Events Leading to U.S. Involvement in WWI

REVIEW

•What four movements led to World War I (think of the powder keg?

• Imperialism- Germany, Italy, France, and Great Britain, all competing for land in Asia and Africa

• Nationalism-The strong pride and desire to protect ones country

• Militarism- the idea that building up the military is the nations top priority, build of armies and navies

• Alliances- tangled web of alliances

•What were the alliance (what were they called, and which countries made up which)

AlliancesCentral Powers Allied Powers

• Germany• Austria-Hungray• Ottoman Empire• Bulgaria

• Serbia• Italy• Russia• France• Great Britain• The United States (once

we joined the war)

What event caused the war to officially start

•The assassination of Arch-Duke Franz Ferdinand

What did Woodrow Wilson say in the beginning of the war?

• He announced that the United States would stay neutral

• Neutrality-refuse to take sides in the war

What two events caused Americas to shift away from Isolationism? The Sinking of the Lusitania

The Zimmerman Telegram

What led to the sinking of the Lusitania? •In 1914 Britain blocked German ports,

and seized (took) all goods that were going to Germany

•In response to this, the Germans sank all Allied merchant ships they encountered

•In May 1915 the passenger ship the Lusitania was hit by a German U-Boat (128 Americans were killed)

Why did the Germans attack the Lusitania? • They thought that it was

carrying weapons (which it probably was)

How did they attack?

•They use German U-Boats/submarines

What was the response of the U.S? •The U.S. continued to stay isolated,

although many Americans developed Anti-German feelings

•Wilson demanded that the Germans stop their unrestricted submarine warfare

•This helped Wilson in this 1916 election because he was known as the president that kept us out of the war

What did the Germans do?

•In 1917 they continued their unrestricted warfare against Great Britain

•They knew this would upset the U.S., but hoped to win the war before the U.S got involved

What was the Zimmerman Telegram?

•German Prime Minister Arthur Zimmerman directed the German ambassador in Mexico to propose that Mexico join the Germans

•Germany said in exchange they would help Mexico get back their lost territories in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona

•This was discovered by the British, and passed on to the United States

When does the U.S. Declare War?•In March 1917 German U-Boats hit sink 3

American ships•April 2, 1917 Wilson asks Congress to

declare war•Congress debates for 3 days, but did end

up declaring war

What was the Russian Revolution•By 1917 Russian workers were upset because

of food shortages, military failures, and inflation, which led to riots and strikes

•In March 1917 Czar Nicholas the II was forced to step down, and a temporary government was put to place, and continued the war

•A communist group of Bolsheviks led by Vladimir Lenin took power

•The Russians desperately wanted the U.S. to join the war and join the Allies