1. United States Enters the War
Russian Revolution
From Stalemate to Versailles

2. Stalemate/Western Front

3. President Wilson 1914: President declares American Neutrality
1916: Presidential Reelection – He kept us out of war!
Wins by a landslide

4. Naval Blockade/Submarine Warfare
British: Blockade German ports/seizing goods bound for Germany.
Germany: Begins sinking all
shipping heading towards
Britain.

5. Lusitania British Passenger Liner
German U-Boat U-20, off the coast of Southern Ireland fired a torpedo and hit the Lusitania. It sank in 18 minutes killing 1,198 people.
German Justification: Lusitania was carrying war supplies.
Great Britain: Denied all accusations.
Why would America care?
128 of those killed were Americans.
American public opinion began to turn against Germany.
Wilson demands Germany halt unrestricted submarine warfare/ Germany agrees.
The ships manifest clearly shows that the primary objective of the ship was to carry military supplies to the front line for the use of the British Army. Fares collected from passengers would help to finance the crossing. Therefore the passengers well being were not as important as the primary objective.
The Evening Post May

6. Zimmerman Telegram

7. Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
February 1917: Germany begins once again to sink all shipping heading to Great Britain.
March 1917: German U-Boats have sunk 3 American merchant ships.
April 1917: U.S. President Wilson outlines the case for declaring war upon Germany in a speech to the joint houses of Congress.
“The world must be made safe for democracy”

8. Russian Revolution/Bolshevick Takeover
March Revolution 1917:
Army was poorly trained & equipped.
Seeing huge defeats in the war.
Food shortages in the cities.
Czar was blamed and was forced to step down. He and his family were placed in exile.

9. Russian Revolution/Bolshevick Takeover
November Takeover 1917:
After the March Revolution, people’s situation did not change.
Vladimer Lenin came back into Russia, organized the Bolshevick (Communist) Party.
Promised to get Russia out of the war.
March 1918: Russia & Germany sign the
Brest-Litovisk Treaty.

10. Brest-Litovisk Treaty