Reasons
For U.S. Entry Into World War I
Major
reasons for U.S. entry into World War I
- Although
the United States declared its neutrality at the start of the war, our
sympathies continually moved towards the Triple Entente.
- The
British supplied most of our news about the war. The American public read
about German soldiers who had tortured the civilians of occupied Belgium.
- The
Germans used unrestricted submarine warfare. On May 7th, 1915 a
German submarine
(u-boat) sank the British cruise ship
Lusitania.
1,198 people were killed, including 128 Americans. It would take
several other submarine attacks over a 2-year period including the sinking
of 4 unarmed American merchant ships in 1917 to push the United States into
the war.
- In
an effort to protect American merchant ships, the United States set up
convoys (U.S. naval ships guarding U.S. merchant ships).
- The
Zimmerman Telegram- Alfred Zimmerman was the German foreign secretary. He
sent a telegram, which was intercepted by the British, to the German
ambassador in Mexico informing Mexico that Germany could help Mexico
"regain lost territory in New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona" once war
broke out between the United States and Germany if Mexico attacked the
United States.
Impact
of the Russian Revolution
- Russia
suffered greatly during World War I. There was not enough food or war
supplies for the soldiers to fight effectively. The lack of supplies
severely hurt morale in the army.
- During
March 1917, the first Russian Revolution occurred. The Czar, Nicholas II,
had continued the war for three long years and support from the public
diminished greatly. A group of
western thinking, upper class revolutionaries created a provisional
democratic government.
- In
spite of the lack of supplies and the low morale in the Russian army, the
provisional government decided to continue the war effort.
- With
a democratic government replacing the dictatorial Czar, the last obstacle to
U.S. entry into the war was removed.
The
Declaration of War and U.S. Preparation
- On
April 2nd, 1917
President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to
declare war on Germany in order to "make the world safe for
democracy".
- Prior
to U.S. entry into the war, our armed forces numbered 130,00. By the end of
the war, over 4 million Americans had joined the military.
- All
males between the ages of 18 and 44 registered for the draft.
- The
U.S. government loaned their new allies $10 billion in cash and supplies.
- Between
April and October, American troops trained for the war. Beginning in October
1917, 50,000 American troops a month began arriving in Europe.
- During
November 1917, a small group of Russian communists known as the Bolsheviks,
overthrew the provisional government and established the U.S.S.R. Led by
Vladimir Ilyich Lennin, the new government negotiated the treaty of
Brest-Litovsk, which ended Russian involvement in the war and made the
Eastern front no longer necessary. Russia also lost 25% of its land and
population.
The
End of the War
- The
war in terms of human suffering had been great. Neither side had been able
to gain much territory with most of the fighting on the Western front taking
place on battlefields in France.
- By
the start of 1918, the United States began sending 250,000 troops a month to
join the war.
- Realizing
their chances for victory were decreasing every month, Germany launched a
final offensive
in March of 1918 along the Marne River in France.
- By
July, with the support of the United States, the German offensive was
stopped and a counter-offensive begun.
- Knowing
that the end of the war was near, the German High Command notified its
government that it could not win the war.
- On
November 11th, 1918 an
armistice was arranged ending the war.
Germany was never invaded.
Final Statistics
- Over
10 million men were killed and another 20 million were wounded. Germany lost
1.8 million people, Russia lost 1.7 million, France lost 1.4 million,
Austria–Hungary lost 1.1 million, and Great Britain lost 1 million.
- 115,000
Americans died and another 215,00 were wounded during WWI. Of those that
died, 50,000 died in battle. The rest died as a result of the
Great
Influenza Epidemic of 1918.