THE ROLE OF THE USA

[Music] [Applause] [Music] world war one of the most disastrous war in the world had yet no report ended 28 nations of Europe Asia Africa and the Americas were involved and almost everyone on earth was affected by this is a survey of one phase of that war its effect on the United States Europe 1914 although its history and geography were studied in American schools Europe seemed far away to most Americans in the days when ships were the only way to get across the Atlantic to most Americans the problems of Europe seemed as remote as the continent itself since the days of Washington and Jefferson the United States had held to a policy of no entangling alliances with European nations there was indifference to the growing militarism and imperialism of the great powers of Europe as they competed for world markets and raw materials for new industries European nations had seized land in many parts of the world most of Africa for instance had been occupied during the previous half-century British colonies provided raw materials for English industries and a market for English goods the French keeping pace with the British had moved into North Africa to ensure their food supply Germany a late comer was fighting for its share of world trade and demanding fuller recognition as a world power bitterness grew as the great powers of Europe built up huge armies and formed into two hostile camps each nation pledged to fight if any of its allies were attacked one Alliance included Germany austria-hungary and Italy called the Triple Alliance opposing them was the triple on tante of France Russia and England these complex tensions finally exploded into war the crisis began in June 1914 when Serbian Patriots in Bosnia shot and killed the heir to the austro-hungarian throne then visiting the capital Sarajevo as news was flashed by overseas cable each day's headlines kept the crisis immediate and alive for the American public by August 1914 the great powers of Europe were at war the central powers against the Allies the German plan was to overwhelm France then turn its full force on Russia to reach France Germany decided to march through neutral Belgium when Belgium resisted Germany let loose its guns on that small nation most Americans were shocked at what was labeled the rape of Belgium but America remained behind its traditional wall of isolation most Americans sincerely wanted to stay neutral even though many were recent immigrants from Europe and still felt strong ties to former homelands now fighting in the war the burden of defining American neutrality fell to the president of the United States Woodrow Wilson at the war start he called upon Americans to be neutral in fact as well as in name in thought as well as in action the Allied powers were trying to blockade Germany both on land and at sea to deny her necessary war supplies Germany was trying to starve England buying her shipping with a new weapon the submarine early in the war the British Navy cut off Germany from her colonies and swept German ships off the surface of the sea Britain impounded the cargoes of neutral ships including those of the United States if they were bound for German ports Wilson protested to Britain and protested also against a German threat to torpedo any ships found in British waters then as so often happens a single incident occurred which profoundly stirred American opinion the British luxury liner the Lusitania sailed from New York in May 1915 in spite of German warnings its passenger list included many Americans [Music] a German submarine cited the Lusitania off the coast of Ireland [Music] it without warning the Lusitania exploded and sank so fast that the loss of life was appalling more than 1200 dead 128 of them Americans American reaction was overwhelming the New York Times accused the Germans of making war like savages drunk with blood but some claim that the unusually fast sinking was due to the explosion of a secret cargo of american-made munitions bound for Britain the Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan held that British interference with American shipping was fully as unbearable as German submarine warfare when Wilson sent a sharp protest to Germany without also protesting to Britain Bryan resigned from the cabinet but the United States was still legally neutral and Wilson hoped it could act as mediator to end the war in the middle of 1915 he sent his aide Colonel house to Europe as his personal envoy the situation that Colonel house found there gave hope that the warring powers would consider a peace with honor in spite of heavy losses neither side had been able to make decisive gains Italy had deserted its former alliance and was now at war against Germany while Turkey had entered on the side of Germany on the vast Russian front the Germans were winning but on the western front across Northeast France but gigantic armies were deadlocked their trenches faced each other across a bleakness called no-man's land [Music] [Applause] to break this deadlock of the trenches many devices of war were introduced or developed barbed wire to protect trenches poison gas from the gas mask [Music] armored tanks with guns observation balloons for directing long-range artillery fire and the airplane as a military weapon with the first aerial dogfights then the first bombing raids and the devastating barrage of big guns in the battles of Verdun and of the Somme in 1916 there were almost 2 million casualties yet neither side won a decisive victory no man's land became a symbol of the first world wars devastation it was this kind of destruction that Woodrow