Question

The entry of the United States into the First World War on the side of the Allies was due to several factors; among them was the

1. enormous debt owed U.S. banks by the Allies that needed to be protected.
2. genocide attempted by the Germans on the Eastern Front against the Slavs.
3. victory of the Bolsheviks in Russia and the movement of German troops to the Western Front.
4. discovery of a widespread and powerful German "fifth rank" in the United States.
i5. interception of the "Zimmerman telegram" sent by Germany's foreign minister to Mexico.

Answer 1

Correct choices: 1 and 5.

Brief explanation:
- 1 (true): U.S. banks and businesses had lent and sold large sums to the Allies; protecting those financial and trade interests was an important factor behind intervention.
- 5 (true): The Zimmermann Telegram (Germany offering Mexico U.S. territory if it joined the war) shocked American public opinion and helped push Congress toward war.
- 2 (false): There was no German-organized genocide of Slavs on the Eastern Front that drove U.S. policy.
- 3 (false): Russia’s Bolshevik victory and the subsequent German troop movements came after the U.S. declared war in April 1917 and thus were not causes of U.S. entry.
- 4 (false): Fears of a German “fifth column” existed, but there was no decisive discovery of a widespread, powerful pro‑German network that caused the U.S. to enter the war.

(Also note a major omitted cause: Germany’s resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare, which directly threatened U.S. ships and lives and was a principal reason for declaring war.)