America in World War I: Crash Course US History #30

Summary

In this episode of Crash Course U.S. History, John Green explores America's involvement in World War I, highlighting the economic and military contributions that led to the war's conclusion. The video discusses the profound domestic effects, the rise in government power, and the suppression of civil liberties during the war. It also touches on the war's impact on women's suffrage, African American migration, and the disillusionment that led to U.S. isolationism post-war.

Takeaways

• 😀 The United States entered World War I with the promise of superior technology, innovative tactics, and remarkable leadership, although the actual impact was more economic and political.
• 🎓 American involvement in the war was relatively short, lasting only 19 months, and was marked by a significant economic contribution rather than military prowess.
• 🌐 President Wilson's neutrality stance was challenged by various factors including the sinking of the Lusitania, unrestricted submarine warfare, and the Zimmerman Telegram, leading to the U.S. entry into the war.
• 💡 The war had profound effects on American society, leading to increased government power, economic regulation, and a push for social reforms.
• 🏭 The U.S. economy was heavily impacted by the war, with the government taking control to regulate industry, transportation, labor relations, and agriculture.
• 📢 The government used propaganda and public information campaigns to sway public opinion in favor of the war, emphasizing democracy and freedom.
• 🔒 Civil liberties were suppressed during the war, with the Espionage Act and Sedition Act limiting free speech and leading to the persecution of dissenters.
• 🌟 World War I saw the rise of the 'Lost Generation' of writers, including Ernest Hemingway, who were deeply affected by the war and sought to make sense of the chaos.
• 🏛 The Versailles peace conference and the Treaty of Versailles resulted in outcomes that contradicted Wilson's 14 Points, leading to disillusionment and a return to isolationism.
• 🌈 Despite the war's negative aspects, it also provided opportunities for women and African Americans, contributing to social changes like the 19th Amendment and the Great Migration.

Q & A

What was the main reason for the United States' late entry into World War I?

The United States declared war on Germany and the Central Powers on April 2, 1917, primarily due to Germany's decision to resume unrestricted submarine warfare, the interception and publication of the Zimmerman Telegram, and the fall of the Tsarist regime in Russia, which made President Wilson's claims of fighting for democracy more plausible.

How did World War I affect the United States' national government and economy?

World War I significantly increased the power of the national government and its control over the economy. The government regulated industry, transportation, labor relations, and agriculture, and created new agencies like the War Industries Board to oversee wartime production.

What was the role of the Committee on Public Information (CPI) during World War I?

The CPI, created by the Wilson administration in 1917, was responsible for shaping public opinion in support of the war. It produced propaganda through pamphlets, posters, and advertisements, and employed 'four minute men' to deliver pro-war messages in public venues.

How did the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918 impact freedom of speech in the United States?

The Espionage Act prohibited spying, interfering with the draft, and making false statements that could impede military success. The Sedition Act criminalized statements that showed contempt or scorn for the government or advocated interference with the war effort, effectively making it a crime to criticize the war or the government.

What was the significance of the 19th Amendment in relation to World War I?

While the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote, is often linked to the war, it was not a direct result. However, the war did provide new opportunities for women in the workforce, which may have contributed to the momentum for women's suffrage.

How did World War I contribute to the Great Migration of African Americans?

New opportunities in wartime industries attracted African Americans to move north, leading to the Great Migration and a significant increase in black populations in northern cities such as Chicago and New York.

What was the outcome of the Versailles Peace Conference in relation to President Wilson's 14 Points?

The Versailles Peace Conference aimed to implement President Wilson's 14 Points, but the final treaty outcomes, particularly the carving up of territories and the failure of the U.S. to join the League of Nations, made the 14 Points appear hypocritical and led to disappointment.

How did the war influence the concept of 'real American' and Americanization efforts?

The war heightened patriotism and led to efforts to 'Americanize' immigrants, including public schools teaching Anglo-Saxon values and cities sponsoring Americanization pageants. This period also saw the rise of anti-immigrant sentiment, with IQ tests being used to argue the inferiority of certain immigrant groups.

What was the role of Ernest Hemingway in World War I, and how did it influence his writing?

