WWI

1. WWI Entering the war US influence Designing the Peace Reactions to the Peace

2. Why we went to war • Late 1916- last attempt to mediate falls through • Jan 1917- • “Only peace w/o victory will prove durable” • Germany announced intent to wage unlimited submarine warfare • Will sink all ships in war zone • Wilson broke diplomatic relations • Wouldn’t move twd war unless G takes over action against US lives, property • W asks congress to arm Merchant ships • MW senators try to block; nation still isolationist

3. Nobody likes a 2 front war • Mar 1, 1917: Zimmerman Note • Secret proposal: G to MX: allies; get all land lost in MX-Am war • Early Mar U Boats sank 4 unarmed US Merchant ships • Rev in Russia; Tsar is gone! • No more despots on side of allies: all democracies • April- War Message to cong: World must be made safe for Democ! • 1920s myth: dragged into war by arms merchants and banks (not really; doing well under neutrality) G mass killing of civilians did it.

4. Wilsonian Idealism • 6 senators & 50 Reps (incl J. Rankin) voted against decl of war • MidWest doesn’t care abo submarines- needed better war aims • A war to end all wars • To make world safe for democracy • Fired up most Americans

5. 14 points • Wilson: moral leader of allied cause • Jan 1918: 14 pts to Congress • Goal: keep Russia in war • Abolish secret treaties • Freedom of Seas • Removal of econ barriers among nations (G fear of post war vengeance removed) • Reduction of arms (taxpayers cheer) • Adjustment of colonial claims in interest of natives and colonizers • Other points promise: • Self determination to oppressed minority groups • International org for collective security

6. Mobilizing • Propaganda • Committee on Public Info created • George Creel • Purpose: get American support • 4 minute men (75,000) speeches, patriotic pep • Posters billboards (battle of the fences) • Millions of leaflets, pamphlets, propaganda booklets • Hang the Kaiser movies • George M. Cohan’s songs “Over There” • Did Creel lead the world to expect too much? Disillusionment

7. Enforcing Loyalty • 8% German Americans • Most loyal • Rumors flew even epidemics of diarrhea blamed on G agents • Some G As tarred, feathered, beaten; one lynched • No G music allowed • HS & colleges stop teaching G • Sauerkraut- Liberty cabbage • Espionage Act 1917, Sedition Act 1918 • 1900 prosecutions: largely socialists, IWW • Eugene V Debs sentenced to 10 yrs Fed Penn; Wm Haywood + 99 assoc from IWW, pardoned 1921

8. Factories • Some shipbuilding s. 1915 • Army ranked 15th in world • 100,000 = to Persia • Bernard Baruch (stocks) heads up War Industries Board • Accomplished little; disbanded after Armistice • Women encouraged to enter industry, agri • S. Blacks moved N. to get factory jobs

9. Factories 2 • War Dept issues Work or Fight rule for all able bodied • Wages 1914 nearly doubled by 1918 • Inflationary prices kept pace • Nearly doubled again 1916-1920 • Labor disputes continue 6,000 strikes • National War Labor board (Taft as co chair) • Settled disputes • Sabotage by IWWs (leftist) mostly lumber, fruit, canning • Transient trades get worst conditions • Protesters are beaten, arrested, run out of town

10. War Econ • Food Admin- (Hoover) • Hero: charity drive to feed Belgians • Rejects rationing for propaganda • Posters, billboards, pulpits, movies, newspapers • Save food for export • Meatless Tuesdays, Wheatless Wednesdays.. Voluntary • Apples: be patriotic to the core • Victory gardens • Malt, barely, yeast needed for food; alcohol ltd • Many brewers: G descent • 1919 Volstead Act, 18th amend • Farm production up 25% • Fuel admin: heatless Mondays, lightless nights, Gasless Sundays

11. War econ 2 • Treasury dept sponsored parades, 4 great Liberty Loan Drives • Victory Loan Campaign 1919: $21 Bill, or 2/3 cost of war • Remainder pd for w/ taxes • Many pressured into buying bonds, esp G Amers to prove loyalty; to wear a liberty loan button • Gov ran RRs 1917 • Gov seized enemy vessels in Amer harbors, launched drive to create new fleet

12. Recruitment • April – May 1917: Allies desperate for manpower • Conscription necessary to quickly mobilize army • Resistance in congress • Law passed 6 wks after decl • Age 18-45 • No exemptions or substitutes purchased • Except in key industries • Army goes to 4 million in months • Women admitted to army, navy and marine corps • Recruits entitled to 6 mo training; quickly swept into battle • Not even knowing how to handle rifles

13. Fighting in France • Bolsheviks w/d from capitalistic war early 1918 • Released Gs to fight in France (1 front) • G goal: KO Brits w/n 6 mo of announcement of unltd sub warfare • No effective Amer forces reach France for a year after war declaration • G accurately predicts US problems in transporting troops to front: shipping shortage

14. Fighting 2 • 1st Amer doughboys  replacements in Allied army & quiet sectors w Br & Fr • Small detachments to Belgium, Italy, Russia • 5k to Archangel to keep Russian arms from reaching Germans • 10,000 to Siberia pt of allied expedition w/ 70k & Japanese, too • Rescue of Czechs 45k stranded when Russian Rev broke out • Keep Japanese from taking Siberia • Steal military supplies from Bolsheviks • Sharp fighting at Archangel; several hundred Amers killed • Intervention helped mar US-Soviet relations from start

