American Propaganda and the Suppression of Dissent in World War I

Even though it is believed that World War I was initialized by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, others believe that there were a number of issues that played into the start of the war. There are said to be four areas that played into the cause of World War I, including the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the other three are imperialism, militarism, and nationalism. In this paper, we will discuss all of these areas to see how they played a part. We will also discuss what events drew the United States into World War I.

World War I, also known as the first World War, or the Great War, was a global war originating in Europe the began on the 28th of July 1914 and lasted until the 11th of November 1918. World War I was a war that was fought between two sides with a few of the World’s greatest Nations of that time. The two sides were Triple Entente which included Britain, France, and Russia, and the Triple Alliance which was consisted of the countries Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. World War I left a mark on history as we know it, what could have possibly led to that war?, What were the underlying causes of World War I?. The major causes of “The Great War” or WWI consist of four long-term causes and one short-term cause. The common acronym that’s used for the four long-term causes to help students remember the causes of WWI is M.A.I.N; the acronym stands for Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, and Nationalism,and the short-term cause The Assassination of the ArchDuke Franz Ferdinand at Sarajevo on the 28th of June 1914. To put all of this in a simpler way the five major causes of WWI was Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism, and the assassination of the ArchDuke Franz Ferdinand. Each of topics played a significant role in the reasons why WWI would begin.

While the war raged on into 1916, the United States transitioned from a “debtors nation” into a “creditors nation”. Between 1913 and 1916 American exports rose from 2 billion dollars annually to 6 billion. (Zieger, 16) While it was clear that the Allies were greatly indebted to the United States Wilson saw the opportunity to the U.S. influence to provoke peace between the warring nations. As American sentiment began rising about expanding an American army, most Americans believed that the United States had a responsibility to bring both sides together and resolve the war.

In this essay I will be outlining the key points in why the First World War broke out in 19 14. Many people tend to say "Because Archduke Ferdinand got shot." Still others have blamed it on the increased independence and Imperialism in Hungary to Russia’s growing military. If I had to answer the question myself, the answer would be all of the above, and more. The events from June of 1914 through August of 1914 can be described as one thing leading to another.

Even today, the causes of World War one is still being debated and the great war started 96 years ago and ended 92 years ago. Yet today after so much time the main cause of the war still remains unexposed to this day. What triggered the whole war was the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie of Austria-Hungary on June 28th 1914 by The Black Hand. The assassination happened because of feelings toward the Serbians. The Archduke and his wife were on a parade route in their car during their visit to Sarajevo. Many assassins were lined up to take the kill of the Archduke but all failed, there was one young assassin named Gavrilo

Through his employment of propaganda, President Wilson was able to: 1. Convince the American people to join the ranks, 2. Persuade Americans into accepting rations for food, 3. Involve women in the war effort, and 4. Sway Americans into buying government bonds (liberty bonds) to fund the war. We will discuss four main propaganda posters, which depict these four main themes of President Wilson’s push for war. In the end, President Wilson’s use of propaganda was ironically able to change the popular American opinion and convince them to support World War I.

As advancements constructed and alliances formed, imperialism, nationalism, and militarism was able to involve numerous powers of the world. Not only making World War 1 so profound in history for decades to come, but leaving a lasting effect on all generations. Soon after learning about the assassination of the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914 by a Serbian terrorist group known as the Black Hand a strong sense of nationalism stormed in through many countries. Document 6 stated, “This war is determined by our obligation to our traditions and the world of culture.”

World War II had a great toll on the nation’s economy. It hurt many Americans, and a lot of them had to leave their education to serve as soldiers and sailors. The war used many of the already shorted resources, and with a lot of the men who ran farms, bakeries, and meat providers being taken into war, this led to a shortage of cash flow and resources. During WWII Roosevelt talked over the matter with President George F. Zook and other leaders of the American Council of Education. He believed the federal government had a responsibility and an important role in helping returning veterans get an education. Several Bills branched off the GI Bill including a Vocational Rehabilitation Bill. This bill provided federal funds to retrain and rehabilitate veterans who had been disabled in the civilian defense industry. In a quote from history.com, “In his speech at the signing of the bill, Roosevelt acknowledged the sacrifices of