Wilson wanted to end in 1916 Wilson ran for re-election on a platform of peace his party slogan was he kept us out of war his reelection reflected the wish of most Americans to stay out of what many still felt was Europe's war after re-election Wilson continued his efforts to rally world opinion behind his concept of a just peace peace without victory victory would mean peace forced upon the loser a victors terms forced upon the vanquished leaving a sting a resentment a bitter memory upon which terms of peace would rest not permanently but only upon quicksand but the warring powers did not want peace without victory Britain still hoped that her blockade would defeat Germany her battleships patrolled the open sea German submarines on the other hand had sunk thousands of British ships more than 5,000 British ships were sunk during the entire war there were German successes on land too the British have complete the encirclement of Germany by occupying the Middle East was defeated by the Turks at Gallipoli the Germans conquered Romania in a few weeks there were smashing victories on the Eastern Front Russia was beginning to collapse from the internal strife that later led to revolution Italy too was beginning to weaken but the British blockade was proving effective Germany desperately working against time decided to risk renewal of unrestricted submarine warfare in violation of traditional international law the step was taken with full knowledge that it might cause a break and possible war with the United States [Music] during one month March 1975 American ships were sunk [Music] cutoff from Germany by the British blockade American trade with the Allies had grown and American prosperity had become increasingly linked to the Allied cause the thinking's shocked the American people war sentiment grew it was increased by the discovery in march 1917 that the kaisers government had asked the aid of Mexico in case of war with the United States on April 2nd 1917 Wilson appeared before Congress to declare that German actions had created a state of war between the United States and Germany the present German submarine warfare against commerce is a warfare against mankind the world must be made safe for democracy Congress declared war on April 6th now the united states began the great conversion to war it had almost no army at all while european settlers and set out to do the first step was a draft law which eventually called some three million young men into service [Music] [Applause] the United States was faced with an unprecedented problem raising and equipping an army to be sent across the Atlantic and sending vast amounts of war equipment and supplies to the Allies across the sea patriotic feeling was never hired all over the country people rallied to support the war buying Liberty Bonds contributing to the Red Cross and other relief Wilson set forth American war aims for all the world to know fight for democracy for a universal dominion of right to make the world itself at last free as food and goods of war began to flow across the Atlantic on a scale never before seen in history a powerful psychological weapon was also launched Woodrow Wilson's fourteen point plan for a just peace open covenants openly arrived at Freedom of the Seas reduction of armaments equality of trade for all nations restoration of Belgium self-determination of people's with independence and freedom for all and perhaps most important a League of Nations to prevent future Wars Wilson's fourteen points demonstrated the power and importance of morale in war his plan nourished peace sentiment in Germany and Austria that may have hastened their eventual collapse not till the spring of 1918 where American troops ready to go overseas in great numbers this was the American Expeditionary Force the AEF the first American army to fight across the Atlantic as millions watched anxiously the United States sent out through submarine infested waters the biggest fighting force ever to leave its shores in all more than 2 million men were transported with the loss at sea held to 758 most of them from one ship to get troop ships safely to France British and American fleets developed convoy tactics that at last countered much of the effectiveness of the submarine lookouts kept watch for signs of the undersea Raiders [Music] an alarm brought gunfire in depth charge [Music] in addition an allied mind barrier across the North Sea hinder German submarines from entering and leaving their ports under command of General John J Pershing the doughboys of the AEF that they were called began to arrive in France their battle cry was Lafayette we are here it brought new life to the nearly exhausted French but before the full weight of American aid could be felt the Germans launched an offensive designed to end the war everything appeared to be in their favor in October 1917 the italian army cracked up and the austrians poured out onto the plains of northern Italy in November in December Russian resistance collapsed and a Russia torn by revolution asked for peace Romania had been knocked out of the war the British offensive in the near East had failed perhaps the most dangerous of all the submarine warfare seemed to be winning and England was in danger of starvation in the spring of 1917 the German armies launched what they hoped would be the decisive offensive against the Allies in northern France in march 1918 they struck it on the end in April at least in may/june in July they came within artillery range of Paris itself but the Allied lines held and American troops saw their first large-scale fighting the first