America
entered World War One on April 6th, 1917. It involved all the
world’s great powers, which were assembled in two opposing alliances : the
Allies (based on the Triple Entente of the United Kingdom, France and Rusia)
and the Centeral Powers (originally the Triple Alliance of Germany,
Austria-Hungary and Italy but, as Austria-Hungary had taken the offensive
against the agreement, Italy did not enter into the war).These alliances both
reorganized (Italy fought for the Allies) and expanded as more nations entered
the war.
Long-term
causes of the war included the imperialistic foreign policies of the great
powers of Europe, including the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the
Ottoman Empire the Russian Empire, the British Empire, the French Republic, and
Italiy. The assassination on 28 June 1914 of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of
Austria, the heir to the throne of Australia-Hungary, by a
Yugoslav nationalist in Sarajevo, Bosnia was the proximate trigger of the war.
Yugoslav nationalist in Sarajevo, Bosnia was the proximate trigger of the war.
On August 4th, 1914, Wilson officially announced that America would be neutral in World War One. That neutrality extened to a policy of ‘fairness’ – whereby American bankers could lend money to both sides in the war.
On February 4th, 1915, Germany announced that merchant shipping in a specified zone around Britain would be legitimate targets. They added that this would include neutral ships because many Allied ships had taken to flying the flag of a neutral nation to assist its safety. Wilson warned the Germans that he would hold them to account if any American ships were sunk. This threat was tested when on May 7th, 1915, the ‘Lusintaniawas sunk. 128 Americans on board the liner were killed. However, the ‘Lusitania’ was not a American ship and Wison accepted the Germans change of policy-that U-boats would adopt ‘cruiser’ tactics and surface and attack a ship by guns fitted on to their decks.
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| Lusitania Ship |
By
the end of 1915, tolerable equilibrium had been reached in terms of America’s
relationship with Germany. In late December 1915, Wilson sent one of his
closest advisors to London, ColonelHouse, to see if a peace initiative could be
thrashed out between Britain and Germany with America acting as an
intermediary. On February 22nd. 1916, the House-Grey Memorandum was signed which put on paper Wilson’s plan of mediation. Two Americans on the ‘Sussex’ were hurt but when reports got back to America, they stated that they had been killed. The ‘Sussex” incident was resolved and by mid-1916, the Americans seemed to have developed a more positive relationship with Germany.
intermediary. On February 22nd. 1916, the House-Grey Memorandum was signed which put on paper Wilson’s plan of mediation. Two Americans on the ‘Sussex’ were hurt but when reports got back to America, they stated that they had been killed. The ‘Sussex” incident was resolved and by mid-1916, the Americans seemed to have developed a more positive relationship with Germany.
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| Sussex Ship |
In
mid-January 1917, he set up secret negotiation with both Britain and Germany to
obtain their agreement for America’s mediation in a peace plan.
After
a 1918 Germany offensive along the western front, the Allies drove back the
Germany armies in a series of successful offensives and United States forces
began entering the trenches. Germany, which had its own trouble with
revolutionaries at this point, agreed to a cease-fire on 11 November 1918, later
known as Armistice Day.The war had ended in victory for the Allies.
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| Armistice on 11 November 1918 |
