WORLD WAR I AND ITS
AFTERMATH
The United States Enters World War I
LEARNING TARGETS

After this lesson you will:
 Know why Wilson sent Marines into Latin America
 Recognize how events in Mexico became one reason for
America to enter WWI
 Understand how a system of alliances in Europe was one
reason WWI started
 Describe the naval races taking place in Europe and how
they relate to nationalism and the start of WWI
 Analyze the Balkan Crisis and its contribution to the start of
WWI in relation to the “black hand”, Franz Ferdinand, the
Austro-Hungarian government, Serbia, and the system of
alliances
 Discover the countries of the Triple Entente (Allies) and the
Central Powers
 Analyze the Sussex Pledge and its provisions
 Describe the Zimmerman Telegram and its contribution
towards American involvement in WWI
INTRODUCTION
The United States did not want to be a part of
WWI
 President Wilson signed the Treaty of Versailles
ending the “War to end all wars.”
 The United States did not want to be tied to
European obligations.

THE IMPACT ON AMERICA TODAY

The US is involved in European activities today.

WWI helped shape how people view war today.
THE UNITED STATES ENTERS WORLD WAR I:
WOODROW WILSON’S DIPLOMACY

President Wilson believed in:
Democracy as an essential ingredient for peace
 Imperialism led to war


The Mexican Revolution

Started in 1911 because:
1. A few wealthy landowners dominated Mexican Society
 2. A majority of the people were poor and landless

Francisco Madero replaced Porfirio Diaz as ruler of
Mexico
 Victoriano Huerta replaced Francisco Madero


President Wilson refused to recognize Huerta’s
government
THE UNITED STATES ENTERS WORLD WAR I:
WOODROW WILSON’S DIPLOMACY

Wilson Sends Troops Into Mexico






In April of 1914, a group of American sailors visiting
Tampico were arrested
The American commander demanded an apology but
was refused
Wilson sent in troops to Veracruz
Anti-American riots broke out in Mexico
Wilson accepts international mediation and Venustiano
Carranza becomes Mexico’s president.
Mexican forces, led by Pancho Villa, conduct raids on the
US using guerrilla tactics


They burn down Columbus, New Mexico and killed Americans
Wilson orders General John J. Pershing into Mexico
with 600 troops to capture the guerillas.
THE UNITED STATES ENTERS WORLD WAR I:
THE OUTBREAK OF WWI

A number of factors set the stage for war in Europe:

The Alliance System
The Triple Alliance
 Prussia became Germany in 1870
 Germany attacked France and took land along the German
Border—France and Germany then became enemies
 Germany signed alliances with Italy and Austria-Hungary
 The Franco-Russian Alliance
 Russia supported the slavs living in Austria-Hungary
against the Austria-Hungary government
 France and Russia form an alliance against their common
“enemy”.


The Naval Race

Germany began building up its Navy in 1900. Great Britain,
becoming alarmed, made an unofficial alliance with France
and Russia—The Triple Entente
THE UNITED STATES ENTERS WORLD WAR I:
THE OUTBREAK OF WWI CONTINUED

A number of factors set the stage for war in Europe:
The Alliance System
 The Naval Race
 Nationalism: extreme pride in one’s homeland
 Self-determination: the idea that people who belong to a
nation should have their own country and government


The spark that lit the fire:

The Assassination of Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand
June 1914- The heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne visited Bosnia
 The “Black Hand” assassinated Franz Ferdinand
 Serbian officials knew about the assassination beforehand hoping to
start a small war that would gain Serbia independence (Selfdetermination)
 The system of alliances brought other countries into the conflict

THE UNITED STATES ENTERS WORLD WAR I:
THE OUTBREAK OF WWI CONTINUED

The Allies:


France, Russia, and Great Britain
The Central Powers:

Germany and Austria-Hungary
Austri-Hungary sent troops into Serbia, Russia came to the
defense of Serbia, Germany joined Austria-Hungary,
France and Great Britain joined Russia. Turkey later
joined the Central Powers.
Meanwhile… the United States remained neutral. (Why
wouldn’t they, the war was “over there” in Europe!)
THE UNITED STATES ENTERS WORLD WAR I:
AMERICAN NEUTRALITY
Woodrow Wilson wanted to remain neutral,
but…
 Americans take Sides



Immigrants sided with their homelands
Pro-British Sentiment
Many Americans sided with England (the allies) because
of a shared heritage (including Pres. Wilson’s cabinet)
 Propaganda was used to try to persuade Americans


Business Links

America also did most of its business with Great Britain
(England)
THE UNITED STATES ENTERS WORLD WAR I:
MOVING TOWARD WAR
Great Britain blockaded Germany by sea.
 In return Germany used U-boats (submarines) to
take out ships from other countries carrying war
supplies to Great Britain including American ships
 The Sussex Pledge:

Germany sank a French passenger ship (the Sussex)
with Americans on-board injuring them
 Trying to avoid the war, Wilson signs the “Sussex
Pledge” in which Germany agrees to not attack
merchant ships without warning


By keeping the US out of the war in Europe,
Woodrow Wilson is re-elected as President in 1916!
THE UNITED STATES ENTERS WORLD WAR I:
THE UNITED STATES DECLARES WAR

The Zimmermann Telegram


German official Author Zimmermann sends a
telegram to Mexico stating that if Mexico declares
war on the US that Germany will aid Mexico and
help regain its lost territory of Texas, New Mexico,
and Arizona
The Sinking of the Lusitania
In May of 1915, German U-boats sink a British
passenger ship, the Lusitania, killing 128
Americans on board
 In March of 1917, German U-boats sink four
American merchant ships without warning.


President Wilson declares war on Germany
on April 2, 1917!
REVIEW QUESTIONS









Why did Wilson send Marines into Latin America?
What were the events in Mexico leading up to US involvement
in WWI?
How did a system of alliances in Europe help cause WWI?
What were the naval races taking place in Europe and how did
they help contribute to the start of WWI?
Describe nationalism.
How did the Balkan Crisis contribute to the start of WWI in
relation to the “black hand”, Franz Ferdinand, the AustroHungarian government, Serbia, and the system of alliances?
What were the countries of the Triple Entente (Allies) and the
Central Powers?
What were the provisions of the Sussex Pledge?
How did the Zimmerman Telegram contribute to American
involvement in WWI?
ESSAY QUESTION

Describe two events that pushed the United States toward
entering World War I.
ESSAY ANSWER

Describe two events that pushed the United States toward
entering World War I.
 To try to cut off supplies going to Great Britain, the Germans
announced in 1915 that their U-boats would sink without
warning any ship found in the waters around Britain. This
announcement outraged the United States because it violated an
international treaty requiring military vessels to reveal their
intentions to merchant ships and provide for the safety of the
people aboard before sinking the ships. In implementing their
policy, the Germans sank the British passenger liner Lusitania
in the war zone, killing 1,200, including 128 Americans. In 1916
a U-boat torpedoed the French passenger ship Sussex, injuring
several Americans on board. In 1917 British intelligence
intercepted a telegram from Arthur Zimmermann, a German
official. It proposed to offer the Mexican government its “lost
territory in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona” if Mexico sided
with Germany in the event that the United States entered the
war. Furious, many Americans now concluded war with
Germany was necessary.