15. German Front advanced • Sp 1918- ½ mill G troops • Allies united under Marshall Foch • Gs 40 mi. from Paris • 30,000 Yanks into breach: Chateau Thierry • Fresh troops stop advance twd Paris • July Amers fought under Foch- 2nd battle of Marne • Gs begin w/drawal • Sep 9 Amer divisions (243K) + 4 Fr divisions push Gs out of St. Mihiel • Amers demand their own army: Gen Pershing commanding • Assigned front of 85 mi N from Swiss border to French line

16. Last big assault • Sep 26- Nov 11: US undertook Meuse Argonne offensive • Objectives: Cut G RR lines to front • Biggest battle in US history so far: 47 days • 1.2 mill Amers • Heaviest fighting: Argonne Forest • 10% killed/ wounded (Amers) • Slow progress; high losses (poor training) • Open field tactics bayonet v. machine gun

17. Last assault 2 • Alvin C York (TN) hero: killed 20 Gs, captured 132 • Supplies are short • Gs on verge of collapse • Blockade caused critical shortages • Wilson tells G army to overthrow Kaiser b4 armistice discussed • Kaiser forced to flee to Holland • G lays down arms Nov 11, 11 AM

18. Killed • Russians: 1.7 mill • Germans: 1.6 mill • French: 1.3 mill • British: 900,000 • Austria: 800,000 • Italy: 462,000 • US: 53,000

19. Wilson • Moral leader of free world • W resources of mightiest nation on earth • Begins to fumble • Wartime slogan: Politics is adjourned • Wilson breaks truce: tried to get Dem majority in elections: voters return Rep majority • Wilson goes to Paris w/ less power • 1st pres to travel to Europe • Grandstanding? • Peace delegation all Dems • Snubs Henry Cabot Lodge ®, new chair of Sen Committee on 4n Relats

20. Paris Conference • Wilson in charge • Premier Vittorio Orlando, Italy • P.M. David Lloyd George, Eng • Premier George Clemenceau, Fr • Europe slipping into anarchy • Communism spreading • Wilson’s first goal: stop colonial parcelling • Victors wouldn’t get territory outright • Bcm trustees for Leage of Nations of parts of Middle East • Syria -> France; Iraq -> Brits • All agree to league as part of treaty- W gives up most of 14 points to get it

21. Repub Senators • w/ Lodges isolationist groups led by Wm Borah,ID • Called Battalion of Death or Irreconcilables • Refused to accept league • Strengthened bargaining power of Wilson’s adversaries in Paris • Clemenceau pushed for G Rhineland + Saar Valley (coal) • Got Saar under League control 15 yrs + pop vote to decide

22. Vultures • French got security treaty w/ Eng, US in event of future G invasion • Gave up Rhineland to get it • Senate refutes; France feels betrayed • Italy got Fiume, seaport- Wilson wanted it to go to the new Yugoslavia • Appeals to Italian people; backfired • Delegates went home + masses turned against Wilson

23. Treaty continued • Shantung Peninsula (China) + G islands in Pacific wanted by J (30 mill Chinese) • League gives J mandate over islands; J threatens to walk out… • Compromise: J keeps G holdings in Shantung but will return to China later • China outraged

24. Treaty 2 • Completed treaty goes to G June 1919 • Only had 4 of 14 pts • Why they gave up • Gs felt betrayed • Wilson forced to compromise away most of treaty to get League • Millions of minorities (Poles, etc) liberated

25. Treaty 3 • Senate rejects League- Wilson appeals to people • Opposition from isolationists, hate league • Liberals thought treaty too harsh • German Amers, Italian Amers oppose • Irish denounce; gives Brits too much power • Tour stressful; Wilson weakened after long battle • Borah + Johnson follow Ws tour; speak against • Crowds in MidW yell for Ws impeachment

26. Treaty 4 • West coast, Rocky mts support Wilson • Speech in Pueblo CO very emotional; pleaded for League as only way to avoid future war • Next night: stroke- paralyzed • Lying in dark; doesn’t meet w/ Cabinet 7.5 mo • Lodge at helm- presents 14 formal reservations to treaty • Esp alarmed at Article X- morally bound US to war if any member attacked

27. Treaty 5 • Day of vote: Wilson sends message to dems: if 14 reservations are attached; vote no • Treaty fails 55 – 39 • Public outcry. • 2nd vote: same; got simple majority, not 2/3 needed to ratify • Isolationists sneer: he kept us out of peace

28. Election 1920 • Harding- OH – Rep nominee • Prosperous backslapping small town editor • Folksy w/ Silent Cal Coolidge as VP (MA) • Dems run Gov Cox (OH) pro league & Franklin Roosevelt of NY as VP • Harding issued muddled, contradictory statements from front porch • Women’s 1st vote • Eugene V Debs, fed prisoner # 9653 in Atlanta Penn: 919,799 votes for Socialist Party

29. Election 1920 • People tired of reform, sacrifice • Tired of morality • Wilson died 1924

30. Results of spurning league • League undercut from beginning w/o strong US support • No security treaty w France: who builds up military out of fear • Germany re arms illegally • Resentments of Gs over unfair treaty mount • Democracy will not take root there