Two significant events that shifted American policy from neutrality to involvement in World War I were the attack on the RMS Lusitania and the interception of the Zimmermann Telegram. The sinking of the Lusitania on May 7, 1915, resulted in the tragic loss of nearly 1,200 lives, including 128 Americans, and stirred public outrage against Germany due to its unrestricted submarine warfare. Additionally, the Zimmermann Telegram, which revealed Germany's attempt to incite Mexico to invade the U.S. in exchange for regaining lost territory, further inflamed American sentiments and underscored the threat Germany posed, ultimately leading to the U.S. joining the war.
Attack on the RMS Lusitania The Boston American cautioned "the loss of life might have been very heavy." Militarization, or the buildup of warships and other armaments in preparation for war, played a significant role in World War I. By early 1915, the German navy had dispatched a fleet of U-boats, or submarines, around Great Britain to attack both merchant and military ships. Britain had already blockaded Germany when the war first broke out in order to prevent Germany and its allies from receiving imports of food and war materials. In retaliation, Germany declared the North Sea a war zone. These German U-boats acted in direct violation of international law, attacking without warning from beneath the water instead of surfacing and permitting the surrender of civilians or crew. Such attacks are known as unrestricted submarine warfare. On May 7, 1915, the British passenger ship RMS Lusitania was attacked on its way from New York City to Liverpool, England. The German Embassy in the United States had warned that this ship would be subject to attack because it was carrying ammunition, an allegation that later proved true. Nonetheless, almost 1,200 civilians died in the attack, including 128 Americans. The attack shocked the world and tested President Wilson’s desire to stay out of what had been a largely European conflict.
The Zimmermann Telegram This political cartoon, published in March 1917, is a commentary on the Zimmerman telegram. The German gloved hand is carving up a map of the southwestern United States. In January 1917, British intelligence intercepted and decoded a top-secret telegram that Arthur Zimmermann, the German State Secretary for Foreign Affairs—similar to the U.S. Secretary of State—sent to the German ambassador to Mexico. In the telegram, Zimmerman instructed the German ambassador that if the U.S. entered the war, he should convince Mexico to join the war effort on the German side. The telegram also encouraged Mexico to invade the United States if this happened. German intelligence thought that if Mexico invaded the U.S., it would create a diversion and provide Germany a clear path to victory in the war. In exchange for Mexico’s help, Zimmermann offered to help Mexico regain land that it had lost to the U.S. in the Mexican-American War, including Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. At the time, Mexico was battling its own revolution and civil war. Its likelihood of waging war against the U.S. and recovering lost territory was remote at best. But the sneaky plans outlined in the Zimmermann telegram, combined with Germany’s submarine warfare tactics that were sinking American ships, made a powerful argument for the U.S. to enter the war.
America was initially neutral about conflicts in Europe. Describe at least 2 events that made our policy change and brought the U.S. into World War One 3 sentences.
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