Table of Contents Chapter 1

WWI Content:

• Causes of WWI
• US neutrality and eventual entry
• US role in the war
• War effort at home
• Technological advancements
• Treaty of Versailles
• Final Cost and Impact

Table of Contents Chapter 2

1920s Content:

• Fear of Communism
• Eighteenth and Nineteenth Amendments
• Mass production
• Advertising and the Rise of Consumerism
• Impact of Radio and Movies
• Major Cultural Movements

Causes of WWI

The first world war began August 1914. It was triggered by the assassination Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary.  This event was, however, simply the trigger that set off declarations of war. There are five major conflicts that actually caused the war though.

#1. Alliances

An alliance is an agreement made between two or more countries to give each other help if it is needed. When an alliance is signed, those countries become known as Allies. A number of alliances had been signed by countries between the years 1879 and 1914. These were important because they meant that some countries had no option but to declare war if one of their allies. declared war first.

#2. Imperialism

Imperialism is when a country takes over new lands or countries and makes them subject to their rule. By 1900 the British Empire extended over five continents and France had control of large areas of Africa. The amount of lands ‘owned’ by Britain and France increased the rivalry with Germany who had entered the scramble over colonies late.

#3. Militarism

Militarism means that the army and military forces are given a high profile by the government. The growing European divide had led to an arms race between the main countries. There was fierce competition between Britain and Germany for mastery of the seas.

#4. Nationalism

Nationalism means being a strong supporter of the rights and interests of one’s country. The Congress of Vienna aimed to sort out problems in Europe. Delegates from Britain, Austria, Prussia and Russia (the winning allies) decided upon a new Europe that left both Germany and Italy as divided states. The settlement at the end of the Franco-Prussian war left France angry at the loss of Alsace-Lorraine to Germany and keen to regain their lost territory.

#5. Crises

Moroccan Crisis

In 1904 Morocco had been given to France by Britain, but the Moroccans wanted their independence. Germany announced their support for Moroccan independence. War was narrowly avoided by a conference which allowed France to retain possession of Morocco. However, in 1911, the Germans were again protesting against French possession of Morocco. Britain supported France and Germany was persuaded to back down for part of French Congo.

Bosnian Crisis

In 1908, Austria-Hungary took over the province of Bosnia. This angered Serbians who felt the province should be theirs. Serbia threatened Austria-Hungary with war, Russia, allied to Serbia, mobilized its forces. Germany, allied to Austria-Hungary mobilized its forces and prepared to threaten Russia. War was avoided when Russia backed down. There was, however, war in the Balkans between 1911 and 1912 when the Balkan states drove Turkey out of the area. The states then fought each other over which area should belong to which state. Austria-Hungary then intervened and forced Serbia to give up some of its acquisitions.

US neutrality and eventual entry

On August 19, 1914 President Woodrow Wilson asked for a declaration of neutrality . The declaration stated that,“The United States must be neutral in fact, as well as in name….” Neutrality is not helping or supporting either side in a conflict. The United States were neutral between the war of Austria- Hungary and Germany on one side and France, Great Britain, and Russia on the other. Despite the United States declaration of neutrality, Germany still decided to repeatedly attack them.

However, when the Zimmerman Telegram was published in the newspapers, American public opinion supported war against Germany. The telegram was sent by Germany's foreign minister, Arthur Zimmerman, and was not received by the Mexican government. The secret communication was intercepted by British intelligence and given to President Wilson. The President reluctantly knew after this point, war with Germany was inevitable. President Wilson went before Congress on April 2, 1917 to ask for a declaration of war, which was granted.

US role in the war

Within a few months, thousands of U.S. men were being drafted into the military and sent to intensive training. Women took jobs in factories producing supplies needed for the war effort. After four years of bloody stalemate along the western front, the entrance of America’s well-supplied forces into the conflict marked a major turning point in the war and helped the Allies to victory. When the war finally ended more than two million American soldiers had served on the battlefields of Western Europe, and some 50,000 of them had lost their lives.

War effort at home

President Wilson and his administration developed a series of propaganda campaigns that focused on the patriotic duty of all Americans to back the war effort in order to defeat the enemy.  These boards oversaw production in factories, mediated labor disputes, and improved railroad operations. To finance the war, the United States borrowed from the American people by selling Liberty Bonds. They persuaded Americans to take action in order to win the war.

Technological advancements

A lot of technological advancements were invented during World War 1. Machine guns, poison gas, aircraft, and tanks are some of the major technological advancements that were used to attack during the war. Every advancements used resulted in death.