World War I Origins of WWI The US was becoming a world power through industry and economics Our increasing economic role in the world influenced our foreign policies Progressives supported involvement in the war but most Americans did not President Wilson was less interested in Latin America than Teddy Roosevelt but he wants to continue spreading democracy through international trade He eventually convinces America to fight in WWI for democracy We maintain that we are promoting democracy and freedom through our involvement in the war but it actually curtails freedom at home Alliance System Europe continues to colonize Africa and Southeast Asia The race for imperialism deepens conflicts between the major European countries o Triple Alliance Great Britain France and Russia o Triple Entente Central Powers Germany Austria Hungary and Italy The July Crisis There were some diplomatic conflicts between Great Britain and France and Germany While this was happening Austria Hungary attempts to annex a part of Serbia called Bosnia In response a group from Serbia called the Black Hen assassinate the archduke of Austria Franz Ferdinand Austria Hungary gives Serbia a list of demands following their action but Serbia refuses to comply On July 28 1914 Austria Hungary declares war on Serbia who were allies with Russia Germany sees this as an opportunity to take over Eastern Europe and they insert themselves into the war When Germany invades Belgium Great Britain declares war on Germany Global Scope all of the countries in the major alliances control other countries in Africa and Asia which immediately makes the war international Forty percent of Great Britain s troops came from Australia New Zealand India and South Africa Japan decides to align with Germany in hopes that they gain something from the war Because of the international scope of the war US involvement becomes inevitable US Involvement America s Road to War o U Boat Warfare German U Boats were sneaking up on British ships and attacking them mercilessly in the Atlantic Ocean In 1915 Germany attacked The Lusitania a British passenger ship that was traveling between New York and England The attack killed 1 200 people including 128 Americans In 1916 U Boats sink the Sussex o The Russian Revolution people in Russia were attempting to overthrow the Czar system in an effort to become independent Americans felt sympathy towards Russians because we also fought in our own revolution o The Economy by 1917 US International Trade GNP rose to 3 billion The Triple Alliance had borrowed 2 billion from us o The Zimmerman Telegraph a telegraph was sent from Germany to Mexico promising Mexico that if they would fight with the Germans Germany would give them back the southwest portion of the US The telegraph was intercepted and decoded by the British and sent to President Wilson This made us believe that Mexico would join the war with Germany which was too close for comfort for the US Wilson s War for Democracy on April 2 1917 President Wilson used democracy as justification for asking Congress permission to join the war We declared war on Germany that day three years after the start of the war Technological Advancements o New Techniques machine guns trench warfare poison gas which both sides agreed not to use but did anyways and tanks o Airplanes first time war was fought in the air Meuse Argonne September 12 1918 this was the only major battle that the US fought in during WWI Fought in France and lasting six weeks nine US divisions forced Germany to retreat In October of 1918 a small revolution in Germany led to a new government On November 18th the new government signs a treaty agreeing to a cease fire Homefront Financing the War before the start of WWI only 1 of the GNP was spent on defense Congress authorized the sale of liberty bonds In 1917 Congress created the Selective Service Act which increased taxes for the purpose of military defense and increased the national debt by 5 billion Labor the War Coordinating Board encouraged high levels of manufacture and production while Congress established a food commission to guarantee that there was enough food for the men at war and everyone back home They encouraged farmers to increase their production Because so many men went overseas there was a new labor force Over one million women enter the work force in non traditional jobs and 400 000 African Americans moved north for factory jobs Civil liberties at home changed to give Americans less freedoms o Espionage Act 1917 makes it a crime to make false reports that might aid an enemy obstruct military recruitment or insight rebellion within the armed forces Most Americans did not support the war and this act made people believe there were spies everywhere o Sedition Acts 1918 punished anyone who printed wrote or published any disloyal or abusive language regarding the government the armed forces the constitutions or the US flag It was later repealed in 1921 for being unconstitutional o Committee on Public Information CPI this organization was created to promote the war and publicize our goals abroad it was basically a propaganda machine They would publish advertisements in newspapers and magazines to create a positive image of the war in an attempt to get more Americans to support the war They also pushed the sale of liberty bonds encouraged the conserve of food and fuel and told schools to teach their version of the war The CPI ceased to exist in November 1918 after the war ended Prohibition in 1919 Congress passed the 18th Amendment which prohibited the manufacture distribution and sale of alcohol Aimed at controlling undesirable behavior with the hopes of making workers more productive and dependable progressives believed Prohibition would improve urban life Many women supported the act because they thought it might protect women and children from domestic violence and stop men from spending all their money on alcohol Baptist and Methodist churches in the south were particularly supportive of the act The war was also supportive of Prohibition as it would stop wasting grain on alcohol and use it for food instead However since the Amendment did not actually outlaw the consumption of alcohol it was a major failure which only led to more drinking and the rise of organized crime bootleggers and speakeasies End of WWI another world war accepted accepted Wilson s 14 Points President Wilson believed that if we followed the 14 points we could prevent o Non