AP US History AMSCO Guided Notes
7.5: World War I: Military and Diplomacy
AMSCO Guided Notes
AP US History Guided Notes
AMSCO 7.5 - World War I: Military and Diplomacy
Learning Objectives
- Explain the causes and consequences of U.S. involvement in World War I.
I. Neutrality
1. What were the underlying causes of World War I and why did President Wilson initially declare U.S. neutrality?
2. Why did Wilson find it difficult to maintain true neutrality while protecting U.S. trading rights?
A. Freedom of the Seas
1. How did Britain's naval blockade of Germany affect U.S. shipping and what was Wilson's response?
B. Submarine Warfare
1. What was Germany's strategy in using submarines and how did it challenge U.S. neutrality?
C. Lusitania Crisis
1. What happened to the Lusitania and how did Wilson respond to this incident?
2. Why did Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan resign over Wilson's response to the Lusitania sinking?
D. Other Sinkings
1. How did the sinkings of the Arabic and Sussex affect German-American relations and what pledges did Germany make?
II. Economic Links with Britain and France
1. How did U.S. economic ties to Britain and France contradict official neutrality between 1914 and 1917?
A. Loans
1. What role did U.S. bankers play in supporting the Allied war effort and how did this affect the American economy?
III. Public Opinion
A. Ethnic Influences
1. How did ethnic backgrounds of first- and second-generation Americans influence their views on the war?
2. Why did most native-born Americans tend to support the Allies despite official U.S. neutrality?
B. British War Propaganda
1. How did Britain's control of transatlantic cables influence American public opinion about the war?
IV. The War Debate
A. Preparedness
1. Why did Eastern Republicans like Theodore Roosevelt call for preparedness and what was Wilson's initial response?
2. What military expansion did Congress approve in 1916 and why did this provoke controversy?
B. Opposition to War
1. Who opposed preparedness and military buildup and what were their concerns about these policies?
V. The Election of 1916
A. "He Kept Us Out of War"
1. What was the Democratic campaign slogan in 1916 and how did it contribute to Wilson's reelection?
2. Why did Theodore Roosevelt's decision to rejoin the Republicans affect the 1916 election outcome?
VI. Peace Efforts
1. What efforts did Wilson make to negotiate peace before the U.S. entered the war and what was the outcome?
2. What did Wilson mean by "peace without victory" and why was this concept important to him?
VII. Decision for War
A. Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
1. Why did Germany resume unrestricted submarine warfare in January 1917 and what was Wilson's immediate response?
B. Immediate Causes
1. Zimmermann Telegram
1. What did the Zimmermann Telegram propose and how did its revelation affect American public opinion?
2. Russian Revolution
1. How did the Russian Revolution in March 1917 remove a barrier to U.S. participation in the war?
3. Renewed Submarine Attacks
1. What German submarine attacks in March 1917 convinced Wilson that war was unavoidable?
C. Declaration of War
1. What were the main arguments Wilson presented to Congress for declaring war on Germany?
2. What was the congressional vote on the declaration of war and who were the notable dissenters?
VIII. Fighting the War
1. What new weapons and technologies made trench warfare more deadly during World War I?
A. Naval Operations
1. How effective was Germany's unrestricted submarine warfare and what U.S. response helped counter it?
B. American Expeditionary Force
1. Who commanded the American Expeditionary Force and what was its initial role in the war?
1. Last German Offensive
1. What was the significance of American forces stopping the German advance at Château-Thierry and Belleau Wood?
2. Drive to Victory
1. What was the Meuse-Argonne offensive and how did it contribute to Germany's defeat?
3. U.S. Casualties
1. What were the total U.S. casualties in World War I and what caused deaths beyond combat?
IX. Making the Peace
A. The Fourteen Points
1. What were the main principles of Wilson's Fourteen Points and what was his most valued proposal?
2. How did the Fourteen Points address specific territorial issues and the causes of World War I?
B. The Treaty of Versailles
1. The Big Four
1. Who were the Big Four at Versailles and how did their goals differ from Wilson's idealistic vision?
2. What compromises did Wilson make on his Fourteen Points and what did he insist upon?
2. Peace Terms
1. What punitive measures did the Treaty of Versailles impose on Germany?
2. How did the Treaty of Versailles apply the principle of self-determination in Europe?
3. What was the League of Nations and what did Article X of its covenant require?
X. The Battle for Ratification
1. Why did Republican senators object to the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations?
A. Increased Partisanship After the War
1. How did the 1918 midterm elections change the political balance in the Senate and affect treaty ratification?
B. Opponents: Irreconcilables and Reservationists
1. What was the difference between the Irreconcilables and Reservationists in their opposition to the League?
2. Why did Wilson refuse to accept Lodge's reservations to the treaty?
C. Wilson's Western Tour and Breakdown
1. What happened to Wilson during his speaking tour in September 1919 and how did this affect treaty ratification?
D. Rejection of the Treaty
1. Why was the Treaty of Versailles defeated twice in the Senate and what was the final outcome?
Key Terms
neutrality
Allied powers
Central powers
submarine warfare
Lusitania
Sussex pledge
propaganda
ethnic influences
preparedness
election of 1916
Jeannette Rankin
Edward House
Zimmermann Telegram
Russian Revolution
declaration of war
Bolsheviks
American Expeditionary Force
John J. Pershing
Western Front
November 11, 1918
"peace without victory"
Fourteen Points
Big Four
Treaty of Versailles
self-determination
League of Nations
Article X
Henry Cabot Lodge
Irreconcilables
Reservationists
rejection of the treaty