1. 11.1 World War 1 Begins

2. WWI Begins
Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand assassinated August 1914 by Serbian terrorists
Austria’s ally Germany declared war on Russia, Serbia’s ally
Germany then declared war on France, Russia’s ally
Basically, everyone was using Ferdinand’s death as an excuse to play with their militaries

3. WWI Begins

4. WWI Begins

5. All Quiet on the Western Front
Book written by Erich Maria Remarque, a German WWI veteran

6. All Quiet on the Western Front

7. The U.S. waits… U.S. wanted to trade with both sides of the war
But the “Allies” (Britain and France) more than the Central Powers
Britain blockaded the Central Powers, Germany responded with its “U-boats”
U-boat = “unterseeboot”

8. The U.S. waits…
Germans sinking the Lusitania and the Sussex upset us b/c there were U.S. citizens on board
But we still stayed out of the war

9. The U.S. waits…
Wilson pushed for isolationism: attempting to stay out of political/military involvement with other countries
What evidence of isolationism do you see in the primary sources below?

10. Zimmermann Telegram/’note’
February 1917, we intercepted telegram between Zimmermann (in Mexico) and his German bosses
This was the last straw and pushed us into the war

11. Zimmermann Telegram/’note’
ACT words of the day:
Endeavor
Adherence
What policy did Germany plan on beginning in February 1917?
What would Mexico have gained by joining the alliance with Germany?
What other country would Germany have liked to invite to this alliance?
If you had been an American citizen in 1917 and saw the Zimmerman Telegram printed in a newspaper, how would it have affected your opinion of the war?