Houghton Mifflin Social Studies
Lesson at a Glance Outline

Chapter 18, Lesson 4: Impact of the War (pp. 547-553)

I. War at Home

II. The Treaty of Versailles

    A. President Wilson's plan for peace, known as the Fourteen Points, called for respecting all nations' boundaries and resolving conflicts peacefully, through the new League of Nations .

    B. The European Allies did not support Wilson's ideals but instead established the Treaty of Versailles, which punished Germany by taking German land and forcing Germans to pay reparations.

    C. The German government signed the treaty, but the German people never accepted it and suffered economically under its conditions.

III. Retreating from World Affairs
    A. Wilson believed the League of Nations would make up for the harsh terms placed on Germany and cut down on the risk of war.

    B. Fearing future involvement in foreign wars, Republican senators blocked ratification of the treaty and U.S. membership in the League of Nations.

    C. Many Americans believed isolationism would keep the United States safe from international conflicts.

IV. The Aftermath of War
    A. After the war, people whose race, religion, or political beliefs differed from the mainstream became targets for attack.

    B. Many factory workers and other laborers struck for higher wages, shorter hours, and safer working conditions.

    C. Determined to prevent blacks from keeping their war-time economic gains, many whites attacked blacks in riots and lynchings.

    D. During the Red Scare, the Justice Department unfairly arrested thousands of Americans who were suspected of being Communists or plotting to overthrow the government.

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