America's Path to War
- Woodrow Wilson was in office when the war started in 1914.
- He announced a policy of neutrality, and refused to take sides in the war.
- Americans didn't want to be involved in a European conflict.
- Eventually, though, they changed their minds.
The Sinking of the Lusitania
- Britain set up a naval blockade of German ports in fall 1914.
- Germany's submarines sank all Allied merchant ships off the British coast.
- "In May 1915, a German U-boat torpedoed the British passenger ship Lusitania, killing 1,198 people, including 128 Americans." (Dallek, 723)
- German U-boat U-20 sank the ship because they thought it was carrying arms. In fact, it was carrying arms, but it was not a war ship.
- Americans had been warned not to sail on the Lusitania, but they ignored the notice. (Preston, 30)
- President Wilson attempted to keep the United States neutral, demanding that the Germans halt their unrestricted submarine warfare. The Germans agreed.
- Wilson won the election of 1916 on the slogan, "He kept us out of war."
- Germany went back on their promise about unrestricted submarine warfare on February 1, 1917.
- They knew this would cause American involvement, but hoped to win the war before that was possible.
- The British intercepted the Zimmerman telegram the next month, and passed it on to the United States. The telegram was from Germany to Mexico, proposing that if Mexico joined the Germans, Germany would help Mexico regain the territories including Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.
- Americans were furious at the telegram.
Debate in Congress
- German submarines sank three American ships in March 1917.
- President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress for a declaration of war on April 2, 1917.
- Congress debated for three days, as most were in favor but some raised strong objections.
- Jeannette Rankin from Montana and Robert La Follette from Wisconsin were some of the opposers of war.
- George Norris of Nebraska favored war because Wall Street Finances had loaned money to the Allies that might not have been repayable if the Allies lost.
- Congress voted to go to war.
Revolution in Russia
- The Americans' entry to World War I was made more urgent by some events in Russia.
- Angry workers led strikes and rallies in Russia as a way to protest the military failures, food shortages, and inflation in 1917.
- Czar Nicholas II was forced to step down in March 1917.
- A temporary government ruled until November.
- In November, the Bolsheviks, a Communist group led by Vladimir Ilich Lenin took power. (Dallek, 725)
- In Communism, a single party holds power, the state controls the economy, and the goal is common ownership of all property.
- Lenin began peace talks with Germany, and in March 1918, Russia withdrew from the war, signing the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.
- German troops now turned to the Western front.
- Allied troops needed American troops to come soon.
These were recruitment posters for the U.S. Army during World War I.