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By: Edgar , Ethan and Alex

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Although many Americans wanted to stay out of the war, several factors made American neutrality difficult to maintain. As an industrial and imperial power, the United States felt many of the same pressures that had led the nations of Europe into devastating warfare. Historians gener- ally cite four long-term causes of World War I: nationalism, imperialism, militarism, and the formation of a system of alliances.

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That spark flared in the Balkan Peninsula. This area was known as “the powder keg of Europe.” In addition  to the ethnic rivalries among the Balkan peoples, Europe’s leading powers had interests there. Russia wanted access to the Mediterranean Sea. In June 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne, visited the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo. On July 28 Austria-Hungary declared what was expected to be a short war against Serbia.

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On August 3, 1914, Germany invaded Belgium, following a strategy known as the Schlieffen Plan. This plan called for a holding action against Russia, combined with a quick drive through Belgium to Paris. After France had fallen, the two German armies would defeat Russia.

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The stalemate was mainly an effect of trench warfare, in which armies fought for mere yards of ground. On the battlefields of
Europe, there were three main kinds of trenches - front line, support, and reserve.

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Just after the fighting in Europe began, President Woodrow Wilson declared that the United States would remain neutral. His statement reflected a long- standing American commitment to isolationism. Most Americans agreed that there was no reason to join a struggle 3,000 miles away. The war did not threaten American lives or property. This did not mean, however, that certain groups and individuals in the United States were indifferent to who would win the war. Public opinion was strong—but divided.

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Although the majority of Americans favored victory for the Allies rather than the Central powers, they did not want to join the Allies’ fight. By 1917, however, America had mobilized for war against the Central powers in order to ensure Allied repayment of debts to the United States and to prevent the Germans from threatening U.S. shipping.

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In November 1916 came the U.S. presidential election. The Democrats renominated Wilson, and the Republicans nominated Supreme Court Justice Charles Evans Hughes. Wilson campaigned on the slogan “He Kept Us Out of War.” Hughes pledged to uphold America’s right to freedom of the seas but also promised not to be too severe on Germany.

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A light drizzle fell on Washington on April 2, 1917, as senators, representatives, ambassadors, members of the Supreme Court, and other guests crowded into the Capitol to hear President Wilson deliver his war resolution. Congress passed the resolution a few days later. With the hope of neutrality finally shattered, U.S. troops would follow the stream of American money and munitions that had been heading to the Allies throughout the war. But Wilson’s plea to make the world “safe for democracy” wasn’t just political posturing. Indeed, Wilson and many Americans truly believed that the United States had to join the war to pave the way for a future order of peace and freedom. A resolved but anxious nation held its breath as the United States prepared for war.

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This is a picture of the WW1 draft, and how people were selected to serve

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To start off the war, the United States only had 200,000 men in service. There were only a couple of officers that had combat experience. To increase the fighting power that the government needed, the Selective Service Act was passed in may 1917. This act helped America gain 3 million soldiers, which most of them had not attended high school. The training period which was eight months took place in Europe and the United States. The men were put in 17 hour days where they would work on target practice, bayonet drill, kitchen duty, and cleaning up the grounds. They used fake guns, and rocks as grenades since the real weapons were in short supply. For the United States to take the upper hand against the central powers. The government had to appeal to all Americans, regardless of ethnicity or race. The many minorities believed that fighting for America would help gain respect and be treated as equal citizens. 400,000 African Americans would serve in the war, however they served in segregated and were not part of the navy and marines. Since they feared that black soldiers could be a threat after the war, they were used in non combat duties. Although the 369th infantry, which was a all black regiment saw the most duty on the front lines. The cross of war which was the highest military honor was given to 2 soldiers from the 369th infantry. Even Native Americans were required to register for the draft even if they weren’t considered citizens. Other groups such as Asian and Hispanic Americans served to gain equal rights as well. Even though women couldn’t enlist, they were accepted in the army corps of nurses. Sadly they were denied army rank, pay, and benefits. Some 13,000 women served as nurses, secretaries, and telephone operators. To add to the vast army. Men, food, and equipment had to be transported over thousands of miles of ocean. Although U-boat attacks by Germany were a very serious problem to the allied. To respond, first the U.S. government exempted many shipyards. Second they gave out service flags to shipyard workers families. Lastly they used prefabrication techniques where standardized parts were built elsewhere, then assembled at the yard.

