world war 1

1. World War IWorld War I is primarily a text presentation, with 29 maps & 7 questions.is primarily a text presentation, with 29 maps & 7 questions.
77 refers to 1914-1991, when Soviet communism collapsed; 31 to 1914-194577 refers to 1914-1991, when Soviet communism collapsed; 31 to 1914-1945
OutlineOutline::
I. Overview: Why was World War I an important event?I. Overview: Why was World War I an important event?
II. How did Europe lose the peace (long-term causes)?
III. Who ruled?
IV. How did a local conflict become a world war (short-term causes)?
V. Which countries fought on each side?
VI. How did America react to the war?
VII. What were the goals of each side?
VIII. What major events occurred during the war?
IX. How did World War I end?
X. Why was World War I so disastrous?
XI. Epilog: whose fault was the war?
XII. Appendix: How did World War I affect German-Americans, especially in the
area around San Antonio?
Note: Teachers should print out the text, which includes many footnotes.

2. 31 Years of Disaster:
Part 1:
World War One 1914-1918
Causes,
Course of the War,
Effects
Text Copyright by Ronald Wiltse,
(As of: May 2008)

3. WARNING!
This presentation is stuffed with information.
You must:
 pay close attention,
 copy the outline, and
 study the results
. . . to get the maximum out of it!

4. 0. Geographical preview: Europe
Balkan Peninsula

5. I. Overview: Why was World War I
an important event?
77/31
5

6. I. Overview: Why was World War I
an important event?
A. The conflict that started in 1914 lasted 77
years, until 1991.
B. Of that 77 years, the period of war lasted
31 years (1914-1945), with a 21 year break
(1918-1939). (In August 1914 most
expected that the war would be over within
4 months.)

7. I. Overview: Why was World War I
an important event?
C. European nations forfeited their position as
the world’s leaders.
1. Every European government that went to war in
1914 was defeated and destroyed by 1945, except
Great Britain, which went from the world’s most
powerful nation to a fourth rate power:
 Russia/ Soviet Union, 1918
 Germany, 1918 & 1945
 Austria, 1918 & 1945
 France, 1940
 Italy, 1944

8. I. Overview: Why was World War I
an important event?
D. The USA replaced Europe as the world’s
greatest power.
E. Two great movements dominated the
century, causing monstrous evil.
 Soviet Communism
 Nazism

9. I. Overview: Why was World War I
an important event?
F. Thus,
 World War I led to the rise of Soviet communism.
 World War I led to the rise of Nazi Germany.
 World War I led to World War II.
 World War I otherwise changed the course of the
twentieth century.

10. II. How did Europe lose the peace
(long-term causes)?
A. Building conflicts made war almost
inevitable.
1. German actions.
a) The emergence of the German Empire in 1871
upset the balance of power carefully developed in
Europe over the preceding centuries.
 Yet Otto von Bismarck, Chancellor (and actual ruler) of
the German Empire, skillfully kept his potential enemies
from encircling him with alliances.
 France resented Germany for taking Alsace-Lorraine
away from France in 1870.
10

11. II. How did Europe lose the
peace (long-term causes)?
b) Incompetent Wilhelm II took
personal control of Germany in
1890, but could not maintain
the high quality of Bismarck’s
leadership.
 Kaiser Wilhelm II, by needlessly
building up the German navy,
threatened British naval power
which was essential to maintain
its empire.
John Tenniel, The Firing of Bismarck

12. II. How did Europe lose the peace
(long-term causes)?
2. Three groups clashed in Balkan Peninsula.
 As the power of the Ottoman Empire declined in
the Balkans, the native Slavic peoples of the
Balkans wanted to rule themselves.
 Austria wanted to expand its power into the area.
 Russia wanted to prevent such Austrian
expansion.

13. Languages in the
Austro-Hungarian
Empire reflect the
ethnic diversity of
the Empire’s
inhabitants.
Balkan Peninsula
Austro-Hungarian Empire
showing languages spoken
What future European
countries do you see
inside the borders
of the Austrian-
Hungarian Empire?

14. II. How did Europe lose the peace
(long-term causes)?
B. Political leaders built
entangling alliances. (In his
Farewell Address of 1797
George Washington warned
Americans of entangling alliances)—an
entangling alliance involves one country with
the fortunes of another country, even if the first
country doesn’t want to get involved.

