10/30/12The War and the Peace: Woodrow Wilson and the European CrisisTwo 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 deedAmerican sympathies really lied with Great BritainAmerican bankers loaned $2.3 billion to England and $1.7 billion to GermanyGreat BritainEngland redefined contraband to include nearly everything whereas before it just included war materialsEstablished a blockade for the purpose of starving GermanyMined North SeaGermanyUnrestricted submarine warfareFebruary, 1915: announced it would establish a war zone around the British Isles and would attempt to destroy all enemy merchant ships found in that areaInternational LawNo belligerent war ship could destroy an unresisting merchant ship without first doing three things:-Stop ship-Determine identity-Make provisions for safety of the crewGerman Submarine WarfareMay 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 thatit was an act of self-defenseAugust 1915: British ship Arabic was torpedoed-2 Americans killed this timeMarch 1916: Sussex was torpedoed-Unarmed French passenger ship-Wilson said to Germany unless you stop, we’re cutting off diplomatic relationsSussex Pledge-May 4, 1916-No more unarmed passenger ships would be sunk without proper precedingactionsJanuary 31, 1917-Germany once again announced unrestricted submarine warfareFebruary 3, 1916-Wilson severed diplomatic relations with GermanyMarch 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 ArizonaDecision for WarMarch 12-17, 1917-Four U.S. merchant ships were sunk without warningApril 2, 1917: Wilson delivered war message to CongressApril 4, 1917: Senate voted 82 to 6 for warApril 6, 1917: House voted 373 to 50 for warCauses of WarImmediate cause: German submarine warfareOther factors:German intrigueAllied propagandaGermany victory in Europe would make Europe a threat to the U.S.Pro-allied bias of a basically Anglo-Saxon nationEconomic stakeWilson 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 IowaWar CabinetBernard Naruch, head of War Industries Board-Planned and managed the economyWilliam Howard Taft, head of War Labor Board-Worked with labor leaders to solve labor disputes and avoid strikes during the warHerbert Hoover, head of War Food Administration-Worked to increase production and decrease waste -Heatless Mondays, Meatless Wednesdays, Gasless SundaysWilliam Gibbs McAdoo, head of Rail and Fuel Administration-Worked to make sure railroads ran on time, there was enough fuel, etc.World War IU.S. had troops in Europe by June of 1917Military was very segregatedBlacks mostly were only allowed to serve in menial jobs – i.e. as cooksAugust 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 highlyGermans pointed out irony of Blacks fighting for democracy when they didn’t have rights back home and urged them to lay down armsHenry Johnson and Needham Roberts were the first (Black?) Americans to be awarded the French War Cross for acts of braveryJanuary 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 nations1918 midterm elections-Wilson called for a Democratic Congress – this was considered a slur againstAmericans’ 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 ParisPeace Conference at Versailles“Big Four”-Woodrow Wilson, U.S.-Vittorrio Orlando, Italy-David Lloyd George, England-George Clemenceau, FranceWilson 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 disputesTerms 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 yearsRatification of the Peace TreatyWilson 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 failedU.S. failed to participate in its own brainchild – the League of NationsAugust 1921: U.S. signed separate treaties with Germany and Austria Europe’s response to America’s rejection of the treaty was shock and betrayalCost of War10 million dead20 million woundedTotal real economic cost: ~$270 billionWoodrow Wilson died February 3,
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