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The allied forces were demoralized and desperate and two and a half years of fighting. This was the time Americans were able to provide much needed supplies and fresh troops. Even while mass production techniques increased the number of ships carrying materials to Europe. These ships still remained easy targets by prowling U-boats. An American vice admiral thought of the convoy system where a heavy guard of destroyer would escort the merchant ships. This cut ship losses in half by the fall of 1917. By 1918 the Germans found it very difficult to replace their losses. Of the 2 million Americans that sailed to Europe, only 637 were lost to U-boat attacks. American troops first arrived in France in late June 1917. The American expeditionary force was formed when by American soldiers that went overseas. This force included soldiers from the national guards, the regular army, and volunteers. These infantry were called doughboys, because they wore white belts, which they cleaned with pipe clay or “dough.” The main contributions that the American troops brought was freshness and enthusiasm. American troops were very determined to strike the Germans hard. Many new weapons also came out of this war such as guns capable of firing 600 rounds a minute, machine guns could inflict heavy casualties on the enemy. Although the tank and the airplane were the two most innovative weapons. These weapons lead the mechanized warfare. Tanks were built with steel so bullets would bounce off. The first people to use tanks were the British, but they weren’t that effective. Since tanks were not damaged by rifles and machine guns, trench warfare came to an end. Americas air power was weak entering the war, so congress eventually used $675 million to build an Air Force. Although airplanes at first were only used to scout and gather information. Air combat or early dog fights were usually pilots shooting at each other with pistols. Soon planes started to use mounted machine guns. Both sides also put a lot of money into a new battleship called a dreadnought. These ships were faster and more heavily armored. The Allies and the central powers started to use chemical warfare during WW1. This would be used to reach soldiers sheltered in the very deep trenches.

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After Russia pulled out of the war in 1917, Germany moved their army’s to the western front in France. The American troops arrived just at the right time to help stop German advance at Cantigny. American troops would later help pushing back German attacks at Château-Thierry and Belleau Wood. The Germans launched their last desperate battle on July 15, 1918. They suffered 150,000 deaths and retreated on August 3. A counterattack was led by the Allies in September. The Germans were defeated by the AEF at Mihiel. Advancement toward the French city of sedan was continued by the allies. For over a month, the allies advanced through the rough Argonne Forest, which where they faced artillery fire and dangerous explosions every step of the way. The battle of Argonne forest caused 120,000 American casualties.

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During the fighting in the Argonne forest, Alvin York who is one of Americas greatest war heroes, became famous. York was a very religious person who even opposed warfare on moral ground, meaning he wouldn’t even kill. He eventually made a decision that it was acceptable to fight if the cause was just. On October 8, 1918, York killed 24 Germans with only a rifle and a revolver. General was named an outstanding soldier of the AEF. The commander of the AEF even said this was the greatest thing that’s been accomplished by any private soldier of all the armies of Europe. York was promoted to sergeant and became a celebrity when he returned to the United States.

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By late 1918 the German economy was crippling because of the war, many civilians lacked food and supplies. Riots and strikes increased in Germany. On November 3, 1918, Austria Hungary surrendered to the allies. On that same day, German sailors went against government authority. Groups of German soldiers and workers organized revolutionary councils. Socialist leaders in the capital, Berlin, made a German republic on November 9. The throne was given up by Kaiser. German soldiers were too exhausted to keep fighting. So at the 11th hour, on the 11th day, in the 11th month of 1918, Germany agreed to stop fighting and signed a truce to end the war.

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World War 1 was the deadliest war in history up to that time. Casualties were up to 22 million, in addition, 20 million were wounded. The economic cost of the war was about 338 billion. America lost 110,000 men from battle, and disease. Over 200,000 Americans were wounded.

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While African Americans began new lives, women
moved into jobs that had been held exclusively by men. They became railroad workers, cooks, dockworkers, and bricklayers. They mined coal and took part in shipbuilding. At the same time, women continued to fill more traditional jobs as nurses, clerks, and teachers. In all, about 1 million women entered the work force during World War I. In addition, many women worked as volunteers, serving at Red Cross facilities and encouraging the sale of bonds and the planting of victory gardens. Others, such as Jane Addams, were active in the peace movement. Addams helped found the Women’s Peace Party in 1915 and remained a pacifist even after the United States entered the war.

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In concrete terms, the greatest effect of the First World War on African Americans’ lives was that it accelerated the Great Migration, the large-scale movement of hundreds of thousands of southern blacks to cities in the North. This great population shift had already begun before the war in the late 19th century. At that time, African Americans trickled northward to escape the Jim Crow South. After the turn of the century, the trickle became a tidal wave.