Ernest Hemingway served as an ambulance driver during World War I, which gave him a close-up view of death and misery. This experience influenced his writing and led to his association with the Lost Generation of writers who tried to make sense of the post-war world.

How did the war impact the Progressive movement in the United States?

While some Progressives were anti-war, fearing it would hinder social reforms, others saw the war as an opportunity to reform American society along scientific lines, instill national unity, and expand social justice. The war did lead to some progressive outcomes, such as improved working conditions and increased union membership, but it also resulted in increased taxes and repression of civil liberties.

Outlines

00:00

🇺🇸 Introduction to America's Involvement in WWI

The script introduces the topic of America's involvement in World War I, with a humorous approach suggesting a focus on military history. It quickly shifts to discuss the actual limited combat role of the U.S., emphasizing the war's profound impact on American society and global standing. The video mentions the Great War's duration, the significant loss of life, and the U.S.'s initial neutrality under President Wilson, influenced by isolationist sentiments and a divided public opinion. The sinking of the Lusitania and the Zimmerman Telegram are highlighted as key events leading to the U.S. declaration of war, alongside financial ties with Britain and Wilson's evolving stance on democracy.

05:02

💵 Economic and Social Impacts of WWI on America

This paragraph delves into America's economic contribution to the war effort, highlighting the substantial financial and material support sent to the Entente powers. It discusses the deployment of American troops in 1918 and the significant non-combatant roles, including the infamous flu pandemic's impact. The script also touches on the cultural and literary consequences of the war, exemplified by Ernest Hemingway's experiences and the emergence of the 'Lost Generation.' The war's role in strengthening the national government and enabling progressive reforms is explored, including the establishment of various regulatory agencies and the promotion of social justice through labor reforms. The paragraph concludes with a critique of wartime propaganda and the suppression of civil liberties, as evidenced by the Espionage and Sedition Acts, and the rise of vigilante groups.

10:04

🏛️ Post-War America: Challenges and Changes

The final paragraph addresses the post-WWI era, focusing on the challenges to civil liberties and the concept of 'real Americans.' It discusses the Americanization efforts in public schools, the transformation of cultural symbols like hamburgers into 'liberty sandwiches,' and the use of IQ tests to justify anti-immigrant sentiments. The paragraph also covers the 1919 Palmer Raids and the societal tensions that led to the arrest of thousands of suspected radicals and labor organizers. Despite the repression, the war is noted to have catalyzed positive changes, such as the 19th Amendment and the Great Migration, which saw a significant increase in the African American population in northern cities. The script concludes with a critique of the Versailles Treaty's failure to live up to Wilson's 14 Points and the U.S.'s subsequent retreat into isolationism, foreshadowing the events leading to World War II.

Keywords

💡World War I

World War I, also known as the Great War, was a global war that lasted from 1914 to 1918. It involved many of the world's major powers, organized into two opposing alliances: the Allies and the Central Powers. The war resulted in significant political, economic, and social changes across the globe. In the context of the video, World War I is central to understanding America's involvement and its impact on the nation's domestic and international policies, as well as its cultural and societal shifts.

💡Isolationism

Isolationism refers to a policy of remaining apart from the affairs of other groups, especially when it comes to international politics. In the video, isolationism is mentioned as a reason for America's initial neutrality during World War I, reflecting a reluctance to get involved in foreign conflicts. This stance was influenced by historical experiences and a desire to focus on domestic issues.

💡Selective Service Act

The Selective Service Act was a conscription law enacted in 1917 during World War I, which required young men to register for the draft. This act significantly expanded the United States' military capacity, as it increased the size of the army from 120,000 to 5 million. The video highlights this act as an example of how the war led to a more powerful national government and a shift in American society towards greater federal control.

💡Fourteen Points

The Fourteen Points were a set of principles for peace that were outlined by President Woodrow Wilson in 1918. They were intended to be the basis for a peace settlement after World War I and included ideas like open diplomacy, freedom of the seas, and the establishment of a League of Nations. The video discusses the Fourteen Points as a reflection of Wilson's idealistic vision for a post-war world and as a key part of his foreign policy.

