Yawp WWI One

Summary

This script discusses the transformative impact of World War I, which began in 1914 and ended with the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. Initially, the US pursued isolationism, focusing on domestic affairs rather than European conflicts. However, the war's effects were inescapable, leading to the US's rise as a global superpower. The script also covers the Mexican Revolution, US-Mexico relations, and the complex European alliances that contributed to the war. It highlights the human and psychological costs of the war, including the introduction of chemical weapons and the concept of 'shell shock', which is now recognized as PTSD. The US eventually joined the war in 1917, influenced by economic ties and the desire to promote peace, despite initial neutrality.

Takeaways

• 🕰️ World War I, known as the Great War, was a pivotal event that took place from 1914 to 1919, reshaping global politics and leading to the creation of new nations.
• 🌎 The US maintained a policy of isolationism, focusing on domestic affairs and avoiding entanglement in European conflicts, as advised by George Washington in his Farewell Address.
• 🌉 Despite its isolationist stance, the US was involved in the Western Hemisphere, particularly in Mexico, where it had significant economic and political interests.
• 🇲🇽 The Mexican Revolution, sparked by Francisco I. Madero's challenge to Porfirio Díaz, led to a period of instability and US intervention under President Woodrow Wilson.
• 🔥 The US faced a dilemma in Mexico, trying to support democratic elections and human rights while also respecting Mexico's sovereignty, which was complicated by figures like Victoriano Huerta and Pancho Villa.
• 💣 The war in Europe was characterized by trench warfare, new deadly weapons, and chemical weapons, leading to massive loss of life and psychological trauma.
• 🌍 The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serbian nationalist was the spark that ignited World War I, drawing many European nations into a complex web of alliances and conflicts.
• 🇩🇪 Kaiser Wilhelm II's ambitions for Germany, including colonial expansion and military strength, contributed to the tensions that led to the war.
• 🔄 The war had a significant psychological impact, with terms like 'shell shock' (now known as PTSD) being used to describe the lasting mental trauma experienced by soldiers.
• 📉 The human cost of the war was staggering, with a significant percentage of young men in France and Germany killed, impacting the social fabric of Europe.
• 🚢 The US eventually entered the war in 1917, after trying to maintain neutrality, influenced by economic ties and the humanitarian crisis in Europe.

Q & A

What was the time period of World War I?

World War I, also known as the Great War, took place from 1914 to 1919.

How did World War I contribute to the rise of the United States as a global superpower?

World War I had a transformative effect on the United States, positioning it to become a global superpower by the end of the war.

What was the United States' attitude toward foreign policy and the Great War in 1914?

In 1914, the United States was not interested in European Wars or affairs, focusing instead on domestic issues and Progressive reforms.

What was the significance of George Washington's advice on foreign entanglements?

George Washington advised in his 1796 Farewell Address to avoid foreign alliances, attachments, and intrigues, which influenced the U.S.'s isolationist stance.

Why was the U.S. more interested in the Western Hemisphere than in European affairs during this period?

The U.S. was focused on its zone of influence in the Western Hemisphere and was not interested in European Wars.

Who was Porfirio Diaz and why was he controversial?

Porfirio Diaz was the president of Mexico from the end of the 19th century until the beginning of the 20th century. He was controversial due to corruption in his regime and not adhering to term limits.

How did Francisco Madero's challenge to Diaz spark the Mexican Revolution?

Madero, a Social Democrat, challenged Diaz's rule, advocating for elections and reforms to distribute power and wealth more equitably, which led to the Mexican Revolution in 1910.

What was Woodrow Wilson's stance on the situation in Mexico?

Woodrow Wilson, despite being an isolationist, believed in an ethical foreign policy and supported Madero's legally elected presidency over the military coup led by Victoriano Huerta.

What was the outcome of the U.S. intervention in Mexico during the time of the Mexican Revolution?

The U.S. intervention, including sending General John Pershing into Mexico, led to a tense situation but did not result in a full-scale war, as attention shifted to World War I.

What was the impact of the Russian Revolution on World War I?

