WW1 From the American Perspective | Animated History

Captain Lloyd W Williams can hear the sounds of combat men of the fifth Marine regiment pick their way through Bella Wood newly arrived to reinforce their flagging French and British allies suddenly forms come bursting from the thick Woods the Marines raised their rifles but instead of stalhelmed Germans they find their lines swamped by battered French Infantry as their comrades Retreat through the American line a French Colonel approaches Captain Williams but his English is broken and unintelligible the French officer gives a snorta frustration and pulls a notepad from his kit scribbling a note Captain Williams reads the proffered order before fixing his bayonet uttering six words that will echo through the history of the United States Marine Corps Retreat hell we just got here hi I'm Griffin Johnson the armchair historian George Washington founding father and first president of the United States famously advised the young country not to involve itself in foreign affairs few presidents seemed to take this advice to Heart Like Woodrow Wilson who commented before his inauguration that it would be ironic if his presidency was concerned mainly with matters abroad President Wilson's remarks would prove prophetic as he was the anti-war isolationist who led the United States into the first world war in this video we will examine how the U.S went from a country that simultaneously declared to neutrality but supplied to the Anton to a major partner in the destruction of the Central Powers for military historians it often isn't enough to Simply read about battles soldiers or campaigns if a picture is worth a thousand words then a piece of memorabilia or a prized collectible is worth a whole shelf of books with that in mind I'd like to introduce the sponsor of today's video goat guns the producers of high quality Die Cast miniature scale model Firearms ranging from 4 to 15 inches in length goat guns models are designed to be as accurate as possible to their functional counterparts up to and including authentic wooden finishes and leather shoulder straps this makes designs like the iconic M1 Garand or Thompson submachine gun stand out all the more while little details like detachable magazines moving parts and dummy rounds add a sense of realism that no plastic model could hope to match I was especially thrilled with the models I received ordering is easy and you get a 10 percent discount if you order a bundle of three models and a twenty percent discount when you order 10. support our Channel by clicking the link in the description below and start building your own goat guns collection today safe behind its twin moats of the Atlantic and Pacific the United States watched the development of the first world war with concern when hostilities broke out in July of 1914 American ambassador to France Myron T Herrick advocated taking an active role in mediation expression from our nation would have great weight in this crisis a strong plea for delay and moderation from the president of the United States would meet with the respect and approval of Europe President Wilson called for neutrality on an existential level exhorting all Americans to observe neutrality in thought and indeed to this end the government prohibited American Banks from loaning money to any belligerent Nation an act that the then Secretary of State and noted gold hater William Jennings Bryan hoped would both cement American neutrality and bring the war to a speedy conclusion one cannot fight with an empty War chest after all this fiscal neutrality was not long-lived as President Wilson reversed the decision in 1915 in response to the British Empire indicating their stockpiles of cash were about to run out and thus they could not afford to continue buying American Goods though protesting its neutrality at each turn the United States was all too Keen to do business with the Anton with the metaphorical floodgates opened American creditors sent a veritable tsunami of greenbacks to the British Empire who turned right around and spent that money in the United States but the British were not the only foreign Shoppers in American markets as the German Empire too sought to buy critical supplies from Uncle Sam with the Western Front grinding to a stalemate Germany hired ships from neutral countries to Ferry food and other necessities purchased in the United States to the continent but British Naval Supremacy and their blockade of Germany prevented much of it from getting through the United States formally protested the British blockade in March of 1915 but the issue was quietly resolved in a meeting that saw the United States accept a British prohibition on selling food to Germany when the blockade began impacting American cotton exports and threatening a vital pillar of the economy Britain agreed to increase their cotton purchases to cover the shortfall the upshot of all of this economic backroom dealing was an ostensibly neutral United States bowing to any small pressure from the British Empire to stop selling to Germany between 1914 to 1916 American trade with the German Empire plummeted by an economy shattering 99 percent Germany backed to an economic wall ordered a submarine blockade of Great Britain in retaliation the United States protested declaring this to be a violation of international law this double standard accepting a British blockade of Germany but not a German blockade of Britain was acknowledged and waved Away by President Wilson who claimed that the British Navy did not threaten American lives in the same way that Germany's powerful Fleet of submarines did Wilson was unaware that Germany had only nine submarines