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Allies
The Triple Entente, later known as the Allies, consisted of France, Britain, and Russia. -
Central Powers
Germany and Austria-Hungary, together with the Ottoman Empire—an empire of mostly Middle Eastern lands controlled by the Turks—were later known as the Central Powers. -
1914 Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne, visited Sarajevo. As they drove through the city, Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip shot the Archduke and his wife Sophie. Princip was a member of the Black Hand, an organization promoting Serbian nationalism. The assassinations touched off a diplomatic crisis. On July 28, Austria-Hungary declared war against Serbia. -
Schlieffen Plan
Germany invaded Belgium, following strategy known as Schlieffen Plan. Plan called for holding action against Russia, combined with quick drive through Belgium to Paris; after France had fallen, two German armies would defeat Russia. Thousands of civilians fled in terror. In Brussels, the Belgian capital, an American war correspondent described the first major refugee crisis of the 20th century. -
Sinking of the Britisih liner Lusitania.
U-boat sank the British liner Lusitania off the southern coast of Ireland. Of the 1,198 persons lost, 128 were Americans. The Germans defended their action cuz the liner carried ammunition. Americans became outraged with Germany because of lost life. American public opinion turned against Germany and the Central Powers. -
Sinking of the British liner Arabic
President Wilson ruled out a military response in favor of a sharp protest to Germany. 3 months later, a U-boat sank another British liner, drowning 2 Americans. Again the United States protested, and this time Germany agreed not to sink any more passenger ships. -
Sinking of French Passenger Liner Sussex
Germany broke its promise and torpedoed an unarmed French passenger steamer. It sank and about 80 passengers, including Americans, were killed or injured. Again the US warned that would break off diplomatic relations unless Germany changed actics. Germany agreed, there was a condition: if the US couldn't persuade Britain to lift blockade on food and fertilizers, they would renew unrestricted submarine warfare. -
Battle of Somme
During the First Battle of the Somme, which lasted until mid-November, the British suffered 60,000 deaths the first day alone. Final deaths totaled about 1.2 million, yet only about seven miles of ground changed hands. This bloody trench warfare, where armies fought for mere yards of ground, continued for over 3 years. -
Zimmermann Note
Telegram from German minister to German ambassador in Mexico that was intercepted by Brit agents. The telegram proposed an alliance between Mexico and Germany and promised that if war w/ the US broke out, Germany would support Mexico getting “lost territory in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.” -
Food Administration
Help produce & conserve food, Wilson set up the Food Admin under Herbert Hoover. Instead of rationing food, he called people to follow “gospel of the clean plate.” He declared 1 day a week “meatless,” another “sweetless,” 2 days “wheatless,” and 2 other days “porkless.” Restaurants removed sugar bowls from table & served bread only after 1 course. Planted gardens in yards. Children spent afterschool hours grow tomatoes & cucumbers in parks. Result American food shipments to Allies tripled. -
Committee on Public Info
Popularize war, the gov set up nation’s 1st propaganda agency, the CPI. Propaganda = kind of biased communication designed to
influence people’s thoughts & actions. Head of the CPI a former muckraking journalist named George Creel. He persuaded nation’s artists & advertising agencies to make thousands of paintings, posters, cartoons, & sculptures promoting war. He
recruited 75,000 men to serve as “Four-Minute Men,” who spoke everything relating to war -
Selective Service Act of 1917
Meet gov’s need for fighting power, Congress passed the Act. The act required men to register with the gov in order to be randomly selected for military service. By end of 1918, 24 million men had registered under act. Of this, almost 3 million were called up. About 2 million troops reached Europe be4 the truce was signed, and 3/4 of them saw combat. Most of inductees han't attended high school, about 1 in 5 was foreignborn. -
Convoy System
German U-boat attacks on merchant ships in the Atlantic were a serious threat to the Allied war effort. American Admiral William S. Sims convinced Brits to try system, in which a heavy guard of destroyers escorted merchant ships back/forth across the Atlantic in groups. By fall 1917, shipping losses had been cut in half. -
Espionage and Sedition Acts
Person could fined up to $10,000 & sentenced to 20
years in jail for interfering w/ war effort or for saying anything disloyal or abusive about the gov or the war effort. Laws violated spirit of 1st Amendment. Led to over 2,000 prosecutions for loosely defined antiwar activities; of these, over 1/2 resulted in convictions. Newspapers & magazines that opposed the war or criticized any of Allies lost mailing privileges. -
War Industries Board
The main regulatory body was WIB. Reorganized in 1918 under the leadership of Bernard Baruch a prosperous businessman. Bard encouraged companies to use massproduction techniques to increase efficiency. Also urged them eliminate waste by standardizing products. Industrial production in US increased by about 20%. However, WIB applied price controls only at wholesale level. Result, retail prices soared, they were almost double what they had been before war. -
National War Labor Board
Deal w/ disputes between management and labor, President Wilson established the NWLB. Workers who refused obey board decisions could lose draft exemptions. Work or fight. Board also worked to improve factory conditions. Pushed for 8hour workday, promoted safety inspections, and enforced child labor ban. -
Second Battle of the Marne
Russia pulled out of the war in 1917, Germans shifted armies from eastern front to western front in France. By May they were w/in 50 miles of Paris. The Americans arrived in time to help stop German advance at Cantigny in France. Weeks later, U.S. troops played a major role in throwing German attacks at ChâteauThierry and Belleau Wood. In July and August, they helped win Second Battle of the Marne. Tide had turned against Central Powers. U.S. soldiers began to mount offensives
against the German -
Austria-Hungary Surrenders to the Allies
Same day, German sailors mutinied against gov authority. The mutiny spread quickly. Everywhere in Germany, groups of soldiers and workers organized revolutionary councils. -
Establishment of the German Republic
Socialist leaders in the capital, Berlin, established a German republic. The kaiser gave up the throne. (More info in A-H surrender). -
Cease-fire and Armistice
Although there were no Allied soldiers on German territory & no truly decisive battle had been fought, the Germans were too exhausted to continue fighting. So at the eleventh hour, on the eleventh day, in the eleventh month of 1918, Germany agreed cease-fire & signed the armistice that ended the war.
