Securing the Peace Handout

1. Why did Woodrow Wilson not take any Republicans with him to Europe for the Peace Conference?

Wilson didn't take any Republicans with him to the Peace Conference because him and the Republicans had major political differences. Also, Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Wilson were rivalries. Wilson absolutely hated Lodge and since the Republicans got the majority in the midterm election wounded his pride and therefor preventing him from seeking Lodge's cooperation. Lastly, most of the Republicans were very powerful, in the Senate and Congress, so he didn't want someone overpowering him and his proposals at the Peace Conference.

2. Why was Wilson welcomed in Paris?

Wilson was welcomed in Paris because the people there had read his Fourteen Points proposal and found hope in its terms and the new ideas. Also, many people from around the world came to see him in Paris hoping to represent their country for their desires after the war. Many nationalists also came to see Wilson hoping to secure their groups' independence, like in one of his Fourteen Points he calls for "self-rule."

3. The idea of self-rule, which Wilson advocated, was not included in the Treaty to the extent Wilson had hoped. Why not?

"Self-rule" was not included in the Treaty to the extent of what Wilson had hoped because the other nations, such as France, Great Britain, and Japan had other intentions. They wanted to still rule some colonies and then eventually give them independence. Also, they did not want there to be a war without victors gaining and losers losing, so they took some of the land and made seperate nations. Although, many smaller nations came and were allowed to be at the Peace Conference they were greatly excluded and therefore weren't able to represent the nation or express their views. Since the other three of the Big Four did not agree with Wilson they ignored the smaller nations desires to "self-rule."

4. The Allied Big Four-WIlson, Lloyd George, Orlando, and Clemenceau-discussed the question of whether to invite the conquered Germans or new Russian Bolsehvik government to the Versailles Conference and its negotiations but decided against it. Was the decision justified? Explain your reasoning.

I do not think that they were justified in keeping out Russia and Germany out of the negotiations. First, Russia would just try to put their communist ideas in the Treaty, but that doesn't mean that they had to be in the Treaty. Russia would just want more land anyways like the other Big Four countries. Secondly, if Germany were there they would be able to know what was going on in the Treaty and would possibly have a better chance in making the Treaty less harsh if they were there. Germany could stand up for the harshness of the Treaty and make a compromise instead. The Big Four countries making the move to not include Germany and Russia contradicts the League of Nations, which is for countries to talk and compromise their problems instead of fighting. If Germany were there at the Peace Conference and the Treaty were not to be so harsh than we most likely wouldn't have had a second World War.

5. Which Big Four leader showed up at the Paris Conference with the most strength to influence the proceedings? Which was the weakest? Why?

I believe that Lloyd George had the most strength to influence the proceedings because George had won reelection under the slogan "Make Germany Pay," which made him win. The people of Great Britain wanted Germany to pay, and since he won reelection he had to live up to his promises. So he tried his best to make Germany pay and he was successful because the Treaty was extremely harsh on Germany. I think that Wilson was the weakest leader because he let the other leaders take over his Fourteen Points, they said that in order for them to even consider the League of Nations he had to get rid of the other Thirteen Points. Since Wilson was basically married to the League of Nations he couldn't give it up and got rid of the other points. Also, even though the other three Big Four nations were going along with the Treaty and saying that they were for peace, they actually really wanted Germany to pay and were just completely fooling Wilson, who was blind enough to believe them.

6. Why did Wilson have such difficulty seeing his Fourteen Points written into the Peace Plan?

Wilson had great difficulty getting his Fourteen Points into the Peace Plan because none of the other Big Four nations actually wanted them, and at home they were greatly opposed to it. The Republicans and many other people thought that the Fourteen Points and the League of Nations would impede their isolationistic ideas. Also, the other Big Four nations wouldn't look into the League of Nations unless Wilson got rid of the other Fourteen Points, since he was so attached to the League of Nations he got rid of the other thirteen. Overall, the other Big Four nations really didn't want peace and made Wilson get rid of the other thirteen points for the League of Nations which is why Wilson had such difficulty seeing his Fourtain Points in the Peace Plan.

