WWI 1st turning point Flashcards
when did WWI start?
28 th July 1914
what policy did america initially adopt at the start of WWI?
a policy of neutrality, which it maintained until April 1917.
why did America want to remain neutral in WWI?
- The USA had a long tradition of non-involvement in Europe’s wars.
- The prevailing public opinion in the USA was that it was not their war to fight
and that they should be dragged into it. - The USA’s economy could potentially benefit from agreeing to trade with both
sides.
what role did Wilson want to play in WWI while remaining neutral?
He wanted to mediate between the two sides and he felt that the USA’s involvement in the conflict would compromise his role as peacemaker, and allow him to
determine a compromise peace when the War finished.
when did Wilson give his speech that called for ‘peace without victory’?
22 nd January 1917
why did Wilson want peace without victory?
This would be the only way to ensure that the loser’s quest for revenge did not spark another war.
were Wilsons attempts to mediate in WWI successful?
no, by 1917, none of the countries involved would accept a compromise peace.
what is unrestricted submarine warefare?
German tactic from 1915 where any ships, even from neutral countries, on route to Britain would be targeted by German U-boats.
why did Germany stop unrestricted submarine ware fare in 1917?
the Lusitania was sunk in 1915 and 128 Americans
died. Then more Americans were hurt after the sinking of the Sussex in 1916, Germany abandoned the
policy, as they were anxious to keep the USA out of the War.
when was the zimmermann telegram?
16 th January 1917.
what did the Zimmerman telegram say?
told the German Ambassador to
propose to the Mexican government a secret alliance with Germany, in which if they
went to war with the USA, Mexico would receive back Texas, Arizona and New Mexico.
who sent the Zimmerman telegram?
telegram from German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmermann, sent to the German Ambassador to Mexico,
who intercepted the Zimmerman telegram?
In February 1917, the US ambassador in Britain sent an intercept of the telegram to the US government. Wilson was affronted by the telegram and it gave him another reason to go to war.
when did America join WWI?
On 6 th April 1917, Wilson reluctantly declared war
How did US intervention in WWI fundamentally changed the course of the conflict?
- From late 1917 US soldiers were arriving
at a rate of 250,000 per month. - Allied shipping losses fell significantly after they joined the War.
