Deck 23: Americans in the Great War, 1914-1920

Question 1

Which of the following beliefs is part of the body of ideas known as Wilsonianism?

A) Empires must be dismantled in keeping with the principle of self-determination.
B) Democratic nations should build more arms to demonstrate their resolve against autocracy.
C) Each nation must protect its own domestic markets through tariff laws.
D) Secret agreements among nations are often necessary when national security is involved.

Answer 1

Empires must be dismantled in keeping with the principle of self-determination.

Question 2

What was President Wilson's response to the news that the First World War had broken out in Europe?

A) He warned the public that a German victory would imperil United States security.
B) He issued a proclamation of neutrality and asked Americans to refrain from taking sides.
C) He privately told the warring powers that America would remain neutral but said nothing publicly.
D) He secretly told American business leaders that he would not restrict their sales to the warring powers.

Answer 2

He issued a proclamation of neutrality and asked Americans to refrain from taking sides.

Question 3

American officials took the Zimmermann telegram seriously because

A) it raised the possibility that German agents might be allowed to operate out of Mexico to propagandize against the United States and even sabotage American properties.
B) Mexico had a large and well-equipped army.
C) intelligence information revealed that high-ranking Mexican officials had encouraged the sending of mail bombs to United States congressmen.
D) Mexican Americans had recently tried to overthrow the governments of several southwestern states.

Answer 3

it raised the possibility that German agents might be allowed to operate out of Mexico to propagandize against the United States and even sabotage American properties.

Question 4

In the most general sense, President Wilson decided in favor of American entry into the First World War for which of the following reasons?

A) The German-Mexican alliance threatened the security of the United States.
B) American munitions manufacturers pushed him in that direction.
C) He wanted a peace fashioned in accordance with Wilsonian, and thus American, ideals.
D) He wanted to acquire a colonial empire for the United States.

Question 5

In the early years of the First World War, it was difficult for America to remain neutral because

A) the United States had strong economic ties to the Allies.
B) most Americans felt the United States should enter the war at once.
C) many Wilson administration officials held pro-German sympathies.
D) Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan was decidedly pro-British.

Question 6

The Wilson administration came to see American exports to the Allies as

A) a contradiction of American ideals.
B) necessary to the economic well-being of the United States.
C) illegal under international law.
D) evidence of the immorality of American business interests.

Question 7

The typical American soldier in the First World War was

A) married with children.
B) an African American.
C) a high-school graduate.
D) a draftee in his early- to mid-twenties.

Question 8

Which of the following is true of African Americans during the First World War?

A) They were usually assigned to menial labor.
B) They served alongside whites in integrated units.
C) They generally opposed fighting in a white man's war.
D) They were excluded from the draft.

Question 9

Which of the following statements best expresses President Wilson's belief about America's place in the world?

A) America has an obligation to end intolerance, racism, and bigotry within its society.
B) America has a mission to end poverty, homelessness, and unemployment within its society.
C) America has a mission to lead the world into a new era of peace based on open diplomacy, free trade, and democratic politics.
D) America has a duty to help other nations find the economic and political systems best suited to their cultures.

Question 10

Which of the following was the immediate cause of President Wilson's decision to ask for a declaration of war against Germany?

A) Pancho Villa's raid against an American town close to the Mexican border
B) The signing of a formal military alliance by Germany and Mexico
C) The initiation of terrorist acts by Germans living in the United States
D) The sinking of several American ships after Germany's decision to engage in unrestricted submarine warfare

Question 11

President Wilson responded to the defeat of his armed-ship bill by

A) demanding that the antiwar senators responsible for its defeat be censured by the Senate.
B) ordering naval escorts for American commercial ships in the Atlantic.
C) arming American commercial vessels anyway.
D) immediately drafting a declaration of war to present to Congress.

Question 12

The American sale of contraband to Great Britain during the First World War was

A) required under America's treaty obligations to Britain.
B) justified under international law.
C) contrary to custom.
D) no greater than the sale of contraband to Germany.

Question 13

Which of the following events was the immediate cause of Great Britain's entry into the First World War?

A) The Austro-Hungarian invasion of France
B) The mobilization of the Russian army
C) The German invasion of Belgium
D) The declaration of war against Serbia by Austria-Hungary

Question 14

Which was the first woman to sit in Congress and vote against a declaration of war against Germany?

A) Jane Addams
B) Carrie Chapman Catt
C) Jeannette Rankin
D) Ida Tarbell

Question 15

This corporate giant sent a "peace ship" to Europe to propagandize for a negotiated settlement in the First World War.

A) Andrew Carnegie
B) Henry Ford
C) J. P. Morgan
D) John D. Rockefeller

Question 16

The German government decided to engage in unrestricted submarine warfare for which of the following reasons?

A) The German government wanted to lure America into the war.
B) German spies had incorrectly advised the German government that the United States was mobilizing for war.
C) President Wilson had ordered armed American merchant ships to fire on sight at German ships.
D) By preventing Allied supply shipments to Great Britain, the German government believed it could win the war before American mobilization.