💡Espionage Act

The Espionage Act of 1917 was a U.S. federal law that made it a crime to interfere with the war effort, including by spying or making false statements. It was part of a broader set of measures aimed at suppressing dissent and criticism of the war. The video mentions the Espionage Act as an example of how civil liberties were curtailed during World War I, illustrating the tension between national security and individual freedoms.

💡Sedition Act

The Sedition Act of 1918 was an amendment to the Espionage Act that further criminalized speech critical of the government or the war effort. It was used to suppress dissent and opposition to the war, reflecting a period of intense repression of civil liberties in the United States. The video discusses the Sedition Act to highlight the government's efforts to control public opinion and maintain support for the war.

💡Americanization

Americanization refers to the process of assimilating immigrants into American culture, often by adopting American customs, values, and language. The video mentions Americanization in the context of World War I, where public schools and government agencies sought to instill 'Anglo-Saxon' values in immigrants and their children, reflecting a broader trend of cultural assimilation and nationalism during the war.

💡Progressivism

Progressivism was a political and social movement in the early 20th century that sought to reform society and government. It was characterized by a belief in the power of the state to improve social conditions and promote social justice. In the video, progressivism is discussed in relation to World War I, where some progressives saw the war as an opportunity to implement social reforms and strengthen national unity.

💡Lost Generation

The Lost Generation is a term used to describe the generation of people who came of age during World War I and were disillusioned by the experience. They often questioned traditional values and sought new ways of understanding the world. The video mentions Ernest Hemingway as a member of this generation, highlighting how the war influenced his writing and the broader cultural response to the conflict.

💡Versailles Peace Conference

The Versailles Peace Conference was the meeting of Allied powers after World War I to negotiate the peace terms with Germany. It resulted in the Treaty of Versailles, which imposed heavy reparations and territorial losses on Germany. The video discusses the Versailles Peace Conference as a moment of hope for a new international order, but also as a source of disillusionment due to the perceived hypocrisy of the treaty's terms.

Highlights

The United States' involvement in World War I was relatively short but had profound effects on America and its global standing.

World War I resulted in numerous war memorials in Indianapolis.

The Great War cost the lives of an estimated 10 million soldiers.

At the outbreak of the war, America remained neutral due to isolationist tendencies.

Many Americans sympathized with the British, despite past conflicts.

Progressives were concerned that involvement in the war would hinder domestic social reforms.

President Wilson campaigned on a platform of keeping America out of war.

The sinking of the Lusitania was not the immediate cause of America's entry into the war.

The United States declared war on Germany in 1917 for multiple reasons.

Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points outlined a vision for a post-war world.

America's primary contribution to the war effort was economic, sending arms and money to Europe.

Over 1 million American soldiers served under General John J. Pershing.

Ernest Hemingway's experiences in WWI influenced his writing and his place in the Lost Generation.

World War I increased the power of the national government in America.

The government controlled much of the economy during WWI to support the war effort.

The War Industries Board regulated wartime production, setting quotas and prices.

The War Labor Board pushed for better working conditions and workers' rights.

The government used propaganda to shape public opinion in support of the war.

The Espionage Act and Sedition Act suppressed dissent and free speech during WWI.

The war led to a rise in anti-immigrant sentiment and the use of IQ tests to justify discrimination.

The 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote, was partly influenced by WWI.

African Americans and women found new opportunities during WWI, but the war also had negative consequences.

The Versailles peace conference failed to live up to the ideals of Wilson's Fourteen Points.

Disappointment over WWI led to a retreat into isolationism until WWII.

Transcripts

Episode 30: America and World War I

Hi I’m John Green, this is Crash Course U.S. history and today we’re finally going

to make the military history buffs happy.

That’s right, today we’re going to talk about how the United States with its superior

technology, innovative tactics and remarkable generalship turned the tide of World War I.

Mr. Green, Mr. Green.

Finally.

I’ve been waiting for months to learn about tanks and airplanes and Ernest Hemingway.

Well that’s a shame, Me from the Past, because I was kidding about this being an episode

full of military details.

But I do promise that we will mention Ernest Hemingway.

