High School History - WW I

586 CHAPTER 19

•nationalism

•militarism

•Allies

•Central Powers

•Archduke Franz Ferdinand

•no man’s land

•trench warfare

•Lusitania

•Zimmermann note

1. TERMS & NAMES For each term or name, write a sentence explaining its significance.

MAIN IDEA

2. TAKING NOTES

In a chart like the one shown, list

the causes for the outbreak of

World War I.

Which was the most significant

cause? Explain your answer.

CRITICAL THINKING

3. SYNTHESIZING

Describe some ways in which

World War I threatened the lives

of civilians on both sides of

the Atlantic.

4. SUMMARIZING

Why were America’s ties with the

Allies stronger than its ties with the

Central Powers?

5. ANALYZING ISSUES

Why do you think Germany

escalated its U-boat attacks

in 1917? Think About:

• Germany’s military buildup

• the effects of the British

blockade

• Germany’s reason for using

submarine warfare

replaced with a representative government. Now supporters

of American entry into the war could claim that this was a

war of democracies against brutal monarchies.

AMERICA ACTS A light drizzle fell on Washington on

April 2, 1917, as senators, representatives, ambassadors,

members of the Supreme Court, and other guests crowd-

ed into the Capitol building to hear President Wilson

deliver his war resolution.

A PERSONAL VOICE WOODROW WILSON

“ Property can be paid for; the lives of peaceful and

innocent people cannot be. The present German submarine

warfare against commerce is a warfare against mankind.

. . . We are glad . . . to fight . . . for the ultimate peace of

the world and for the liberation of its peoples. . . . The

world must be made safe for democracy. . . . We have no

selfish ends to serve. We desire no conquest, no dominion.

We seek no indemnities. . . . It is a fearful thing to lead

this great peaceful people into war. . . . But the right is

more precious than peace.”

—quoted in American Voices

Congress passed the resolution a few days later. With

the hope of neutrality finally shattered, U.S. troops would

follow the stream of American money and munitions that

had been heading to the Allies throughout the war. But

Wilson’s plea to make the world “safe for democracy” wasn’t just political pos-

turing. Indeed, Wilson and many Americans truly believed that the United States

had to join the war to pave the way for a future order of peace and freedom. A

resolved but anxious nation held its breath as the United States prepared for war.

WO RLD STAGEWO RLD STAGE

REVOLUTION IN RUSSIA

At first, the Russians surprised

the Germans by mobilizing rapid-

ly. Russian troops advanced

quickly into German territory but

were turned back at the Battle

of Tannenberg in August 1914.

Throughout 1915, the Russians

endured defeats and continued

to retreat. By the end of 1915

they had suffered about 2.5 mil-

lion casualties. The war also

caused massive bread shortages

in Russia.

Revolutionaries ousted the czar

in March 1917 and established

a provisional government. In

November, the Bolsheviks, led by

Lenin and Trotsky, overthrew the

provisional government. They set

up a Communist state and sought

peace with the Central Powers.

Causes of WWI