World War I was World's First "Total

War"
By Jennifer D. Keene, The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, adapted by
Newsela staff on 12.09.16
Word Count 1,142

TOP: The sinking of the Lusitania depicted in an engraving by Norman Wilkinson in The Illustrated London News, May 15,
1915. MIDDLE: Woodrow Wilson's Message Calling for War, April 2, 1917. Gilder Lehrman Collection. BOTTOM: Cartoon
showing the gap left by the U.S. not joining the League of Nations, December 1920. Photo: Punch Magazine.

World War I swept across Europe in the summer of 1914. The Allies were England, France,
Belgium, Serbia and Russia, and eventually totaled 18 nations including Japan, Italy and
the United States. They fought the Central Powers, which were Germany, Austria-Hungary,
the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria. Nine million lives would be lost in the war.
In June of 1914, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne was shot and killed by assassins
in order to gain land. This led to Germany attacking Belgium and France in August 1914.
In the early months of the war, Germany, France and Britain dug dirt trenches that ran 460
miles from the North Sea to Switzerland, where millions of soldiers would live and die.
Americans debated for two and a half years about joining the war. In 1914, President
Woodrow Wilson said the United States would stay neutral, because many Americans were
immigrants from countries of both the Central Powers and the Allies. They disagreed over
which countries had started the war and which countries should be supported by America,
so Wilson urged Americans not to take sides.
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For the U.S., staying neutral was difficult

However, America traded with both England, of the Allies, and Germany, of the Central
Powers. Staying neutral was difcult. Wilson worried that U.S. business could be hurt by
the war. At rst, Wilson stopped American banks from loaning money to countries ghting
the war. This would make it impossible for them to buy what they needed to continue
ghting. England, France and the Allies started running out of money and stopped buying
American goods. This plan was not working, so American banks were allowed to loan
money to the Allies again. The war hurt American and German trade, too. The English
blockade of battleships stopped U.S. ships from bringing goods to Germany. Germany
fought back with a new weapon. German U-boats, or submarines, sunk ships going
between England and America.
On May 7, 1915, a German U-boat sank the Lusitania, a British passenger ship sailing off
the coast of Ireland. More than 100 Americans were killed. The Germans said they had put
warnings in American newspapers telling passengers to stay off ships heading to the war
zone. Germany also said the Lusitania had been carrying war supplies for England.
However, to this day, this has never been proved to be true. Wilson warned Germany that
Americans must be able to travel and trade with any country.
Germany said it would honor Wilsons demands. But three months later, a German U-boat
sank another British passenger ship. Two Americans died. To calm Wilson, Germany
promised to stop surprise attacks on passenger ships. The Germans also stopped
surprise attacks on supply ships. These promises helped keep the United States out of the
war in 1915 and 1916.

Germany tried to stir up trouble between the U.S. and Mexico

In January of 1917, German U-boats started sinking many Allied ships. Germany didn't
think the United States was prepared to join the war. Meanwhile, Arthur Zimmermann, a
German leader, also tried to stir up trouble between the United States and Mexico. He sent
a telegram to Mexico asking the country start a border war with the United States. In
return, Germany would get back Mexican land that had become Texas, New Mexico and
Arizona. The English got a copy of the telegram, broke the secret code and sent the
information to Wilson. The telegram was put in the U.S. newspapers, showing that
Germany was America's enemy. Two months later, German U-boats sank three American
merchant ships.
Wilson asked Congress for a declaration of war on April 2, 1917. Wilson said the United
States must go to war because the world must be made safe for democracy. War was
ofcially declared against Germany on April 6, 1917.

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World War I involved all Americans. The government set goals for manufacturing, farming,
transportation and selecting men for the military. Patriotic posters, pamphlets, lms and
speakers in markets, fairs and churches encouraged Americans to support the war.
Americans were told food will win the war. So there were wheatless Mondays, meatless
Tuesdays and porkless Saturdays to save food for the troops. Laws were passed that
made it a crime to keep people from joining the army or helping the enemy.
Meanwhile, the Russian Revolution began in the spring of 1917. By November, Russia left
the Allies and stopped ghting in the war.

Wilson's "Fourteen Points" focused on the end of the war

On January 8, 1918, Wilson gave his "Fourteen Points" speech to Congress about what
would happen at the end of the war. He spoke of democracy, people voting for their
leaders, countries without weapons, countries freely trading and nations meeting together
to solve problems and avoid wars.
General John J. Pershing was the leader of the American army in Europe. The troops
fought in the trenches with the Allies, climbing out in the spring of 1918 to push the
Germans out of France and back to their own border. Peace nally came at 11 a.m. on
November 11, 1918. The Americans had lost 53,400 on the battleeld. Disease killed
63,100. Most died from the Spanish inuenza. This sickness spread to the United States
and killed more than half a million Americans in 1918.