And in a few weeks I will tell you about how he liberated the martinis of Paris.

intro Americans were only involved in the Great

War for 19 months and, compared with the other belligerents, we didn’t do much fighting.

Still, the war had profound effects on America at home, on its place in the world and it

also resulted in an amazing number of war memorials right here in Indianapolis.

So, The Great War, which lasted from 1914 until 1918, and featured a lot of men with

hats and rifles, cost the lives of an estimated 10 million soldiers.

Also the whole thing was kind of horrible and pointless, unless you love art and literature

about how horrible and pointless World War I was in which case, it was a real bonanza.

So, when the war broke out, America remained neutral, because we were a little bit isolationist

owing to the fact that we were led, of course, by President Wilson.

But many Americans sided with the British because by 1914 we’d pretty much forgotten

about all the bad parts of British rule, like all that tea and monarchy.

Plus, they’re so easy to talk to with their English.

But there were a significant number of Progressives who worried that involvement in the war would

get in the way of social reforms at home.

In fact, Wilson courted these groups in the 1916 presidential campaign running on the

slogan “He kept us out of War.”

And will continue to keep us out of war until we reelect him and then he gets us into war.

But, for that slogan to make sense, there had to have been some way in which war was

avoided, which brings me to one of the classic errors made by American history students.

What?

I haven’t even said anything yet.

But you were about to, Me From the Past, because if I had asked you what event led the U.S.

to enter World War I, you would have surely told me that it was the sinking of the cruise

ship Lusitania by German submarines. 124 American passengers died when the ship,

which had been carrying arms and also guns, was torpedoed off the coast of Ireland.

Even though Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan had warned Americans not to travel on

British, French, or German ships, Wilson refused to ban such travel because, you know: freedom.

Bryan promptly resigned.

So how do I know it wasn’t the immediate cause of our involvement in the war?

Because the United States declared war on Germany and the Central powers on April 2,

1917, almost two years after the sinking of the Lusitania.

So why did the United States declare war for only the fourth time in its history?

Was it the Germans’ decision to resume unrestricted submarine warfare in early 1917?

Was it the interception and publication of the Zimmerman Telegram in which the German

Foreign Secretary promised to help Mexico get back California if they joined Germany

in a war against the U.S?

Or was it the fall of the Tsarist regime in Russia, which made Wilson’s claims that

he wanted to fight to make the world safe for democracy a bit more plausible?

Yes, yes, and yes.

Also there was our inclination to help Britain, to whom we had loaned a $2 billion.

That’s the thing about wars.

They never start for easy, simple reasons like Lusitania sinkings.

Stupid truth, always resisting simplicity.

Oh, it’s time for the Mystery Document?

The rules here are simple.

I guess the author of the mystery document.

I’m either right or I get shocked I. [or possibly “one”] Open covenants

of peace, openly arrived at, after which there shall be no private international understandings

of any kind but diplomacy shall proceed always frankly and in the public view.

II.

[I’m starting to think these are Roman numerals] Absolute freedom of navigation upon the seas,

outside territorial waters, alike in peace and in war, except as the seas may be closed

in whole or in part by international action for the enforcement of international covenants

III.

The removal, so far as possible, of all economic barriers and the establishment of an equality

of trade conditions among all the nations consenting to the peace and associating themselves

for it’s maintenance.

[And] XIV.

[I’m going to guess we skipped some.]

A general association of nations must be formed under specific covenants for the purpose of

affording mutual guarantees of political independence and territorial integrity of great and small

states alike.

Stan, thank you for throwing me a softball.

That’s my favorite kind of ball.

Other than you, Wilson.

With its mention of self-determination, freedom of the seas, open diplomacy, and liberal use

of Roman numerals, I know it is Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points.

Our second consecutive Woodrow Wilson week and my second consecutive non-shock.

Given all of his quasi-imperialism, there’s something a little bit ideologically inconsistent

about Wilson, but his Fourteen Points are pretty admirable as a statement of purpose.

Most of them deal specifically with colonial possessions, and were pretty much ignored,

but I suppose if we have learned anything, it’s that in American history, it’s the

thought that counts.

