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Allies
2 major defense alliances in Europe
Triple Entente (Allies): France, Britian, Russia
Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungrary, Italy -
Central Powers
Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungrary, Ottoman Empire (Middle Eastern lands controlled by the Turks)
Alliances provided a measure of international security because nations were reluctant to disturb the balance of power. As it turned out, a spark set off a major conflict. -
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Balkan peninsula "powder keg of Europe": ethnic rivalries, Russia wants access to Mediterranean Sea, Germany wanted rail link to Ottoman Empire, A-H accuse Serbia of rule over Bosnia
1914 Heir to Austrian throne visited Bosnian capital Sarajevo, Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip shot Archduke/wife Sophie. Princip (Black Hand, org. promoting Serbian nationalism)
July 28 A-H declare short war vs. Serbia
Aug 1 G support A-H, war on R
Aug 3 G war on France (R ally)
G invade Belgium, B war G/AH -
Schlieffen Plan
Germany invaded Blegium, following strategy/Plan
-holding action against Russia, combine with quick drive through Belguim to Paris; After france fall, 2 G armies defeat Russia
Allies couldn't save Belgium, retreat to Marne River in France; by spring 1915, 2 parallel systems of deep rat-infested trenches cross Belgium coast to Swiss Alps -
Sinking of British liner Lusitania
U-boat sank British liner off southern coast of Ireland; of 1198 persons lost, 128 were Americans
-Germans defended action by grounds that liner carried ammunition
-American pulic opinion turned agaisnt Germany and central Powers -
Sinking of British liner Arabic
U-boat sank Arabic, drowning two Americans
-Germans agree not to sink any more passenger ships -
Sinking of French passenger liner Sussex
Germany torpedoed an unarmed French steamer and 80 passengers including some Americans were killed or injured.
-US warn that it ould break diplomatic relations unless Germany changed its tactics, G condition: if US could not persuade B to lift its blockade against food and fertilizers, G would consider renewing unrestircted submarine warfare -
Battle of Somme
-lasted until mid-November, British suffer 60k casualties on the first day alone
-final casualties totaled 1.2 million on 7 mi of ground changed hands
-trench warfare continue for 3 years -
Zimmermann note
(telegram frrom German foreign minister to the german ambassador in Mexico that was intercepted by British agents)
-proposed alliance between Mexico and Germany and promised that if war with the US broke out, G would support Mexico in recovering "lost territory in TX, NM and AZ" -
Selective Service Act
Congress pass: act required men to register witht eh government in order to be randomly selected for milittary service
-by end of 1918 24 million men had registered, almost 3 million called up
-2 million reached Europe before truce was signed and 3/4 saw actual combat
-1/5 foreign born, most did not attend high-school -
Convoy System
G U-boast attacks on merchant ships in Atlantic were serious threats
-Amer. Vice Admiral William sims convince B to try system (heavy guard of destroyers escorted mercahnt ships back and forth across Atlantic in groups
-by fall of 1917 shipping losses cut in half
-US lay 230 mi barrier of mines across North Sea from scotland to norway: bottle up u-boats -
Espionage and Sedition Acts
may 1918 sedition acts
-a person could be fined $10k and sentenced up to 20 years in jail for interfering with the war effort or for saying anything disloyal, profane, or abusice about gov or war effort
-2k prosecutions for loosely defined antiwar activities, over half convictions
-newspapers/magazines oppose war/critise Allies lost mailing priviledges
-targeted socialists and labor leaders; when speaking out, deportation, prison sentence -
Second Battle of Marne
-1917 Russia pulled out, G focus on western fron in F
-May, within 50 mi of Paris
US come to stop advance at Catigny
-Us throwing back G attacks at Chateau-Thierry and Belleau Wood
-July/Aug helped win second battle of Marne, tide turn for Central powers -
War Industries Board
-established in 1917 and reorganized in 1918 under leadership of Bernard M. Baruch (prosperous businessman)
-board encourage companies to use mass-production techniques to increase efficiency, urge them to eliminate waste by standardizing products
-set production quotas and allocated raw materials
-industrail production increased about 20%
-applied price control at wholsale lvl, retail price soar-> 2x by end
-corporate profits soared (chem, meatpacking, oil, steel) -
National War Labor Board
-deals with disputes between management and labor, president wilson established
-workers who refused to obey board decisions could lose their draft exemptions
- worked to improve factory conditions; push for 8 hour workday, promote safety inspections and enforced child labor ban -
Food Administration
-to help produce and conserve food, WIlson set up under Herbert Hoover
-instead of rationing food, called on ppl to follow the "gospel of clean plate"
-one day meatless, one sweetless, two wheatless, two porkless
-restaurants removed sugar bowls and served bread only after first course
-"victory gardens", students after-school grow tomatoes and cucumbers in parks; american food shipments to Allies tripled
-high gov price on wheat/staples, add 40 mill acres to production, increase income 30% -
Establishment of G Republic
same day= German sailors mutinied against gov authority, mutiny spreads
-in G, groups of soldiers and workers organized revolutionary councils
-Nov 9, Socialist leaders in capital Berlin establish German republic, Kaiser give up throne -
Austria-Hungary surrenders to the Allies
same day= German sailors mutinied against gov authority, mutiny spreads
-in G, groups of soldiers and workers organized revolutionary councils
-Nov 9, Socialist leaders in capital Berlin establish German republic, Kaiser give up throne -
Cease-fire and armistice
although no Allied soldiers on G ground and no true decisive battle, G 11th hour, 11th day, 11th month, agree to cease-fire and signed armistice that ended war -
Committee on Public Information
-to popularize war, nation's first propaganda agency (biased communication to influence ppl), head: George Creel
-persuade nation to create thousands of paintings, posters, cartoons, sculptures, 75k "4 min men" who talked, 25 million copies of "How the War Came to America"
-promote patriotism and hatred on certain ethnic groups