with which to enforce its blockade hardly the mammoth threat to American life that he seemed to imagine but the threat was still there as the sinking of the Lusitania on March 7 1915 would throw into sharp relief [Music] foreign the sinking of the RMS Lusitania which killed 128 American citizens was only one in a series of incidents that drove the American people further and further into the antonce camp the American public already displeased at reports of German atrocities in Belgium condemned the apparent sinking of a civilian vessel and a diplomatic back and forth between Washington and Berlin ensued calls to enter the war rang in the halls of the capital stopped only by German promises to scale back their submarine operations America was pacified for now but German Americans began to face Prejudice at home Prejudice that would only intensify as the war progressed doubts of German Americans loyalty would be continuously raised with President Wilson declaring that any man who carries a hyphen with him carries a dagger that he is ready to plunge into the vitals of this Republic when he gets ready a nakedly hostile remark towards the largest non-english speaking group in the United States at the time government stoked and homegrown paranoia escalated into violence with German Americans shot forced from their homes or lynched such as the case of Robert Paul proger a naturalized citizen who was lynched as a spy in April of 1918. this hatred was further stoked by an incredible Act of sabotage as previously mentioned the Anton funneled much money to Yankee businesses including Munitions plants Germany unable to buy American Weaponry thanks to the British blockade began sending spies to find where the Anton was procuring and transporting weapons and munition and to Halt the flow of materiel if possible one such Point of Departure was black Tom Island in New York Harbor and on July 30th 1916 German agents decided to have a little fireworks show igniting over 20 million dollars worth of stockpile Munitions the Germans created one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in human history a Shockwave equivalent to a magnitude 5 earthquake was felt as far away as Philadelphia the Statue of Liberty was damaged and black Tom Island was devastated 110 by 50 meter crater left behind by the blast momentum was steadily building for the United States to enter the war and in a display of military Acumen that would make Von Bismarck proud German planners determined that the best way to keep the United States from entering Wars was to actively Target their merchant shipping and threaten American lives their rationale was simple bringing back unrestricted submarine warfare and sinking every ship headed to Britain American or not would starve the ontant into submission and end the war before the United States could even be moved to intervene American ships were sunk but President Wilson just barely re-elected continued to demur instead proclaiming armed neutrality by ordering American ships to be armed and authorized to fire on any aggressor as their ships were raided and more were lost the American public began clamoring for more than just armed neutrality President Wilson continued to resist but his efforts were ended by the infamous Zimmerman Telegram an order by the German foreign minister to his men in Mexico to court America's Southern neighbor with Promises of recovering territory in Texas Arizona and New Mexico if they would invade the United States for the Central Powers President Wilson faced with all of these pressures asked his cabinet for advice and found a single word on all of his advisors lips both houses of the United States Congress passed resolutions supporting a war on Germany and President Wilson formally requested Congress acknowledge a state of War had been created by Germany's actions rather than declare war outright Congress responded by declaring war outright on April 6 1917. neutrality had ended and it was time to go over there foreign the United States that entered the first world war was far from a military power isolationism had taken its toll on America's Armed Forces leaving President Wilson to call up a minuscule standing army and dust off a Navy of Aging battleships this in a way suited the president just fine as Wilson believed the simple Act of entering the war would tip the balance of power firmly in the favor of the Anton while the British and French clamored for a fight to the Finish Wilson had his gaze fixed firmly on bringing the Germans to the negotiating table and truly making this the war to end all wars with the passage of The Selective Service Act widespread conscription swelled the Americans numbers two million men had volunteered at the outbreak of war and conscription would see 2.8 million more go over there whether volunteers or conscripts Yankee troops began making their way to Europe American troops landed on European Shores in June of 1917. British and French commanders initially viewed the newly arrived Americans as reinforcements they could use to supplement their dwindling numbers some black soldiers including the famous Harlem Hellfighters were folded into the French army for the duration of the war but General John Blackjack Pershing Infamous pacifier of the Philippines and commander of the American expeditionary Force sought to keep his men together in a unified American Army Pershing would largely get his way and the first major engagement fought by the Americans would come the following summer the Battle of continent a German Salient at the Village of continent represented a golden opportunity to Pershing who committed the first Infantry Division better known as The Big Red