Grade 6 | Lesson 18

Social Sciences

Lesson Overview

Contemporary American History

• The Deadliest War
• American Neutrality
• The Sinking of the Lusitania
• America Enters the War
• Revolution Comes to Russia
• The End of the War

Contemporary American History

The Deadliest War
The poem below was written in 1919 by a Canadian medical officer after his visit to a cemetery in Belgium for men killed in combat during World War I. This poem became very popular, and many 6th graders of that day were required to memorize it.

In Flanders Fields
by Major John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below
We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

More men were killed in World War I than in any other war in recorded history.
New weapons revolutionized combat in World War One. Combat changed from a rapid, noble and relatively ephemeral thing to a new model: trench warfare. This new style of warfare was brought about principally by new technology that arose from the furnaces and factories of industrial Europe.

Here are the five new or greatly improved weapons of war that accompanied this transition and was responsible for such great casualties:

Machine guns
These weapons were first used in the American Civil War to devastating effect. But with World War One their effectiveness reached frightening new levels. Firing up to 600 bullets a minute (the equivalent of 250 men with rifles), Machine Guns were then deemed to become known as the first weapons of mass destruction. More men were killed by the machine gun than any other weapon used in the war.\

Artillery
These were the new and upgraded versions of cannons. Never in the history of man, where there so many cannons used in one war alone. For four years the British had been using artillery and firing 170 million shells in that time. But Germany had a plan up their sleeve. For years, German scientists were developing the biggest artillery ever known. It was call the ‘Big Bertha’. Big Bertha was so powerful it could fire at the heart of Paris from 75 miles away. The cannons weren’t the only things that had been improved. The shells were upgraded as well. Instead of ordinary shells, new High-explosive shells were developed. The Shells had thin casings and were filled with tiny lead pellets. This was so effective, that artillery fire killed hundreds and thousands of men. It also blew pellets far across the ground, which made hiding much more difficult.

Gas Grenades
These were highly toxic, and very effective weapons. The Germans had invented 3 main gas grenades. The first was Chlorine gas, which was used at the battle of Ypres in 1915, killing thousands. Second was Phosgene gas and third was Mustard gas. This burned the lungs of the inhaler leaving them to die in agony. Gas masks were issued to everyone in the country, but they weren’t so useful and many people died.

Tanks
Tanks were known as ‘The Chariots of God’ at First, they were giant blocks of metal that could carry 1-2 personnel and traveled at about 2 miles per hour. But scientists and developers kept making new and improved tanks and by 1918 the Anglo-American Mark 8th could carry up to 8 men, and at the same time fire 208 shells and up to 13,000 bullets. Although these beasts were powerful, they were not very reliable. Most broke down and a good example is the battle of Amiens. The British sent 525 tanks, and after four days, only 25 were left in working order. Rolls Royce also joined in the development of these tanks, by building their own armored car! It could travel up to 55 miles and had 8mm machine guns.

Planes
These were the new types of weapons use in advanced technological warfare. They had everything from mini scout planes to huge blimp like bombers called Zeppelins. Air warfare was not seen as important as any other type so it did not have its own category.

American Neutrality
Americans were horrified by the brutality of the conflict. Most Americans were thankful to be living in a peaceful country, a whole ocean away from the fighting. Most Americans agreed with the decision of the United States government to remain neutral, which means not to take a side in a fight. But as time went on, more people became sympathetic to the Allied cause. Americans felt tied to England because Englishmen and Americans spoke the same language, and because a number of basic American ideas and institutions had their roots in England. Also, many Americans sympathized with France, where the battles were being fought, because they admired French culture and remembered how the French had helped them win the Revolutionary War. Then, too, France and England had forms of government that were more democratic than the imperial government of Germany, and Americans thought that democracy was the best form of government.

But in the end it was two things the Germans did that made Americans angry enough to go to war against Germany. The first was to sink a ship. The second was to send a telegram.

The Sinking of the Lusitania
In February, 1915, the German government announced an unrestricted warfare campaign. This meant that any ship taking goods to Allied countries was in danger of being attacked. This broke international agreements that stated commanders who suspected that a non-military vessel was carrying war materials, had to stop and search it, rather than do anything that would endanger the lives of the occupants. The Lusitania, was at 32,000 tons, the largest passenger vessel on transatlantic service, left New York harbour for Liverpool on 1st May, 1915. It was 750ft long, weighed 32,500 tons and was capable of 26 knots. On this journey the ship carried 1,257 passengers and 650 crew.

There was some concern on board as a few days previously the German Embassy had published a statement that warned: "Travelers intending to embark for an Atlantic voyage are reminded that a state of war exists between Germany and her allies and Great Britain and her allies; that the zone of war includes the waters adjacent to the British Isles; that in accordance with the formal notice given by the Imperial German Government, vessels flying the flag of Great Britain or any of her allies are liable to destruction in those waters; and that travelers sailing in the war zone in ships of Great Britain or her allies do so at their own risk."

At 1.20pm on 7th May 1915, the U-20, only ten miles from the coast of Ireland, surfaced to recharge her batteries. Soon afterwards Captain Schwieger, the commander of the German U-Boat, observed the Lusitania in the distance. Schwieger gave the order to advance on the liner. The U20 had been at sea for seven days and had already sunk two liners and only had two torpedoes left. He fired the first one from a distance of 700 metres. Watching through his periscope it soon became clear that the Lusitania was going down and so he decided against using his second torpedo. After a second, larger explosion, the Lusitania rolled over and sank in eighteen minutes. A total of 1,198 people died (785 passengers and 413 crew). Those killed included 128 US citizens.

