1. The Beginning of The End of WWI

2. A Revolution in Russia Russian economy was not strong enough to supply a prolonged war Russian government still ruled by autocratic czar(people had no say…remember French Revolution?) Russian people had been unhappy with government and czar and were eager for change! March of 1917 the revolution errupted and Czar Nicholas II was overthrown.

3. Treaty of Brest-Litovsk October 1917 - Russia’s new leader, V.I. Lenin, promised to pull Russian troops out of the war Lenin signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, withdrawing Russia from the war in March 1918. This gave the Central Powers the boost they had been waiting for

4. America Joins the Allies When the war began in 1914, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson kept America neutral American sympathies were with Great Britain and France – Made armament and equipment deals – Reprinted British propaganda about Germans in Belgium Factors between 1915 and 1917 would effect America’s entrance into the war

5. Sinking of the Lusitania

6. 1. Unrestricted Submarine Warfare 1914 Great Britain made a naval blockade of Germany to stop food and raw materials being imported. 1915 Germany responded by declaring the seas around Britain a warzone. All Allied shipping could be sunk by German U- boats without warning.

7. Allied ships sunk by U-Boats between September 1916 and April 1917

8. 2. The sinking of the Lusitania May 1915 the Lusitania, a British passenger liner, was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine Germany claimed the ship was being used to ship war cargo and munitions 1,198 were killed, including 128 Americans.

9. 3. The Zimmerman Telegram February 1917 a telegram to Germany’s ambassador to Mexico was intercepted by British code breakers. If Mexico fought with Germany against the Allies, Germany promised to help with the invasion of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona (territories taken in the Mexican American War, 1846)

10. The Zimmerman Telegram

11. Zimmerman Telegram

12. U.S. Declares War on Germany On April 2 nd, President Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany, “to make the world safe for democracy” By mid 1918 about 2 million U.S. troops joined the Allies at the Western Front and were arriving in numbers around 10,000 per day