[Libertage] America’s primary contribution to the Entente

powers winning the war was economic as we sent all sorts of arms and money “over there.”

Troops didn’t arrive until the spring of 1918 and eventually over 1 million American

doughboys served under General John J. Pershing.

Not all of these people saw combat.

They were much more likely to die of flu than bullet wounds, but their sheer numbers were

enough to force the defeat of the exhausted Germans.

And now, as promised, I will mention Ernest Hemingway.

He served as an ambulance driver, which gave him a close up view of death and misery and

led to his membership in the so called Lost Generation of writers who lived in Paris in

the 1920s and tried to make sense of everything.

Turns out, it’s pretty hard to make sense of and you’re just going to end up with

a lot of six-toed cats and then eventually suicide.

Okay, so I said earlier than a lot of American Progressives were anti-war, but certainly

not all of them.

Like, according to Randolph Bourne, “War is the health of the state.”

And for progressives like him, “the war offered the possibility of reforming American

society along scientific lines, instilling a sense of national unity and self-sacrifice,

and expanding social justice.”

Let’s go to the ThoughtBubble.

World War I made the national government much more powerful than it had ever been.

Like, in May of 1917, Congress passed the selective service act, which required 24 million

men to register for the draft and eventually increased the size of the army from 120,000

to 5 million.

The government also commandeered control of much of the economy to get the country ready

to fight, creating new agencies to regulate industry, transportation, labor relations,

and agriculture.

The War Industries Board took charge of all elements of wartime production setting quotas

and prices and establishing standardized specification for almost everything, even down to the color

of shoes.

The Railroad Administration administered transportation, and the Fuel Agency rationed coal and oil.

This regulation sometimes brought about some of the progressives’ goals.

Like, the War Labor Board, for instance, pushed for a minimum wage, eight hour days and the

rights of workers to form unions.

Wages rose substantially in the era, working conditions improved and union membership skyrocketed.

But then so did taxes, and the wealthiest Americans ended up on the hook for 60% of

their income.

Also, in World War I as never before, the government used its power to shape public

opinion.

In 1917 the Wilson administration created the Committee on Public Information, which

only sounds like it’s from an Orwell novel.

Headed by George Creel, the CPI’s team created a wave of propaganda to get Americans to support

the war, printing pamphlets, making posters and advertising in swanky motion pictures.

The best known strategies were the speeches of 75,000 four minute men, who in that amount

of time delivered messages of support for the war in theaters, schools, and other public

venues.

The key concepts in the CPI propaganda effort were democracy and freedom.

“Creel believed that the war would accelerate movement towards solving the “age old problems

of poverty, inequality, oppression, and unhappiness,” because, obviously, war is the most effective

antidepressant.

Thanks, Thoughtbubble.

So the aforementioned Randolph Bourne might have had good things so say about war, but

he was also correct when he suggested that the war would encourage and empower the “least

democratic forces in American life.”

World War I may have been a war to make the world safe for democracy but according to

one historian “the war inaugurated the most intense repression of civil liberties the

nation has ever known.”

War suppressing civil liberties, eh?

I’m glad those days have passed.

Speaking of the repression of civil liberties, the NSA is about to start watching this video

because I’m about to use the word “espionage.”

The Espionage act of 1917 prohibited spying, interfering with the draft and “false statements”

that might impede military success.

Even more troubling was the Sedition Act passed in 1918, which criminalized statements that

were intended to cast “contempt, scorn or disrepute” on our form of government or

that advocated interference with the war effort.

So basically these laws made it a crime to criticize either the war or the government.

In fact, Eugene Debs, the Socialist who ran for president in 1912, was one of those convicted

for giving an anti-war speech.

He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and he served three of them, but he ran for president

from prison and got 900,000 votes.

Fortunately, thanks to checks and balances, you can turn to the courts.

Unfortunately, they weren’t very helpful.

Like in Schenck v. the U.S., the Supreme Court upheld the conviction of a guy named Schenck

for encouraging people to avoid the draft and ruled that the government can punish critical

speech when it presents a “clear and present danger,” to the state and its citizens.

This was when Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes introduced the famous exception to free speech,

that it is not okay to “shout fire in a crowded theater.”

