What Would America S Participation in WWI Look Like

What Would America S Participation in WWI Look Like

652NOTES CH 30 PART 2 TEXT (ch 31 part 2 de)

Making Plowboys into Doughboys

What would America’s participation in WWI look like…???

-America would use its Navy to uphold freedom of the Seas

- It would continue to ship war materials to the Allies

- It would continue to LOAN $$$ to the ALLIES –TOTAL OF 10 BILLION (still being paid today)

- and…almost immediately….the Allies requested SOLDIERS TO COME TO EUROPE AND FIGHT…

A huge American Army would have to be raised, trained, and transported OR*** THE WHOLE WESTERN FRONT WOULD COLLAPSE AND THE ALLIES WOULD LOSE THIS WAR…

Fighting in France—we eventually get there 

The Germans, due to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk that ended Russia’s participation in WWI and allowed the Germans to fight a one (1) front war and concentrate ALL of its forces on the Western Front, were developing a dangerous manpower superiority…

Berlin calculated that the American’s could not arrive in timeso they announce a return to unrestricted submarine warfare*** violating the Sussex Pledge***….to stop them from overwhelming the Western Front and ending the War…Victors….They were close…BUT WRONG 

The 1st Americans arrive about a year after we declared war…early in 1918…and when we come we fight…immediately…The first American Soldiers were initially used as replacements in the Trenches for the tired and worn out British and French Forces….IN FRANCE.

AMERICAN SOLDIERS FOUGHT ALSO IN BELGIUM, ITALY AND IN RUSSIA… [in Archangel and in Siberia…with the purpose to rescue troops and to prevent the communists from gaining valuable military supplies for their use in their own revolutionary (red v. white) war…

America Helps Hammer the “Hun” (Germans)

In the spring of 1918 the German’s commit to a massive offensive…their attempt to end the war immediately.

The situation was so dire…desperate…for the first time the Allies unite under a single commander – FRENCH MARSHALL (general) Foch…”To make war is to attack.”

Late in May 1918…The German’s had reached their zenith…40 miles to Paris, France.

American Battles…

1 Chateau-Thierry – May 1918, a historic moment- THE FIRST SIGNIFICANT ENGAGEMENT OF AMERICAN TROOPS IN A EUROPEAN WAR************The road filled with innumerable “DOUGHBOYS” gleaming with enthusiasm and vigor…..THIS IS A HUGE MORALE BOOST FOR THE ALLIES AND OUR GREATEST CONTRIBUTION TO THE ALLIED CAUSE BY OUR TROOPS….

2 2nd Battle of the Marne – July 1918, in Marshall Foch’s great Counter-Offensive American Troops contribute mightily to an engagement which led to the beginning of a German Withdrawal that NEVER ENDED….THE BEGINNING OF THE END FOR GERMANY

3 St. Mihiel Salient- September, 1918 – 9 American divisions, 243,000 American Soldiers, join 4 French divisions to push the Germans from the St. Mihiel Salient – a dangerous position on the French Flank…

4 The Meuse-Argonne Offensive- September 26 until November 11, 1918 –For the First time in WWI –General John J. (Blackjack) Pershing and the Americans are given command of their own Army and given their own section of the Front….85 miles long from the French to the Swiss Border….The Meuse-Argonne Forrest Front…. THE LAST ALLIED ASSAULT….INVOLVING SEVERAL MILLION MEN****** THE MOST GARGANTUAN BATTLE THUS FAR IN AMERICAN HISTORY*******lasted 47 days and engaged 1.2 Million American Soldiers….fighting in the heavily forested and rugged Argonne Forrest . IN JUST THIS BATTLE- 120,000 AMERICAN SOLDIERS WERE WOUNDED – 10% OF THE AMERICANS INVOLVED…Alvin C. York –becomes an American Hero – former conscientious objector…he SINGLE-HANDEDLY KILLED 20 GERMAND AND CAPTURES 132 MORE—BY HIMSELF******

THE FOURTEEN POINTS DISARMS GERMANY

Propaganda leaflets, containing seductive Wilsonian promises are dropped by plane (“raining”) upon the staggering German Army….

Berlin was ready to hoist the White Flag of Surrender—and turned to Woodrow Wilson in October of 1918 SEEKING A PEACE BASED ON THE 14 POINTS********

WILSON in response made it clear that the Kaiser must be overthrown…before an armistice (an agreement to end fighting) could be negotiated…. The Kaiser was then forced to leave and went to Holland, where he lived until his death 23 years later.