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ESPIONAGE AND SEDITION ACTS (1917 and 1918)

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ESPIONAGE AND SEDITION ACTS (1917 and 1918)

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In June 1917 Congress passed the Espio- Vocabulary nage Act, and in May 1918 it passed the Sedition Act. Under the Espionage sedition rebellion and Sedition Acts, a person could be fined up to $10,000 and sentenced to against one's 20 years in jail for interfering with the war effort or for saying  anything government; treason disloyal, profane, or abusive about the government or the war effort.

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The main regulatory body was the War Industries Board (WIB). It was established in 1917 and reorganized in 1918 under the leadership of Bernard M. Baruch (bә-rk ʹ), a prosperous businessman. The board encouraged companies to use mass-production techniques to increase efficiency. It also urged them to eliminate waste by standardizing products for instance, by making only 5 colors of typewriter ribbons instead of 150. The WIB set production quotas and allocated raw materials.

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To deal with disputes between management and labor, President Wilson established the National War Labor Board in 1918. Workers who refused to obey board decisions could lose their draft exemptions. “Work or fight,” the board told them. However, the board also worked to improve factory conditions. It pushed for an eight-hour workday, promoted safety inspections, and enforced the child labor ban.

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The United States spent about $35.5 billion on the war effort. The government raised about one-third of this amount through
taxes. These taxes included a progressive income tax (which taxed high incomes at a higher rate than low incomes), a war-profits tax, and higher excise taxes on tobacco, liquor, and luxury goods. It raised the rest through public borrowing by selling “Liberty Loan” and “Victory Loan” bonds.

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Committee on Public Information (CPI) 1921

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Committee on Public Information (CPI) 1921

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To popularize the war, the government set up the nation’s first propaganda agency, the Committee on Public Information (CPI). Propaganda is a kind of biased communication designed to influence people’s thoughts and actions. The head of the CPI was a former muckraking journalist named George Creel.Creel persuaded the nation’s artists and advertising agen- cies to create thousands of paintings, posters, cartoons, and sculptures promoting the war. He recruited some 75,000 men to serve as “Four-Minute Men.” They spoke about everything relating to the war: the draft, rationing, bond drives, victory gardens, and topics such as “Why We Are
Fighting” and “The Meaning of America.”

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On January 8, 1918, he presented his
Fourteen Points plan to Congress. The first several points were issues that Wilson believed had to be addressed to prevent another war. He suggested banning secret agreements between nations. He proposed lower tariffs to facilitate free trade. He also called for military cutbacks and freedom of
the seas.

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Wilson planned to present his Fourteen Points to world leaders at a peace conference in Paris in January 1919. Leaders from 32 nations attended

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The Treaty of Versailles established nine new nations including Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia. It changed the boundaries of other nations. It carved areas out of the Otto- man Empire and gave them to France and Great Britain as mandates, or temporary colonies. Those two Allies were to administer their respective mandates until the areas were ready for self-rule and then independence. The treaty barred Germany from maintaining an army, and it required Germany to return the region of Alsace-Lorraine to France. It also com-
pelled Germany to pay reparations, or war damages, to the Allies in the amount of $33 billion.

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On June 28, 1919, the Big Four and the leaders of the defeated nations gathered in the Hall of Mirrors of the Palace of Versailles to sign the peace treaty. They had suffered four years of devastating warfare. Everyone hoped that the treaty would create stability for a rebuilt Europe. Instead, anger held sway. This treatment of Germany weakened the ability of the Treaty of Versailles to provide a lasting peace in Europe. Several basic flaws in the treaty sowed the seeds of postwar international problems. These problems eventually would lead to the Second World War.

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When Wilson returned to the United States, he faced strong opposition to the treaty. Some people, including Herbert Hoover, believed it was too harsh. Hoover noted, “The economic consequences alone will pull down all Europe and thus injure the United States.”

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Wilson unwisely ignored the Republican  majority in the Senate when he chose the members of the Ameri- can delegation. If he had been more willing to accept a compromise on the League, it would have been more likely that the Senate would have approved the treaty. Wilson, however, was exhausted from his efforts at Versailles

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When World War I ended, many Americans looked forward to a return of what Warren G. Harding called “normalcy.” However, both the United States and the rest of the world had been utterly transformed by the war. World War I had devastated many European economies. The war had also revealed the military and industrial potential of the United States Americans began to call World War I “the war to end all wars,” in the characteristic of or relating to fascism, a hope that humanity would never again fight such a war. Although the system of totalitarian United States had returned mostly to a policy of isolationism, unresolved government issues in Europe would eventually drag America into an even wider war. The Treaty of Versailles had settled nothing. The redrawn maps of Europe and European colonial possessions created a new set of problems. In addition, the reparations imposed on Germany had crippled its economy, and the war-guilt clause caused much anger and hostility there.