During the 1910s President Woodrow Wilson tried his hardest to make sure America did not enter World War I, but once the he declared war the country had to prepare for the war by mobilizing. To help do this Wilson created multiple agencies like National War Labor Board. This agencies helped the workers during this wartime to have less working hours and higher wages. These workers were

The war caused a serious change in economic and social patterns. Industry responded to the military’s needs. The Ford assembly plant in Richmond changed its focus to building Sherman Tanks. The Richmond Shipyards built more ships during the war than any time("Everyday). Economically, the war effectively ended the Great Depression. Military spending gave the U.S. economy the boost it had desperately needed. It effectively ended the Great Depression (Winkler). A large network of wartime agencies was developed to coordinate war production. FDR wasn 't for closing agencies or firing people who worked for him, so he created one agency after another, which caused competition. This helped fuel the war effort (Winkler). Citizens bought billions of dollars worth of bonds to help ease the cost of war. They saved supplies, such as rubber and metal, to be recycled into military materials(Winkler).

World War 11 was not only a test of American might, engineering, fortitude, and patriotism. WW11 was very expensive. The government has chosen to borrow money from Americans. Series E Defense Bonds purchase was $18.75, $0.25 was for those who couldn’t offered the entire bond. The ten cent stamps were sold that could be collected in the treasury department. The advertising for War Bonds was remarkable. Troops were held present both local and national celebrities. The Four Freedoms was shown for tour, and has raised $132 million dollars. Bond booths were set up in hotel and movie theater lobbies. Staffed by 561 volunteers. Radios had the power to send a message about the war finance and committee. War Advertising Council has made the most of

In terms of the economy, the war helped to end the Great Depression. Military spending that began in 1940 to bolster the defense effort gave the nation’s economy the boost it needed, and millions of unemployed Americans returned to work to make the weapons of war needed to protect the United States. Mobilization required enormous organizational adjustments. The nation worked closely with businessmen, specifically business leaders who had incurred the wrath of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the

While there is never just a single event that has led to the start of a world war, or any other serious war, there is often one thing that triggers long lived tensions and thus war ensues. Such was the case in WWI with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. There were many tensions that existed prior to his assassination, but it was his assassination which triggered the war, his assassination that served as an excuse, and perhaps the last straw, so to speak, which led to the First World War. The following paper examines the assassination of Franz Ferdinand and its relationship to the start of WWI.

Throughout history there has been competition for resources and domination. This competition has led to conflicts that have caused destruction, social disruptions and death. World War I was no exception to this competition. World War I was known as the war to end all wars and was caused by a combination of factors. Some causes of World War I was nationalism, imperialism, militarism, and the main cause which was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Gavrilo Princip of Serbia. While the United States attempted to remain neutral and stay out of the war, Germany choose actions that gave the U.S. no choice but to enter and help their Allies defeat the other powers.

In passing this act, Congress ensured the Allies what they desperately needed: enough troops to defeat the Central Powers (1). Neutrality and preparedness in World War II were approached in similar and differing ways. In the Second World War, neutrality was left to Congress to proclaim with its various Neutrality Acts from 1935-1939. In 1935, Congress hoped to isolate the U.S, thereby, preventing U.S interference or assistance overseas (8). By 1939, however, Congress would be less restrictive and allow for the selling of munitions to nations at war in exchange for cash. These nations would be forced to retrieve the goods, ensuring that no U.S ships could be sunk by U-boats and thus causing U.S entry into the war (class notes 1/2/12). Despite these efforts to remain neutral, it seemed that America would be entering the war soon, therefore, the Selective Training and Service Act was passed in 1940 drafting men ages 21-35, and later requiring all men ages 18-65 to register (1). Also in preparing for the war the Military Industrial Congressional Complex was formed. An economic and administrative method for the production and use of weapons, this group helped to further enhance the army. Thirty six billion dollars were given to the War Department through this system (6). Congress also made an effort to aid allies overseas as it had in World War I. In passing the Lend-Lease Act of 1941, Britain was able to obtain the supplies it needed to fight (7). Congress at