PoliticalWilson had warned that if Americans went to war they would “forget the very
meaning of the word tolerance,” and intolerance did increase as a result of our involvement in WWI. During the war, it seemed necessary to stir up anti-German sentiment to induce men to volunteer or to accept the draft, and to induce Americans in general to make the sacrifices necessary for the war effort. The job of stirring up anti-German sentiment fell to George Creel and his Committee of Public Information. George Washington had warned the US against becoming entangled in European wars, and for 150 years the US had followed Washington’s advice. Wilson and his Secretary of State Bryan were committed to this “non-entanglement” tradition, trying to keep us from getting involved. |
IdealogicalWilson suggested a way of settling the war that might have done just that, his
“Fourteen Points,” Wilson’s plan for resolving European (and world-wide) problems after the fighting was done. Wilson’s points included: 1. Open covenants (no secret diplomacy) 2. Freedom of the seas 3. The removal of economic barriers 4. The reduction of national armaments “to the lowest point consistent with safety” 5. The impartial adjustment of colonial claims 6. The evacuation of Russia by foreign armies 7. Belgian independence 8. The Alsace-Lorraine area restored to France 9. Adjustment of the Italian frontier 10. Autonomy for the peoples of Austria-Hungary 11. The restoration of Rumania, Serbia, and Montenegro 12. Autonomy for Turkey 13. An independent Poland 14. The creation of a League of Nations |
EconomicsWorld War I led also to a changed status for women. The 19th Amendment (adopted in 1920) guaranteed women the right to vote.
The 18th Amendment authorized Congress to ban the sale and transport of intoxicating beverages. Why adopted? Well, American servicemen had not been allowed to drink in WWI. They had been more effective than any other soldiers. It looked, then, that WWI was proof positive that getting rid of booze was a good idea. Despite the fact that World War I had led to some changes progressive wanted, WWI really ended up killing the progressive movement. The Germans were sinking American ships taking supplies to Britain. Anti-German sentiment increased, and Wilson decided we had to go to war. |
SocialAnti-German posters: One featured an ape-like German carrying of a helpless young lady. The caption? Destroy this made brute. Another showed a German dragging off a girl by the hair. The caption? Remember Belgium.
Hollywood jumped on the anti-German bandwagon, producing movies like, “The Kaiser,” “To Hell with the Kaiser,” and “The Beast of Berlin.” Germany had resorted to U-boat warfare to try to block supplies from getting to Britain. They warned us that anyone sailing on a British ship was subject to attack, but Americans continued to travel on British ships anyway. In 1915, the Germans sunk the Lusitania, killing 1,198 people including 128 Americans. This didn’t play well with the American public. On top of that, the British-controlled transatlantic cable was transmitting information designed to make us sympathize with their side and be outraged by German atrocities. |
Information
The causes came from mainly the reason we got involved in the war, the sinking of the Lusitania
which gave woodrow wilson the initiative to get the US involved in the war.
which gave woodrow wilson the initiative to get the US involved in the war.