World War I

Air ships in the first World War

America Enters War: April, 1917

America Enters War: Congresswoman Jeannette Rankin opposed

America Joins the War: In April of 1917, after the war had dragged on nearly three years, the United States declared war on Germany

American Attitudes Toward Germany: Events push the U.S. toward conflict

American Soldiers: Two million sent

Americans War-Weary: July 1919 report - "They are tired of the war and everything belonging to it. They are almost hysterically anxious to get back to peace conditions, and they cannot quite understand why the process takes such a long time."

Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand: Precipitating cause of World War I

Belgian Neutrality, Violated: Invasion of Belgium based on "news" not "knowledge" - (see Kaiser Wilhelm II's original Communiqué)

British Life in WWI: A time of deprivation

Censorship in America: Prior restraint, and other free-speech restrictions, in U.S. during WWI

Chemical Weapons, First Used: Germany first to use chemical weapons in the second battle of Ypres

Document Archive, WWI: Explore many primary sources - (third paragraph, click on "World War I")

"Dominoes Falling" Theory: A reason for the widespread scope of war

Espionage/Sedition Acts: Significant restrictions on free speech in America

Food Shortages: People endured food shortages throughout WWI

Germany: Superior air power, start of war

Horrors of the Trenches: Impossible to imagine - (for numerous video clips, click on "horrors" in the second paragraph)

Italy - Fought with Allied Side: Italy opposed Germany in WWI

Life in the Trenches: Soldiers endured unbelievable hardships - (click on links in last three paragraphs for animations, pictures and videos)

Lusitania: Sinking draws America into WWI

Mothers, Impacted By War: Art created by war moms, like Kathe Kollwitz - (see chapter 10)

Posters, Conserve Food: U.S. posters urging Americans to conserve food

Posters, Emotional Appeals: Government-created emotional appeals to children

Prohibition, Alcohol: Law proposed by Congress during WWI

Recruitment, Poster: Famous 1918 Uncle Sam, "I Want YOU" - (see fourth paragraph)

Russian People, Starving: Condition of Russian people during war and lack of attention by Nicholas II

Somme, Battle of: Extremely difficult conditions for soldiers - (click on "churned out corpses," in the second quote, for video clip)

Spanish Flu: A pandemic of flu killed more people during the war than the war itself

Spanish Flu, Second Wave: Returning soldiers spread now-mutated virus

Treaty of Versailles: While the treaty ended WWI, many scholars think it contributed to the start of WWII

Trenches, Soldiers Digging: Soldiers on the western front had to dig trenches before they "lived" in them - (see fourth paragraph, "the trenches," for animation)

Western Front: Men lived, and died, in French trenches

"Willy-Nicky" Telegrams: Correspondence between Kaiser and Tsar just before war - (second paragraph, click on "governed by cousins")

Woodrow Wilson, Massive Stroke: U.S. president had incapacitating stroke (1919) - American people were not told - (see second-to-last paragraph)

"Worst Epidemic," U.S. History: Spanish Flu during WWI - (see pictures from national archives)