Americans in World War I
Aim: How did American troops help the Allies achieve victory in World War I?
American soldiers started to arrive in Europe in 1917.
· Americans join the fight in Europe in 1917 as a force separate from the other Allied units.
· U.S. troops were known as the American Expeditionary Force
o Led by General John J. Pershing
o Thoroughly trained for combat before reaching the front lines
o It included a regular army, the National Guard, volunteers and draftees
Russia leaves the war.
Revolution in Russia
· November 1917: a group of Russians known as the Bolsheviks overthrew the Russian government.
· Bolsheviks were Communists – people who favor the equal distribution of wealth and the end of all forms of private property.
New Government
· Led by Vladimir Lenin
· Knew the war had reached a desperate point
o Around 8 million Russians had already been killed
o Soldiers were deserting
o Food riots raged in cities
· March 1918: Russia signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with the Central Powers taking itself out of the war.
The Americans helped the Allies win the war.
· With Russia gone, Germany planned to smash the stalemate.
· American soldiers arrived on the front.
· Germans made an advance, but were unprepared for the fresh, well-trained Americans forces who pushed them back.
· July 1918, German forces launched a final offensive
o Germans attempt to cross the Marne River
o Terrible losses forced them to stop
· American troops helped force a major turning point in the war.
Germany agreed to an armistice after suffering heavy losses.
· Allies drove toward victory after the failed German advance.
o More than 1 million U.S. troops in France
o Began winning victories against German forces
Germany Defeated
· At home and on the battlefield, Germans were tired of war
o Food shortages
o Riots and strikes
o Shortage of soldiers
· German allies were also eager to end the war.
o Austria-Hungary reached a peace accord with the Allies on November 3, 1918
· Seeing his country was beaten, German leader Kaiser Wilhelm II fled.
· Germany agreed to an armistice, or truce, on November 11, 1918.