7. Explain Article X of the League of Nations Covenant. What problems with the covenant did some Americans have?

Article X of the League of Nations Covenant is basically saying that no one can intervene or try to mess up the new borders and nations or there will be interving countries, such as the United States, that will both militarily and economically keep these borders the way they are. Other nations have to live with these borders there are final. Some of the problems that a few Americans had were that they thought that the Big Four people should set aside the League of Nations Covenant until after they're done with the peace agreements with Germany. They really didn't like the League of Nations because it threatened Americas idea of isolationism, which is the idea that America should fend for itself and not be involved in foreign nation problems.

World War I A U.S. Perspective:
Why was this war so significant for the United States?
It was so significant because we were the most powerful in the war. The other nations asked for money and help from America, and we were the ones to save the allies from losing the war.

How did the United States initially view the outbreak of World War I?
Initially America wanted to stay out of the war as much as possible, to keep the peace and stay neutral. They didn't really want to get involved in foreign wars or affairs yet when they had stuff to take care of at home such as working conditions for workers.

What impact did the United States have on the war's outcome?
If the United States had not entered the war the allies would have lost and Germany, along with it's allies, would've won and could made every other countries lives horrible. Also, without the loans America gave to the nations the nations wouldn't have been able to build such huge armies and navies, so the United States had both a positive and negative impact. The supply of money made the building of armies and navies larger which made the war that much longer and worse.

How did people in the United States respond to the Treaty of Versailles?
People in the U.S. thought that the Treaty of Versailles was extremely harsh on Germany, and that the League of Nations would impede their isolationistic ideas, nevertheless the Treaty was never ratified by the United States at that time.

How did the war impact the home front?
People didn't like the draft that was going on because young sons shouldn't have to see the horrors of war and they'd be so far away from home, which made the mothers and parents sad and mad at the government for making the draft. Also, boat workers or mostly any type of industry worker was greatly needed by the U.S. to work and make boats and such, which saved them from going into the war to fight but still were able to help. Lastly, most people at first didn't want to go to war, but after repeated attacks on innocent ships where Americans died from Germany, they wanted to go to war and beat Germany.

Why did the United States participate in the conflict?
The United States participated in the conflict because after Germany killed some American passengers for the third time they became very vengeful and wanted to beat Germany. Germany had said that they would no longer sink passenger ships with U-Boats but they still did and it angered many Americans.

Woodrow Wilson Fights for Peace

1. What was Wilson's 14th Point?

It was the proposition to create a League of Nations, which would be a national organization that would let nations talk to each other about their grievances against another nation and resolve them peacefully without starting another war.

2. What terms of the treaty specifically affected Germany?

Germany was accused of being the fault of the war and then had to pay reparations to the allies which totaled over thirty-three billion. Also, it humiliated them which made them vengeful making the already "no more wars" effect ineffective. Great Britain and France had also gotten land that was controlled by Germany which could've helped payed off their debt.

3. What were the weaknesses of the treaty?

The weaknesses of the treaty were that since it alienated Germany and blamed them for pretty much everything made the "no more war" effect no longer effective, and it made some major postwar problems which would also cause a second world war eventually. Also, Germany was humiliated because they had to admit that they were the cause of the war, and since the nations in the Pacific were taken away from them there was no way they could pay their huge reparations bill. Lastly, the Soviet Union was deprived of land, the allies took some of it away, which made them also vengeful, and some of the nations that were promised "self-determination" were ignored of that right and also became belligerent; they wanted the same rights as the people in the west.

4. Why did Henry Cabot Lodge object to the treaty?

He objected to the treaty because the League threatened America, they might be isolated, and he didn't like joint economic and military action against aggression. Also, they wanted Congress' right to declare war included in the treaty.

5. How did Wilson help bring about the Senate's rejection of the treaty?

Wilson helped bring about the Senate's rejection of the treaty by ignoring the Republican opinions of the treaty and didn't compromise with them. Also, when he was confined in bed he still pressed for the ratification but it never passed.

