SS Study Guide Mod. 8

• Nationalism


  • People who shared a language and culture wanted to unite
  • Brought stability in some places like Germany
  • Caused instability in other places like Austria-Hungary
• Imperialism


  • Competition for territory in Europe and around the world
  • Nations began to focus on militarism and sought protection by forming new alliances
• Tensions grew in Europe

  A small "spark" could cause hostilities
• The spark came when Archduke Francis Ferdinand was assassinated by a Serbian nationalist
• Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia
• Alliances caused other countries to be drawn into the conflict
• Opposing sides in the war

  • Central powers (with Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire)
  • Allied powers (with Italy)
• Soldiers from 30 nations on six continents would take part in the Great War, later known as World War I
• Trench warfare


  • Extended the battles
  • Soldiers died of injuries and disease as the two sides fought for months without gaining ground
• New technology made the war deadlier than previous wars (machine guns, artillery guns, poison gas, tanks, airplanes)
• After a year the war had become a stalemate
• Battles at sea were also very important (British navy blockaded, Germans used U-boats)
• Many Americans were immigrants or children of immigrants from Europe, but they wanted the country to remain neutral
• German U-boats attacked ships carrying supplies to the Allies


  Then they began attacking passenger ships, such as the Lusitania, and American vessels
• When Americans found out about the Zimmermann Note, they were outraged
• President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany. War was declared on April 6, 1917
• War preparations in the US

  • Rallies were held to build support
  • Some freedoms, such as freedom of speech, were limited, and opponents of the war were jailed
  • The Selective Service Act was passed in 1917 to prepare the military for war
  • Almost 3 million Americans, including many African Americans, were drafted into service
  • Money was raised through the sale of Liberty bonds
  • Metals, cement, and rubber were produced
  • Farmers got price guarantees to increase crops
  • Citizens were encouraged to use less food and to grow their own
• New wartime opportunities in the US

  • Labor shortages led to more women working in factories and other roles
  • Mexican Americans from the West and African Americans from the South moved to northern industrial cities
  • Union membership increased
  • The National War Labor Board helped establish a minimum wage, limited work hours, and required fair pay for women
• The Allies were near defeat when U.S. troops began to arrive in Europe in 1917
• General Pershing's approach


  • Insisted that American troops fight as a separate force
  • Wanted them to complete training before sending into battle
  • Wanted them to help achieve victory
• The Allies lost the help of Russia after Communists seized power in late 1917
• After Russia left the war, Germany decided to move its soldiers from the eastern front to the western front
• The fresh American troops helped stop the German advance on Paris, a major turning point in the war
• The Harlem Hellfighters, a group of African American soldiers, received the Cross of War medal from France for their bravery
• The Allies were also winning the war at sea, using a new strategy called the convoy system to protect merchant ships from the U-boats
• By November 1918 U.S. and Allied soldiers were moving quickly toward Germany
• Germans were tired of the war, food was scarce, and the country was running out of soldiers
• Germany's allies were also ready to end the war, and several of them signed peace agreements and stopped fighting
• On November 4 the German leader, Kaiser Wilhelm II, gave up his throne and left Germany
• The Germans agreed to a ceasefire, and the Allies demanded that Germany return all conquered territory and destroy its weapons
• An armistice went into effect on November 11, 1918
• Warren G. Harding


  Republican president from Ohio elected in 1920
• Calvin Coolidge


  Became president when Harding died; reelected to office in Teapot Dome scandal
• Teapot Dome scandal
• Kellogg-Briand Pact


  Unenforceable agreement among 62 nations to outlaw war
• Model T


  Low-cost automobile invented by Ford
• Moving assembly line production system

  Moves parts between groups of workers
• Herbert Hoover


  President elected in 1928 with promises for more prosperity
• As the war ended, millions of soldiers came home. However, factories had stopped making war supplies, so many people could not find jobs.
• Demand for goods was high, so prices rose.