Modern european and world history. A native of kansas city, missouri, proctor holds degrees in journalism and history from the university of missouri and a phd from rutgers university. Thet publications include secret diary of mary thorpe, 2017s gender and the great war, and 2017s world war i a short history. Book. S a spectacular i consistently get asked questions if theres a short brooke book great for teaching at an introductory point. If you have not seen her short history on world war i, that is a nice entry point. Also clearly, she was very busy and 2017. On as presently working study of American Humanitarian aid in the u. S. From 1914 to 1924, which you will be hearing about more in a few seconds. Ladies and gentlemen, please help me welcoming dr. Tammy proctor. [applause] dr. Proctor to test this out, is it working . Yes . Ok. Good. We are good. For that to lora nice introduction and to camille for all the work she did. Its great to come to kansas city. It is my hometown. Its always wonderful to be here. I would also like to thank dr. Kuhn for setting up my talk by mentioning famine relief. I will be talking about that a little bit today. So i picked kind of a provocative title, the myth of isolation. I did so partly because when i teach undergraduates about the first four world war, i usually start class by asking what do you know . War . Do you know about the i suspect if i throw this out to you, you can guess some of the things they know. Trenches. Poison gas. Aerial warfare. They like that. And when i ask about the United States, they know Woodrow Wilson and isolation. Encapsulatesy much the story a lot of undergraduates know when they arrive at college about the First World War. What i would like to argue today is that rather than the idea that the United States completely turned its back on europe in 1919, that it is a more complicated story. I argued that americans engaged with europe not just financially and materially, but also in terms of cultural imagination. Using both public funds and private charitable money, the United States intervened in ,urope to provide food clothing, fuel, disease prevention, and other important resources. In more than a dozen states in 1924. From 1919 to actually, i will go a little later than 1924 as well. Americans undertook major programs in rebuilding the devastated areas and in saving Cultural Heritage properties also. Talk about three different examples today. The first is war relief and food aid. The second is physical preconstruction of europe reconstruction of europe and the third is cultural reconstruction of europe. This outpouring of u. S. Relief and Development Helped provide a measure of stability. It created a precedent for what happened after world war ii. In the q and a if you are interested, i can talk about the personnel involved in world war i that go on to be heavily iiolved in world war and u. S. Development aid. It also forged a cultural connection between europe and the u. S. That continues today. 1919 was a busy time in europes cities. While Woodrow Wilson and his advisers met in paris with other World Leaders in spring of 1919 to determine the provost world political future of europe, the populations of several European Countries faced crippling food shortages. Over theep concern possibility of revolutionary activity in post world societies postwar societies devastated by war, wilson appointed herbert aover in 1918 to be kind of food czar for europe. Part of the reason is hoover had run an American Food program in 1918,m from 1914 to feeding roughly 9 million belgians and also inhabitants of northern france in the occupied zone. Hoover had also led the united straits United StatesFood Administration from the world time wartime period from 1917 to 1918. Chose hoover to create the American Relief administration. This is hoover. These are some of the men who were involved in the belgian relief. The establishment of the postwar program. American personnel traveled to europe. They served as supervisors and managers. There helped with the work of distribution. This. N kind of imagine while wilson and his team are in paris negotiating the peace treaty there, hoover and his team are in brussels negotiating other types of bilateral and multilateral agreements to get food into europe. The agreement in brussels is signed in march of 1919, and of course, as you know, the paris peace treaty takes longer. They are kind of parallel developments as a way to think of it. One of the big issues was the fact that the blockade was still in place, which was mentioned as well. Germany had to agree to hand over their merchant fleet as well as funds in order to get food, allied food. American Louis Strauss noted at the meeting there was not a single word uttered in sentiment, no recrimination, no appeals, no references to humanity, civilization, women or children. It was a business transaction. This is the description of the meeting with germany. For the public, however, this isnt going to really cut it. That this food might be going to feed former enemies in europe had to be sold to the American Public. Hoover started laying out the publicity for this pretty early. Was published in newspapers across the country in december of 1918. I took this one from the columbia, missouri paper. Notice here that americans are being reminded that they need to pledge to help with the effort. It shows some of the countries that have famine conditions, shortages, and places that were already receiving aid. It was used to educate public about problems. And it was called, and every newspaper, the hunger map to emphasize the starvation. Image ran in the columbia paper on Christmas Day trying to emphasize