6. What circumstances at this time would eventually lead many Germans to support Adolf Hitler?

Many Germans wanted vengeance and were upset at how unfair the treaty was, they had to admit the war started because of them and had a huge debt to pay that really hurt the citizens and the nation.

7. Who is George Clemenceau?

George Clemenceau was the primier of France and didn't want any further invasions into France by Germany. He was one of the main four people that helped make the Treaty of Versailles.

8. Who is David Lloyd George?

David Lloyd George was the reelected prime minister of Britain that won with the slogan "Make Germany pay!" which obviously says that he still wanted to fight against Germany and had no intentions of giving any lee-way or be clement towards Germany.

9. Describe the participation of Russia at the peace conference.

Russia was excluded from the peace conference so they weren't able to disagree or anything about the treaty, which hurt them because they lost a lot of land which made them vengeful too.

WWI - The War at Home

What were some things accomplished by the following wartime agencies and laws?

1. War Industries Board told companies to use mass-production techniques to increase efficiency and they tried to make the companies produce less waste by standardizing products. Also, they increased industry production by twenty percent.

2. Railroad Administration controled the railroads in the United States.

3. Fuel Administration took control on how much coal, gasoline, and oil was being supplied and used. They also introduced "day-light savings" time where it originated from Benjamin Franklin in the 1770's, but they influenced enough people to have "gasless sundays" and "lightness nights" to conserve energy.

4. National War Labor Board was made to stop riots, but it helped them in the end because it improved working conditions, lessened the work day to eight hours, the work place was inspected, and helped ban child labor.

5. Food Administration was established by Wilson to help produce and conserve food; there became meatless weeks, wheatless days, and sweetless weeks. Also, restaurants took away the bowls of sugar they had and served bread only after the meal. Then people began growing their own gardens, and Hoover put high prices on wheat and other popular foods which made farmers buy more land an in turn improved their income by thirty percent. Lastly, since people were growing their own gardens the food supplies to the allies tripled.

6. Committee on Public Information brought immense patriotism, and it used a lot of propaganda to influence people about the positive things about the war, which was lead by George Creel.

7. Espionage and Sedition Acts put fines against anyone who went against the war effort or tried to impede it. Also, it put people in jail for horrific actions against non native-born Americans like Germans, but then it started to get out of hand when people were put to jail or fired from their jobs just because they were against war or trying to improve working conditions in the factories.

Briefly explain why Bernard M. Baruch and George Creel are significant historical figures.
George Creel is a significant historical figure because he went crazy on the propaganda. He told people to make paintings, brochures, posters, you name it and it all greatly influenced many people, but it also brought hatred from different ethnic groups. However, his propaganda was pretty much the start of almost "extreme" propaganda. He had taken complete control and took propaganda to the next level, you can say. Bernard M. Baruch is also a significant historical figure because he helped make the War Industries Board successful by setting standards and reducing waste of materials and conserving materials. He greatly changed how people looked at how much oil or gasoline or coal they should use and really started conservation of energy.

The U.S. enters World War I

1. How did the United States raise an army?

They raised an army firstly by passing the Selective Service Act which required men to register to join the army where they would randomly be selected to be in the army. Also, America would train their soldiers over an eight month time period where they would target practice, bayonet drill, kitchen duty, and cleaning up the grounds. Unfortunately they weren't able to practice with the modern weapons, so they uses rocks as grenades and sticks as rifles. Lastly, the U.S. made some crucial steps to help them go across the seas. First, they exempted all the shipyard workers and a few other exceptions. Second, they gave the ship yard workers special flags of recognition and told the citizens to help give them rides to work everyday, the U.S. had basically made every one know that the ship yard workers were very important. Third, they decided to make the parts in seperate places then send them to the ship yards where they would be assembled. Lastly, they took over commercial and private ships to use them in the journey across seas for the soldiers and etcetera.

