World War I, the Treaty of Versailles, and the Great Depression: U.S. History Project
By hubercassidy
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Militarism
From 1910-1914, countries such as France, Britain, Russia, and Germany increased their spending on military to build better ships, and bigger, stronger, more weapons sophisticated armies. This gave the United States something to worry about, as their surrounding neighbors were gearing for war. -
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Nationalism
Many countries were Nationalistic. They were extremely loyal and strived for the countries rule. Extreme nationalism, however, caused conflict between countries when there was not mutual agreement. For example, Britain wanted to have the largest Navy possible, so they continued to expand, which upsetted Germany, who also wanted a large Navy. -
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Alliances
By 1914, the major alliances of WWI had formed. Britain, France, and Russia formed the Triple Entente. Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy formed the Triple Alliance. All countries were brought into war after certain countries decided to declare war on others. -
Imperialism
Countries all over the world performed acts of Imperialism. This includes Germany, Russia, and even the United States! The U.S.'s territory consisted of places like the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico. -
Germany's Blank Check to Austria- Hungary
Germany pledges unconditional support to Austria-Hungary in whatever actions that they decide to take against Serbia. This follows the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which greatly upsets German leaders, as they were allies. Without their support, punishment would not go very far for Serbia. -
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie
Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie were shot point blank in a limousine, by 19 yr old Gavrilo Princip. This was probably the most impactful event that led to WWI, as Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia for this act, and shortly after, the war had begun. -
The Beginning of WWI
WWI begins. The assassination of Archduke Franz, the alliances, and other events led to the start of the war. It mainly began in Europe. Previous to the war, Britain had been growing their defenses, which provoked other countries to do the same. Countries all over the world prepared for war, including the U.S. -
The Sinking of the Lusitania
On May 7th, 1915, the British Ocean Liner, the Lusitania, was sunken by German U-Boats while on route to England. There were about 1,900 people on board, and over 1000 had died. More than 120 american people were included in this equation. This angered not only Britain, but America as well, as they had lost some of their own. -
The Zimmerman Telegram
The Zimmerman Telegram was a secret diplomatic transmission from Germany to Mexico asking for an alliance in the event that the United States were to enter into WWI. Once the U.S. learned of this transmission, they realized they needed to fight, because their neighbors were going to turn against them one way or another. -
Germany Continues Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
Originally, unrestricted submarine warfare first started in 1915 by the Germans, but they had held back due to the United States putting pressure on them to back off. After much debate by the German government, they decided to resume the warfare. They wanted to come out victorious, and they believed the best way to achieve this was through means of force and attacking. -
The United States Officially Enters WWI
On April 6th, 1917, the United States finally joined WWI. The main reason for this was due to Germany's decision to continue unrestricted submarine warfare. They were attacking American ships, and that made the U.S. very angry. They joined their allies, Russia, Britain and France, and began fighting on the battlefields of France. This was a wake-up call the their enemies. They quickly realized the U.S. was not to be trifled with, and how strong they truly were. -
The Effects of WWI
The total amount of deaths in WWI is about 38 million, both military and civilian. Germany split into four temporary zones that were mostly based off of where the Allied Armies lied. The capital of Berlin was also divided. Germany was disappointed, to say the least, and they were having a difficult time coping with defeat. -
The Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was the official treaty that ended WWI. The main things included in this treaty were boundaries to prevent further war and promote peace. It also put strict rules on Germany to help ensure there would be no more war, and stated that Germany would pay for the repair of everything damaged during the war. -
The Rise of Hitler
Hitler's rise to power was slow, but steady. He moved his way up the ropes, working in propaganda, and then with political parties. While trying to make his way to the top, he threatened his opponents with what he was capable of, and essentially won the election of becoming the Fuhrer by use of fear. He formed the Nazi parties, and poisoned the ideas of Jewish people, turning Germans against them. He was a tyrant. -
Dawes Plan and Young Plan
The Dawes Plan was devised in 1924 to assure that Germany would pay for reparations from WWI. It would charge Germany so much money for an allotted amount of time. When they saw that this plan was not working out, a new chairman revised the Dawes Plan, and formed the Young Plan in 1929. It was a stronger, more organized negotiation for payment of damages done during WWI. -
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The Great Depression
The Great Depression began after the stock market crash of 1929. The crash was caused by lack of funds for expansion in industry and farming. 9,000 banks failed during the following months of the crash. The people panicked, taking all of their money out of the banks, causing mass chaos. The country fell into a deep economic depression. It was ended by sharp reductions in taxes and spending.