One to wipe it out this strike would not only consolidate on taunt Lions but Pershing hoped seeing the Americans in action would boost French confidence in their American comrades at 6 45 am on May 28 1918 American infantry Advanced under cover of French artillery French tanks and flamethrower detachments Advanced alongside the Yanks and the combined Force Advanced up these slopes of Continuum despite the help of the French Gunners tankers and air support the Americans were mauled during the uphill battle yet they succeeded in capturing the village German counter-attacks began not long thereafter but the Americans held firm turning back two days of offensives and keeping a firm grip on Contin the Americans accomplished their objective of not only taking the village but also demonstrating that they could be counted on in a scrap that scrap would come at Bello wood a German offensive punched a hole in French lines and the U.S Marines were sent to plug the Gap pushing back the German assault and repelling numerous attempts to reopen the hole from there the Marines assaulted critical German positions in and around Bellow wood taking heavy casualties but accomplishing their objectives it was among the Trees of Bello that Marine lore could be written Captain Williams refusal to retreat has become the motto of the fifth Marines but Bella Wood and continuity were only the Prelude to the largest offensive and American military history to that point from September 26th to November 11th 1.2 million American troops embarked on the Muse argon offensive aimed at capturing the Railhead at Sudan the offensive hit immediate stumbling blocks as the Americans deployed inexperienced units already weakened by the Spanish Flu as the battle dragged on both the Americans and the French sent troops to shore up the line the Anton Spirits would be lifted by an incredible Act of heroism Corporal Alvin York a sharp shooting infantryman from the 82nd infantry now the 82nd Airborne killed 25 and captured 132 Germans a feat that would earn him the Medal of Honor in a bid to break the stalemate The Big Red One assaulted the German stronghold at Cote du ChatOn an imposing position that American Lieutenant General Robert Bullard described thus not a line a net four kilometers deep wire interlaced knee-high and grass wire Tangled devilishly in forests pillboxes in succession one covering another no Foxhole cover for Gunners here but concrete masonry bits of trenches more wire a few light guns defense in depth the mighty first was repulsed by this net but their loss was quickly Avenged by your friend and mine Douglas MacArthur of the 42nd Rainbow division a patchwork of National Guard troops from States from Iowa to Alabama the Guardsmen were able to succeed where the Big Red One failed cracking quotes du chattion and turning the tide of the offensive just in time for the Armistice to be signed on November 11th America would prove as active in peace as they were in the final days of the war President Wilson brought his 14 points to the negotiations at Versailles and pushed for these principles to provide the Bedrock for the post-war World Wilson envisioned A League of Nations that would promote Global Peace and provide a diplomatic alternative to fighting Wilson also sought to impose his peaceableness on Europe as a whole dismantling the Old Colonial system and promoting self-determination for All Peoples across the world but Wilson's ideas were not universally accepted with the previously mentioned Secretary of State Lansing remarking that promoting self-determination would raise hopes which can never be realized and that the phrase is simply loaded with dynamite the British and French were equally skeptical with the French representative only reading Wilson's points when the German delegation requested that they be the basis of the peace talks fearing that the Americans and Germans would conclude a separate piece based on Wilson's ideas the French and British accepted the 14 points as Germany requested Wilson became quite popular for his peacemaking image and his League of Nations was formally established in 1920 but neither the Treaty of Versailles which ended the first world war nor the United States entry into the League of Nations were approved by Congress a sign that isolationism had returned to America's Shores America's war was over for now participation in the war to end all wars brought America onto the world stage in an unprecedented fashion but the Public's desire to return to a quiet isolation dashed any hopes that President Wilson had of his country leading the world into a new era of peace and international cooperation the League of Nations would go on to crumble under the weight of its members indifference to its decisions specifically the open Defiance of the Japanese empire in the 1930s German Americans came out of the war brow beaten into hiding their culture and assimilating while before the war a full quarter of American High School students studied the German language by 1918 only one percent of high schools even had German offered as a class ultimately it would take another world war and a new president to see Lady Liberty take the center stage in world affairs again [Music] [Music] thank you

Channel: The Armchair Historian

Views: 1,667,650

Keywords: Sinking of the lusitania, how did germany feel about america in ww1, the united states in the first world war, american involvement in the great war, battle of cantigny, battle of belleau wood, history of the us marine corps, the harlem hellfighters, united states ww1 1918, Woodrow Wilson, Zimmermann Telegram

Id: IDS6yEasqKE

Length: 19min 41sec (1181 seconds)

Published: Sat Oct 15 2022