When people think about a “World War” they imagine D-Day and the Nazi’s. The first thing to come to mind is not the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. Though it should be; because that is the event that ignited WWI and set the stage for WWII, the Cold War, and beyond. While WWII is more popular due to the increased involvement of the U.S. and higher casualties, but WWI marked a new era in war technology, tactics, and foreign policy. It’s important to understand the motives behind the assassination of the Archduke, why the countries involved reacted the way they did, and what was accomplished and not accomplished by the end. There was no shortage of tension in Balkan Peninsula, since Austria-Hungary and Serbia were competing for territory. The …show more content…
into the conflict. The Lusitania was a passenger ship that was sunk by a German U-boat, it was highly controversial and enraged the American public. Germany promised to halt attacks against passenger ships to keep the U.S. out of the war, but broke that promise less than a year after, angering the U.S. population. The Zimmerman Telegram was a message from Germany to Mexico with the proposition that if the U.S. declared war on Germany; Mexico should declare war on the U.S., with the promise that upon German victory, they would be rewarded the territory that they had lost in the Mexican American War. President Wilson had previously spoke about entering the war; “It would mean that a majority of people in this hemisphere would go war-mad, quit thinking, and devote their energies to destruction.” [2] But after these events and a few others, he went to Congress and requested for war to be declared against Germany; which was approved. The economy was shifted from peace-time to war-time. The government had to ensure adequate crops were being grown, and the Food Administration provide incentive for farmers to grow in a way that would most aid the war effort. The War Industries Board managed the production of supplies like bullets, and regulated raw materials like metals and