World War One
Royal Cousins during World War One - An Interactive Family Tree:
World War I: The Rest of the Story and How It Effects you Today assignment
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World War I - Summary on a Map
Woodrow Wilson: The Founder of Big Government | 5-Minute Video
Premiered Apr 1, 2024
As America’s 28th president, Woodrow Wilson greatly expanded the size and scope of the federal government. How did he do it, and why? RJ Pestritto, professor of politics at Hillsdale College, answers this important question.
As America’s 28th president, Woodrow Wilson greatly expanded the size and scope of the federal government. How did he do it, and why? RJ Pestritto, professor of politics at Hillsdale College, answers this important question.
Woodrow Wilson: World War I and the League of Nations | 5-Minute Video
2 April 2024
In his first term as president, Woodrow Wilson sought to transform America. In his second term, he sought to transform the world. RJ Pestritto, professor of politics at Hillsdale College, describes how this once-obscure academic became one of America’s most influential presidents.
In his first term as president, Woodrow Wilson sought to transform America. In his second term, he sought to transform the world. RJ Pestritto, professor of politics at Hillsdale College, describes how this once-obscure academic became one of America’s most influential presidents.
Selling the War: From the "How WWI Changed America" Series
Mar 22, 2022
When the United States entered World War I in 1917, President Woodrow Wilson and the government sought to unify American society behind the war effort. To achieve this, Wilson created the Committee on Public Information, an independent agency headed by former investigative journalist George Creel. To successfully influence public opinion in favor of the war, the CPI produced films, commissioned colorful posters, published books and pamphlets, took out advertisements in newspapers and recruited everyday Americans to speak to their communities. This barrage of patriot messaging served to justify American participation in World War I and convinced many who prior to 1917 favored peace to support the war effort.
Creel and the CPI sought to reach every American across multiple media fronts on how that person could contribute to the war effort. One of the most effective methods of transmitting information was through the speeches of the Four Minute Men. The term had a double meaning. Four minutes was the time available to a speaker at movie intermissions because that was the time it took to change a movie reel. “Minute Men” also invoked the patriotic men of the American Revolution who fought against the British. By the time the war ended in 1918, the Four Minute Men are believed to have reached over three hundred million Americans, effectively the entire population of the country at that time.
Another effective mode of propaganda was visual art, particularly the poster. Now iconic images like James Montgomery Flagg’s “Uncle Sam Wants YOU” were created to induce recruitment (versus waiting to be drafted), promote food conservation, illustrate alleged German atrocities and sell war bonds. Over the course of the war, the United States produced more war posters than all other belligerent nations combined.
From 1917 to 1918, George Creel’s Committee on Public Information successfully unified the American people while minimizing the influence of those remaining opposed to the war. After the war, however, the truth behind the CPI was revealed for what it was, a propaganda machine that often disregarded the facts and caused deep anti-German sentiment throughout the country. Even as it represents the origin of modern American wartime propaganda, the CPI’s legacy is one that continues to be debated today.
Mar 22, 2022
When the United States entered World War I in 1917, President Woodrow Wilson and the government sought to unify American society behind the war effort. To achieve this, Wilson created the Committee on Public Information, an independent agency headed by former investigative journalist George Creel. To successfully influence public opinion in favor of the war, the CPI produced films, commissioned colorful posters, published books and pamphlets, took out advertisements in newspapers and recruited everyday Americans to speak to their communities. This barrage of patriot messaging served to justify American participation in World War I and convinced many who prior to 1917 favored peace to support the war effort.
Creel and the CPI sought to reach every American across multiple media fronts on how that person could contribute to the war effort. One of the most effective methods of transmitting information was through the speeches of the Four Minute Men. The term had a double meaning. Four minutes was the time available to a speaker at movie intermissions because that was the time it took to change a movie reel. “Minute Men” also invoked the patriotic men of the American Revolution who fought against the British. By the time the war ended in 1918, the Four Minute Men are believed to have reached over three hundred million Americans, effectively the entire population of the country at that time.
Another effective mode of propaganda was visual art, particularly the poster. Now iconic images like James Montgomery Flagg’s “Uncle Sam Wants YOU” were created to induce recruitment (versus waiting to be drafted), promote food conservation, illustrate alleged German atrocities and sell war bonds. Over the course of the war, the United States produced more war posters than all other belligerent nations combined.
From 1917 to 1918, George Creel’s Committee on Public Information successfully unified the American people while minimizing the influence of those remaining opposed to the war. After the war, however, the truth behind the CPI was revealed for what it was, a propaganda machine that often disregarded the facts and caused deep anti-German sentiment throughout the country. Even as it represents the origin of modern American wartime propaganda, the CPI’s legacy is one that continues to be debated today.