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The Versailles Peace Treaty was signed in 1919 by 27 countries. This treaty made
Germany pay for rebuilding countries that were attacked, and it took away all of Germany's
weapons. The treaty created a League of Nations that would work to solve problems
between countries and avoid wars. Many Republicans in Congress were against the
League of Nations and worried the United States would lose control of how it worked with
other countries. The U.S. had plans to expand its power in Central America and worried
the League of Nations might stop this. Wilson wanted the country to join the League of
Nation. Unfortunately, he had a stroke and was too sick to get more support. The treaty
was rejected by the Senate twice in 1919 and 1920. The war ofcially ended for the United
States in October 1921, when the Senate approved separate peace treaties with Germany,
Austria and Hungary.
The United States never joined the League of Nations, but Wilson's goals in his "Fourteen
Points" speech of spreading democracy, people voting for their leaders, countries without
weapons, countries freely trading and nations meeting together to solve problems and
avoid wars, guided America for many years.

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Jennifer D. Keene, professor of history at Chapman University in California, is the author of

"The United States and the First World War" (2000), "Doughboys, the Great War and the
Remaking of America" (2001), and "World War I" (2006). She is currently working on a book
detailing African-American soldiers experience during the First World War and another on
the signicance of World War I for American society.

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Quiz
1

Which paragraph from the section "For the U.S., staying neutral was difcult" explains Wilson's
strategies to keep America out of the war?

Which of the following sentences from the article presents the STRONGEST evidence that
America suffered greatly due to the war?

(A)

England, France and the Allies started running out of money and stopped
buying American goods.

(B)

Two months later, German U-boats sank three American merchant ships.

(C)

So there were wheatless Mondays, meatless Tuesdays and porkless

Saturdays to save food for the troops.

(D)

This sickness spread to the United States and killed more than half a million
Americans in 1918.

Which of the following MOST inuenced Wilson's decision for the United States to declare war
on Germany?
(A)

the sinking of the Lusitania by the Germans

(B)

the war's negative impact on American trade

(C)

the telegram a German leader sent to Mexico

(D)

the need to protect Americans traveling in Europe

Based on the article, how did Wilson's ideas about Germany change between 1914 and 1917?
(A)

At rst, Wilson believed Germany was an important trading partner, but later
viewed Germany as a danger to America.

(B)

At rst, Wilson felt Germany was neutral toward the U.S., but later decided
Germany was gaining too much power over America.

(C)

At rst, Wilson thought Germany had no interest in America, but later

discovered Germany planned a secret attack on the U.S.

(D)

At rst, Wilson was sure that Germany would be defeated by the Allies, but
later realized that Germany would not be defeated without help from the U.S.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.

Answer Key
1

Which paragraph from the section "For the U.S., staying neutral was difcult" explains Wilson's
strategies to keep America out of the war?
Paragraph 3:
However, America traded with both England, of the Allies, and Germany, of the
Central Powers. Staying neutral was difficult. Wilson worried that U.S. business
could be hurt by the war. At first, Wilson stopped American banks from loaning
money to countries fighting the war. This would make it impossible for them to
buy what they needed to continue fighting. England, France and the Allies
started running out of money and stopped buying American goods. This plan
was not working, so American banks were allowed to loan money to the Allies
again. The war hurt American and German trade, too. The English blockade of
battleships stopped U.S. ships from bringing goods to Germany. Germany
fought back with a new weapon. German U-boats, or submarines, sunk ships
going between England and America.

Which of the following sentences from the article presents the STRONGEST evidence that
America suffered greatly due to the war?
(A)

England, France and the Allies started running out of money and stopped
buying American goods.

(B)

Two months later, German U-boats sank three American merchant ships.

(C)

So there were wheatless Mondays, meatless Tuesdays and porkless

Saturdays to save food for the troops.

(D)

This sickness spread to the United States and killed more than half a
million Americans in 1918.

Which of the following MOST inuenced Wilson's decision for the United States to declare war
on Germany?
(A)

the sinking of the Lusitania by the Germans

(B)

the war's negative impact on American trade

(C)

the telegram a German leader sent to Mexico

(D)

the need to protect Americans traveling in Europe

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.

Based on the article, how did Wilson's ideas about Germany change between 1914 and 1917?
(A)

At first, Wilson believed Germany was an important trading partner, but

later viewed Germany as a danger to America.

(B)

At rst, Wilson felt Germany was neutral toward the U.S., but later decided
Germany was gaining too much power over America.

(C)

At rst, Wilson thought Germany had no interest in America, but later

discovered Germany planned a secret attack on the U.S.

(D)

At rst, Wilson was sure that Germany would be defeated by the Allies, but
later realized that Germany would not be defeated without help from the U.S.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.