Germany as the
“bad guy”? Explain.

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How was the war looking for the allies?
•Russia left the war after its communist revolution in
1917
•Made it a one front war for Germany - all its troops could
concentrate on France
Not Good...

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Convincing the American People
Posters - Gee!!
•How do you think this
poster helped to convince
the American people that
the war was a good idea?

26. U.S. Propaganda Posters

27. U.S. Propaganda Posters

28. U.S. Propaganda Posters

29. U.S. Propaganda Posters

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Convincing the American People
1. War to End All Wars
Idealism: 2 Goals For War:
2. Making the World Safe for Democracy

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Can there be positive results from warfare?
Technological
advancements
(weapons)
Advancements in
medicine
Advancements in
transportation

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On the
Home Front
To strengthen the war
effort, the
American
government
expanded its
control over the
economy and
brought changes to
American society.
Many individuals
who didn’t have
jobs had them
now.
Women, Af Amers,
Mexican-Americans.

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How did the War Affect the US?
Women
•Women filled factory jobs
•May have led 19th Ammendment after the war
(Gave women the right to vote)
•Black soldiers still served in Segregated Units
African Americans
•“Great Migration” - thousands of African Americans
moved North to work in factories

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What did the US do to help?
•US provided the
food, money,
and fresh toops
needed to win
the war
American Troops March Through London
Supplies:

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How did the War Affect the US?
Enforcing Loyalty
•Hatred of all things German
•Ex. “Liberty Cabbage”
•Espionage Act 1917 & Sedition Act of 1918
punished those against the war (many labor leaders)

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How did the U.S. enforce loyalty?
• Formed the Committee on Public
Education: Rallies on popular support for
the war with films, posters, and pamphlets.
• Literacy test for immigrants: Congress
passed a law forcing immigrants to prove
they can read before entering the country.
Law leads to nativism and increased anti-
German feeling.
• The Sedition Act of 1918: Makes it illegal
to make “disloyal” statements about U.S.
gov’t or military.
• Espionage Act of 1917: Passed in
response to fears that German secret
agents might try to weaken American war
effort. Act makes it illegal to interfere
with the “DRAFT”

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Liberty Bonds – special war bonds
sold to support the Allied cause.
- Raised about $20 billion,
Sec. of Treasury McAdoo.
Price controls – system of pricing determined by
the gov’t on food to prevent waste and increase
production.
Rationing – distributing goods to consumers in a
fixed amount.
Daylight Saving Time – turning clocks ahead one

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What else is going on?
The Great Migration
African Americans to the
North, “Land of hope”
1910-1920: 1.2 million
Push factors
• Jim Crow & violence
• Low pay jobs
• Ruined crops
Pull factors
• Economic prosperity in North
• Jobs opened (imm quotas)
• Freedmen’s bureau/aid

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Convincing the American People
Idealism: Fourteen Points
What? President
Wilson’s Plan for after
the war
•Fourteen promises,
including freedom of
the seas & a League
of Nations to work for
peace
President Woodrow Wilson

40. Wilson’s Fourteen Points
The first five points were general in nature and may be
summarized as follows:
(1) open covenants of peace;
(2) freedom of the seas;
(3) removal of economic barriers between nations as far
as possible;
(4) reduction of armaments to needs for domestic safety;
(5) impartial adjustment of colonial claims;

41. Fourteen Points Con’t
(6) evacuation and general restoration of conquered
territories in Russia;
(7) preservation of Belgian sovereignty;
(8) settlement of the Alsace-Lorraine;
(9) redrawing of Italian frontiers according to
nationalities;
(10) the division of Austria-Hungary in conformance

42. Last of the “14”
(12) Turkish control only of their own peoples and
freedom of navigation through the Dardanelles;
(13) the establishment of an independent Poland with
access to the sea.
The last point!
(14) General association of nations
The League of Nations grew out of the 14th
point.

43. Peace Treaty: Treaty of Versailles
Germany wasn’t invited to the meeting.
Germany expected the treaty to be based on
Wilson’s Fourteen Points.
The problem was that the “Big Four” could not
agree on the terms to the treaty.
French premier, Georges Clemenceau took advantage
of the weakness to Wilson’s plan to demand harsh
penalties for Germany.

44. Wilson had to compromise!
France wanted to totally humiliate Germany,
maybe even totally destroy them as a nation.
Italy wanted territory it had been promised for
leaving the German’s side. So,
Wilson formed the grounds for the League of Nations.
An organization that would join together to
ensure security and peace for all members.

45. What the treaty said for
Germany…
Germany had to take full responsibility for the war
Germany had to pay for all the war damage
(reparations)
Germany’s army was reduced to 100,000 men
Germany could have no airforce or submarines, and
was limited to six large ships
Germany lost territory on all sides, including the area
for Poland to be created

46. Treaty of Versailles
How fair was this treaty to Germany?
Which of the nations would have been the most
pleased with the outcome? Explain
Most importantly; think about the effects of the
treaty for the future of the world.
Remember that this treaty was to prevent
another European war from ever breaking
out again.
You know what happened in 1939…..

47. Post W.W.I MapPost W.W.I Map

48. Cause and Effects of W.W.ICause and Effects of W.W.I
ºImperialism leads to international rivalries, particularly within
Europe.
ºNationalism between and within countries intensifies.
ºMilitary buildup in Europe intensifies.
ºArchduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary is assassinated.
ºAustria-Hungary declares war on Serbia.
World War IWorld War I
ºMap of Europe is redrawn.
ºLeague of Nations is formed.
ºUnited States economy is boosted.
ºUnited States suffers post-war disillusionment.

49. Military Casualties in World War I 1914-1918
Belgium 45,550
British Empire 942,135
France 1,368,000
Greece 23,098
Italy 680,000
Japan 1,344
Montenegro 3,000
Portugal 8,145
Romania 300,000
Russia 1,700,000
Serbia 45,000
United States 116,516
0
200,000
400,000
600,000
800,000
1,000,000
1,200,000
1,400,000
1,600,000
1,800,000
2,000,000
Deaths
Germany
Russia
France
Aus-Hun
Britain
U.S.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=y59wErqg4Xg (Crash Course)

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