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World War I: Winning the War (United States Declares War (Zimmerman…
World War I: Winning the War
Total War
: a war that requires the channeling of a nation's entire resources into the war effort
-
Economic Warfare
: International law allowed wartime blockades to confiscate
contraband
(military supplies and raw materials needed to make military supplies, but not food and clothing
-It became harder and harder to feed the people as war went on
-In May 1915, a German submarine torpedoed the British liner
Lusitania
off the coast of Ireland
-Before attacking any ship, U-boats would surface and give warning, allowing neutral passengers to escape the lifeboats; submarine warfare stopped for the moment
-
Propaganda
: spreading of ideas to promote a cause or to damage an opposing cause
-Total war also meant controlling public opinion
-Governments use propaganda to motivate military mobilization, urged civilians to loan money
-Press circulated tales of
atrocities
(horrible acts committed against innocent people)
-
Conscription
: "the draft" which required all young men to be ready for military or other service
-This required a system to recruit, arm, transport, and supply these armies
Russian Revolution
CAUSES:
-Stories of incompetent generals and corruption eroded public confidence and three years of war hit them hard
-Allies welcomed the overthrow of the tsar at first and hoped Russia would institute a democratic government to become a stronger ally
V. I. Lenin came to power and singed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany ending Russian participation in WWI
EFFECTS
Bread riots in St. Petersburg brought down the Russian monarchy
Germany could concentrate its forces on the Western Front with Russia out of the struggle
In 1918, Central Powers stood ready to achieve the great breakthrough they had sought for so long
War Fatigue
Food shortages, long casualty lists, and failure of generals to win promised victories led to calls for peace
War poets began denouncing the leaders whose errors wasted so many lives
As morale collapsed
Troops in French units mutinied
Many soldiers deserted during the retreat at Caporetto in Italy
In Russia, soldiers left the front to join in a full-scale revolution back home
United States Declares War
Zimmerman Telegram
-British intercepted a message from German minister, Arthur Zimmermann, to his ambassador in Mexico
-The note was proposing that Germany would help Mexico reconquer lost territory in New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona in return for Mexican support against the government
-Anti-German feeling grew in the US when the note was public
America Mobilizes
-US needed months to recruit, train, supply, and transport their army across the Atlantic
-Their arrival gave Allied Troops on the Western Front a morale boost even though only a few engaged in combat
Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
-Germany ceased submarine attacks in 2925 after pressure from President Wilson
-German government announced they were going to resume unrestricted submarine warfare leading Wilson to angrily denounce Germany
Support of Allies?
-Many Americans did support the allies because of cultural ties
-Some shared a language and cultural history with the Allies while others favored the Central Powers and did not want to be allied with the tsar
The Fourteen Points
-A list of terms for resolving WWI and future wars
-Called for freedom of the seas, free trade, large-scale reductions of arms, and an end to secret treaties