the need for sympathy. To supplement earlier efforts, hoover released a memo in 1919 explaining why aid. I want to read a little excerpt from it, because i think it gets at how he was trying to sell this to the u. S. Population. Why we are feeding germany. From the point of view of my western upbringing, i would say it once because we do not kick a man in the stomach after we have licked him. From the point of view of a governor, i would say its because famine breeds anarchy. Anarchy is infectious. From the point of view of the humanitarian, i would say we have not been fighting with women and children and we are not beginning now. Taking it by and large, our face forward, not backward on history. You can see how he strength to sell the case for American Intervention in europe. The idea that u. S. Security and world peace depended on caring for victims of the war and on helping all nations of europe to recover is one that hoover returned to again and again. Food relief relied on the goodwill and donations of ordinary americans. Lived inrican troops europe to provide substance, officials urged the American Public to embrace this role as protector. Shortterm,s a limited release project became a larger experiment in the exportation of American Values most of europe by the 1920s. I want to give just one example of this. That is austria. The 12th of november 1918, after the collapse of the habsburg empire, the provisional assembly created the republic of austria with a capital in vienna. About thisoblematic is many of the agricultural lands were in hungary, not in the newly formed austria. They were kind of facing difficulties in that way. They had already had severe starvation conditions in 1918. Of nearly 16. 5 Million People faced other challenges including political instability, serious unemployment, a large refugee population, and lack of housing. But the real problem was shortage of food and shortage of fuel. This had taken a big toll. After that, the allied blockade, which is continuing, exacerbated of extended the misery wartime. Citizens waited hours in food cues and sometimes spent the night sleeping in order to hold their place in line. One historian out of austria has documented what was called the hunger catastrophe in austrian history. Rationed27 goods were and many of them were not available, even after people had waited in cues. Vienna,y residents in eating have become a mathematical exercise in consuming any available calories, no matter how disagreeable their source. Of particular concern both in austria and increasingly among the International Community was the plight of children and young people. They were particularly hardhit by lack of calories. These are some of the photos used to document some conditions. These are children with rickets caused from nutritional deficiency. Many of the kids were the ones waiting in line overnight. Their parents would send them out to hold their place. They would take turns. They are very much involved in the fight get food. Childrens mortality rates nearly doubled for teenagers. This was a serious condition, especially for children. Thousands were baking begging in. Vagrancys were high. The story about children began appearing in the International Press partly because of the efforts of two women who eventually founded the save the children fund, which i think probably most people have heard of. It is still operating today. These are british women. Was the children, which created in 1919 to deal with this particular catastrophe, along with american quakers, endeavor to feed nursing mothers and children under five years old in vienna. Quakers were already in place and some of the british organizations. Release agencies also began adopting children. Toricans could send money feed a child for a year. This was an innovative thing at the time. They had Clothing Stores for unemployed people. Program, they imported cows from holland to get milk to the children. The bed merrick and American Relief administration focused on school aged children. They set up massive kitchens and schools to feed children a hot meal per day, usually something that involved milk and cocoa. Theres a lot of chocolate involved in this. Is they would survey the children first. There are a lot of photographs and measuring. They would determine an exact calorie and create the food to meet those caloric needs. Quakers are feeding the young children. The American Relief administration are feeding schoolaged children. Adults were not so lucky. Many efforts did not focus on adults. Part of what needed to happen to feed these children as they needed to come up with fundraising from other nations of the world. There was a big press campaign in the United States to get people to support this. Money. Othing, send some towns in the midwest actually put together food from their community and shipped it. Theres a lot of generosity emerging from American Communities at this time. This is an example of some of the ways they kept track of this. One of the ways americans continue to create additional interest in fundraising, i guess is the best way to put it, is they published expressions of gratitude children were sending for the food they got. This outpouring of thanks reinforced americans and their understanding that the humanitarian work was making a difference. It took on kind of an appearance of a moral imperative. For the american delegates themselves, the people on the ground in europe, the language of the appeals gave them a sense of power. You can see these are beautiful. In the library of congress, there are 5000 childrens letters to Woodrow Wilson. There are also letters to hoover and the Hoover Institution libraries. There