November 11th, 1918 (11/11/1918) @ 11am– WWI ENDS******(you need to know this date and time)

**********The United States main contributions to the Allied Victory in WWI: Foodstuffs, munitions, credits, Oil-for this 1st mechanized war, and man-power NOT**** battlefield victories….IT WAS THE “PROSPECT” OF ENDLESS U.S. TROOPS THAT ACTUALLY DEMORALIZED THE GERMANS----NOT OUR MILITARY PERFORMANCE---however amazing and courageous…..

THE UNITED STATES WAS NO “ARSENAL OF DEMOCRACY” IN THIS WAR********AS IT IS IN WWII**

Wilson Steps Down from Olympus****the treaty and end of war******

What part would Woodrow Wilson now play in shaping the peace?********

Expectations were high for WW…as the war ended WW towered at the peak of his popularity and power.

“NO OTHER MAN HAD EVER OCCUPIED SO DIZZY A PINNACLE AS MORAL LEADER OF THE WORLD”

BUT…at this point WW begins to make some serious mistakes - which will cost him and his ideas for a new world…

1 – Wilson had enjoyed bi-partisan support during the war….However…he breaks this unity between the Republicans and Democrats by….personally appealing to the American Public for support for Democrats in the mid-term Congressional elections in Nov. 1918. This move backfires on WW when the American Public returns a Republican majority to Congress (WW was a Democrat) ****This causes WWilson to return to Paris a diminished leader (he did not command a legislative majority at home and lost face due to personal plea to elect democrats that fails-showing a lack of popular support in his own country---this will cost him big****)

2- Wilson’s decision to go in person to Paris to negotiate the peace…infuriated Republicans…NO PRESIDENT HAD EVER TRAVELED TO EUROPE….and it looked like grandstanding…AND HE TOOK NO REPUBLICANS AND INCLUDED NO REPUBLICANS ON HIS TEAM -**** not even the CHAIR OF THE SENATE COMMITTEE OF FOREIGN RELATIONS {Sen. Henry Cabot Lodge*** Wilson’s Arch-Nemesis} – the Senate would have to vote to RATIFY any treaty or agreements brought home***** NOT EVEN HENRY CABOT LODGE –THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION PARTY IN THE SENATE AND CHAIRMEN OF THE COMMITTEE IN THE SENATE…..**********

THESE TWO MEN, WOODROW WILSON AND HENRY CABOT LODGE, WOULD BECOME ENEMIES –PERSONALLY AND POLITICALLY –Foreshadowing events to come…this spells doom for an American ratification of the Treaty of Versailles and our membership in the new LEAGUE OF NATIONS******************************************

An Idealist Battles the Imperialists in Paris

Woodrow Wilson upon arrival in Paris….received an amazingly positive welcome from the masses of people from England, France, and Italy…they saw in his idealism the promise of a better World…

But the Political Leaders were careful to keep Wilson away from the worshipping crowds…due to his ability to potentially upset their Imperialist plans.***

The Big Four****Woodrow Wilson-USA, David Lloyd George- GB, Georges Clemenceu-FR, and Vittorio Orlando-Italy. These 4 men controlled the Paris Peace Talks….

These four men represent the richest and most powerful nations in the world at this time.

Speed was urgent…Europe was slipping into CHAOS…the sweeping tide of communism was moving closer to “Old Europe” and its masses of repressed people…centuries of “old ideas” were being repudiated globally…. Trouble was in the wind…. (as we will see it will continue due to the inability of these “small” men to be “great” at this time.)

Wilson’s ultimate goal was a World Parliament – The League of Nations.

He first thought had to deal with the decline of “Old World Empires” and the continuing competition among them for colonies….IMPERIALISM was on its last legs… and would soon crash around the world…as we will see…with, in some places, disastrous consequences.