15. II. How did Europe lose the peace
(long-term causes)?
1. Germany allied itself
with Austria-Hungary,
which Russia resented.
(Austria-Hungary
comprised a multi-
national empire, and as
such saw itself as unique
among European
nations. Usually, we will
refer to it as Austria
here.)
15

16. II. How did Europe lose the peace
(long-term causes)?
2. Unlike Bismarck, the German Kaiser could not
prevent his potential enemies from forming an
alliance—The Triple Entente (England, France,
and Russia)—which forced Germany into the
possibility of a two-front war—against France in
the west and Russia in the east.

18. III. Who ruled?
 George V (King of England), cousin of
 Wilhelm II* (Kaiser of the German Empire),
cousin of
 Nicholas II* (Czar of the Russian Empire),
 Franz Josef* (Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian
Empire)
 Raymond Poincaré, President of France
*These leaders and their ruling houses, all in countries that
lost the war, lost their monarchies as a result of the war.

19. III. Who ruled?
 George V (King of
England), cousin of
 Nicholas II* (Czar of
the Russian Empire),
George V (left) and Nicholas
II

20. III. Who ruled?
 Wilhelm II* (Kaiser of
the German Empire),
cousin of
20

21. III. Who ruled?
 Franz Josef*
(Emperor of the
Austro-Hungarian
Empire)
*These leaders and their
ruling houses, all in
countries that lost the
war, lost their
monarchies as a result
of the war.

22. IV. How did a local conflict become a
world war (short-term causes)?
A. Foolish leaders allowed their countries to
drift into war.
1. A Serbian nationalist assassinated the heir to
Austrian throne, unleashing a chain of events
that led to a localized war between Austria and
Serbia. This war within days became a worldwide
war; thus this event is called the match that
ignited the Great War.

23. Serbia, in black, east of
Bosnia and its main
city, Sarajevo. Many
Serbs lived in Bosnia.

24. The assassin, Gavrillo
Princep, and Franz
Ferdinand with Sophie.

25. Car in which Franz Ferdinand and his
wife were riding in when they were
shot.
25

26. IV. How did a local conflict become a
world war (short-term causes)?
2. Austria used the assassination as an excuse to
move against Serbia, which Austria wanted to
dominate.
 Evidence of direct involvement of the Serbian
government was not found.
 Austrian citizens feared that a local war against
Serbia would escalate into a feared general war,
but that did not stop their government from moving
forward.

27. IV. How did a local conflict become a
world war (short-term causes)?
3. Germany unconditionally backed Austria in its
conflict with neighbor Serbia, oblivious to the
dangers involved in giving Austria so much
power (the “blank check”).
What does
giving
someone
a blank
check mean?

28. IV. How did a local conflict become a
world war (short-term causes)?
4. Serbia yielded to Austrian demands, but Austria
attacked anyway.

29. IV. How did a local conflict become a
world war (short-term causes)?
5. Russia, to support Serbia, mobilized for war
against Germany.

30. IV. How did a local conflict become a
world war (short-term causes)?
6. Germany responded by declaring war against
Russia.
30

31. IV. How did a local conflict become a
world war (short-term causes)?
7. Because war with Russia would mean war with
Russia’s ally France, Germany declared war on
France, hoping to defeat France before Russia
could prepare its army to fight.
German route of attack.
The German plan was
to encircle Paris, forcing
France to surrender.
To do this, however, the
German army had to
march through Belgium.

32. IV. How did a local conflict become a
world war (short-term causes)?
8. When Germany attacked Belgium, the UK
declared war on Germany.

33. IV. How did a local conflict become a
world war (short-term causes)?
9. At this point, each nation involved justified itself
by claiming that it had been attacked.

34. IV. How did a local conflict become a
world war (short-term causes)?
B. Events of the last week of July 1914
occurred at such a rapid-fire pace that the
diplomats involved could not think clearly.