Nor apparently is it okay to shout, “We shouldn’t be in this war, I don’t think.

Just my opinion.”

But, some went even further.

The 250,000 strong American Protective League helped the Justice Department identify radicals

by harassing people in what were called “slacker raids.”

Good thing those stopped before you got to high school, right Me from the Past?

Slacker.

In Bisbee, Arizona vigilantes went so far to put striking copper miners in boxcars,

shipped them out to the middle of the desert and left them there.

The war also raised the question of what it meant to be a ‘real American.’

Like, public schools “Americanized” immigrants and sought to “implant in their children,

so far as can be done, the Anglo-Saxon conceptions of righteousness, law and order, and popular

government.”

Many cities sponsored Americanization pageants, especially around the Fourth of July, which

the CPI in 1918 re-christened “Loyalty Day”.

Hamburgers, a German word, became liberty sandwiches.

World War I certainly didn’t create anti-immigrant feeling in the United States, but it was used

to justify it.

Like, IQ tests, introduced to screen army applicants, were soon used to argue that certain

immigrant groups were inferior to white protestants and could never be fully assimilated into

the United States.

Now, of course, those tests were tremendously biased, but no matter.

But, to return to the questions of dissent and free speech, the suppression continued

after the war with the 1919 Palmer Raids, for instance, named after Attorney General

A. Mitchell Palmer and headed up by a young J. Edgar Hoover.

To be fair, someone did try to blow up Palmer.

So there was some dissent related to the suppression of dissent.

Also, more than 4 million workers engaged in strikes in the United States in 1919 but

that didn’t legally justify the arrest of more than 5,000 suspected radicals and labor

organizers.

Most of them were arrested without warrants and held without charge, sometimes for months.

And it’s difficult to imagine that all of this would have happened without the heightened

sense of patriotism that always accompanies war.

However, there were a handful of good things to come out of the Great War, and not just

the stylings of Irving Berlin.

Like, students are often taught that the war led directly to the passage of the 19th amendment,

although a number of states had actually granted the franchise to women before the war.

In Montana, for instance, women didn’t just vote, they held office.

Congresswoman Jeannette Rankin voted against the declaration of war in 1917, and was the

only member of the House to vote against the declaration of war against Japan in 1941.

New opportunities in wartime industry also provided incentives for African Americans

to move north, thus beginning the so-called great migration and the growth of black populations

in northern cities like Chicago and New York.

The biggest gain was in Detroit where between 1910 and 1920 the black population rose from

5,741 to 40,838, a 611% increase.

So it’s true that World War I provided some new opportunities for African Americans and

women, but if World War I was supposed to be an opportunity for America to impose its

progressive ideas on the rest of the world, it failed.

The Versailles peace conference where Wilson tried to implement his 14 Points raised hope

for a new diplomatic order.

But, the results of the treaty made the 14 points look hypocritical.

I mean, especially when Britain and France took control of Germany’s former colonies

and carved up the Arabian provinces of the Ottoman Empire into new spheres of influence.

Wilson’s dream of a League of Nations was realized, but the U.S. never joined it largely

because Congress was nervous about giving up its sovereign power to declare war.

And disappointment over the outcome of World War I led the U.S. to, for the most part,

retreat into isolationism until World War II.

And therein lies the ultimate failure of World War I. It’s not called “The World War,”

it’s called “World War I,” because then we had to go and have a freaking other one.

We’ll talk about that in a few weeks, but next week we get to talk about suffrage.

Yes!

We finally did something right.

I’ll see you then.

Crash Course is produced and directed by Stan Muller.

Our script supervisor is Meredith Danko.

The associate producer is Danica Johnson.

The show is written by my high school history teacher Raoul Meyer, Rosianna Rojas, and myself.

And our graphics team is Thought Café.

Every week, there’s a new caption for the Libertage.

If you’d like to suggest one, you can do so in comments where you can also ask questions

about today’s video that will be answered by our team of historians.

Thanks for watching Crash Course and as we say in my hometown, don’t forget to be awesome.

Stan, can you do some movie magic to get me out of here?

Perfect.