Question 17

Which of the following caused the Wilson administration to break diplomatic relations with Germany?

A) The sinking of the Sussex
B) The decision by the German government to engage in unrestricted submarine warfare
C) A request from the British prime minister
D) The Zimmermann telegram

Question 18

Which of the following events touched off the First World War?

A) The seizure of Shandong by Japan
B) The assassination of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne
C) The revelation of the secret German war plan against France
D) The exposure of Russian Czar Nicholas II's affair with his German chambermaid

Question 19

During the first years of the First World War, President Wilson and many officials within his administration

A) began to lobby foreign governments for the creation of the League of Nations.
B) pressured Congress to pass a resolution supporting the Allies.
C) held anti-German views, which often translated into pro-Allied policies and weakened America's official stance as a neutral nation.
D) secretly entered into a military alliance with Great Britain while publicly proclaiming America's neutrality.

Question 20

President Wilson responded to the sinking of the Lusitania by

A) calling on the German government to cease submarine warfare.
B) breaking diplomatic relations with Germany.
C) stopping Americans from traveling on belligerent ships.
D) demanding that passenger vessels be prohibited from carrying war goods.

Question 21

Which of the following contributed to the Red Scare that followed the First World War?

A) A wave of postwar strikes
B) Protests on college campuses
C) The discovery of Communist agents within the government
D) The dramatic growth of the Communist Labor Party

Question 22

At one point during the First World War, the French prime minister

A) threatened to make Paris off-limits to American soldiers.
B) ordered a free bottle of champagne for every American soldier in France.
C) personally ordered the arrest of Americans found to have engaged in sexual misconduct with French women.
D) offered licensed, health-inspected prostitutes to the American army.

Question 23

At the time of the Red Scare, the American left

A) had virtually taken over the American Federation of Labor.
B) was becoming highly organized.
C) was part of a well-planned conspiracy to overthrow the United States government.
D) was badly splintered.

Question 24

Which of the following is true of the Revenue Act of 1916?

A) It increased the tax on munitions manufacturers.
B) It increased the tax on low incomes.
C) It reduced federal taxes on large estates.
D) It reduced the tax on corporate profits.

Question 25

Which of the following is true of American women during the First World War?

A) Unemployment among women increased significantly during the war years.
B) Working women found that sex-segregated occupations were a thing of the past.
C) A significant number of women moved into jobs that had previously been reserved for men.
D) Many working women left the labor market altogether in response to criticism that they were denying jobs to men.

Question 26

Which of the following is accurate concerning organized labor during the First World War?

A) The leadership of the AFL supported the war effort and promised to deter strikes.
B) The government actively aided organized labor to ensure that workers received their fair share from excess corporate profits.
C) Union membership declined dramatically after the War Industries Board labeled organized labor as subversive.
D) The National War Labor Board encouraged management to crush existing unions and prevent the emergence of new unions.

Question 27

Which of the following is true of Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer?

A) He strongly encouraged Wilson to resign the presidency after his stroke.
B) He sought to achieve equal rights and opportunities for African Americans during the war.
C) In the "Palmer raids" of 1920, he disregarded basic civil liberties.
D) He instituted suits against corporations that had made excessive profits on war contracts.

Question 28

How did the federal government raise most of the money for the war effort during the First World War?

A) By raising tariff rates
B) By raising income taxes
C) By imposing a national sales tax
D) By borrowing

Question 29

Which of the following is true of American agriculture during the First World War?

A) The trend toward mechanization came to a virtual halt.
B) Farmers were forced to reduce acreage to stabilize prices.
C) Farmers sank deeper and deeper into debt.
D) Gross farm income increased dramatically.

Question 30

In mobilizing the economy for the war effort, the government

A) instituted a wage and price freeze to protect consumers.
B) rigidly enforced antitrust laws.
C) insisted on annual cost-of-living wage increases for workers in war-related industries.
D) virtually abandoned competitive bidding.

Question 31

President Wilson sent thousands of troops to Russia in 1918 to

A) subvert the new Russian Bolshevik government.
B) act as a peacekeeping force in the Russian civil war.
C) aid the new Russian government against Japanese aggression.
D) counter Russian aggression against Hungary and Czechoslovakia.

Question 32

Which of the following statements is most consistent with the Supreme Court's ruling in Schenck v. U.S.?

A) The government's seizure and operation of the railroad industry is a constitutional use of its wartime powers.
B) The government's prohibition of the manufacture and sale of distilled liquor is a constitutional use of its wartime powers.
C) The government can restrict the First Amendment right to free speech in time of war.
D) The government has the power to compel young men to serve in the armed forces during time of war.

Question 33

The purpose of the Committee on Public Information was to

A) make sure that information disseminated about the war was accurate.
B) recruit volunteers for the American armed services.
C) shape and mobilize public opinion in support of the war effort.
D) delete classified information from news reports about the war.