The sinking of the Lusitania had a profound impact on public opinion in the United States. The German government apologized for the incident, but claimed its U-Boat only fired one torpedo and the second explosion was a result of a secret cargo of heavy munitions on the ship. If this true, Britain was guilty of breaking the rules of warfare by using a civilian ship to carry ammunition. British authorities rejected this charge and claimed that the second explosion was caused by coal dust igniting in the ship's almost empty bunkers.

America Enters the War
Prior to 1915, German subs had a policy of warning and allowing time to evacuate ships carrying passengers before they sank them. However, in 1915 the Lusitania was sunk without a warning, killing over 120 Americans. One year later, the Sussex was sunk by German U-boats and American citizens were outraged at these direct violations of their neutral rights at sea. At this point, a small percentage of Americans, including presidential hopeful Teddy Roosevelt, demanded "immediate warfare." In 1916 President Wilson took a stronger stance toward foreign affairs by increasing the size of the military and issuing a warning to the Germans:

Unless the Imperial Government should now immediately declare and effect an abandonment of its present methods of submarine warfare against passenger and freight-carrying vessels, the Government of the United States can have no choice but to sever diplomatic relations with the German Empire altogether.

The Germans responded by temporally ceasing submarine warfare until 1917 when German Ambassador Berstorff announced the continuation of submarine warfare and ended diplomatic relations with the United States. However, military strategists predicted certain defeat for the Germans if America entered the war at this point. In an attempt to eliminate the threat of American involvement in Europe, Foreign Minister Alfred Zimmerman attempted to provoke Mexico and Japan into attacking the United States with the promise of German assistance after the European front was conquered. A message containing Zimmerman's intent was decoded by the British and sent to the US, further swaying Americans to action. Due primarily to submarine warfare and the Zimmerman note, President Wilson asked Congress for permission to go to war, and on April 6, 1917, congress officially declared it. President Wilson, along with many Americans, justified their involvement as "an act of high principle and idealism...[and]...as a crusade to make the world safe for democracy."

Revolution Comes to Russia
World War I had a disastrous impact on the Russian economy. Food was in short supply and this led to rising prices. By January 1917 the price of commodities in Russia had increased six-fold. In an attempt to increase their wages, industrial workers went on strike and in Petrograd people took to the street demanding food. On 11th February, 1917, a large crowd marched through the streets of Petrograd breaking shop windows and shouting anti-war slogans.

The situation deteriorated on 22nd February when the owners of the Putilov Iron Works locked out its workforce after they demanded higher wages. Led by agitators, the 20,000 workers took to the streets. The army was ordered to disperse the demonstrations but they were unwilling to do this and in some cases the soldiers joined the protestors in demanding an end to the war.

Other workers joined the demonstrations and by 27th February an estimated 200,000 workers were on strike. The ruler of Russia, Tsar Nicholas II, who was at Army Headquarters, ordered the commander of the Petrograd garrison to suppress "all the disorders on the streets of the capital". The following day troops fired on demonstrators in different parts of the city. Others refused to obey the order and one Russian regiment mutinied. Others regiments followed and soldiers joined the striking workers in the streets.

On 26th February Nicholas II ordered the Duma, the Russian governing body, to close down. Members refused and they continued to meet and discuss what they should do. the President of the Duma, sent a telegram to Nicholas II suggesting that he appoint a new government led by someone who had the confidence of the people. When Nicholas II did not reply, the Duma nominated a Provisional Government headed by Prince George Lvov.

The High Command of the Russian army now feared a violent revolution and on 28th February suggested that Nicholas II should abdicate in favor of a more popular member of the royal family. Attempts were now made to persuade Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich to accept the throne. He refused and on the 1st March, 1917, the Tsar fled the capital leaving the Provisional Government in control of the country.

The End of the War
Germany could not defend against the fresh American troops who arrived in France in 1917. The were forced to retreat and were eventually defeated after many blood battles.

World War I (1914-1918) was finally over. This first global conflict had claimed from 9 million to 13 million lives and caused unprecedented damage. Germany had formally surrendered on November 11, 1918, and all nations had agreed to stop fighting while the terms of peace were negotiated. On June 28, 1919, Germany and the Allied Nations (including Britain, France, Italy and Russia) signed the Treaty of Versailles, formally ending the war. (Versailles is a city in France, 10 miles outside of Paris.) The United States did not sign the treaty, however, because it objected to its terms, specifically, the high price that Germany was to pay for its role as aggressor. Instead, the U.S. negotiated its own settlement with Germany in 1921. Do you recall from your last lesson what triggered the conflict, sometimes called the "Great War"?

The Treaty of Versailles imposed very rigid restrictions against Germany, including limiting its army to 100,000 members. President Wilson, who opposed the treaty, had developed his own form of reconciliation, called the "Fourteen Points." The Points included a provision for a League of Nations to prevent "the crime of war." Wilson also wanted all terms of settlement to be openly negotiated. But the actual terms of the treaty included secret arrangements for distribution of conquered German territories among the Allied Nations. Many historians believe these terms eventually led to World War II.