The Russian Revolution in 1917 led to the Communists taking over, causing Russia to pull out of the war, which shifted the conflict to a one-front war for Germany.

How did new weapons and warfare tactics contribute to the high human cost of World War I?

New weapons, including chemical weapons and artillery shells, along with the nature of trench warfare, resulted in a high cost of human life, with significant percentages of young men killed in Germany and France.

What was the psychological impact of World War I on soldiers?

World War I saw a pronounced psychological impact on soldiers, with 'shell shock' (now known as PTSD) affecting a large and identifiable group of men who suffered lasting mental trauma.

Outlines

00:00

🌎 Origins of World War I and US Isolationism

This paragraph discusses the transformative impact of World War I, which lasted from 1914 to 1919, including the fall of empires and the rise of new nations. It also highlights the US's initial disinterest in the war, focusing instead on domestic Progressive reforms. The US's historical isolationist stance is traced back to George Washington's Farewell Address, advocating for avoidance of foreign entanglements. The paragraph also touches on the Mexican Revolution of 1910, sparked by Madero's challenge to the long-standing rule of Díaz, and the US's complicated involvement in Mexican affairs, including supporting Madero against a military coup led by Victoriano Huerta.

05:02

🔥 The Mexican Revolution and US Intervention

The second paragraph delves into the Mexican Revolution further, detailing how Madero, after a period of exile in San Antonio, returned to Mexico, was elected president, and faced challenges from Diaz supporters, leading to a military coup. It discusses President Woodrow Wilson's ethical foreign policy stance, which opposed the coup and supported Madero. However, Wilson's actions, including sending troops to Veracruz, were met with resistance from the Mexican government and public. The paragraph also describes the assassination of Madero and the subsequent power struggles, including the US's brief support for Pancho Villa before his invasion of Columbus, New Mexico, which nearly led to war between the US and Mexico. The focus then shifts to Europe, where tensions were rising due to the ambitions of Kaiser Wilhelm and a complex web of alliances that ultimately led to World War I.

10:02

💣 The Horrors of World War I and its Psychological Impact

The third paragraph focuses on the devastating nature of World War I, particularly the high human cost due to new and deadly weapons like chemical weapons and artillery shells. It discusses the war as a primarily trench-based conflict with little territorial gain at a massive loss of life. The psychological trauma of the war, referred to at the time as 'shell shock' and now recognized as PTSD, is highlighted as a significant issue. The paragraph provides stark statistics on the loss of life, with 4% of Germany and France's population and a significant portion of young men killed. It also touches on the US's economic ties to Europe and the difficulty of maintaining neutrality given the extensive trade and loans to European countries at war.

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 (led by France, Russia, and the United Kingdom) and the Central Powers (led by Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire). The war had a significant impact on the world, leading to the fall of empires, the creation of new nations, and the emergence of the United States as a global superpower.

💡Treaty of Versailles

The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties that ended World War I. It was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside Paris and was imposed on Germany, which was considered the aggressor nation. The treaty included reparations, military reductions, and territorial losses for Germany, and it is often cited as a contributing factor to the rise of Adolf Hitler and the outbreak of World War II.

💡Isolationism

Isolationism refers to a policy of remaining apart from the affairs of other groups, especially when it comes to international politics. In the context of the video, it describes the United States' attitude towards foreign policy and involvement in the Great War. The U.S. was initially reluctant to join the war, focusing instead on domestic affairs and avoiding 'foreign entanglements' as advised by George Washington in his Farewell Address.

💡Woodrow Wilson

Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He is known for his efforts to keep the U.S. neutral in World War I and for his 'Fourteen Points', a plan to end the war and establish a lasting peace. Despite his initial isolationist stance, Wilson eventually led the U.S. into the war in 1917, with the aim of making the world 'safe for democracy'.

💡Mexican Revolution

The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910 with the goal of overthrowing long-time dictator Porfirio Díaz, who had been in power since 1876. The revolution led to significant political and social changes in Mexico, including the rise of Francisco I. Madero, who challenged Díaz and eventually became president after Díaz's fall.