35. IV. How did a local conflict become a
world war (short-term causes)?
The “week” of war declarations: July 28-August 4, 1914
 Tues.,7/28 Austria declared war on Serbia
 7/30 general mobilization of Russian army
 8/1 Germany declared war on Russia and mobilized
 France mobilized, (assumed declaration of Russia against
Germany, but not actually declared)
 8/2 Germany issued an ultimatum to Belgium demanding
passage to France
 8/3 Germany declared war on France
 France declared war on Germany
 Tues., 8/4 Germany declared war on Belgium, attacked Belgium
UK declared war on Germany
35

36. IV. How did a local conflict become a
world war (short-term causes)?
The “week” of war declarations: July 28-August 4, 1914
Tues.,7/28 Austria declared war on Serbia
7/30 general mobilization of Russian army
8/3 Germany declared war on France
France declared war on Germany
Tues., 8/4 Germany declared war on Belgium, attacked Belgium
UK declared war on Germany
8/2 Germany issued an ultimatum to Belgium demanding
passage to France
In 8 days, most of
Europe was at war!
8/1 Germany declared war on Russia and mobilized
France mobilized, (assumed declaration of Russia
against Germany, but not actually declared

37. V. Which countries fought on each
side?
A. Two camps arose before the war:
 The Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary,
Italy
 The Triple Entente: Britain, France, Russia.

38. V. Which countries fought on each
side?
B. During the war, with slight changes, these
became:
 The Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary,
the Ottoman Empire.
 The Allies: Britain, France, Russia, and, with a
little hesitation, Italy.

39. Original lineup:
 Pink:
Central Powers
 Red:
Allies
Other colors:
Countries
unattached in
August 1914

40. During
World War
One,
Allies* were
on the
Central40

41. V. Which countries fought on each
side?
C. Overview:
The Triple Entente: became The Allies:
United Kingdom United Kingdom
France France
Russia Russia
Italy
The USA
(32 countries
total)

43. V. Which countries fought on each
side?
C. Overview:
The Triple Alliance: became The Central Powers:
Germany Germany
Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary
Italy Ottoman Empire

45. [ ?
 Which goes with which?
Allies
Triple Alliance
Central Powers
Triple Entente
45

46. VI. How did America react to the
war?
A. President Woodrow Wilson initially called
on Americans to remain neutral in thought
as well as action.
 On January 22, 1917
Wilson calls for peace
without victory.

47. VII. What were the goals of each
side?
 Germany – support Austria, gain more land,
weaken Britain and Russia
 Austria – to avoid damage by nationalistic
groups such as the Serbs, gain parts of
Serbia and Romania
 Ottoman Empire – to survive

48. VII. What were the goals of each
side?
 Russia – to defend Serbia and Romania
 England – to defend Belgium
 France – to defend itself, recover Alsace-
Lorraine
 The USA – to make the world safe for
democracy, defend its bankers’ loans, &
defend its threatened maritime economy.

49. VIII. What major events occurred
during the war?
A. Germany feared a two-front war. Thinking
that Russia would take several weeks to
field its army, Germany decided that this
time provided a window of opportunity to
quickly defeat France first, then fight
Russia.

50. VIII. What major events occurred
during the war?
B. To defeat France
quickly the Schlieffen
Plan called for German
troops to race through
Belgium, swing south,
and capture Paris. The
plan failed and a two-
front war followed. The Schlieffen Plan
50

51. Why the Schlieffen Plan failed—too much Belgian
resistance and a weakened attack force
50
. . . as planned . . . as carried out

52. The first major battle was the Battle
of the Marne.
How did the French reserve troops get
from Paris to the Marne battlefield
?

53. Paris taxis!

54. VIII. What major events occurred
during the war?
C. The Battle of the Marne (September 5-12,
1914) stopped the German advance,
saving France.

55. VIII. What major events occurred
during the war?
D. While other fronts moved, the Western
Front ground down to a stalemate.
1. The border between the
contestants hovered about
a seldom-moving line run-
ning from Belgium, across
northeastern France, to
Switzerland. German trench
55

56. A stalemate
meant trench
warfare.
2. The title of Erich Maria
Remarque’s novel about
the western front can be
translated Nothing New
on the Western Front.
William Orpen,
 Dead Soldiers in a Trench

57. William Orpen,
Thiepval [in winter]

58. C.R.W. Nevison, Paths of Glory

59. VIII. What major events occurred
during the war?
E. Submarine warfare gave Germany a
chance against the superior British navy.
1. Because the US government refused to stop
American citizens from
riding dangerously on
British ships, the
Germans stopped
submarine warfare
to avoid pushing
the US into the war.
60

60. VIII. What major events occurred
during the war?
E. Submarine warfare gave Germany a
chance against the superior British navy.
2. The event that frightened
Germany into ending sub-
marine warfare was Amer-
ican reaction to the sink-
ing of the British liner Lus-
itania in May of 1915, in
which 128 Americans died.

