1. The United States Enters WWI

2. In 1864, Prussia started wars to unite the German states into one nation; succeeded in 1871 – Prussians had defeated France, and took some territory (making France an enemy)

3. Alliance System To protect itself, Germany aligned itself with Austria-Hungary, and Italy (Triple Alliance) Russia didn’t like this, and aligned with France (Franco-Russian alliance)

4. Naval Race Germany began building a navy in 1898, at the same time as Great Britain – Increased tensions between the two countries. Britain made an unofficial alliance with France and Russia – Becoming the Triple Entente

5. The Balkan Crisis Nationalism was popular in Europe in the late 1800s – Each nation viewed the others as competition, and were willing to go to war to expand Self-determination was the basis of nationalism – Idea that people who belong to a nation should have their own country and government – Led to problems in the Balkans

6. The Balkan Crisis Balkans were ruled by the Ottoman and Austro- Hungarian Empires. – Each made of nations that wanted independence The Serbs were the first of these nations to gain independence – Austro-Hungary wanted to limit Serbian growth, so it annexed Bosnia (another Slavic nation like Serbia) Serbs believed that A-H did not want to let Slavic people become independent

7. A Continent Goes to War June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand (heir to A-H throne) is assassinated by a member of the Serbian nationalist group known as The Black Hand. – A-H asks Germany for support in going to war with Serbia (allies with Russia).

8. A Continent Goes to War July 28, 1914: A-H declares war on Serbia – A few days later, Germany declares war on Russia and France This marked the beginning of WWI

9. Germany’s Plan Fails Germany planned to invade France by crossing Belgium (protected by Great Britain) – When Germany crossed Belgian border, GB declared war on Germany The Triple Entente became known as the Allies (Italy, GB, Fr, and Russia) Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria were the Central Powers

10. Germany’s Plan Fails Germany’s plan to invade France worked for a short time, but Russia mobilized much quicker than expected. – Russia invades Germany; forcing Germany to pull some of its troops from France to stop the Russians. Britain stepped in to help Russia, causing the German plan to fail Locked both sides in a stalemate

11. Pro-British Sentiment Britain used propaganda to win US support (info designed to influence US opinion) – Info to the US was limited when Britain cut the transatlantic cable. So the info they did get was exaggerated Enough Americans believed these stories to sway support in favor of the Allies

12. Business Links American biz had ties with businesses in Allied countries. Us banks loaned/invested nearly $2 billion in the Allies’ war effort – If they won, the money would be given back – If not, the money may be lost forever

13. Moving Towards War Britain set up naval blockades to prevent contraband from reaching Germany Germany used U-boats to get around the blockade – Germany announced it would sink any ship located in British waters without warning

14. Moving Towards War May 1915, a U-boat fired upon the passenger ship Lusitania; killing 1200 people (128 Americans) – Wilson insisted the Germany safeguard the lives of civilians. After U-boats fired upon the French passenger Sussex, Wilson warned Germany to stop submarine warfare or risk war with the US – Sussex Pledge stated that Germany promised to not sink any merchant ships without warning.

15. US Declares War Britain intercepted the Zimmerman Telegram which was sent to Mexico from Germany. – Asking MX to ally with Germany in case of war with the US. In return, MX would get back Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico Americans now believed that war with Germany was necessary.

16. US Declares War In February 1917, Germany continued unrestricted submarine warfare (eventually sank 6 Us merchant ships). April 6, 1917: The US declared war on Germany