Name: ______________________________________________ Date: ____________________________

World War I and The Roaring 20’s

Study Guide

Social Studies Textbook

The U.S. in World War I: pg. 71 – 76
1920’s Postwar America: p. 77 – 81

Leading up to World War I (WWI)

- countries in Europe were building up their militaries and forming alliances
- Archduke Franz Ferdinand was heir to the throne of Austria-Hungry, which had
control over Serbia
- Serbian citizen assassinated Archduke Ferdinand
- Austria-Hungry sent troops to Serbia, which caused Russia to support Serbia,
which caused Germany to support Austria-Hungry, which led to WWI
Militarism Build the largest and strongest military to protect
themselves against possible invasion.

Alliances Agreements between countries to protect/assist

each other in times of war

Nationalism Pride in one’s country, patriotic, willing to defend

Imperialism The desire to expand and influence your cultures

and ideas on others
Name: ______________________________________________ Date: ____________________________

Global Alliances
Allied Powers Central Powers
Britain Austria-Hungry
France Germany
Russia Austro-Hungarian Empire
Belgium Bulgaria
United States (1917) Ottoman Empire (Turkey)

United States Beginning of War

- President Woodrow Wilson believed the U.S. should remain out of the war
- isolationism: a belief that a nation should not become involved in the
problems of conflicts of other nations
- Many American’s saw this as an “European War”
- U.S. provide supplies such as weapons and food to Great Britain.
US Joins the War
- Germany was sinking supply ships off the coast of Great Britain
- Germany used the U-boat (submarine) to sink supply ships
- May 1915 – Germany torpedoed the passenger ship, RMS Lusitania
- Germany pledged not to sink any more passenger ships or merchant ships
unless they were carrying weapons.
- Germany broke promise in 1917, and began attacking U.S. ships in the Atlantic
- Zimmerman Telegram-U.S. intercepted a message from Germany to Mexico
promising to help them reclaim land lost to the U.S. if they became an ally.
Name: ______________________________________________ Date: ____________________________

Life in the Homefront

- rationing-restricting on what people can buy or receive.
- American’s started growing their own gardens so more food could be sent
over seas to soldiers.
- Women took over the jobs in the factories to replace many of the men who
went to war.
- Many African American’s moved from the southern states, to industrial areas
like Chicago for jobs in factories
- many in the country rallied in support of the soldiers.
End of the War
- when the U.S. joined the war is sent thousands of men and supplies to the
Allied Powers
- boosted the Allied morale and helped win important battles
Treaty of Versailles Germany must:
- accept full responsibility of the war
(NOTE: the treaty will be - not be allowed to make or export weapons
one of the major causes of - give up many of its territories
WWII) - pay countries (reparations) money damaged by
war
Fourteen Points - Pease plan created by Woodrow Wilson
- called for the creation of League of Nations –
organization of world leaders with the purpose of
solving conflicts peacefully.
- World leaders embraced the plan and created it
when they signed the Treaty of Versailles
- U.S. Senate refused to sign the treaty because of
the League of Nations. They were afraid it would
lead the U.S. into world conflicts
Name: ______________________________________________ Date: ____________________________

The 1920’s Postwar America (Roaring 20’s)

- United States went through an economic boom-a period of quick, rapid
economic growth
- People more prosperous: prosperity-wealth or financial success
- Entrepreneurs opened new businesses
- Factories increased production and hired more workers
- Workers earned higher salaries and bought more goods
- American culture changed, people went to dance clubs, movies, sports
- New inventions such as the radio and automobile
Jazz Age
- Jazz music genre originated out of the African American communities in New
Orleans
- Jazz popularity grew across the United States
- Louis Armstrong – black musician out of New Orleans that grew to fame as a
trumpet, cornet, and singer.
- Armstrong grew to become one of the most popular Jazz musicians across the
U.S.
Harlem Renaissance
- Time period where African American artists, writers, and musicians who were
based in the Harlem district of New York City revealed the freshness and variety
of African American culture.
- Langston Hughes-leader of the Harlem Renaissance.
- Poet who combined African and American cultural roots
- wrote books, poetry, and drama all combining African and American
cultures
- able to express readers to understand what the lives of African Americans
was like in 1920
(NOTE: Great Migration-between 1910-1940, many African Americans left the
segregated and discriminated south to industrial cities of Chicago, Detroit, New
York and Cleveland. Wanted to take advantage of new job opportunities.)
Baseball
- invention of the radio increased the popularity of baseball
- announcers allowed people to visualize the game as if it were happening on TV
- Babe Ruth-famous baseball player of the New York Yankees. Brought
excitement to the game by breaking records and leading the Yankees to 4
championships.
- Ruth and the radio made baseball extremely popular
Name: ______________________________________________ Date: ____________________________

Women’s Suffrage Movement

- during WWI women proved they could work just as well as any man
- gained new freedoms and independence in 1920’s
- many began working outside the home and going to college
- women created new styles with short hair and short skirts called flappers
- suffrage-the right the vote in political elections
- 1920, suffrage movement finally succeeded, ratification of the 19th
amendment giving women the right to vote.
Flying High
- flight continued to improve after the Wright Brothers flight
- Charles Lindbergh-first man to fly across the Atlantic Ocean
- traveled in a single engine plane called the “Spirit of Saint Louis” from NY to
Paris
- his transatlantic flight caused interest in airplanes and air travel
- 10 years later, airline travel became well established.
Henry Ford
- Henry Ford didn’t invent the automobile but developed the way automobiles
were made with the creation of the assembly line.
- assembly line – each person repeats the same task all day as the product
moves down the line
- assembly line allowed to produce more items at a cheaper rate meaning more
people could afford the Model-T which became most popular automobile.
Impact of Henry Ford vision of affordable automobile
- greater mobility
- creation of jobs
- growth in transportation related industry (road construction, oil, steel)
- Movement to areas further from the city (suburbs)