💡Porfirio Díaz

Porfirio Díaz was a Mexican military officer and politician who served as the President of Mexico for a total of 35 years, from 1876 to 1880 and then from 1884 to 1911. His regime was marked by economic growth but also by corruption and political repression. His long tenure and refusal to step down led to his being a controversial figure and contributed to the outbreak of the Mexican Revolution.

💡Francisco I. Madero

Francisco I. Madero was a Mexican politician and social democrat who challenged Porfirio Díaz for the presidency and became a key figure in the Mexican Revolution. After Díaz's fall, Madero was elected president in 1911. However, his presidency was short-lived as he was overthrown and assassinated in a military coup led by Victoriano Huerta in 1913.

💡Victoriano Huerta

Victoriano Huerta was a Mexican military officer who led a coup against President Francisco I. Madero in 1913, leading to Madero's overthrow and assassination. Huerta then declared himself president, sparking further conflict and drawing the attention of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, who opposed Huerta's rule and supported democratic elections in Mexico.

💡Pancho Villa

Pancho Villa, whose real name was Doroteo Arango, was a Mexican revolutionary general and one of the most prominent figures of the Mexican Revolution. He was initially supported by the U.S. during the turmoil in Mexico, but later fell out of favor and led a raid into Columbus, New Mexico, which resulted in the deaths of American citizens and prompted a U.S. military expedition into Mexico to capture him.

💡General John Pershing

General John J. Pershing was a senior U.S. Army officer who led the expedition into Mexico in 1916 to capture Pancho Villa after Villa's raid on Columbus, New Mexico. The expedition, which involved over 10,000 troops, was unsuccessful in capturing Villa but highlighted the tense relations between the U.S. and Mexico during this period.

💡Kaiser Wilhelm II

Kaiser Wilhelm II was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia, ruling from 1888 to 1918. His aggressive foreign policy and desire for a strong German empire contributed to the tensions that led to World War I. He was a central figure in the complex web of alliances that characterized Europe before the war and was forced to abdicate after Germany's defeat.

Highlights

World War I was a transformative event that toppled empires and created new nations.

The war sparked tensions and instabilities leading to another war just over 20 years later.

U.S. involvement in WWI was short but had a transformative effect on the country, leading it to become a global superpower.

In 1914, the U.S. had an isolationist attitude towards foreign policy and was focused on domestic affairs.

Woodrow Wilson was elected to focus on domestic affairs, reflecting the U.S.'s inward focus at the time.

George Washington's Farewell Address warned against foreign entanglements, a sentiment that persisted in U.S. policy.

The U.S. was more interested in its zone of influence in the Western Hemisphere than in European affairs.

The Mexican Revolution of 1910 was influenced by U.S. interests and policies.

Woodrow Wilson believed in an ethical foreign policy, which included support for free elections and human rights.

The U.S. sent troops to Veracruz to block German weapons during the Mexican Revolution.

The assassination of Mexican leader Madero led to further instability and U.S. intervention in Mexican affairs.

Pancho Villa's raid on Columbus, New Mexico brought the U.S. and Mexico to the brink of war.

The start of World War I shifted U.S. focus away from Mexico to the conflict in Europe.

Kaiser Wilhelm's ambitions for Germany included colonies, a navy, and becoming a powerful European nation.

A complex web of alliances in Europe set the stage for a large-scale conflict.

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the catalyst for World War I.

The war was mostly fought in Belgium and France, with a high cost in human life due to new weapons and tactics.

The psychological cost of WWI was significant, with many soldiers suffering from what is now known as PTSD.

The human cost of WWI was immense, with a large percentage of young men killed in action.

The U.S. tried to maintain neutrality during WWI due to its traditional stance on avoiding European wars.

