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World War 1 Dbq Essay

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The Great War often referred to as World War I was a worldwide battle that lasted from 1914 to 1918. Imperialism was the motivating factor that sparked wars between nations. The Central Powers (mainly Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey) and the Allies engaged in combat (primarily consisting of France, Great Britain, Italy, Russia, Serbia, the United States, and Japan). Up until 1917, when it formally declared war on Germany, the United States remained neutral in the fight. However, the United States military and financial support of the Allies' war effort changed the course of the conflict and ultimately resulted in the Central Powers' defeat. The United States entered World War I in 1917, after several years of attempting to remain neutral. …show more content…

The United States had significant investments in the Allied powers and was concerned that a Central Power victory would threaten these investments. As the war dragged on, the British Blockade of Germany caused shortages of goods in the U.S. and hurt the American economy. This further fueled public opinion in favor of the war. However, the main push came from President Woodrow Wilson who believed that the U.S. had a moral duty to fight for democracy and self-determination, as well as to end the war quickly, to end the suffering caused by the conflict. For instance, in document four Woodrow Wilson had written,” We shall fight for things which we have always carried nearest to our hearts, for democracy.” As he had wanted to start the war through democracy the sinking of the Lusitania and the 1198 people killed of which 128 were Americans also impacted the decision of going to war. However, on April 2, 1917, Wilson finally asked Congress to declare war on Germany, citing the country's policy of unrestricted submarine warfare, as well as its attempts to incite Mexico to attack the U.S. Congress, declared war on Germany on April 6. In sum, the United States entered World War I primarily due to German actions that threatened American lives and interests, such as the sinking of the Lusitania, the use of submarines to attack American ships, and the Zimmermann Telegram. Additionally, economic ties, President Woodrow Wilson's belief in a moral duty to fight for democracy and self-determination, as well as to end the war quickly and end the suffering caused by the conflict played an important

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There were two major events that took place that sent the United States into WWI. Before these events took place, America wanted to stay neutral with thoughts and action. On May 7, 1915, a German submarine, called U-boats, torpedoed and sank a British passenger liner Lusitania. About 1,198 lives were lost including 128 Americans. Many Americans were shocked and anger about this act and called it “mass murder and piracy”(671).

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This unknown fact of American being neutral or not, ultimately lead to the United States needing to enter World War I. Although the United States President at the time, Woodrow Wilson, explained the reasoning for the U.S. entering WWI was because of Germany’s submarine warfare, the violence toll that Germany took on America relates back to the concealed matter of the nation of the United States actually being neutral throughout the time before war

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The events that led to The United States joining the war were the Zimmerman telegram and the sinking of the Lusitania; therefore, these events shifted The United States’s position from neutral to fighting. World War I, also known as the Great War, was not originally on The United States’s agenda; however, Germany’s careless actions caused The United States to join the war. The sinking of the Lusitania was a turning point in the war because it was a passenger ship that was sunk by German U-Boats, or submarines. The Zimmerman telegram was a telegram sent from the German Foreign Office to the leader of Mexico. The telegram stated how Germany wanted Mexico to attack The United States (Alexander and Childress).

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This was provoked by Britain because Germany received a blockade from their powerful navy (source 4). Source 6 is a highly reliable source from history.com and they have stated “…that the loss of Lusitania perished more than 1100 passengers including 128 Americans.” Sinking of Lusitania contributed greatly for the turning point of America’s position in WW1, and more U.S. ships followed. In November 1915, a German U-boat sunk an Italian liner without warning killing 270 people and more than 25 Americans, (Source 6). Epic History TV (source 6) clearly states “after this, the public opinion of America turned irrevocably against Germany.”

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