The War and the Peace Woodrow Wilson and the European Crisis 10 30 12 Two major power blocks Triple Alliance AKA Central Powers Austria Germany Hungary Triple Entente AKA Allied Powers Great Britain France Russia June 28 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated By a Serbian man named Gavrilo Princip At Sarajevo in the province of Bosnia Woodrow Wilson declared that the U S must remain neutral in thought as well as in deed American sympathies really lied with Great Britain American bankers loaned 2 3 billion to England and 1 7 billion to Germany Great Britain England redefined contraband to include nearly everything whereas before it just included war materials Established a blockade for the purpose of starving Germany Mined North Sea Germany Unrestricted submarine warfare February 1915 announced it would establish a war zone around the British Isles and would attempt to destroy all enemy merchant ships found in that area International Law No belligerent war ship could destroy an unresisting merchant ship without first doing three things Stop ship Determine identity Make provisions for safety of the crew German Submarine Warfare May 7 1915 British liner Lusitania was torpedoed off the coast of Ireland Sank in 18 minutes Loss of 1198 lives 128 of them Americans Caused a great outcry in U S Germans expressed regret that American lives were lost but maintained that it was an act of self defense August 1915 British ship Arabic was torpedoed 2 Americans killed this time March 1916 Sussex was torpedoed Unarmed French passenger ship Wilson said to Germany unless you stop we re cutting off diplomatic relations May 4 1916 No more unarmed passenger ships would be sunk without proper preceding actions Germany once again announced unrestricted submarine warfare Sussex Pledge January 31 1917 February 3 1916 Wilson severed diplomatic relations with Germany March 1 1917 Zimmerman note was published Arthur Zimmerman had telegraphed Mexico that should the U S enter the war that Mexico should form an alliance with Germany Promised the recovery of Texas New Mexico and Arizona Decision for War March 12 17 1917 Four U S merchant ships were sunk without warning April 2 1917 Wilson delivered war message to Congress April 4 1917 Senate voted 82 to 6 for war April 6 1917 House voted 373 to 50 for war Causes of War Immediate cause German submarine warfare Other factors German intrigue Allied propaganda Germany victory in Europe would make Europe a threat to the U S Pro allied bias of a basically Anglo Saxon nation Economic stake Wilson had campaigned in 1916 with the slogan He kept us out of war against Charles Evans Hughes War to save Democracy George Creel placed in charge of propaganda to get Americans psychologically ready for war Frankfurter hotdog Hamburger Salisbury steak Sauerkraut liberty cabbage Against the law to speak German in Iowa War Cabinet Bernard Naruch head of War Industries Board Planned and managed the economy William Howard Taft head of War Labor Board Worked with labor leaders to solve labor disputes and avoid strikes during the war Herbert Hoover head of War Food Administration Worked to increase production and decrease waste Heatless Mondays Meatless Wednesdays Gasless Sundays William Gibbs McAdoo head of Rail and Fuel Administration Worked to make sure railroads ran on time there was enough fuel etc World War I U S had troops in Europe by June of 1917 Military was very segregated Blacks mostly were only allowed to serve in menial jobs i e as cooks August 1918 General John J Pershing issued an order To the French Military Mission secret information concerning Black American troops Ordered the squashing of Black American French troops fraternization Ordered that French military leaders not commend Black troops highly Germans pointed out irony of Blacks fighting for democracy when they didn t have rights back home and urged them to lay down arms Henry Johnson and Needham Roberts were the first Black Americans to be awarded the French War Cross for acts of bravery January 1918 Wilson introduced his Fourteen Points in a speech to Congress Had a tremendous impact on the world Germany surrendered on the basis of the Fourteen Points One point was the creation of a league of nations 1918 midterm elections Wilson called for a Democratic Congress this was considered a slur against Americans patriotism Wilson wanted to participate in the Peace Process in Europe at that time no President had ever traveled to Europe while President Wilson failed to consult the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Head Henry Cabot Lodge Wilson s archrival January 1919 Wilson arrived in Paris Peace Conference at Versailles Big Four Woodrow Wilson U S Vittorrio Orlando Italy David Lloyd George England George Clemenceau France Wilson had to compromise on many of Fourteen Points to get League of Nations League of nations supposed to be an agency to stop war and to arbitrate international disputes Terms for Germany Assume responsibility for starting the war The War Guilt Clause Pay full reparations to the Allies figure later set at an impossible sum of 33 billion Disarm Army and Navy Lost 1 million square miles of colonial possessions Lost 50 000 square miles of European territory Lost the occupation of the Rhineland for 15 years Ratification of the Peace Treaty Wilson returned home to much resentment from Liberals German Americans Irish Americans Senate Henry Cabot Lodge Senate Foreign Relations Committee did not recommend the treaty for ratification and so it failed U S failed to participate in its own brainchild the League of Nations August 1921 U S signed separate treaties with Germany and Austria Europe s response to America s rejection of the treaty was shock and betrayal Cost of War 10 million dead 20 million wounded Total real economic cost 270 billion Woodrow Wilson died February 3 1924
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