Chapter 23 sections 1 - 3 HW

How did the Great War change American (USA) internally?

As the textbook mentions, the Great War was a war of firsts for United States. Before the war, the U.S. military was composed of about 200,000 volunteers soldiers with low pay, few equipment, and little experience in combat. When it was certain that the United States was entering the war, the military needed more troops. As a result, Congress passed the Selective Service Act in May 1917, requiring all men from 21 to 30 years of age to register for military service. Also, prior to the war, the U.S. government had upheld the policy of avoiding "entangling alliances" in Europe. However, with President Wilson and General Pershing's decision to let the AEF remain separate from the rest of the Allied armies, the U.S. illustrated its desire to play a greater role in the peacemaking process after the war. This desire might have originated from the nation's interest in enhancing their political, and perhaps economic, influence on the European participants of the war.

Not only did the Great War change American internally in a political and militaristic way, but it also slightly affected how the normal citizens of the U.S. perceived the African Americans. When U.S. first joined the war, African American troops were kept segregated in the military and no blacks had the opportunity to receive an officer training. However, people in the U.S. began to publically protest against this. To the African Americans, this was a significant step towards racial equality.

How did the Great War change the way war was fought, in general?

Before, wars were personal. Combatants physically faced off against their enemies with rifles or handguns, but the Great War changed the way war was fought, making it increasingly impersonal and deadly. Soldiers were able to kill without having to even see the enemy's face. The invention of machine guns, large cannons, and improved flame throwers introduced a new type of combat called trench warfare. Soldiers could no longer charge across open fields because machines guns could easily mow them all down. In addition, with the invention of machine-gun firing airplanes and German zeppelins, the sky became a new battlefield for the Allied and Central powers.