1. AHSGE Chapter 8 1
World War I and the 1920s
• Imperialism – a policy by which one ___________takes control of
another land or country.
• At the turn of the century, a growing number of people believed the
United States should acquire overseas _____________to maintain a
strong economy.
Three reasons for Imperialism
1. People of U.S. felt they needed an additional source of
raw_____________.
2. Business leaders wanted an additional market for their surplus of
____________________goods.
2. Politicians wanted to gain ________________to maintain a global
______________of power.
Imperialism and the United States
• 1850s - Business leaders from the U.S. invested in sugar plantations in
the Hawaiian Islands. In time, these owners gained
___________________control over the island.
• 1893 - Wealthy white plantation owners _______________against
Queen Liliuokalani. With the help of U.S. troops the plantation owners
deposed the queen. In 1898, Hawaii became a ________________of
the U.S.
• 1890s – Spanish government in Cuba _______________its citizens’
human rights.
• Two competing __________________printed sensational stories
surrounding the abuses in Cuba. U.S. citizens sympathized with the
Cubans and were against Spain.

2. • Yellow journalism –_______________writing with a disregard for
the truth.
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• On Feb. 15, 1898, the U.S.S. Maine _______________while anchored
in a Cuban harbor.
• U.S. newspapers blamed_______________.
• On April 25, 1898, Congress declared _____________on Spain.
• Spanish-American War –_______________was president. Fought on
two fronts, the Caribbean and the Philippines.
• Rough Riders – a group of ________________led by Theodore
Roosevelt who helped the U.S. troops ______________Cuba from
Spanish control. Roosevelt became famous for his role in the war
including his bold charge of San Juan Hill.
• Open Door Policy – U.S. Secretary of State John Hayes promoted an
agreement that kept _____________open to trade for all nations.
• Panama Canal – During President Theodore Roosevelt’s term in office
a ____________was built across the Isthmus of Panama. This canal
would ensure that the U.S. would have easy access to the Atlantic and
Pacific Oceans for commerce and_____________.
• William C. Gorgas – realized that by ______________and draining
areas of standing water in the Canal Zone he could get rid of malaria
and yellow fever.
• Roosevelt’s Corollary – President Roosevelt’s addition to the Monroe
Doctrine. It said the United States had the right to
______________if a nation in the Western Hemisphere had trouble
paying back its foreign creditors. The United States would intervene
only to prevent European powers from ______________the newly
freed nations again. This lead to increased U.S. involvement in the
Caribbean and Latin America.

3. 3
Long Term Causes of World War I
1. Nationalism – the belief in national unity and some times
__________supremacy. Nations were beginning to believe their nation
was much better than others.
• Social Darwinism – The belief that only the ____________people are
meant to rule.
2. Imperialism – European countries searched for colonies during the 19th
century. _______________for colonies increased tensions between
countries in Europe.
3. Military Expansion – Europeans nations maintained large standing
__________ during peace time. War was possible at a moment’s notice.
4. Alliances –_______________between nations for mutual protection.
• Triple Alliance – Germany, Austria-Hungary and_________. (GA-HI)
• Triple Entente – Britain, France, __________and eventually the
United States. (BUFR)
Start of World War I
Archduke Francis Ferdinand – heir to throne of Austria-Hungary.
______________by Serbian nationalists. Alliances then began to support
each other and war was declared.
Battle Tactics in New Innovations
• Trench warfare – battle tactic where trenches were built with a no
man’s __________in between filled with barbed wire and land mines.
• Machine guns – fired ___________in rabid succession.
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4. • Poison gas - first used by the____________, the poison mustard gas
would kill or wound soldiers instantly by breaking down soldiers’
internal organs when they inhaled the fumes.
• Airplane – At the beginning of the war airplanes were used for
______________and reconnaissance. By the end, countries had
equipped airplanes with intermittent machine guns. The pilots of
these planes were called_____________.
Causes of the United States Involvement in World War I
1. Sinking of the Lusitania – British passenger ship sunk by a German U-
boat. 1200 people died including 128 Americans. Lusitania had been
_____________carrying weapons and ammunition to support the Triple
Entente.
2. Zimmerman Telegraph – U.S. intercepted a secret telegram between the
German foreign secretary, Arthur Zimmerman and his official in Mexico. It
stated that if U.S. declared war on _____________then the Mexican
government should attack the U.S. In_______________, Germany would
help Mexico win back the land the U.S. gained in the Mexican-American War.
3. German Aggression at Sea – In 1917, Germany began sinking U.S.
________________ships in the Atlantic.
4. The Russian Revolution – March, 1917, revolutionaries in Russia
overthrew the monarchy. A temporary _______________assembly was
set up. With a democratic government in Russia, the U.S. felt it would
have a united front in Europe.

