On June 28, 1914, World War I started between Serbia and Austria-Hungary with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. As time went on, many other countries joined the war. Three years after the start of the Great War, the United States entered World War I due to the Zimmermann telegram, the sinking of the Lusitania, the sinking of other ships by the German U-boats, and the Russian revolution as well as for financial reasons. On April 16, 1917, the United States declared war and sided with the Allies. In 1918, the war that changed the world forever had ended.
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As more and more of the United States population started to question the country's neutrality during World War I, the Germans tried to think of ways to keep the United States out of the Great War. Knowing that the United States and Mexico had a rough history with each other, the German Empire made an alliance proposal to the Mexican government. In a telegram, known as the Zimmermann telegram today, the German Empire expressed that they wanted the United States to stay out of the war. However, in the event that the United States decided against neutrality and joined the war, the German Empire wanted the Mexicans to distract the United States from such a plan.
If needed, the Mexicans would wage war against the United States. In return for their alliance, the German Empire was prepared to give financial support to the Mexicans as well as the states of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. The Mexican government did not accept the German Empire's offer of an alliance. To do so, they concluded, would be an extremely unwise decision. The United States was more powerful than Mexico and to declare war on the United States would mean utter defeat for the citizens of Mexico. As for the financial help, Mexico pointed out that, while money would help, their army would need weapons and ammunition which they could only get from countries like Argentina. However, Argentina was in alliance with the United States. Mexico did not have an army and the necessary equipment to fight both the United States and its allies.1
The Zimmermann telegram was intercepted by the British intelligence that was able to decipher the coded language. Once the German Empire's proposal to Mexico was revealed to the public, many United States citizens were outraged. While the proposal wasn't enough to bring the United States into World War I, the German Empire's action did direct more American attention towards the war. It was the continuous bombing of ships that were either owned by United States citizens or had American passengers on them that led to the United States entering World War I.
The United States government, as well as the majority of the population, declared neutrality at the start of World War I. For two and a half years, the United States stayed out of the Great War. However, supplies were sent from the United States to various European countries via ships. Germany believed these supply ships undermined their war efforts. They began to bomb the supply ships, as well as cruise ships. By bombing so many vessels, opinion about World War I began to change throughout the United States. As more and more Americans started to pay close attention to the war in Europe, it was the sinking of the Lusitania on May 7, 1915 which killed many of the passengers on board that created a large public outcry.
Thousands of passengers were killed when a German u-boat torpedoed the Lusitania. President Wilson requested compensation and an apology for the death of the United States citizens who were on board the Lusitania. The Germans, being unapologetic, declared they would continue bombing ships. After a few more vessels were destroyed by the Germans and with public opinion changing, President Wilson, backed by the Senate and the House of Representatives, declared war and joined Britain along with the other Allies. The Russian Revolution which took place during World War I also played a part in the United States decision to enter the war.
The Russians sided with the Serbians in the war. However, after suffering many defeats, many Russians were calling for a change due to food shortages and other misfortunes. After signing a treaty with the Germans in March of 1918, the Russians left World War I to deal with the rising unrest within their country. When Russia left, the United States took the opportunity to rally its citizen by declaring the war as one for democracy. Additionally, the United States had financial reasons for entering World War I.
While the United States was neutral at the beginning of the war, it did loan the Allies about $2.25 billion and to the Germans, only $27 million.2 If the Allies lost the war, due to the huge loan the United States had given them would have devastated the American economy. Entering the war had become a necessity to ensure the loaned money would be returned to the United States and to prevent the collapse of its economy. Furthermore, if the Allies lost the war, it would mean a collapse of many important European economies as well. The United States entrance into the Great War marked a turning point in the war's history. The United States were able to supply the Allies with fresh troops, weapons, and other supplies in order to win the war.
The Great War began with an assassination and ended with the death of millions of people. While many historians may point out that the United States entered the war late, there were several reasons for doing so. The United States was neutral at the beginning. However, due to the Zimmermann telegraph, the German relentless bombing of ships, and the sinking of the Lusitania along with financial reasons, the United States had no choice but to enter the Great War.
Endnote
1Mary Alexander and Marilyn Childress, "The Zimmerman Telegram." (April 1981): 266
2University of Houston-Digital History, “The United States Enters the War” (2014)
Bibliography
Alexander, Mary, and Marilyn Childress. "The Zimmermann Telegram." National Archives and Records Administration. Accessed October 17, 2014. http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/zimmermann/.
