PRE-WAR EUROPE

Germany prospered at the end of the 19th century. And along came Wilhelm II, who rose to
the throne in 1888. This was the grandson of Queen Victoria and had a strong envy for the British
Royal Navy. He wanted to build a great navy and establish colonies around the globe. Empires
started creating alliances. On one side was the Triple Entente, composed of GB, France, and Russia,
and on the other were Germany, Austri-Hungary, and Italy. Another threat was the Ottoman Empire,
which was concerned about their Austrian-Hungarian territories, which Russia was defensive about
as well. The Austrian-Hungarian Empire took control of Bosnia and Herzegovina by 1914, and the
next target was Serbia. War threat arose after Gavrilo Princip assassinated Franz Ferdinand.

YOU GET A WAR, YOU GET A WAR, EVERYONE GETS A WAR!

Austria issued a list of ten ultimatums to Serbia, and after Serbia’s refusal to meet all
demands, declared war. Germany then declared war against Russia, to protect Austria. The first
strike was in neutral Belgium. This was Germany’s attack on France, while Russia was mobilizing its
army. Germany used the Schlieffen Plan, rapidly placing armies in Belgium by rail transport, and this
led them into France. GB declared war on Germany for failure to respect Belgium’s neutrality.

US NEUTRALITY AND ARMY

The US remained pretty much neutral and assisted with transatlantic economic expansion.
Washington said himself in his 1796 Farewell Address that foreign alliances should be avoided.
Either way, their armies were nothing compared to the European ones. The Davis Act og 1908 and
the National Defense Act of 1916 represented the wake of the modern National Guard. It
encompassed indicidual units separated by state borders. The programme supplied training for
college students, and this brought many conflicts (about substandard soldiers and such). It was
difficult to create a stable army of able men, and new technologies often faced production delays.

American interventions in the Mexican Revolution were a form of test for the army.
Woodrow Wilson sent Marines in 1914 to a coast of Mexico to prevent shipment of German arms to
Mexican leader Victor Huerta. America saw it was difficult to organise a military when power was in
the hands of Europe. Wilson passed the Naval Act of 1916, determined to build the world’s greatest
navy. Pancho Villa then came and raided Columbus, New Mexico; Wilson sent Blackjack Pershing to
capture Villa. This pursuit gave Wilson valuable info on the state of his army. He used the new
National Defense Act to mobilize over 100,000 National Guard units across the country.
 It wasn’t easy to be neutral in a war when you control the economy. France and Britain were
better customers, and Germany was devastatingly attacking American ships. The RMS Lusitania was
sunk in May 1915, which awoke the public’s desire for war.

WILSON WANTS WAR

The first two years were bloody, as they tend to be during war, and in the third year Czar
Nicolas II’s regime collapsed in Russia. Concurrently, German demanded the reimposition of
unrestricted submarine warfare, to deprive the Allies of supplies from the US*. This shift of power
would anger America, but Germany believed Americana soldiers couldn’t arrive soon enough to alter
it. America was also ushered into war with the revelation of the Zimmermann Telegram, an offer to
help Mexico regain Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.

President Wilson went to great lengths to push the public opinion in favour of war. He
created the Committee on Public Information (Creel Committee) to enflame patriotism. Creel used
media outlets to propagate war. Wilson signed the Espionage Act in 1917 and the Sedition Act in
1918. Protesters were forbidden from publicly resisting the war. Americans contributed financially
through war bonds or loans.

*if a tad confusing: America controlled economy and had stronger ties with Britain and
France. It wouldn’t benefit from the loss of its best customers, and had the power to intervene.
Germany wanted to provoke a reaction.