Wilson is able to negotiate a “middle road” between imperialism and Wilsonian freedom…the victors would not take possession of conquered territory outright, but would receive it as a trustee of the League of Nations….for example: Syria was awarded to France…and Oil rich Iraq went to Britain…but in practice this was just colonialism/imperialism disguised….note: -- it was not to the native populations though…who saw the beginnings of weakness in these old European powers and would begin the cataclysmic effort to dislodge these colonials from their lands…

The League of Nations was created…a victory for Wilson… but…would it last or even be meaningful…

Note: this is important….the ultimate failure of the LON’s… does however, provide the victors in WWII a model of what NOT to do…after WWII ….and are much more successful with the United Nations…. Albeit somewhat controversially… successful or not…depending on your perspective…

Hammering Out the Treaty

Wilson had a problem when he returned home…. Henry Cabot Lodge, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and a group of Republican Senators called- “Irreconcilables” or “the battalion of death,” of which Lodge was the leader…. WERE WAITING FOR WILSON—LOCKED AND LOADED TO BATTLE HIM---ON THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES AND THE USA’S PARTICIPATION IN THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS***********they are called “isolationists” in their perspective…supposedly…..really they are more believers in “realpolitik” in that they JUST want to make sure that our foreign policy ---CONSIDERS AMERICAN INTERESTS FIRST !!!

The “isolationists” or Irreconcilables” – 39 Republican Senators who proclaimed that they would NOT APPROVE the League of Nations in its existing form… (the treaty of Versailles and League needed 65 votes minimum 2/3rds…of the Senate to “ratify” …if the 39 voted against it …it had NO CHANCE TO PASS!

In the end….it is said that Wilson “talked like Jesus Christ and acted like Lloyd George (an imperialist)”

The Peace Treaty That Bred a New War (WWII)

The Treaty of Versailles (the end result after much bickering) was not based on Wilson’s 14 points or based on Wilson’s philosophy of “Peace Without Victory.” [only 4 of Wilson’s 23 principles were fully honored]********

Therefore it ended up being “PUNITIVE” against the Central Powers—Germany especially.

It Blamed Germany for starting the War….and made them pay…a lot…

Germany had surrendered based on the assumption that the peace would be designed per Wilson’s promises…obviously it was not….yet Germany was forced to accept the treaty as is…Punitive…

Germany protested…those protestations….would be used by ADOLF HITLER IN THE COMING YEARS TO JUSTIFY MANY OF HIS ACTIONS PRIOR TO WWII********

THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES IS A MAJOR CAUSE OF WWII**********

The Treaty in its end form was a compromise…in order to salvage the League of Nations….[which ends up being powerless and useless] so the effort to save it was worthless as well….

Wilson because of his actions done before {earlier in the notes} had set himself up for failure…HIS HUBRIS (PRIDE) COST THE WORLD AND WILSON---he becomes a fallen idol…his promises-now broken- were meaningless…

The Domestic Parade of Prejudice

Upon Wilson’s return to the USA---Senator Henry Cabot Lodge and the “Irreconcilables” [Isolationists] were waiting….

Two reasons the isolationists oppose the League of Nations and the Treaty of Versailles:********HUGE*********

The Isolationists stated that they would not support the United States entry into the League of Nations because it violated the ancient and honored precedent established originally by George Washington: 1-NO ENTANGLING ALLIANCES.” 2- ALSO- ARTICLE X (TEN) IN THE LEAGUE STATED THAT IF A COUNTRY WAS ATTACKED THAT THE MEMBERS COUNTRIES IN THE LEAGUE WOULD IMMEDIATELY SEND THEIR ARMED FORCES TO DEFEND THE ATTACKED NATION….this would violate and take away the power of Congress to Declare War…to Isolationists, and some others…this was a violation of the Constitution….and not acceptable.******

Wilson’s Tour and Collapse (1919)

Wilson was still confident and felt as if a majority of the American People supported his ideas…Henry Cabot Lodge, initially, had no hope of defeating the Treaty….BUT…he could DELAY IT and AMEND it to death….

He first, to delay, read the entire 264 page treaty out loud in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, of which he was CHAIRMAN… and held LONG HEARINGS in which people of varying nationalities aired their disagreements on various small points in the treaty….THIS BOGGED THE TREATY DOWN IN THE SENATE….DELAY AFTER DELAY…..AND WILSON BEGAN TO WORRY…

WILSON TO OVERCOME LODGE’S TACTICS OF DELAY AND CONFUSION----decides to take his case to the people of the usa…. On a MASSIVE SPEAKING TOUR OF THE USA ON BEHALF OF THE TREATY….he attempts to go over the head of Congress and speak directly to the people to gain their support….WILSON ALREADY SICKLY DECLARES HE IS WILLING TO DIE TO CREATE A NEW WORLD ORDER.

