The US & WWI Flashcards
1
Q
neutrality
A
- 1914-1917
- US attempted neutrality in WWI
2
Q
isolationist
A
- post-WWI
- US never joined league of nations
- isolationist: decrease immigration + close borders
3
Q
woodrow wilson
A
US pres. during WWI
4
Q
allied powers
A
france, britain, US, italy
5
Q
central powers
A
germany, austria-hungary, russia
6
Q
british blockade (effects on US trade)
A
7
Q
prepardness
A
18-month training period for US soldiers after declaration of war (apr. 6, 1917)
8
Q
unrestricted submarine warfare
A
- warfare used primarily by GER in WWI
- went against prize rules (=GER did not warn/search ships before sinking them)
9
Q
strict accountability
A
- speech given by pres. wilson
- vaguely insinuates that US will go to war w/ GER if they continue USW
10
Q
rms lusitania
A
- US ship sunk by GER may 1915
- 1100/1900 died, 128 US casualties
- GER gave warnings in newspapers before sinking ship
11
Q
sussex pledge
A
- pledge given by GER in 1916
- vowed to stop USW + pledged to follow prize rules
- apologized for lusitania
- sunk french passenger boat (50 died)
12
Q
national defense act
A
- update to militia act
- standardized national guard training
- 1916
13
Q
naval construction act
A
- 1916
- set 3 yr plan for navy after lusitania
- by 1917-5 new ships built
14
Q
election of 1916
A
- wilson vs. hughes
- wilson-dem, hughes-rep
- wilson re-elected
15
Q
“he kept us out of war”
A
pres. wilson’s campaign slogan
15
Q
peace without victory
A
- speech given by pres. wilson
- predicted treaty of versailles (punitive on GER)
16
Q
zimmerman telegram
A
- march 1917
- GER threatened/offered to give 4 US states back to Mexico
- Mexico ignored request
17
Q
russian revolution (impact on war)
A
- march 1917-1st russian revolution, social dem. come into power
- april 17: us declares war
- oct-nov: 2nd russian revolution, bolsheviks come into power
- dec 17: russia negotiates peace w/ GER, hand over land
- US pressured to send troops to western front
18
Q
total war
A
- complete mobilization of ALL possible ressources
- huge increase in gov’t power-railroads, utilities, food industry…etc
- WWI ex) ads for grandmas to knit socks, propaganda geared to children, german music banned in US
19
Q
selective service act
A
- 1917
- authorizes fed gov’t to raise army through draft (naval yard workers exempt)
- may 1917-all men 21-30, aug 1918-all mem 18-45
- 2.8 million drafted
- 2 million volunteered
- 350k dodged draft
20
Q
war revenue act
A
- 1917
- raised taxes, anyone who made $1.5 million+ owed 67% of income
- 1913-1% -> 7%
- 1917-10% -> 67%
21
Q
liberty bonds
A
money americans loaned to US gov’t in hopes of being paid back + interest if victors of WWI
22
Q
command economy
A
- controlled by fed gov’t = communist society
- US production increased by 20%, exports to europe tripled, war products became more popular
23
Q
war industries board
A
- 1917
- nicknamed “fast time”
- head of board = herbert hoover, “food will win us the war”
- standardized production + established quotas in collaboration w/ labor unions
- increased tensions between employers & employees
24
Q
lever act/ food administration
A
- 1917
- act created US food admin.
- controlled all food production, prices, distribution
- made food patriotic w/ ads
- encouraged victory gardens, 8.2 million planted
25
Q
railroad adminstration act
A
- 1917
- outlawed private ownership of major railroads
- gov’t gave them back to original owners 18 months after WWI
26
Q
war labor board
A
- head-taft
- 1918
- outlawed labor strikes during WWI
- raised wages by 5%, improved working conditions
- union membership increased, unemployment at all time low
27
Q
committee on public information
A
- 1918
- head-george creel
- used propaganda to win hearts & minds on US citizens
- four minutmen hired to deliver 4 min speeches to public in support of WWI
28
Q
espionage act
A
- 1917
- did not allow anyone to be a spy of supoort US enemies
- still in effect today
29
Q
seditions act
A
- 1918
- made it temporarily illegal to criticize US flag, gov’t, pres, army, & gov’t uniforms
30
Q
schenck vs. united states
A
- supreme court decision
- ruled that free speech must be limited during wartimes
31
Q
nativism
A
anti-immigrational attitude in US during WWI
32
Q
anti-german sentiment
A
- german music banned in US
- hamburger renamed liberty steak, everything w/ german origins renamed using “liberty”
33
Q
american protective league
A
- 1917
- nativist vigilante group that lynched germans & their suspected sympathizers/ spies
34
Q
spanish flu
A
- flu first reported by spanish newspapers
- 1918-1920: 10% of worldwide pop. (18-40) died
35
Q
women’s role in WWI
A
- red cross nurses on battlefields
- hello-girl connect french-american phonelines (had to be fluent, 700k applied for position)
- 1 million entered factory workforce
- rosie the riveter
- 19th & 18th amendment passed
36
Q
great migration
A
- 4 million african americans move from south to north to escape sharecropping & jim crows laws (using railroad system)
- 1916
37
Q
harlem hellfighters
A
- 1st all black unit in WWI
- fought alongside french
- won prestigious french awards for combat
38
Q
american expeditionary force
A
- pershing’s all white war unit
- don’t fight ‘till march
- 1.5 million see combat, 110-120k died
39
Q
wilson’s fourteen points
A
- MAIN points
- 1st: free trade, open treaties, freedom of seas, arms reduction, adjust. colonial claims
- 2-8: right of ppl to decide their own gov’t
- 14: international organization to settle disputes
40
Q
paris peace conference
A
- wilson doesn’t bring any rep. senators w/ him
- wilson got spanish flu
- led by big 4
- US: 14 pts
- ITA: wanted balkan territory contorlled by austria-hungary
- FRA: severly punished GER
- BRIT: moderately punished GER
- GER & USSR not invited
- rep. JAP: wanted racial equality clause (denied)
- Ho Chi Minh: vietnamese student in france that wanted to meet wilson bc of colonial claims clause (denied as well)
41
Q
treaty of versailles
A
- 1919
- wilson compromised w/ europe = failed peace w/out victory
- 100% blame placed on GER
- league of nations ratified, US doesn’t join
42
Q
henry cabot lodge & 14 reservations
A
- wilson’s main rep. opponent
- 14 reservations created to spite wilson’s stubborness
- US never joined league of nations = had to negotiate individual peace treaties
43
Q
red scare
A
actions taken by US fed. gov’t to persecute suspected communists
44
Q
xenophobia
A
fear of teh unknown
45
Q
global consequences
A
- 37 million causalties, 20 million deaths (10 million civilian deaths)
- EUR infrastructure destroyed, mass starvation, relied heavily on US farms
- rise of communism in russia -> red scare
- beggining of modern age & technology
46
Q
american consequences
A
- rejection of wilson’s ideals
- return to isolationism-anti-immigration policies
- US=major economic power
- rapid demobilization-no transition period
- infaltion-1913-1920 rent doubled
- labor unrest-20% of workforce on strike
- 19th & 18th amendment passed as thank-you to women (right to vote + prohibition of alcohol)
47
Q
ranking of US involvement causes
A
- economic financiers of war
- allied propaganda & bias
- unrestricted submarine warfare
- zimmerman telegram
- democracy/wilson’s vision of peace
48
Q
US role changes during war
A
- neural power: 1914-1917
- attempted peace mediator
- victicious power: win war + write treaty of versailles
- alienated & isolationist nation: regret for WWI, anti-immigrationist policies + close borders
