Reading Assignment Pages 684-699

The Great War and American Neutrality

-Why did many Americans have a personal interest in the war in Europe in 1914?
-Whose foreign policy advice is mentioned in this section? Why didn't the US follow that advice?

"The One Great Nation at Peace"

-What were the two sides in the war and what countries were on each side?
-Why does your book say "neutrality was profitable"?
-How had industrialization changed the nature of warfare?
-How might the European war impact American unity?

Reform Priorities at Home

-What three areas topped Wilson's reform agenda? What did each action do for the country?
-Why did unions celebrate the Clayton Anti-trust Act?
-What did the Clayton Act and Interstate Trade Commission do to regulate businesses?
-What other laws were passed under Wilson that helped workers?

Skip "Great Migration" Section (you'll read about it this weekend)

Limits to American Neutrality

-What led US policy on World War I to lean toward the Allied nations?
-What did opponents say was the cause of this "lean"?

The United States Goes to War

-What did Wilson say was the purpose of the war in his War Message to Congress?
-In what ways did US entry into the war help the allies?

The Logic of Belligerency

-How was American neutrality tested on the high seas?
-What was the Lusitania and what role did it play in American efforts to remain neutral?
-What promises did Germany make for limited its unrestricted submarine warfare?
-Why does the book say that both the Central Power and the Allies were guilty of killing civilians?
-Why did Germany restart its unrestricted submarine warfare?
-What was the Zimmerman Telegram?
-How did Wilson's language enable the US to claim moral authority in the war?

Mobilizing the Home Front

-What agencies did the Wilson administration create to help mobilize the country for war? What was the purpose of each of those agencies?
-How did the war affect American pocket books?

Ensuring Unity

-How did the war exacerbate racist and nativist tensions in America? Be sure to include the language changes, immigration restrictions and the Espionage and Sedition Acts
-What did the court case Schenk v U.S. decide?
-What events occurred between workers and owners/government during this time?
-How did the Great Migration impact black/white worker relationships?

The War in Europe

-What problems did the Allies face early on?
-How did the war change American opinions of Europe?
-Why did Russia pull out of the war?
-What was the "fourteen points" speech?
-What did Wilson hope to accomplish with the speech?
-How did Wilson and Lenin differ in their views of democracy?

The Struggle to Win the Peace: Peacemaking and the Versailles Treaty

-How did the "Big Three" go about making a "New World Order"? (Be specific)
-What danger did Wilson's aides see in using the word "self-determination"?
-How did Wilson get around this promise?
-How did the Americans differ from the French and British in terms of the degree to which Germany should be punished?
-What, in the end, was decided about Germany?
-What was the League of Nations?
-Why was it bad strategy that Wilson did not invite any Republicans to go with him to Versailles?
-What did the Republicans object to about the treaty? Why did they object to it?
-How did Wilson's passion for the treaty kill him in the end?