Question 34

Which of the following was a consequence of the northward migration of African Americans during the First World War?

A) Segregation was eliminated in the North.
B) African Americans sought and gained appointment to high political positions.
C) Northern resentment led to numerous race riots in northern cities.
D) The South suffered severe economic dislocation.

Question 35

The military outcome of the First World War was decided by which of the following?

A) The Bolshevik Revolution in Russia
B) The influx of American men and material into Europe
C) The strategic bombing of German factories
D) The destroyer campaign against German submarines

Question 36

Which of the following statements is accurate concerning the steelworkers' strike in 1919?

A) The strike was an attempt by Samuel Gompers to call in the debt he felt President Wilson owed him.
B) The workers were reacting to appeals from nonunion radicals who advocated a workers' revolution.
C) The strike was an indication of Communist influence within union leadership.
D) The workers were attempting to gain the right to collective bargaining, a shorter workday, and better wages.

Question 37

The War Industries Board was created for which of the following reasons?

A) It was meant to serve as a clearing-house to coordinate the national economy during wartime.
B) It acted as an employment agency to direct workers into war-related industries.
C) It was meant to oversee American corporations to make sure they did not violate antitrust laws.
D) It was meant to oversee and coordinate the work of corporations and universities engaged in weapons research and development.

Question 38

In the Balfour Declaration, Great Britain

A) received what became Lebanon and Syria.
B) pledged to create a homeland for the Jewish people in Palestine without prejudice to the rights of existing non-Jewish communities.
C) pledged to give independence to India and British colonies in Africa.
D) assumed responsibility for governing all of the former Ottoman Empire's provinces in northern Africa and the Middle East.

Question 39

Which of the following is true of the 1918 congressional elections?

A) The results greatly enhanced the possibility that the Senate would accept a peace based on Wilsonian principles.
B) The results clearly indicated the voting public's approval of Wilson's Fourteen Points.
C) Republicans gained control of both houses of Congress shortly before Wilson's departure for the Paris Peace Conference.
D) Because of significant Republican gains in both the House and the Senate, Wilson was practically forced to invite Republican congressional leaders to accompany him to Paris.

Question 40

W. E. B. Du Bois and the leadership of the NAACP supported the war against Germany for which of the following reasons?

A) The Wilson administration pledged that if they did so, America's armed forces would be racially integrated.
B) They were afraid they would be arrested under the Sedition Act if they did not publicly support the war.
C) They did so after a promise from the Joint Chiefs of Staff that African Americans would have equal access to the officer class in all branches of the armed forces.
D) They hoped their support of the war and their demonstration of patriotism would help African Americans in their quest for equality in the United States.

Question 41

Taking all things into consideration, which of the following is the most important reason for the Senate's defeat of the Treaty of Versailles and United States membership in the League of Nations?

A) Wilson was unable to lobby effectively for the treaty because of his stroke and subsequent incapacitation.
B) Americans were unwilling to abandon the nation's traditional attachment to nonalignment and freedom of choice in international affairs.
C) Wilson's refusal to compromise with his opponents in the Senate doomed the treaty.
D) The treaty was condemned to defeat because of the bitter personal feud between Wilson and Senator Henry Cabot Lodge.

Question 42

Which of the following was a consequence of the First World War?

A) Wartime experiences left the American people united.
B) The government's wartime policies nourished the trend toward bigness in American industry.
C) Wartime experiences brought a renewed commitment to progressivism after the war.
D) Decolonization placed America at a disadvantage in the competition for foreign markets.

Question 43

As a result of the Paris Peace Conference at the Versailles palace, the Allies

A) applied the principle of self-determination to all former colonial empires.
B) established free trade among all of the world's industrialized nations.
C) accepted Wilson's arguments in favor of a small indemnity against Germany.
D) created a chain of pro-Western buffer states around Russia.

Question 44

Which of the following did Wilson believe to be the most important part of the League Covenant?

A) The agreement to outlaw war
B) The provision for collective security
C) The council of five permanent members
D) The World Court

Question 45

The "Irreconcilables" was a group of

A) Democrats who agreed to a set of compromises to prevent the Senate from rejecting the Treaty of Versailles.
B) career diplomats who conducted a nationwide speaking tour to rally public support behind the Treaty of Versailles.
C) senators who were determined to defeat the Treaty of Versailles with or without the Lodge reservations.
D) Wilson administration officials who were determined to prevent any concessions to opponents of the Treaty of Versailles.

Question 46

Which of the following was one of the Lodge reservations to the Treaty of Versailles?

A) The provision affirming the racial equality of all people should be stricken from the treaty and from the League Covenant.
B) Any American obligation to use armed force to ensure collective security should require congressional approval.
C) The League of Nations should not have jurisdiction over the domestic matters of any member state.
D) The Monroe Doctrine should be exempt from the jurisdiction of the League of Nations.