Transcripts

World War I was a transformative event

the time period I give you I I list is

1914 to 1919 which is roughly when the

war started and then when the Treaty of

Versa was concluded I'm really going to

go a little further back in time I don't

think I'm going to go further in the

future but I may allude to things that

are going to happen World War I which at

that time was called the Great War

toppled Empires created new nations and

sparked tensions and created

instabilities that would thrust us into

another War

just 20 something years after this one

concluded the US involvement in the war

itself was relatively short as you'll

see war was declared in April of 1917

the war was over by November of 1918 and

yet the war had a transformative effect

on the United States that we will rise

up to be a global superpower by the end

of the

war what was the United States's

attitude toward foreign policy and the

Great War in

1914 we were not that interested the

United States was preoccupied with those

Progressive reforms we were having a

period of turning inward it's true the

Spanish-American War wasn't that long

ago and it had been very successful and

short and we were still involved in the

western hemisphere in our zone of

influence but we were not interested in

European Wars or european Affairs we

were very focused on domestic affairs

when woodro Wilson was elected he was

elected to be focused on domestic

affairs this is not too

surprising there were European

immigrants in America and so they were

interested in what was happening in

their home

countries but Americans in general and

America as a country we weren't that

interested in those European Wars I want

to remind you what George Washington

said about those foreign entanglements

in his 1796 Farewell

Address he said that we should avoid

foreign alliances attachments and

intrigues and those overgrown military

establishments which under any form of

government are inauspicious to Liberty

and which are to be regarded as

particularly hostile to Republican

Liberty so this

isolationism had come from the beginning

of the nation and it persisted in this

time

period we're not interested in European

Wars but we are interested in what

happens in the Western

Hemisphere and as I alluded to in a past

lecture there were some things happening

in Mexico that we we couldn't ignore and

Mexico is in our zone of

influence uh Mexico had a president

named poerio Diaz who was president for

many years from the end of the 19th

century until the beginning of the 20th

century he was a controversial figure

and remember this is a survey course and

so I can't go into a lot of detail about

it I think we could say he was good for

the Mexican economy which had been

stagnant but he wasn't good for the Mex

people there was a lot of corrup

corruption in his

regime and he he didn't always do what

he said he would do in particularly when

it came to giving up political power

there were term limits for presidents in

Mexico and yet somehow Diaz kept being

in power he might step down and some Pro

some um Protege of his would rule but

then he would run again he was 80 years

old when he was running for a final term

a term he said he wasn't going to run

for when someone else came forward and

said I challenge you you've been

president long enough you said you would

step down you shouldn't run again I'll

also back up and say that Diaz was

popular in America that the American

government backed him they backed him

because he took Power by following the

rules and they backed him because of our

economic interests that he was good for

business madiro his challenge

was also from an elite wealthy family so

you might think he would be a supporter

of Diaz because the people who thrived

under diz's rule were people like him

but he was

also a Social Democrat and believed that

Mexico should have elections and should

have some reform so that

more power and more economic power was

given to people who were not rich

madero's challenge sparked the Mexican

Revolution in 1910 and for a period

madiro had to flee to the United States

to San Antonio until he could come up

with a plan to come back and fight in

the revolution and perhaps rise to power

he did rise to power after the the

fighting of the Revolution this is a

very short summary of what happened and

then he stood for election he didn't

just say I won the revolution now I'm

the president he stood for elections he

won the election in a

landslide but that was not the end of

it people who supported Diaz challenged

him and there was a military coup led by

victoriano herera and herera said okay

now I'm the

president that's where things

stood Wilson had been elected and woodro

Wilson though he was an isolationist he

did believe in an ethical foreign policy

it looked like an early form of a human

rights foreign policy so so he opposed

whoare to taking power and he said

Madero who had been legally elected

should be the

president and then to make Wilson take

action the herera government was

recognized by Germany and Great Britain

and the Germans sent weapons to support

herera well we couldn't let that happen

Wilson sent troops to verac Cruz in

order to block those

weapons that act however was not

embraced by Madero that Mexicans saw

this as the United States threatening

their

sovereignty things are getting very

messy for the United States and for

Wilson Wilson wants to be the good guy

he wants to be the leader who's on the

side of free elections and human rights