2. How did U.S. soldiers help win the war?

U.S. soldiers helped win the war by the navy making barrier of mines across the North Atlantic so the German U-Boats would get caught and so they couldn't go farther up the Atlantic. Also, what really made the allies win was American enthusiasm and freshness because the U.S. really wanted to heart Germany bad and hard and their enthusiasm and freshness spread to the other allied soldiers and forces. Some important people in the war were Alvin York, who killed twenty-five Germans and helped capture one hundred and thirty-two other German soldiers, Eddie Richenbacker was the "ace of aces" American pilot, and General John J. Pershing led the American Expeditionary Force (AEF).

3. What were the estimated economic costs of the war?

The estimated costs of the war was $338 billion including all the nations.

4. What did the war cost in terms of the number of civilian deaths; military deaths?; injuries?; and refugees?

The total deaths numbered around twenty-two million and more than half were civilians, plus twenty million wounded, and ten million became refugees. The United States lost forty-eight thousand men in battle and sixty-two thousand men were dying of disease, and more than two hundred thousand men were wounded.

5. Define armistice.

An armistice is basically a truce where you completely cease fire. Germany called an armistice when they were no longer able to fight and it ended the war.

World War I Begins

1. What are the four main causes of World War I? Give an example for each as to why it was a cause.

The four main causes of World War I are nationalism, imperialism, militarism, and the formation of a system of alliances. Nationalism was a cause because many nations wanted independence, like the Slavs in Serbia and some in Austria-Hungary were wanted by Russia so they could have a better country and so Russia and Austria-Hungary were rivals. Imperialism was a cause because the more powerful nations like Germany and France wanted to conquer colonies which gave them manufactured goods and etc., soon the power nations (Britain, France, and Germany) competed for the colonies. Also, militarism is a cause of World War I because at first the power countries were just building them to protect their colonies, but then Germany started making a huge army and built up a stronger navy so Britain started competing with them and so did the other nations, like Italy, France, and even the United States. Lastly, the alliance system was a cause of the war because there were different alliances like the allies and central powers and all the nations were reluctant to fight, and the nations in their alliances promised to back each other up if a nation decided to declare war on one of them.

2. How did the June 1914 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand become the spark for WWI?

The assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand became the spark that started WWI because Austria-Hungary then declared war on Siberia, the assassinator was in a group called the Black Hand which promoted Siberian independence, then Germany declared war against Russia then France and invaded Belgium so Britain declared war on them. Overall, it started the dominoes of countries declaring war on each other.

3. What happened within the first few months of fighting?

Within the first few months of fighting Germany had made a plan, called the Schflieffen Plan, were they would try to hold action against Russia, then go through Belgium to Paris, and then they planned to defeat France and after defeat Russia. However, as Germany barged through Belgium the civilians freaked out and were terrified, which turned into a crisis with chaos. Also, there were many casualties because of the Trench Warfare.

4. Generally, why did the United States want to stay out of the war?

The United States wanted to stay out of the war because they didn't want their young men to be exposed to the horrific scenes on a battlefield, and they wanted to set a good example of peace saying that war was evil. However, only some people believed this while others wanted to go into war. There were strong opinions but they were divided.

5. Specifically, Why did the following groups of Americans tend to oppose U.S. participation in the war? Naturalized citizens; socialists; pacifists; parents.

Naturalized citizens wanted to go into war because they felt like they still had ties to their native countries. For example, the Irish saw this as an opportunity to get Ireland its' independence. Socialists opposed U.S. participation in the war because they saw it as a war between Germany and England that they were competing to control the lands in Africa, China, and the Middle East. Pacifists opposed America going to war because they saw it as evil and that the U.S. should set a good example of peace. Lastly, the parents opposed the war because they didn't want their sons going into war and seeing the horrors of it.

6. How did Germany respond to the British naval blockade of Germany’s ports? What was the U.S. response?

Germany responded to the British naval blockade of Germany's ports by sending their submarines to the ports of Britain and tries to sink all their boats that were there without warning. The U.S. response to this was that after they sank Lusitania off the coast of Ireland, which killed 128 Americans, the U.S. opinion of Germany was angry and they turned against Germany and the Central Powers. Also, Germany kept sinking other ships that had Americans on it and the U.S. responded with protests against Germany. Germany then made a promise to stop sinking ships, but on a condition that the U.S. would have to convince Britain to remove its blockade, which the U.S. was unable to do.