division at Canton II the second net chateau-thierry the third at belleau wood the 42nd the 28th the 32nd and others fighting at tiny French villages and along streams whose names the soldiers could hardly pronounce by July 17 1918 unable to maintain the offensive against fresh and hopeful Allied troops the last German advance came to a halt meanwhile the Allied build-up was underway with Americans under the Allied commander marshal social you our allied commanders with seasoned Allied troops to reduce the German force in the Aymara sector American equipment and materiel were in use throughout the front American soldiers and equipment were now pouring into France in August 1918 marshal foix granted Pershing's demand for an independent American Army in the field and the Americans first army was formed its objectives to reduce the enemy sector at sanma he'll then move north to join other Allied forces in the reduction of the meuse-argonne [Applause] the American troops gained their objectives they were well supplied well commanded and above all they were freshmen eager with the flow of American supplies the balance was now tipped in favor of the Allies Germany decided to give up before its army was entirely destroyed their allies Bulgaria Turkey and austria-hungary had already surrendered the Kaiser abdicated and Germany asked for an armistice on November 11th 1918 at 11 o'clock in the morning the war ended not only for those who lived under the stars and stripes but for all the warring nations throughout the world men on both sides had given their lives for causes they believed the dead more than eight million soldiers one hundred twenty six thousand were Americans [Applause] joyous celebrations everywhere treated the offices in this war the United States had learned how to mobilize its vast strength into a major fighting force and had learned too that the Atlantic Ocean was no longer a barrier to modern armies the nations of Europe had seen at firsthand the impressive potential power of the United States the war had established the United States as a leader in the conditions a role from which include fully withdraw through Woodrow Wilson the United States was also thrust into the moral leadership of the world for Wilson had promised that this would be a war to end Wars a war to make the world safe for democracy he himself with a large staff sailed for France for the peace conference at Versailles to try to make good these promises Wilson arrived in France in December 1918 there he was besieged by the people whose hearts he had stirred there is a great tide running in the hearts of men the hearts of men have never beaten so singularly in unison before men have never been so conscious of their Brotherhood before the peace conference Wilson visited England and Italy everywhere he was hailed by vast crowds he and the democracy of which he was president had become a symbol of hope to Europe's people a groundswell rose among the people of the world as the leaders of the great powers gathered at Versailles for the peace conference with his capacity to interpret the aspirations of people throughout the world Wilson was the acknowledged leader of this conference it's working chairman was the French statesman Clemens Oh the main responsibility for setting the terms of the piece was borne by the Council of four here next to Wilson stands clemenceau beside him is Orlando of Italy and next to him the British war leader David Lloyd George these three men had spent their lives dealing with the kinds of pressures and interests that had brought on the war and they were not ready to accept the views of Woodrow Wilson president of a nation with no territorial ambitions we are here to see that the very foundations of this war are swept away those foundations were the private choice of a small coterie of civil rulers and military stabs the aggression of great powers upon the small the holding together of empires of unwilling subjects by the duress of arms after months of discussion and controversy as the world stood anxiously by the Versailles Treaty was completed and signed by Germany in June the peace without victory that Wilson had envisioned but it contained the one provision Wilson thought most essential the founding of a League of Nations to provide the machinery for International Cooperation but the United States Senate still had to ratify the treaty and the League Wilson explained the league to his people this way my conception of the League of Nations is just this that it shall operate as the organized moral force of men throughout the world and that wherever wrong and aggression are planned or contemplated this searching light of conscience will be turned upon them and men everywhere will ask what are the purposes you hold in your heart against the fortunes of the world although a majority of the Senate voted for ratifying the Versailles Treaty Wilson was unable to get the necessary two-thirds vote the League of Nations met but was repudiated by Wilson's own government for many Americans were not yet ready to accept the position of world leadership which the war had thrust upon the United States as Europe searched for a way to dig itself out of the ruins of the war the United States returned to its traditional policy of isolation but a new generation of American schoolchildren as they studied the revised map of Europe could no longer think of it as very remote from the United States Czechoslovakia is now Republic whose capital is crime the town of Derry Abel now lies in the center of Yugoslavia damage is now appreciating at the end of the Polish corridor [Music] you