but what to do now that Madero doesn't

want us us meddling in Mexican Affairs

either uh Madera is eventually going to

be assassinated and there'll be another

leader who will come to power and will

struggles over who he he should support

it's very messy in Mexico at this time

for for a while he supports panchovilla

because he looks like he might be the

next leader but then it turns out that

someone else is going to be the leader

and the US withdraws its support via is

angry about that and he invades Columbus

New Mexico he kills Americans and and

burns down the center of town well we

have to react to

that Wilson sends General John persing

into Mexico to try to find VIA in short

we invade

Mexico we invade Mexico with armored

vehicles we're not using the railroads

because they're under the control of the

Mexican Government with some

surveillance

aircraft and go deep into Mexican

territory in search of

ponia the United States and Mexico are

on the brink of War

this ends without War as we know when

World War I begins because suddenly our

attention is distracted that something's

happening in Europe it seems bigger than

what's happening in Mexico and so we

quietly leave these instances in Mexico

alone and focus on what's happening in

Europe interestingly enough persing

never catches via who retires to a Henda

and lives happily until he's

assassinated in 192

3 things are complicated in Europe too

there's a new leader of Germany Kaiser

Wilhelm who's who's a very ambitious

leader that he wants colonies and he

wants a navy and he wants to be a

powerful nation in Europe also at this

time there's this complicated web of

alliances in Europe France Russia and

England called the tripon taunt is on

one side and of Sid alliances and

they're opposed by the Austria Hungarian

Empire Germany and the Ottoman Empire

which is starting to fade the Ottoman

Empire is turkey and and Middle Eastern

countries that turkey controls and also

uh the Balkan country of Bulgaria that

they're on one side and they don't trust

each other a lot of them are related to

each other and they promised to protect

each other if one side attacks so it's

like a Tinder Box it's waiting to light

a fire and then it lights a fire that a

Serbian Anarchist named Gabriel prce

assassinat assassinates Arch duuk France

Ferdinand and his wife Sophie it's

pictured in the painting here when that

happens other nations have to react uh

Russia was supposed to be in control of

Serbia they let this happen

so the Austria Hungarian Empire has to

react Germany has to react everyone in

Europe is pulled into a war

the war was mostly fought in Belgium

perhaps parts of France not fought so

much in

Germany this war was a grinding trench

war in which soldiers might gain just a

few yards and at a huge cost of human

life why was it so costly in terms of

human life well there were new weapons

including chemical weapons and artillery

shells chemical weapons imagine

that even the air you breathed could

kill you artillery shells that this

wasn't orderly men in Rose firing at

each

other these were explosives that could

be shot huge distances and were more

deadly than anything that had existed

before for Germany which was militarily

quite powerful this was a two front war

that it was fighting against France and

Great Britain on one side and fighting

against Russia on the other side and

then 1917 there was the Russian

Revolution and the Communists took over

the country they killed thear and his

family and Russia pulled out of the war

now it's a one front War for Germany can

concentrate on U Western

Europe looks better for

Germany the the other issue I want to

talk about in this War uh in addition to

the human cost I'll talk about that more

in a moment there was a huge

psychological cost certainly soldiers

have always suffered from the trauma of

War but it seemed to be more pronounced

and started to be discussed during World

War I this they called it then something

called they called it then shell shock

today we would call it

PTSD but they started to be a a large

and identifiable group of men who who

didn't get over the trauma of War not

the physical trauma but they had long-

lasting mental

trauma the cost of the war in in terms

of human life

4% of the population of Germany and

France were killed during the

war 18% of young French men died during

the war and 13 to 33% these are varying

estimates of young German men were

killed during the war imagine losing

about a quarter of your young male

population in a short period that it was

a huge loss uh sustained by Europe

the US reaction to the war as noted we

had a lot of immigrants from Europe and

so certainly they were talking about it

and keeping up with things that were

happening abroad what was happening in

the the old

country us leaders woodro Wilson wanted

peace and and tried to keep neutral

during this war hoping we wouldn't get

pulled in and hoping that we wouldn't

suffer any of the losses that Europe was

suffering and remember we had this

traditional attitude towards staying out

of European

Wars it was difficult to stay

out first economically that England and

France were some of our main trading

partners so a a lot of American exports

went to those countries and as we became

stronger economically there were a lot

of American Banks making loans to

England and France and if we're doing

business with them and we're doing a

large portion of business with them it

was it was difficult for us to say

neutral