United States History from 1877
to the Present Day
An Online United States History Course
Imperialism, The Spanish-American War & World War I
Political Cartoon" Teddy Roosevelt "Pulling" The Great White Fleet
Interactive Imperialism & World War I Vocabulary Link to Page
The Spanish American War
The U. S. S. Maine was destroyed in the Havana Harbor in 1993. Although an accident, the newspapers blame it on water mines they claim were set by the Spanish Navy. Americans shout, "Remember the Maine" and head into battle with a rogue army. Most casualties will come from the heat, malaria, and food poisoning. Little fighting is seen. The U. S. entered into a conflict with not only Cuba, but Puerto Rico and the Philippine Islands.
World War I
World War I
World War I was born form age old alliances and grievances that had spanned centuries. Europe had been invaded many times. The invasions displaced people and changed boundaries. In the 1800’s a strong sense of nationalism and militarism brought about conflicts as leaders tried to consolidate people who spoke the same language. This was further conflicted because of imperialism that was taking place in the 1800’s and 1900’s. As leaders read about classical Egypt, Greece, and Rome, they believed that a nation could not be great without acquiring lands and materials from abroad.
This was coupled with countries such as Germany and Japan who were land locked and needed to expand. Germany needed a warm water port that could be accessible throughout the year. Japan needed to feed its people as the islands became overpopulated and they searched in Korea and China for food and mineral resources.
Many start the war with Gavrilo Princip killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand in June of 1914, but in reality conflicts had been brewing conservatively since 1910. The Balkan states had already been quite volatile. Long before the death of the archduke the war was festering.
World War I was fought in full force from 1914 to 1918. It involved several things that made it a world war. At the time period people named it the Great War, but after a second world conflict in 1939, it became known as the First World War.
Most of the fighting took place in Europe, mainly around the Belgium, French and German boarders in the trenches. Trenches were ditches dug to seclude men from being shot on the very open field with offered no protection. Trenches were horrid places with few human comforts. They also filled with rain water and had no waste treatment. Dead bodies could not be buried because the grave digger would face being killed before the task was complete.
It is easy to see why World War II was named a world war, but why World War I? In world war II Japan, Germany, Austria, Turkey, North Africa, and even parts of South America were fighting. Some say that the First world conflict was simply Europe's war. Others say , that we have had at least six world conflicts, including the Seven Years War and even the French Revolution as world wars.
The First World War did see global actions. (LINK) The Belligerents, or fighting forces, brought with them all the allied troop strength from other nations even if those nations opposed fighting.
America Becomes a World Power
National pride, a need for military bases, the necessity of coaling stops for the steam ship trade, and the desire for exotic goods brought the world and the United States to engage in a land grab for more territory. Pineapples, bananas, coffee, chocolate, and cheap labor were the gain. It became a reason to go to war with Spain in the 1890's over Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. It became a direct cause of World War I.
Part of the Great White Fleet that sailed for the United States in the late 1800's
Hearst, Pulitzer, and Yellow Journalism
William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer were two of the best known names in the newspaper industry at the turn to the 1900’s. The newspaper business was huge in the time period. No other mass media existed at the time except books and magazines. People did not have internet and phones were highly primitive by today’s standards. Movies were just beginning. Even when movie theaters start to show the current news events, they are weeks old by the time the film reaches the theater.
Hearst and Pulitzer were engaged in heavy competition to gain more subscribes and sell more newspapers. Thousands of newspapers were located in cities, towns, and even rural markets. As a result, reporters were urged to get the best stories, interview victims and criminals, and cover wars and conflicts around the world. Because of the pressure to write the best and most interesting stories, reporters often made-up events and took pictures that were posed with paid actress portraying victims and loved ones. This was called “yellow journalism.” The color yellow comes from the very popular comic strip in the newspapers titled, The Yellow Kid. The newspaper that won the rights to print it in their paper would have guaranteed success in selling more papers than competitors who did not carry the strip.
“You furnish the pictures, and I’ll furnish the war.” This quote is attributed to William Randolph Hearst in
James Creelman's book, On the Great Highway: The Wanderings and Adventures of a Special Correspondent (Boston: Lothrop, 1901), 178, which is said to have been the directions given to photographer, artist, and western sculptor Frederic Remington.
Europe including Russia, the Middle East, and other regions were the main areas where nations clashed. The Central Powers of Germany, Austria and The ottoman Turks (Turkish Empire) and Japan, as well as some smaller countries were fighting against the Allied nations of France, Great Britain, Russia, and later the United States. Some several smaller countries also aided the Allied Powers. Italy was first allied with the Central Powers, but later changed to the Allied side of the war.
Russia was fighting against Germany on the eastern side of Europe, but because of civil war was forced out of the main conflict to deal with the Bolsheviks and then the Communist Revolution about a year later.
New Weapons such as automatic weapons, planes, blimps, submarines, and artillery guns made the war more bloody and destructive. The time it took to make it to a hospital was lengthy. Even if the soldier could make it to the hospital, he would most likely loos arms and legs and more.
Conditions were not sanitary and safe even in the hospitals.
Possibly the most devastating features of the war was gas weapons. Gas could be anything from irritating to deadly. Gas could not be controlled and could kill friendly troops and civilians alike. Gas canisters were often left or became buried to be dug up later and explode like a bomb. Years after the end of the war, farmers were uncovering gas canisters on their farms.
