WWI - During Flashcards
US Viewpoint
Little people cared about assassination, President Woodrow Wilson urged for neutrality which switches to isolationism. As an immigrant nation we feared beliefs would clash between home country and US
Isolationism
US supports Britain and France, but not involved in war. Good for economy, exports grew $2.4 bil to $6.21 bil
Unrestricted Submarine warfare
Germany would attack ships going in and out of Britain, May 1915 a German U-Boat sinks luxury passenger ship “Lusitania” and kills 128 Americans
Zimmerman Telegram
Jan. 1917, German Gov. official Arthur Zimmerman sends a telegram to Mexico saying they would get back Mexican territory if Mexico supports Central powers in the war. Intercepted and decoded by British and sent to US. April 2, 1917 it is published and the US joins the war
Committee on Public Information
04/13/1917: created by Woodrow Wilson to promote war and publicize aid, lead by George Creel to recruit business, media, and academia
Propaganda
CPI lends money to gov. to buy war bonds and promote the buying of them
War Industries Board
July 28, 1917: Coordinates purchase and production of war supplies between war department and Navy.
Technology
Submarines (U-Boats), Flamethrowers, rapid fire artillery, poison gas, tanks, airplanes, trench warfare, camouflage, and Machine Guns
Impacts of tech
Greater distance fire and rates, air fights and attacks, poison gas protection (masks)
Trench Warfare
Death from above and below because of shells, mustard gas, miners, standing water, rats, lice. 3-week rotation of men, Protects from fire with a lot of stalemates
No Man’s Land
the land between trenches with barbed wire
Selective Service Act of 1917
Draft to force entry into the army to enter war with a big army
Conscientious Objecter
Opposed fighting in the war due to moral or religious beliefs
Women in the War
Women got better wages and benefits because they took over in the factories for men
Influenza of 1918
Most sever pandemic til now, H1N1 virus with 2 phases (1: 3-day fever without warning, 2: more severe with hours of symptoms before death) Spread worldwide due to men coming back from war, 33% of 110,000 US soldiers died.