61.  Warning given to Lusitania passengers by German
officials dockside:
NOTICE!
TRAVELLERS intending to embark on the 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 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 on the ships of Great Britain or her allies do so at
their own risk.
IMPERIAL GERMAN EMBASSY,
Washington, D.C. April 22, 1915

62. Lusitania
recruiting
poster

63. VIII. What major events occurred
during the war?
E. Submarine warfare gave Germany a
chance against the superior British navy.
3. Eventually Germany had to
resume unrestricted submarine
warfare, knowing that would draw
the US into the war. It hoped to
prevail before the US could make
a difference.

64. VIII. What major events occurred
during the war?
F. The US slid into the war: The United
States maintained a false neutrality and
slipped ever closer to the United Kingdom,
overlooking British violations of
international law, but not those of the
Central Powers.

65. VIII. What major events occurred
during the war?
F. The US slid into the war:
1. Because of the strong
British navy, the Allies
could take delivery of vital
supplies produced in the
United States, while the
Central powers could not.
65

66. VIII. What major events occurred
during the war?
F. The US slid into the war:
2. Finally, Woodrow Wilson
asked Congress to declare
war against Germany,
which it did on April 6,
1917, ¾ of the way through
the war. It followed with a
declaration against Austria-
Hungary on Dec. 7.

67. Because of the time
needed to train and outfit
American soldiers, it was
not until 14 months later
that American forces
were able to take a
significant role in the war,
meaning that they fought
for only the last five
months of the war.
General John Pershing
led the American
Expeditionary Force.
If copying, copy this short form:
3. It took 14 months for
US troops to get into the
war; the war ended 5
months later.

68. VIII. What major events occurred
during the war?
G. Russia faced problems.
1. The poorly equipped Russian people suffered
greatly during the war.
2. Russian soldiers,
although dying at a
lower rate than other
major combatants,
lost the will to fight.

69. VIII. What major events occurred
during the war?
G. Russia faced
problems.
3. The Czar refused to
pull out of the war.
4. Democrats
overthrew the Czar’s
government in 1917
(but continued to
fight the war).
Czar Nicholas
II

70. VIII. What major events occurred
during the war?
G. Russia faced problems.
5. Lenin led the Russian Communists (Bolsheviks)
in a second Revolution in 1917 (Nov. 7, 1917)
and pulled Russia out of the war (December 22),
despite the Allies’ plea not to do so.
6. The key question among the Allies at the time:
which would have a greater impact, Russia
pulling out of the war (Dec. 1917), or America
entering the war (in effect, June 1918)?
70

71. VIII. What major events occurred
during the war?
G. Russia faced
problems.
Communists—among others—
believed that the upper and
lower classes were natural
enemies, as shown in the
painting From the Depths by
William Balfour-Kerr.

72. Lenin needed
to go from
Zurich to
Petrograd, but
had to
convince the
German
government to
let a Russian
communist
travel through
Germany (he
promised to
overthrow the
Russian
Government
and withdraw
from the war).
The German government allowed Lenin’s party
to travel through Germany by sealed train.
St. Petersburg
became
Petrograd
became
Leningrad
became
St. Petersburg

73. VIII. What major events occurred
during the war?
H. Eventually the Germans adopted a policy
of infiltration. (Infiltration means that weak
points are attacked, regardless of the
unevenness of the line that results. That
approach, of course, has been followed in all
wars since then.)

74. VIII. What major events occurred
during the war?
I. The influenza epidemic of 1918 hurt war
efforts.
 In the last weeks of the war, influenza broke
out, especially among troops living in
crowded conditions.
 From the middle of September 1918, more
people were killed by influenza in the next 4
months than died from the plague in the
century after 1347.

75. VIII. What major events occurred
during the war?
J. Both sides used
propaganda posters to
influence the public.
75

76. VIII. What major events occurred
during the war?
Wars must be financed.

77. Another American
poster, with an
appeal to history
(remember the
Hundred Years
War?).

78. The classic
American
recruiting
poster.
This iconic poster
lives on. Here is
an example
seen in a window
in Romania in 2007.

79. But others were used
too.

80. Above: from Australia
80

81. Above: from Australia

85. 85

86. r
German poster in
the style of the
great German
artist Albrecht Dürer
(1471-1528)
Do you remember this picture:?

87. r

88. Then, as now.

89.  Not all propaganda was from a government.
Otto Dix, Troops Advancing under Gas Attack
Do you think this kind of art work could
have been presented during the war?