7. What forced the United States into the war?

What forced the United States into war was the fact that Germany threatened to sink any ship in the British ports wether neutral or not, and then an intercepted telegraph by Britain from Germany saying that if Mexico made an alliance with Germany then Germany would help back them up by getting Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona if America were to declare war on them. Also, when the Russian monarchy was replaced with a representative government, which gave Americans the idea that this was a war against brutal monarchies and democracies.

America As A World Power

1. What role did President Roosevelt play in ending the Russo-Japanese War?
President Roosevelt played the role of the peacemaker in ending the Russo-Japanese War. He wanted to extend their power in the east in Asia influenced by the Open-Door notes by John Hayes. Also, Japanese officials had come to President Roosevelt in secret for help because they were out of men and money and didn't want Russia to know, so there was a peace meeting between the superiors in Japan and Russia with President Roosevelt in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on Roosevelt's yacht.

2. What events led to the building of the Panama Canal? What happened regarding Columbia? (Be specific)
Many people thought that it was the best thing for America to build a canal cutting across Central America and that we needed it. In a treaty called the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty (1901) Britain gave up their share to America so the U.S. could build this canal with full control and rights to it. Then in 1903 the French convinced America and the congressmen to buy the French company's route which was through Panama for $40 million. Next America tried negotiating with Columbia, then the ruler of Panama, and Bunau-Varilla helped the U.S. by starting a rebellion against Columbia. When Panama won the U.S. was there and they negotiated that the U.S. pay Panama $10 million plus $250,000 each year which would begin in 1913.


3. What did the Roosevelt Corollary state?
The Roosevelt Corollary stated that the U.S. would be using force to protect its economic interests in Latin America.

4. How did Taft use Dollar Diplomacy to enforce the Roosevelt Colollary on Nicaragua? (Be specfic)
Taft used the Dollar Diplomacy to enforce the Roosevelt Corollary on Nicaragua by 'forcing' Nicaragua to pay its debts and allowing the American bankers to collect the customs duties in Nicaragua, this helped to keep foreign nations out of Latin America. American didn't want the Latin American countries not paying their debts or whatever they owed because that would mean that foreign nations could intervene, but America wanted to be the only power in Latin America.

5. Why did Woodrow Wilson invade Mexico?
Woodrow Wilson invaded Mexico because at first when Huerta came into reign after Madero, who was murdered right after his reign and was a good friend to the U.S., it angered Wilson. After that, Wilson waited and watched for an opportunity to intervene in Mexico, and it came when one of Huerta's officers arrested a group of American sailors off the eastern shore but they were immediately released after realizing the mistake but Wilson took this as the opportunity to intervene. Then when Carranza was ruling Mexico Villa, who was against Carranza, killed 17 Americans in New Mexico and took Americans off a train going to work in mines who were invited by Carranza and shot them which turned Americans against him and accused Villa of everything that had happened to the Americans. So Wilson sent 15,000 troops led by General John J. Pershing and later sent 150,000 more troops to capture Villa alive or dead after Villa had been escaping Pershing for a while.

6. What were three major foriegn policy goals achieved by the United States in the early 20th century. Be sure to provide an example or two of each.
One major foreign policy goal achieved by the U.S. was that it was able to expand its access to foreign markets in order to ensure the continued growth of the domestic economy. For example, after making peace between Russia and Japan the U.S> was still able to trade in the Asian markets. Another major foreign policy goal that was achieved was that the U.S. had built a modern navy to protect its interests abroad. They had sent a navy to Panama right after they won independence and it got them land to build a canal in Panama. Lastly, the U.S. had exercised its interntational police power to ensure dominance in Latin America. This was shown by the Roosevelt Corollary which said the U.S. could force or put international police in Latin America to protect its interests so foreign countries could not intervene.