5. 5
Consequences of the War
Political
• Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire _________up
parts of their land.
• Austro-Hungarian Empire ____________up and made into several
countries.
• Draft – all men in the United States between the ages of 21 and 30
were required by law to ____________for the draft.
Economic
• Treaty of Versailles – ended WWI.
• Germans reluctantly agreed that the war was entirely
their_______________.
• Germany had to pay war __________________(costs to the
victorious nations for its part in starting the war).
• Germany had to substantially decrease its_______________.
• Germany lost all of its overseas colonies and part of its land
in______________.
Social
• War reparations Germany was forced to pay were considered a
___________________to the German people.
• Adolph Hitler used this bitterness to help him become
_______________of Germany.
Post World War I Era – The League of Nations
• League of Nations – promoted by President Woodrow
_______________to insure that there would never be another world
war. It was to be used as a way to foster understanding and
discourage aggression against other countries.
• It failed in part because ________________would not agree to the
U.S joining.
• Isolationism – policy of the U.S. where the people felt it best to stay out of
international _____________and events.

6. 6
Post World War I Culture the Roaring 20’s
Prominent Writers and Movements in the United States
• F. Scott Fitzgerald – Writer and novelist who wrote about the high
____________life of the 1920’s and mirrored his own life with his
wife Zelda Fitzgerald. Wrote The Great________________.
• Ernest Hemingway – One of the most influential writers of the 20th
century. Used simple ______________and realistic details in his
writing. Most famous works include The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to
Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls The Old Man and the Sea.
• Harlem Renaissance – Began in_______________, New York in the
1920’s. It was an increase in black ____________________pride
and awareness. Black painters, dancers, and musicians produced
wonderful works of___________.
• Jazz and Blues – New musical forms of
__________________introduced during the Harlem Renaissance.
• Langton Hughes – African American _______________of the
Harlem Renaissance. Wrote plays, poems and short stories about the
black _________________in the United States.
• Zora Neale Hurston – Wrote Their Eyes Were
______________God.
• Louis Armstrong – an extremely talented black jazz
____________player.
• W.C. Handey –_______________native who composed and
popularized many ____________songs.

7. 7
Social Activists
• Margaret Sanger – advocated_____________. Distributed a
magazine attacking the Comstock Law (law prohibiting the distribution
of _______________related to birth control, pornography and
sexually transmitted diseases).
New Inventions
• _________________allowed people to travel long distances for work
or for pleasure.
• Home _______________such as vacuum cleaners, mixers, and
washing machines freed up more time for _____________working at
home.
• These ________________allowed for an increase in leisure time and
leisure activities.
The “Red Scare”
• Began when the Communist _______________came to power in
Russia in December 1917.
• Anarchists – people who do not believe in any form
of___________________.
• When Anarchists tried to ___________________John D.
Rockefeller and Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer
________________broke out throughout the U.S. known as The Red
Scare. The government began ________________and jailing
thousands of radicals, (including some-foreign born) without any
evidence of___________________. Suspicion of foreigners began
to increase in the U.S.
Sacco and Vanzetti Trial 8

8. • Two Italian _____________________(Nicola Sacco and
Bartolommeo Vanzetti) were accused of robbery and murder in
Massachusetts.
• They were atheists (people who have no ________________in God).
• Convicted and executed mainly due to the _____________prejudice
against them.
Immigration Laws of the 1920’s
• Nativists – people who were afraid of ________________entering
the United States.
• Emergency Quota Act – Act set up a quota system favoring Northern
Europe for_________________.
Immigration Laws of the 1920’s
• Nativists – people who were afraid of _________________entering
the United States.
• Emergency Quota Act – Act set up a quota system favoring
__________________Europe for immigration.
Prohibition
• 18th amendment –_______________.
• Many ___________did not like this amendment and __________it.
• This led to bootleggers (people who ___________smuggled alcohol)
and speakeasies (____________bars to drink and dance).
• 21st amendment –_________________the 18th amendment.