American History 2--HIST 2112 (OER): Chapter 21: World War I and Its Aftermath

World War I (“The Great War”) toppled empires, created new nations, and sparked tensions that would explode across future years. On the battlefield, its gruesome modern weaponry wrecked an entire generation of young men. The United States entered the conflict in 1917 and was never the same. The war heralded to the world the United States’ potential as a global military power, and, domestically, it advanced but then beat back American progressivism by unleashing vicious waves of repression. The war simultaneously stoked national pride and fueled disenchantments that burst Progressive Era hopes for the modern world. And it laid the groundwork for a global depression, a second world war, and an entire history of national, religious, and cultural conflict around the globe. Read more from Chapter 21 of the YAWP.

Questions to be thinking about as you move through the content of this chapter

1. What factors brought on the Great War?
2. What factors provoked the U. S. to enter the war?
3. What was the significance of the Russian Revolution?
4. Characterize the changes the Versailles Treaty brought to Europe.
5. What was the significance of the Sykes-Picot Agreement?
6. In what ways did World War I pose a challenge to American civil liberties?