Imperialism's Bitter Fruit

1. a. After the Spanish were forced out of the Philippines, why did fighting break out between American and Filipino forces?

Fighting broke out between American and Filipino forces because the Filipinos thought that they would have independence after the Spanish left but U.S. troops stayed there to 'establish control' and it was ordered by the U.S. Also, before the treaty was even passed an American soldier had fired on a Filipino who had refused to stop which had started fighting around the Manila area. The Filipinos thought that they were fighting for their independence which was why they fought against Americans in the Philippines having heard of that incident and knowing that they weren't granted their independence.

b. How was this a different kind of warfare for American forces?

This was a different kind of warfare for American forces by the Filipino forces being a quick-striking guerilla movement. The U.S. was used to organized armies, but in this war the common rules for their 'normal' wars was completely ignored by the Filipino forces. Also, it was hard for American troops to tell the difference from Filipino insurgents and just regular citizens because they made themselves blend in with everyone else or they just didn't have any uniforms and etcetera. On both sides, both the Filipino and American forces, were torturing and executing their prisoners.


2. Why were many African-Americans strong critics of the war against Filipino nationalists?

Many African-Americans were strong critics of the war against Filipino nationalists because they were just as badly discriminated against as were at home in America. They couldn't go in barber shops, restaurants, and etcetera that were labeled as "whites only." Although, the War Department had appointed African-American officers to command the volunteers, but the white troops and commanders saw the Filipinos and African-Americans as just the same (they were below the whites).

3. Explain two reasons why the United States lost some of its enthusiasm for imperialism in the early 1900s.

a. The many questions pertaining to the Filipinos that had to do with their rights and being able to be protected or not under the constitution which eventually turned out to be that they weren't.

b.Everyone, like President Roosevelt, started realizing the difficulties of ruling an empire and that they weren't "prepared to accept the burdens of empire." When they realized the difficulties they became less and less interested and eventually gave more and more power to the Filipinos while the U.S. got less and less power from giving its power over to them.


4. What were the positive effects of American occupation in Puerto Rico and Cuba?

The positive effects of American occupation in Puerto Rico and Cuba were being able to extending our industrial inventions and etc. on the islands, watch over Cuba's foreign trade and etc., and we profited from Cuba's sugar plantations. In Puerto Rico the U.S. built roads, telegraph lines, reorganized finances, schools opened, sanitation improved, and stopped yellow fever from spreading. Also, the U.S. made a policy that revolved around keeping American business safe and secured their interests in the Caribbean.


5. After the Spanish-American War, the United States insisted that Cuba only receive independence after agreeing to several limitations set forth in the Platt Amendment. Four restrictions on Cuban independence set forth in the Platt Amendment were:

a. America could use their veto power to intervene on the Cuban foreign policy


b.could intervene in Cuba whenever it was necessary "for the protection of life, property, and individual liberty"


c.could oversee Cuba's economy


d.and were allowed to build a naval base on the southeastern tip of the island in Guantanamo Bay.

Was the United States justified in making these demands? Explain your reasoning.

I believe that the United States was not justified in making these demands. The U.S. had no right to keep their hold on Cuba, they didn't want them there. We should just be concerned in what is going on in our country not others, they should've just focused, if anything foreign, on foreign trade and keeping the exports selling and imports coming. We didn't need "extra baggage" to take care of when they can do it themselves. We should've focused on the people, like their working conditions, the cities and their drainage problems and stuff like that which is much more important for the U.S.


6. Do you believe the United States was imperialist? Why or why not?

I believe that the United States was and attempted at being imperialist. They had got theses foreign lands and failed at trying to control them. They were imperialists because of their attempt at trying to control Cuba, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. Then after they lost interest and for some lost control, like the Philippines, they were no longer an imperialistic country or power. Also, in the beginning (before the Spanish-American War) many people began having imperialistic ideas and they took over what America 'wanted.' Then soon they got themselves involved and their empire was on, though they never made it to becoming an empire.