RECRUITING, WOMEN, RACISM

America declared war on Germany in 1917. It did not have a suitable army, but there were
many patriots who volunteered. Additionally, Congress passed the Selective Service Act, a system to
draft men for the military. The basic requirement was physical fitness. They were also tested on
intelligence (results of these tests for immigrants showed they had an intelligence level of a thirteen-
year-old, but the tests were later proven to be faulty). Immigrants were again accepted into the
army, but some Americans were hesitant about this due to their questioning the American identity.
Black and white soldiers were assigned to different units. Black soldiers in France were more
privileged, although America wanted to restrict these privileges. Women joined several military and
civilian organizations. Allowing women to take up some occupations allowed more men to fight in
the war. Army women worked as Hello Girls (phone operators), Navy women enlisted as Yeomen
(clerical workers), and some joined the Marine Corps. Millions of women volunteered with the
American Red Cross, and similar organisations. Black women had little chance of contributing. They
weren’t allowed to enlist in the military as medical workers. They were allowed in the allies’
countries, though. A few black female doctors joined the French Foreign Legion to escape racism in
the American Army. They were also refused participation in Red Cross organisations.
 ARMISTICE AND INFLUENZA

The tsarist regime collapsed in Russia in 1917 and Vladimir Lenin’s Bolshevik party came to
power. Russia soon exited the war. All German forces were now aimed at France. Germany launched
the Kaiserschlacht (Spring Offensice) in 1918. Allied offensives managed to prevent these attacks.
The American Expeditionary Force joined British and French armies and Germany was pushed back
across France on what was known as the ‘black day for the German army’. Wilhelm II abdicated and
the new government agreed to an armistice (cease fire) on Novermber 11, 1918.

An outbreak of influenza took many soldiers’ lives. During the war, more soldiers died from
influenza than combat. The disease stay a bit after the armistice and then disappeared. No cure was
ever found. (*coughs* Coincidence? *coughs* *coughs*)

PARIS PEACE TREATY AND THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

The war resulted in the evaporations of four great empires (German, Russian, Austian-
Hungarian, and Ottoman). The freaking world man had to be redrawn. A peace treaty was signed in
the Versailles. President Wilson had proposed peace terms known as the Fourteen Points. The plan
dealt with terriotirial questions and long-term peace. He proposed establishing a League of Nations
for the latter. Others weren’t really keen on the terms. Especially his fellow statesmen. The nations
came to a compromise and Wilson went back to America.

At home, Senator Henry Cabot Lodge stood with his arms crossed, waiting to ask Wilson
what the hell he’d done. ‘The US is supposed to be sovereign’, he said, ‘We’ve got enough of our
own problems, Wilson!’, Lodge went on. ‘Well let’s ask the kids, (people) then! Hmpf!’, Wilson
grumbled. He went on to ask the people, but sadly, he had a stroke and died. I am not making this
up. So the League of Nations was proposed by the American president, formed, and then America
refused to enter it.

THIS LITTLE BIT IS SECOND HALF OF THE LECTURE TITLE

Wilson found out that the populace of the former Ottoman Empire wanted an independent
state free of European control. So he did what they wan – Naah, he was just curious. The lands were
divided into mandates at the San Remo Conference in 1920. These Arab provinces were ruled by
Britain and France, Turkey emerged, and the Kingdom of Hejaz (soon to be part of Saudi Arabia) and
Yemen were formed.
 America was scared of communism after the Russian Revolution (The Red Scare). This fear
was restored again in 1920, surrounding the Sacco-Vanzetti case (Italian-born anarchists who trial
inspired leftists to speak up). Naturally, Americans were afraid immigrants would bring these radical
ideas into their perfect little country.

The Bolsheviks signed a separate peace treaty with Germany, so the Allies were worried
about Germany having a bad influence of Russia. American troops spent some time in Russia
because of this, though Lenin was already against imperial rule. Meh, go figure.

Racial wartime tensions culminated in America and resulted in the Red Summer of 1919.
Southerners massively migrated north to escape poverty and whites and blacks fought over jobs.
After seeing a more progressive surrounding in Europe, blacks wanted a change at home.