America Goes to War: From the "How WWI Changed America" Series
Mar 22, 2022
When World War I broke out in Europe in 1914, the United States, led by President Woodrow Wilson, declared its neutrality in the conflict. This was a continuation of government policy dating back to the nineteenth century and one supported by most Americans. The country was also undergoing tremendous economic, agricultural and industrial growth and the opportunities and challenging such change inflicted. At the same time, however, many Americans had European roots; this led to both sympathy for the Allies and the Central Powers but not an overwhelming desire to enter the conflict.
Despite their focus on domestic issues, Americans were gradually influenced by events in Europe. This included Germany’s violation of Belgian neutrality in 1914 and both the real and exaggerated brutality that followed as well as the sinking of the passenger liner Lusitania in May 1915 at the loss of nearly 1200 civilians, including 128 Americans. By 1916, U.S. public opinion stood firmly against Germany and a Preparedness Movement arose that argued in favour of an American military build-up and even entry into World War I. Despite this, there was still no widespread support for the war. Advocates of peace argued for the continuation of American neutrality, a position reflected in Woodrow Wilson’s winning slogan in the 1916 presidential election, “He Kept Us Out of War.”
In early 1917, a series of events finally drew the United States into World War I. On February 1, Germany resumed its policy of unrestricted submarine warfare, suspended after the Lusitania sinking, due to the British navy’s effect on military and civilian supplies. The U.S. responded by breaking diplomatic relations with Germany. Later that month, the British intercepted and decoded a telegram sent from Germany’s Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmerman to its ambassador in Mexico. The message promised to help Mexico recapture territory it had lost to the United States in the Mexican American War (1846–1848) if Mexico joined Germany as an ally. The Zimmermann Telegram (as it came to be called) was published in U.S. newspapers on March 1, further fuelling anti-German sentiment. Finally, the Germans sank five U.S. merchant ships, with the loss of dozens of American lives in March 1917. On April 2, President Wilson delivered a war message to Congress, asking it to declare war on Germany. The Senate granted Wilson’s request two days later, followed by the House of Representatives on April 6. The United States had officially entered World War I.
Mar 22, 2022
When World War I broke out in Europe in 1914, the United States, led by President Woodrow Wilson, declared its neutrality in the conflict. This was a continuation of government policy dating back to the nineteenth century and one supported by most Americans. The country was also undergoing tremendous economic, agricultural and industrial growth and the opportunities and challenging such change inflicted. At the same time, however, many Americans had European roots; this led to both sympathy for the Allies and the Central Powers but not an overwhelming desire to enter the conflict.
Despite their focus on domestic issues, Americans were gradually influenced by events in Europe. This included Germany’s violation of Belgian neutrality in 1914 and both the real and exaggerated brutality that followed as well as the sinking of the passenger liner Lusitania in May 1915 at the loss of nearly 1200 civilians, including 128 Americans. By 1916, U.S. public opinion stood firmly against Germany and a Preparedness Movement arose that argued in favour of an American military build-up and even entry into World War I. Despite this, there was still no widespread support for the war. Advocates of peace argued for the continuation of American neutrality, a position reflected in Woodrow Wilson’s winning slogan in the 1916 presidential election, “He Kept Us Out of War.”
In early 1917, a series of events finally drew the United States into World War I. On February 1, Germany resumed its policy of unrestricted submarine warfare, suspended after the Lusitania sinking, due to the British navy’s effect on military and civilian supplies. The U.S. responded by breaking diplomatic relations with Germany. Later that month, the British intercepted and decoded a telegram sent from Germany’s Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmerman to its ambassador in Mexico. The message promised to help Mexico recapture territory it had lost to the United States in the Mexican American War (1846–1848) if Mexico joined Germany as an ally. The Zimmermann Telegram (as it came to be called) was published in U.S. newspapers on March 1, further fuelling anti-German sentiment. Finally, the Germans sank five U.S. merchant ships, with the loss of dozens of American lives in March 1917. On April 2, President Wilson delivered a war message to Congress, asking it to declare war on Germany. The Senate granted Wilson’s request two days later, followed by the House of Representatives on April 6. The United States had officially entered World War I.
How did WW1 Start? | Causes of the First World War
Imperial War Museums
Imperial War Museums
Feb 3, 2021
How did the First World War begin? By the summer of 1914, Europe was in a crisis. Just a few weeks before, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, had been assassinated in Sarajevo by a Serbian-backed terrorist. Now, the continent’s largest armies were mobilising against each other with new nations joining the fight seemingly every week. The world watched with bated breath as Europe marched to war. So what happened? How did a seemingly irrelevant local conflict in South-East Europe become a World War? And why did Britain decide to get involved?
How did the First World War begin? By the summer of 1914, Europe was in a crisis. Just a few weeks before, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, had been assassinated in Sarajevo by a Serbian-backed terrorist. Now, the continent’s largest armies were mobilising against each other with new nations joining the fight seemingly every week. The world watched with bated breath as Europe marched to war. So what happened? How did a seemingly irrelevant local conflict in South-East Europe become a World War? And why did Britain decide to get involved?