90. IX. How did World War I end?
A. The entry of the US threw the balance of
fighting to the Allies’ side (Germany’s new
policy of infiltration came too late).
Stereoscope slide,
“Lafayette, we are here.”
90

91. Childe Hassam,
Allies Day

92. IX. How did World War I end?
B. In the fall of 1918, Germany faced great
social upheaval if the war didn’t end
quickly; thus, its military leaders
surrendered.
1. Germany’s civilian leaders signed the armistice
only because its military leaders ordered them to.

93. IX. How did World War I end?
B. In the fall of 1918, Germany faced great
social upheaval if the war didn’t end
quickly; thus, its military leaders
surrendered.
2. The armistice occurred on November 11, 1918,
at 11 AM—the eleventh hour of the eleventh day
of the eleventh month of 1918.

94. IX. How did World War I end?
B. In the fall of 1918, Germany faced great
social upheaval if the war didn’t end
quickly; thus, its military leaders
surrendered.
3. In the 1920s, some German military leaders and
German anti-Semites claimed that the military had
not lost the war; rather, the surrender was due to
traitorous false German civilian leaders. These so-
called traitors were all Jews, and thus began the
myth of the Jewish stab-in-the-back.

95. IX. How did World War I end?
C. The winners (France, the UK, and the US)
met in Paris to dictate terms of the peace to
Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the
Ottoman Empire.
1. American President Woodrow Wilson proposed
his Fourteen Points, which generally were
rejected as too idealistic.
95

96. Hall of Mirrors at Versailles
The Signing of Peace
in the Hall of
Mirrors, Versailles,
28 June 1919, by
William Orpen,
in the Imperial War
Museum, London
Do you
remember
Versailles?

97. IX. How did World War I end?
D. The Treaty of Versailles treated the losers
harshly.
1. Germany’s leaders were forced to admit guilt for
the war and agree to pay damages to the victors.
 This and other mistreatments caused resentment
among Germans, thus paving the way for Hitler.

98. IX. How did World War I end?
D. The Treaty of Versailles treated the losers
harshly.
2. Wilson’s demand for self-determination for most
ethnic groups justified the destruction of the
empires of the losers.
◄ Germany lost land to the newly reconstructed
Poland, and Alsace-Lorraine went back to France.

99. IX. How did World War I end?
D. The Treaty of Versailles treated the losers
harshly.
◄The victors divided Austria-Hungary into
many pieces.
 Hungary won its complete independence from Austria.
 The victors created Yugoslavia out of parts of Austria
and other countries.
 Czechoslovakia joined two major ethnic groups into one
country (together they would have a better chance to
defend themselves against future aggression).
 Land went to the new Poland, and to Romania.

100. IX. How did World War I end?
D. The Treaty of Versailles treated the losers
harshly.
◄The victors reduced the
Ottoman Empire to its core,
Turkey, while the newly
created territories of Syria,
Lebanon, Trans-Jordan,
Palestine, Arabia, and Iraq
were assigned to the leader-
ship of the UK and France.
100

101. IX. How did World War I end?
D. The Treaty of Versailles treated the losers
harshly.
 Even Russia, which had pulled out of the war
toward the end as a loser, lost much land . . .
 to the newly created Poland.
 to the new ethnically centered states of Finland, Estonia,
Latvia, and Lithuania.
 Wilson’s proposal for a League of Nations, to
prevent future warfare, was adopted.

102. IX. How did World War I end?
E. Review of the territorial changes:
1. Poland. The Polish people had lost their
independence in the 1700s (to Prussia, Russia, and
Austria). The WWI winners took land away from
Germany, Russia, and Austria to restart Poland.

103. IX. How did World War I end?
E. Review of the territorial changes:
 To give Poland access
to the sea, the winners
cut Germany into two
parts and made Danzig
an international city.
This division will
remain a sore point
for Germans.

104. IX. How did World War I end?
E. Review of the territorial changes:
2. Russia. Russia lost much
land to Germany when the
new communist government
dropped out of the war. The
winners gave back only
some of it.
Land taken from Russia in black.

105. IX. How did World War I end?
E. Review of the territorial changes:
3. Austria-Hungary.
After Hungary
became indepen-
dent and other
land went to
countries old and
new, only the core
of the Empire—today’s Austria—was left, ruled
from its giant capital, Vienna.
105

106. IX. How did World War I end?
E. Review of the territorial changes:
4. Germany. Germany became a divided country
when a strip in the northeast was given to
Poland. Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France,
and all land west of a line drawn 50 kilometers
east of the Rhine River was demilitarized.
Do you
see any
other
changes?

