World War I, known as the Great War at that time, lasted from 1914-1918 and was an international struggle or conflict between the Allies also known as the Triple Entente against the Central Powers. There were multiple reasons why WWI occurred but the fight began with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. There was a new type of fighting called trench warfare and with it came the need for new technologically advanced weapons which were created for the sole purpose of inflicting as many casualties as possible. The U.S. remained neutral for the majority of the war. President Wilson and the U.S. joined WWI in April 1917 and helped solidify a victory for the Allies over the Central Powers. This especially helped the Allies since the Russian …show more content…
joined the side of the Allies in WWI in 1917 partly because the allies were able to persuade the U.S. through propaganda. The U.S. joined the fight for two main reasons: the Zimmerman Telegram and the Unrestricted Submarine Warfare. The Zimmerman Telegram was a secret message from German Foreign Minister, Zimmerman, with a promise of returning U.S. territories to Mexico if Mexico would help Germany fight against the United States. Americans were upset when they saw the telegram in newspapers. Unrestricted Submarine Warfare: The U.S. was not content that Germany had the best weapon, U-boats and no one else did. Germany promised again to not use their U-boats after attacking a french ship, yet they continued to do so. Germany declared unrestricted submarine warfare in 1917 and after German submarines attacked American merchant vessels, Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany. WWI unleashed a need for newer more powerful weapons which could cause as much possible damage and could be used with a new type of fighting, trench warfare. Shortly after joining the war, Wilson ordered U.S. troops known as the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) to Europe to join the fighting against the Germans. The AEF under Pershing assembled 600,000 soldiers and fought for a month and a half to finally break through Germany’s impenetrable defenses. This battle was a huge win for Americans and a devastating loss for