Essay: World War I

World War I also called The Great War in 1914-1918, the first global war  was a dispute between the central powers ( Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey) and the allies ( France, Great Britain, Russia, Italy, Japan), The united States joined the Allies in 1917.  Leading to the fall of 4 imperial dynasties the Ottoman in 1922, Australia-Hungary and German in 1918, and Russian in 1917.  Also, led to the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia and laid the groundwork for  World War II as European society destabilized.
There were many causes of World War I Franz Ferdinand Assassination, Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, and Nationalism. Franz Ferdinand was assassinated on June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo, Bosnia by Gavrilo Princip. An Yugoslav nationalist and member of a terrorist organization called the Black Hand. The chief of the Austro-Hungarian general staff, Franz, Graf (count) Conrad von Hötzendorf, and the foreign minister, Leopold, Graf von Berchtold, saw the crime as the chance for measures to humiliate Serbia and so to enhance Austria-Hungary’s influence in the Balkans. In the 20th century there was a great increase in army training and equipping. Most European countries desired to increase their military power and reserves by the draft of young men into the army and then train them to be soldiers. In competition with each other the countries developed new advanced weapons, in an attempt to outdo each other and even cause one to surrender. Countries in Europe formed mutual defense alliances, requiring the participating parties to support one another if the members engage in war, these alliances came about in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In the case of an attack on a affiliate, the other countries in the alliances would rise to their defense. The alliances formed before World War I were the alliance between Russia, Great Britain and France called the Triple Entente. The Triple Alliance was an alliance between Austria-Hungary, Italy, and Germany. After Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, the war began. Russia of course stepped up in defence of Serbia and Germany stepped up in defence of Austria-Hungary which then pulled Britain and France into the war. The United States, Italy, and Japan joined alliances and the war later on, which prompted the change of the names of the alliances. Imperialism is the policy which expansion of  a country’s power and influence through military force. In the 19th century European powers occupied territories in Asia and Africa. The French and the British had the largest areas. Due to joining the swarm for colonies later because Germany been dealing with political problems at home, Germany had very few territories. The swarm led to conflict and tensions rose among the powers. When the war began between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Serbia, other colonies recruited their subjects into war, causing a ripple effect. A political ideal where individuals identify with a particular national identity is called nationalism. In Europe, many various groups identified themselves as being part of a particular nationality, each trying to prove their supremacy. Which increased the desire for major economic powers to establish themselves as powers within Europe. This led to competition between ethnic communities like the Slavs and Germans. Part of the problem is the Slavs identified themselves as Serbians, not Austria-Hungarians.
August of 1914 the United States declared neutrality, with majority of the United States in agreeance President Woodrow Wilson declared that the United States would remain “impartial in thought as well as in action.” Britain was one of America’s closest trading partners and many United States ships on their way to British ports were sunk by German mines. Causing tension between the United States and Germany. Germany declared unrestricted warfare against all ships, neutral or not, that entered the war zone around Britain, in 1915. Shortly after an american vessel carrying grain to England called the William Frye was sunk by Germans. In May, a German submarine annihilated the British ocean liner Lusitania off the Irish coast, without warning. 128 Americans were lost and since the Lusitania carried tons of munitions, Germany claimed the sinking to be  justified. The United States protested, which led to Berlin’s  apology and pledge to end unrestricted submarine warfare. Early into 1917, Germany, searching for a breakthrough in World War I, resumed unrestricted warfare at sea. The United States broke relations with Berlin while Congress allocated $250 million in February to prepare the nation for war. In late March, four more U.S. merchant ships were sunk by Germany. In April, President Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany. America entered World War I.
American isolationism foreign policy adopted by Republican governments under President Harding. A diplomatic and economic doctrine that aimed at self-advancement to make the United States economic independence and maintaining peace with other nations. The policy attempted to isolate the United States from the diplomatic affairs of other countries by avoiding foreign entanglements and entering into alliances, and limiting foreign competition by imposing high import taxes. The united states abandoned this policy being provoked into world war i by the Germans. When the war ended, the United States was quick to leave behind its European commitment. Regardless of President Woodrow Wilson’s efforts, the Senate rejected the Treaty of Versailles that ended the war, and the United States failed to become a member of the League of Nations. America tended to protect itself in terms of trade.  Taxes were imposed on foreign goods to shield United States manufacturers. America then, betrayed Europe by restricting the number of immigrants permitted into the country. Before World War I, millions of people, mostly of European descent, had come to America to seek their wealth and perhaps flee poverty and unlawful persecution.
The War Industries Board was established in July 1917 with the purpose of coordinating purchases by the United States government. The board was led at first by Frank Scott, previously head of the General Munitions Board, then finally Bernard Baruch. To accomplish the production levels required, the War Industries Board encouraged efficiency and standardization among producers. It also aimed to head off labor disruptions by working with labor and industry to keep plants running. The War Industries Board was over on January 1, 1919. The Food Administration was another board. Established after the United States entered into the war in 1917, its job was to ensure adequate supplies of food to America’s allies while preventing price increases. August  of 1917, Wilson established the Food Administration Grain Corporation to buy and sell grain. After the treaty, the Food Administration was repurposed as the American Relief Administration, again under the leadership of Hoover, to provide food to the war ravaged regions of Europe. The ARA fed millions by delivering over 20 million tons of relief supplies to 23 countries through 1923. Yet another federal agency was the Fuel Administration,created on August 23, 1917. The Fuel Administration was directed by Harry Garfield, son of president James A. Garfield, who left his job as president of Williams College at the request of Woodrow Wilson to assume control of the new agency. The main responsibilities of the Fuel Administration were to ensure satisfactory production and delivery of coal and oil and to keep their prices reasonable. The winter of 1917 was severe and shortages of coal were blamed on the Fuel Administration. An investigation showed that it was more the fault of the railroads, which were placed under federal control on December 28, 1917.
Woodrow Wilson saw himself as a diplomat. He had already drew up a  roughed out the concept of the Fourteen Points to Congress and the American people months before the armistice. The first five points of The fourteen Points speech relate to the cause of World War I. They are as follows Open diplomacy, Freedom of the seas, Removal of economic barriers, Reduction of armaments, and Adjustment of colonial claims. All of these points addressed the issues that the United States had with other nations. This was Woodrow Wilson’s attempt at a treaty, though the fourteen points  failed, it laid the groundwork for an actual treaty.
The Fourteen Points speech served as the foundation for the Versailles Peace Conference that began outside of Paris in 1919. However, the Treaty of Versailles was notably different than Wilson’s proposal. France had been attacked by Germany in 1871 and was the site of most of the fighting in World War I. France wanted to punish Germany in the treaty for the attack. While Great Britain and the United States did not agree with retaliatory measures, France won out. The treaty of Versailles was signed between Germany and the Allied powers (the United States, Britain, France, Italy and Japan) on June 28, 1919 and ended World War I. The treaty blamed Germany for causing the first world war. The treaty also forbid any future union between Germany and Austria and also forbid Germany from joining other league of Nations. Some key points for the Treaty were
Germany lost a large tract of its territory and millions of people to the allied nations. Poland was the biggest beneficiary and gained about 20,000 square miles of land. Alsace and Lorraine were returned to France.
Germany had to pay about $31 billion for causing the war. This fine later contributed to rise of Hitler.
Germany surrendered parts of the territories that they had before world war one in Denmark, Belgium, Poland and Czechoslovakia. Germany also was to be demilitarised. Strength of Germany’s army was limited to 100,000 and agreement was not required to have any air force and submarines.
To ensure Germany’s compliance, Allied forces captured and maintained a portion of German territory for 15 years.