107. New and changed countries
with land from Russia:
Finland
Estonia
Latvia
Lithuania
part of Poland & Rumania
from Austria-Hungary:
(Austria)
(Hungary)
Czechoslovakia
part of Romania
part of Yugoslavia
part of Poland
part of Italy
from Germany:
part of Poland

108. IX. How did World War I end?
E. Review of the territorial changes:
5. Ottoman Empire. The winners broke up the
Ottoman Empire, which itself had nearly 500
years earlier conquered the Byzantine Empire.
The core became Turkey. Its former Middle East
land was turned over to France and England,
who created Transjordan, Palestine, Syria,
Lebanon, Arabia, and Iraq.

109. New Middle eastern
countries from the
ottoman empire
Mandate for France:
Syria
Mandates for Britain:
Palestine
Transjordan
Iraq
Independent:
parts of Arabian Peninsula
Green areas were already under
British control by 1914.
(Mandates were areas assigned for
European control by
the League of Nations in 1920)

110. X. Why was World War I so
disastrous?
A. New technology changed the nature of
fighting:
 The new technology included the machine gun,
barbed wire barricades, and trench warfare.
 Mustard “gas” caused much suffering.
110

111. X. Why was World War I so
disastrous?
A. New technology changed
the nature of fighting:
 (The airplane was in its
infancy and generals disliked
the tank and therefore they
nearly always used them
ineffectively.)

112. First American Air Victories, by John McCoy
First American Air Victories, by John McCoy

114. President:
Here are some
new weapons.
General:
Tanks!
President:
You’re welcome.

115. X. Why was World War I so
disastrous?
B. The military leaders used outdated tactics:
 They relied on horse-mounted soldiers (cavalry)
and bayonets;
115

116. Horses could also die!

118. X. Why was World War I so
disastrous?
B. The military leaders used outdated tactics:
 They practiced the direct infantry assault (i.e.,
charging against machine guns), and
 They followed the doctrine of uniform advance,
where soldiers would not advance into a point of
weak resistance unless their entire line could
advance at the same rate.

119. X. Why was World War I so
disastrous?
C. One result of outdated tactics was
stalemate on the Western front (each side
built a long line of trenches, separated from
each other by a no-man’s land ).
D. Another result of the above was massive
casualties.

120. XI. Epilog: whose fault was the
war?
A. Many on all sides engaged in wishful
thinking.
 “There will be ups and downs. But it is impossible
that things won’t turn out all right.” Jean Jaurès,
French socialist leader, July 30, 1914
(quoted in Strachen, The First World War, page 41.)
B. Leaders on all sides led poorly.
C. Germany was dangerously aggressive.
120

121. XII. Appendix: How did World War I affect
German-Americans, especially in the area
around San Antonio?
A. The climate gradually turned against
German culture.
1. Childish name changes took place.
 e.g., Sauerkraut became liberty cabbage.
2. German newspapers in America often took a pro-
German stance up to the declaration of war,
stimulating a backlash against things German.

122. XII. Appendix: How did World War I affect
German-Americans, especially in the area
around San Antonio?
Making His Dollars Fight,
cartoon approving of mistreatment
of good Americans just because
their ancestors came from
German-speaking lands
(1917 cartoon from
The Baltimore American)

123. XII. Appendix: How did World War I affect
German-Americans, especially in the area
around San Antonio?
B. German-Americans found themselves on
the defensive.
1. Germans came to America because they
preferred it to their German-speaking homelands,
often fleeing oppressive governments. By 1914,
some were third generation Americans, yet they
were often treated with suspicion by Anglo-
Americans, and sometimes harassed.

124. XII. Appendix: How did World War I affect
German-Americans, especially in the area
around San Antonio?
B. German-Americans found themselves on
the defensive.
2. German language public schools around San
Antonio switched to English.
3. German-Americans stopped speaking German
in public.

125. XII. Appendix: How did World War I affect
German-Americans, especially in the area
around San Antonio?
B. German-Americans found themselves on
the defensive.
4. Some anglicized their names, e.g., Schmidt to
Smith.
5. Only in the late 1950s did German-American
Texans begin to openly celebrate their German
heritage again.
125

126. END

127.  The following slides are for use with the
vocabulary worksheet.

128. Alsace-Lorraine

129. Ottoman
Empire

130. Triple Entente and Triple Alliance