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Period: to
Mexican Revolution
- Led by Carranza and other revolutionary leaders
- People: Lost of 900,000 inhabitants in Mexico (plague, famine, emigrate), 100,000 people in army, consume 60% of budget Physical damage on Mexico: Railroads were bankrupt, 1,000/20,000 mi of telegraph wire destroyed, 50% of estate were wasted $1 billion of foreign debt
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Period: to
World War I
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Demand for demilitarized zone
- Brazil called for demilitarized zone (area with no troops or military installations) around South America
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Canada join WWI
- Canadian parliament sent 25,000 troops with an appropriation (money allocated for a specific purpose) of $50 million for war efforts
- Later sends 32,000 Canadians volunteered to fight
- Support from both English and French Canadians
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Declaration of Neutralty
Wilson declared US neutrality -
Wartime Measure Act
- Suspend civil liberties in interest of war (censorship, suppression)
- Equivilent to US Sedition Act
- Suppress anti-war sentiment
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Canadian Patriotic Fund
- Preserve economic status of families of those who volunteered to fight
- Accused of meddling with people’s lives, seen as interfering in lifestyle
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Borden promised to not have compulsion or conscription
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Unrestricted submarine warfare
- Germany declared British water as a war zone, sank any ship
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RMS Lusitania sink
Unrestricted submarine warfare
128 dead Americans -
War Purchasing Committee
Oversee all contracts for war supplies except munition -
Pan-American financial conference
- Pan-American financial conference organized by William McAdoo (US Treasury Secretary): discuss economic and financial dislocations
- EU flow cut, US market open for trade → LA delegates distrusted US motives
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1st issue of Victory Bonds
1st issue of Victory Bonds raised $100 million (persuaded by telling people the money goes directly to relief)
- Followed by 4 other very successful issues (till 1917) -
The Imperial Munitions Board
- 289,000 employees - largest employer in Canada
- Produced ⅓ of shells fired by Allies in Western Front
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First Nations (aboriginal Canadians) and blacks were recruited
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Loosen unrestricted submarine warfare activity
- Germany promise to evacuate capital ships before sinking them
- Hoped that Britain would relax blockade ⇒ Britain did not
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Brazilian vessel Rio Branco sunk
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Battle of the Sommes
- Lasted till Nov 18, 1916
- Over 1 million casualties from both sides
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Black Tom’s munition plant
Attack from German-Americans
Exploded in Jersey City Harbour
$20 million worth of damage -
US Presidential elections: Woodrow Wilson reelected
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UK Prime Minister empower dominions
- David Lloyd George became British Prime Minister, agreed to give dominions more say in running the war
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New Constitution, Article 27
- New constitution under Carranza
- Article 27: Foreigners could not buy Mexican land unless they were prepared to accept Mexican law, subsoil deposits belonged to Mexican government (taxed)
- Response to foreign interest in mining and oil interest
- Consequence: US restrict its imports to Mexico
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Zimmerman telegram
German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmermann sent telegram to Mexico Heinrich von Eckhart about possible alliance, Britain tells US in Feb -
Unrestricted submarine warfare resumed
- British did not loosen blockade
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US broke diplomatic relations with Germany
7 ships with US citizens sunk after the breach -
Imperial War Cabinet
- Sprin 1917 (no pres date)
- Allow dominion to have a say in the war
- Still UK making most of the decisions, most dominions could not make it to conferences
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The Parana sunk
- Brazil had sizeable merchant fleet that suffered due to damages of unrestricted submarine warfare.
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US declare war on Central Powers
End of neutrality
Wilson could not keep the US out of the war < power of Congress -
Committees on Public Information
- Goal: unite Americans before the war, led by journalist George Creel
- “Four Minute Men” - 75,000 speakers, tried to convince people that the war was a crusade for freedom (verbally attack anyone who disagreed)
- Anti-German propaganda ⇒ depict Germans as barbarians
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Creation of Union Party
- Conservative and liberal Borden supporters
- Anyone against Laurier
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South American Conference
- Irigoyen called for all South American states to convene in order to discuss of continent-wide neutrality. He believed the war was an opportunity to extend its power in Latin America. This was a deliberate snub towards the US
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Espionage Act
- Fines up to $10,000 and 20 yrs in jail for people suspected of supporting the enemy
- Silence Americans against the war, written works deemed seditious would be stopped
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Massive strikes
- Massive strikes bring Sao Paulo to a halt, workers successful in better wages and working hours. Civil unrest result of crippling inflation.
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War Industries Board
Wilson created War Industries Board to coordinates tasks of finance and supplies -
Lever Food and Fuel Control Act
Allow Hoover to set wheat prices at $2.20 per bushel - encourage production (towards farmers, high prices = more revenue) -
Military Service Act
Maintain Canada’s rights to be involved in decision-making in Imperial War Cabinet (needed a certain amount of troops) -
German offensive letter towards Argentine leaders leaked
- Letter from the German Minister in Buenos Aires was intercepted and published in US newspapers. This insulted many Argentine leaders calling them “pompous ass”, and insinuating that Argentine ships should either be completely left alone or “sunk without a trace” → this meant all survivors could be machine gunned to death so there would be no witness of the sinking and no blame towards Germany.
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Wartime Election Act
- Act for Borden to win votes
- Give women with relatives in war right to vote
- Took away right to vote from immigrants from Central Powers who came after 1902
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Military Voters Act
- Act to Borden to gain votes
- All military personnel (including nurses) allowed to vote
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Brazil declare war on Germany
- Brazil declares war on Germany because another ship the Macau being sunk. Was fed up with submarine Warfare.
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1916-postponed presidential elections
- Postponed elections were supposed to be in 1916
- Borden's acts influence/manipulate 25% votes - winner
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International Committee of Bankers on Mexico
- Senior Morgan partner Thomas Lamont assumed the position of chairman of the International Committee of Bankers on Mexico, which was formed to help Mexico repay its external debt obligations.
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Prohibition
Desire to not waste resources such as grains -
Borden abolish all exemptions from conscription
- Response to major German offensive
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National War Labor Board
Set wages and standards of employment during war -
Sedition Act
- List of 8 precise criminal offences to government to prevent the spread of anti-war sentiment
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Period: to
Post-war
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Tragic week
- Lowest point on the post-war industrial unrest
- Jan 3rd- British owned Vasena strikers became violent when they fired on police. Jan 7th- battled with the police again and lost 5 of their members. Jan 9th- at the funerals there were riots and attacks on property throughout the city
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Peace Conference - Paris, Versaille
- British dominions gained more power
- Wilson (US) propose 14 points and League of Nations
