7.3 World War I: Military and Diplomacy

From Neutrality to War

The U.S. initially pursued neutrality under Wilson, but events pulled America toward the Allies: British propaganda, economic ties/loans to Britain and France, unrestricted submarine warfare (sinking of the *Lusitania*), and the Zimmermann Telegram, in which Germany proposed a military alliance with Mexico against the U.S. Congress declared war in April 1917.

Mobilizing for War

The government built agencies to manage the war economy: the War Industries Board coordinated production, the Food Administration encouraged conservation, and Liberty Bonds financed the effort. The Selective Service Act created a draft. The American Expeditionary Force (AEF), led by General John J. Pershing, helped tip the balance on the Western Front.

Wilson's Vision and Its Defeat

Wilson's Fourteen Points called for self-determination, free trade, and a League of Nations to prevent future wars. At the Treaty of Versailles, Allies imposed harsh terms on Germany, weakening Wilson's idealism. The U.S. Senate, led by isolationist and reservationist senators, rejected the treaty, and the U.S. never joined the League of Nations.

Key terms

Zimmermann Telegram

Secret German message proposing an alliance with Mexico against the U.S.; its exposure helped push America into WWI.

War Industries Board

Federal agency that coordinated industrial production and resources for the war effort.

American Expeditionary Force (AEF)

U.S. troops sent to Europe under General John J. Pershing to fight in WWI.

Fourteen Points

Wilson's peace plan emphasizing self-determination, open diplomacy, free trade, and a League of Nations.

Treaty of Versailles

1919 peace treaty ending WWI; imposed harsh terms on Germany and was rejected by the U.S. Senate, partly over League of Nations membership.

Try an AP-style question

The U.S. entered WWI in 1917 partly because of…

1. unrestricted German submarine warfare
2. a Japanese attack on Hawaii
3. a Mexican attack on Texas
4. a British invasion of Canada