are letters like this to all the individual delegates. You can imagine how this was used for publicity purposes. I particularly like this one. This one is from germany. For the delegates on the ground, it gave them a sense of power and importance. Gilchrist stockton, one of the Bureau Chiefs left in vienna, described his role in a letter home to his mother. When i am downhearted, i go out to a kitchen and i see my children eat. I think of them all as mine, every one of the 200,000 underfed little waifs. The presence of the u. S. As a surrogate father really shaped the language of the food aid program. It is americans spots ability to feed, we are taking a paternal, fatherly role. The other message for americans was clear. U. S. Food would make the world safer and demonstrate american goodheartedness and wealth to world. The aid project helped bolster u. S. Governmental claims during and after world war ii. Im sorry, after world war i. Altogether, from 1914 to 1920 four, hoovers organization handled the shipping and distribution of more than 33 Million Metric Tons of aid, which was valued at more than 5 billion. ,his is a big operation multicountries, and the ports that were on the map gives you a sense of the size and logistics of this organization. These organizations did save lives, but they also created a market for surplus food, because the American Economy kind of ramped up to create food for the war effort and they needed a market for it after the war. A lot of american grain went to europe. It helped bolster prices for farmers. It reduced stocks. Hoover himself fervently offeved food aid staved also big revolution and created a positive image of the United States abroad, both of which were major Foreign Policy goals. Efforts,through relief u. S. Citizens built an investment in postwar europe and a sense of mission that i think belies the idea of an isolated American Public. I think the public saw themselves as continuing to have a responsibility in europe, especially for the victims of the war. The second area i want to talk about briefly is physical reconstruction. America played a crucial role during and after the war in rebuilding devastated parts of europe. The project has multiple facets and a multitude of individuals and organizations participated. Some of these are major American Charities like the Rockefeller Foundation, which supported Public Health and educational infrastructure. There were projects for housing, agriculture transport. Some of them are sort of shortlived. Others are longer projects. One of the bestknown was in northern france were more than four years of combat had villages and left millions displaced. If you have been to france, you have probably seen markers. They were destroyed once and rebuilt during the war with americans help, and then destroyed a gun and had to be rebuilt again and destroyed again and had to be rebuilt again. In some cases, its a long relationship with the same village going through waves of rebuilding. Ara, the hoover organization largely led by american men, some of the physical reconstruction projects have a Strong Female presence, especially in leadership roles. The Smith College relief unit which rebuilds villages in northern france, also rockefeller, quakers are involved. One of the most celebrated in the media was an organization which had two names. During the war, it was called the American Fund for french wounded. After it was called the American Committee for devastated france. But it was run by j. P. Morgans annhter, and morgan morgan. These are elite women paying their way for the most part. They began making their way through, helping refugees, and assisting with rebuilding villages and homeless. These are the two leaders. Annie, they were the master hides masterminds behind the project. Helped plus personnel in 127an 60,000 people villages in france using funds that were raised from more than 13,000 american donors by 1924. Not only are there hundreds of personnel and france, but think about the publicity efforts in the United States that led to so many donations. Another organization where the society of friends, or the quakers. War victims Relief Committee began working in 1940. This is a cdf, still. One of the chauffeurs. The quakers started in 1914 and continued their work until 1924. They helped with reconstruction of destroyed homes and villages. They led projects including medical aid, refugee assistance, child resettlement schemes, soup kitchens, and a maternity hospital. They expanded in 1970. There are also methodists and mennonites and other american Conscientious Objectors and pacifists who were part of the unit. In 1917, a lot of americans who were Conscientious Objectors decided to work for the quakers. One of the things that was difficult is these areas had a number of refugees. It was kind of a moving population. Lots of displaced people. The quakers were trying to build housing for all of these people. The quaker workers explained, ours is a small, compact, inexpensive unit and composed not of officers, but mostly of workers who will to thedown admirably shirtsleeves tasks that need doing. You can see an example of this. In order to do this, and i find it fascinating, they needed labor. They have the quaker personnel, but they also needed labor on the ground. They turned to german prisoners of four. Hadfrench government prisoners of war until 1920 the quakers burrowed pows bar road pows to work with them. I find it interesting that german pows are rebuilding the villages that their armies destroyed. It is interesting symmetry. Powsians and interned built flat pack furniture that they ship to france for the houses. You have a lot of levels in po