MODULE 6: AMERICA IN THE WORLD WAR Flashcards
Despite strong feelings of nationalism citizens held for their own country, many countries had agreements or treaties with one another. How did these agreements fuel World War I?
The existence of treaties forced countries and empires into declaring war even when they were not directly threatened.
An example is when Austria-Hungary declared war against Serbia, Russia was brought into the conflict due to a treaty in which they had agreed to defend Serbia.
President Wilson promised a different approach to foreign policy than what Roosevelt and Taft had pursued. What was Wilson’s approach?
Wilson advocated for a less expansionist approach and pledged to only intervene when morally obligated.
Wilson believed that democracy was the best system and demanded that Mexico hold democratic elections and establish laws based on the moral principles he espoused. He also held that the United States should continue to actively pursue economic markets abroad.
Despite the campaign slogan of “Wilson – He kept us out of the war!”, President Wilson faced ever-mounting pressure to enter the Great War. What reason below helped push the U.S. into World War I?
The German use of unrestricted submarine warfare.
The German Navy continued to use submarines to destroy military or merchant ships without warning and without giving the opportunity to surrender.
What did Wilson propose in regard to his approach to foreign policy?
Wilson proposed an idealistic foreign policy based on morality, rather than American self-interest, and felt that American interference in another nation’s affairs should occur only when the circumstances rose to the level of a moral imperative.
What secret plan was discovered that further pressured the United States to join World War I?
The Zimmerman Telegram
What was the Zimmerman Telegram?
The telegram sent from the German foreign minister to the German ambassador in Mexico, which was intercepted by the British, invited Mexico to fight alongside Germany. In return, the Germans would help Mexico win back territory lost in the Mexican-American War.
In the early 1900s, many European nations sought to expand their empires by establishing overseas colonies. How did imperialism contribute to World War I?
Holding overseas colonies was seen as a status symbol and fed feelings of nationalism.
Powerful countries sought to increase their influence by expanding their empires overseas with colonies leading to increased competition, rivalry, and alliances.
The women’s suffrage movement gained momentum during World War I resulting in the passage of the 19th amendment. How did President Wilson’s own values affect the women’s suffrage movement?
Wilson’s desire to keep the world safe democracy encouraged his support of women’s suffrage.
Supporters of equal rights for women pointed to Wilson’s rallying cry of a war “to make the world safe for democracy,” as hypocritical, saying he was sending American boys to die for such principles while simultaneously denying American women their democratic right to vote.
Prior to World War I, the government was largely uninvolved in organized labor. What effect did wartime labor shortages have on government involvement?
The federal government became more involved in an effort to deal with the labor shortage.
The wartime need for peaceful and productive industrial relations prompted the federal government to invite organized labor leaders to the negotiating table.
New laws were passed in the years following American involvement in World War I to encourage loyalty and discourage dissidents. Which laws prohibited the use of disloyal language against the United States government?
The Sedition Act.
What was the Sedation Act?
an act that prohibited any criticism or disloyal language against the federal government and its policies, the U.S. Constitution, the military uniform, or the American flag. More than two thousand persons were charged with violating these laws, and many received prison sentences of up to twenty years.
As men left to fight in the Great War in Europe, employers were left with many open positions. By whom were these positions filled?
Women worked the many jobs left open by men who were fighting in Europe but were often fired as the men returned.
More than one million women entered the workforce for the first time as a result of the war, while more than eight million working women found higher-paying jobs. However, after the war ended and men returned home and searched for work, women were fired from their jobs and expected to return home and care for their families.
In an effort to secure enough men of fighting age Congress passed the Selective Service Act in 1917, which required all men aged 21-30 to register for the draft. How could men who fit the requirements be excluded from the draft?
be part of a well-recognized religious sect that practices pacifism
When the Selective Service Act of 1917 was passed, it allowed conscientious objectors to register for non-combatant service as long as they were part of a “well-recognized religious sect … whose then existing creed or principles forbid its members to participate in war in any form”.
Worried about national unity in the wake of declaring war, President Wilson initiated a propaganda campaign to quiet dissenters. What message did American propaganda send?
The war would make the world safe for democracy.
Hollywood studios and other media outlets cultivated a view of the war that pitted democracy against imperialism and framed America as a crusading nation rescuing Western civilization from medievalism and militarism.
Despite a large number of men shipping off to Europe to fight in the Great War, many remained in the United States and worked on the home front. How were workers’ wages in America affected by the war?
They did not see as many economic gains as business owners.
Individual purchasing power actually declined during the war due to the substantially higher cost of living. Business profits, in contrast, increased by nearly a third during the war.
Some Black soldiers who were assigned to the French Army found themselves with a great deal more freedom than what was afforded to them by the American Army. What changed as a result of how Black soldiers were treated in France?
Black Americans returned ready to fight in America for the same equal treatment they experienced in France.
French soldiers were generally kind and friendly toward Black Americans. When Black soldiers began to return from France, however, they were met with hostility, anger, and violence. Many Black Americans were not willing to accept post-war racism, triggering a dramatic change in Black communities.