Wilson began his tour in September of 1919…and was not very successful…in the Mid-West where many German-Americans lived…and were hostile due to the punitive nature of the Treaty on Germany…AND IN EVERY CITY WHERE WILSON SPOKE WITHIN TWO DAYS AN “IRRECONCILABLE” SENATOR SPOKE AGAINST WILSON….People began to chant IMPEACH HIM – IMPEACH HIM !!!

As the Tour progressed into the Rocky Mountain and Pacific Regions…Wilson was rewarded with a huge amount of support…and in Pueblo, Colorado…he broke down in tears pleading…”that the League of Nations was the only real hope of preventing future wars.”

That night he collapsed…he had a STROKE…AND A TRAIN BROUGHT HIM BACK TO DC {This is where his 2nd wife Edith takes over and is considered by some historians to be the first female President of the United States from this point on] “FOR MORE THAN SEVEN MONTHS HE DID NOT MEET HIS CABINET IN ANY MEETINGS!!! ONLY EDITH---

Defeat Through Deadlock

*****Senator Henry Cabot Lodgeusing delay and confusion to defeat the Treaty and the League…now creates 14 RESERVATIONS- (USING WW’S 14 POINT SPEECH IDEA)

*****These “reservations” reserved the rights of the United States under the Monroe Doctrine and the Constitution and to protect American Sovereignty… Article X (ten) especially alarmed the Isolationists due to EACH NATION BEING REQUIRED OR BOUND TO SEND ITS MILITARY TO DEFEND ANYONE WHO WAS VICITMIZED BY MILITARY AGGRESSION…. Congress Alone-the Isolationists stated could have this power…they would not give up their Constitutional Responsibilities to – some “World Government.”

Wilson hating Lodge even more…..but to sick to act… was strong enough…to block the passage of the Treaty with Lodge’s 14 reservations…..****

When the Senate finally came to a vote ---twice---with Lodge’s “reservations”(amendments) attached ….WILSON LOBBIED (OR HIS WIFE DID ) TO DEFEAT THE RATIFICATION BOTH TIMES*******

WHO DEFEATED THE TREATY? In reality both Lodge and Wilson succeeded in defeating the amended treaty presented to the Senate….neither really wanted it to pass anyway….as it was amended…BUT, there is one last chance…the Election of 1920 

The Election of 1920 [often called the “Solemn Referendum” or …depressing vote

Wilson (or his Wife  ) proposed one last chance for his Treaty and League to be approved….The Election of 1920…

Wilson hoped that by appealing to the people of the United States to elect those Senators and a President who supported his vision of the Treaty and League….it could be approved once they took office…

What happened?

Republicans nominate Warren G. Harding, Ohio for President and Calvin Coolidge of Massachusetts as Vice-President.

Democrats nominate James M. Cox for President and Franklin Delano Roosevelt(before his paralysis) of NY for Vice President.

The Conservative “Old Guard” (Gilded Age- Lassaiz-Faire-small govt) Republicans were firmly in control after TR dies in 1919… and they were not about to allow WWilson to make the election a “referendum on one issue.” The Republicans specifically and smartly use trickeration and obfuscation to muddy the issue: their platform statement on the treaty and league was so ambiguous and unclear that you could have said it supported and opposed it at the same time….(smart poltiticians)***

Harding was “handled well”---really a lightweight politician (with several mistresses and children born out of wedlock-shhh it’s a secret, they hid one of his lovers and her child in Atlantic City, New Jersey---and Harding later dies in office---supposedly poisoned by his wife---surprise  ) BUT Harding was firmly in the control of the Big Businessmen who wanted “A RETURN TO NORMALCY” (HARDING’S SLOGAN) ---in other words an END TO THE PROGRESSIVE ERA AND A RETURN TO THE GOVERNMENT BEING CONTROLLED BY BIG BUSINESS MONOPOLIES….

This is also the FIRST ELECTION THAT ALL WOMEN COULD “LEGALLY” VOTE….

HARDING and COOLIDGE win easily…by 7 million votes popularly…and 404 to 127 electorally A LANDSLIDE….

****Eugene V. Debs, Federal Prisoner # 9652, remarkably earns a million votes running for the Socialist Party while in Prison.****