Chapter 23 Responses

1. World War I was initiated with the death of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austria-Hungarian throne. Austria-Hungary blamed this death on Serbia and declared war on Serbia on July 28. Due to a treaty with Serbia Russia was compelled to come and rescue Serbia. In response to Russia's involvement into the war, Germany was obligated to protect Austria-Hungary from Russian attack because of the Triple Alliance, which required Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy to come to each other's aid if attacked. However, Germany instead of attacking Russia, the Russian troops struck France, Russia western ally. This military tactic involved France and Britain because of the Triple Entente, which obligated Britain, France and Russia to come to each other's aid if attacked. Finally, Europe was in all out war.

2. Even though the United States claimed to be neutral, but most American sided with Great Britain because of the strong ties between the two nations. America was linked to Britain economically, politically, and culturally. America shared the English language, a common ancestry and a commitment to liberty with Britain while Germany was still a very foreign country to many Americans. Germany was very different American traditions. Germany's monarchical rule and militarist views were very different from the Democratic traditions of the U.S. which lead Americans to judge Germany harshly. America was tied economically to Britain because much of the American products were exported to Britain. Also, the number of exports increased during the WWI. During the WWI $800 million worth of American goods were exported to Britain. In addition, members in creating the U.S. foreign policy were pro-British such as Colonel Edward M. House and Robert Lansing.

3. At the beginning of the WWI Wilson stated that is was "European" war which America should not be involved. Therefore, Wilson stated that America would remain normal relations with both sides. Even though, Wilson proclaimed American neutrality it was hard to remain neutral. American neutrality was initially threatened by British blockade of German ports because it impacted American trade with Germany, thus involving America in the war. Wilson's administration did try to protest the search and seizure of American merchant ship, but failed. Other incidents that threatened American neutrality such as the sinking of the Lusitania and the Sussex. A German U-boat torpedoed the Lusitania, a British passenger ship because it was allegedly carrying a large store of munitions to Great Britain. In the explosion 128 American citizens were killed. This incident increased the hatred towards Germans and more and more americans were starting to favor British. In response to the attack, Wilson demanded that Germany pledge never to launch another attack on the citizens of neutral nations but again in 1916 the Germans attacked the French passenger liner, Sussex. As more incidents were pulling America into the war Wilson was trying harder and harder to keep peace through a peace movement but on April 6, 1917, America inevitably entered the war.

4. World War I was the first "total" war which required the United States to invest all of its resources into the war. In order to bring the war to an end, United States had to devote its agricultural, transportation, industrial and population resources to the war effort. In order to finance and mobilize the war Wilson created centralized federal agencies to supervise nationwide activity. Some of the Agencies were the Food Administration, U.S. Railroad administration, Aircraft production Board and Emergency Fleet corporation, and the War Industries Board. The agencies were successful but also failed at certain jobs.. The Food Administration and the Railroad Administration created a more efficient way to distribute supplies to Europe but the Aircraft Production Board and Emergency Fleet Corporation failed at supplying the allies with combat aircraft and merchant vessels on time. Another weak side to these agencies is they were unorganized. For example the WIB lacked a stable authority therefore unable to implement their plans.

5. Initially, Americans were not in favor of American intervention into the War, to populrize the war effort Wilson created the Committee on Public Information. This Committee, led by George Creel, a progressivist and a muckraker, consisted of professional propagandist that explained the U.S. war aims to arouse public support for the war. The CPI distributed 75 millions of pamphlets and "Four minute Men" very concise, uplifting war speeches to large groups of people. As a result of the propagandist's efforts to spread the word about the war, a nationalist feeling began to spark in Americans. Workers, women, immigrants, and African Americans questioned that the democratic ideal America is fighting for abroad should first be established at home. CPI's efforts led American's to believe that the Progressives work would come to a conclusion with end of the war. Women believed that their fight for woman's suffrage would become successful, African Americans dreamed that the war would produce them second class citizenship and immigrants were hoping to increase their chances for success in the United States after the war has ended. In addition, to the nationalist feeling there was a rising hatred towards Germans. The CPI started to demand that all immigrants become 100 percent Americanized and reject their native language and native customs.

6. The Republicans played a crucial role in the ratification of the Treaty of Versailles. In order for the Treaty to be ratified by the League of Nation, the Treaty first had to be ratified by the U.S. senate. The senate was dominated by the Republican who strongly opposed the Treaty. The Republicans were split into two group, who both opposed the Treaty but just for different reasons. The members of the first group were primarily mid-westerners and westerners who were strong conservationist and isolationist, who believed that America should remain a separate nation from the European countries. The second group was led by Henry Cabot Lodge, which rejected Wilson's theory that every group of people regardless of their size, political power or economic condition, had the right to form their own nation and have a say in foreign affairs. Instead of Wilson's theory, Logde's group believed that only a few powerful, militarily strong country should control foreign affairs. Other issues that the Republicans raised about the treaty was that if it was constitutionally accurate to give the League the authority to take military decisions when this power was strictly given to the Congress. Regardless of the Republican opposition, the treaty was ratified with the required 2/3 majority.

7. The "Red Scare" was the fear that American government is going to be overthrown by Socialists, communists and anarchists. As a result of this scare Americans started on a campaign of repression. Radical and communist American were losing their jobs, killed and assaulted. Immigrants were forced to become a 100 percent Americanized.

8.

It has been six months since i was drafted into the military and tomorrow i will be going to Europe to face the war. I am a tab bit scared because i have heard the horrible stories of the trench warfare. I have heard that more people have died because of the diseases caused by the trenches than gun wounds. I have been chosen to be a trench runner. So, from tomorrow onwards i will be sending messages from one command unit to another. My higher authority has told me that I'm a trench runner because of my speed and excellent map reading. I guess i should be happy for that but scared because I'm going to be moving target until this war ends. This war is much different than the stories i have heard about the civil war from my father. Now there were machine guns, aircraft and submarines. These new technologies now cause more fatalities than before. Today I'm just a 19 year old guy without much responsibility but tomorrow i'll be a trench runner that the Allies depend on.