Why did the United States enter World War I?

Question

Why didn't they remain neutral?

Answer 1

The US entered the war for a variety of reasons. Here are some summaries of explanations given by FAQ Farmers.

Submarine Warfare and the Lusitania


There were unauthorized German submarines along the US East coast. Germany's resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare in the spring of 1917 provided the final straw for US politicians, and America declared war.

The first and foremost answer would be the sinking of the Lusitania, an British cruise/transport ship, bound for Britain from New York. The German U-boat ring sought to sink all supply ships headed for Britain in order to starve the island. It sank the Lusitania as part of its efforts. 1195 people died, including 128 Americans.

The Lusitania's sinking was the biggest influence on the American decision to enter the war. German submarine warfare (the Lusitania is included in this) sunk many ships over several years.

Had it not been for the Lusitania, the US would have stayed out of the War.


Economics

Some say the "bankers" were involved.


The U.S. had huge economic investments with the British and French. If they were to lose, then they would not be able to pay the U.S. debt back (amounting to about two billion dollars while Germany only borrowed a mere 27 million).

If Allies could not pay back all the loans made to them by the American bankers, the US's economy could collapse.

France and England were financing their war with US loans. In addition, they were buying massive amounts of arms from the US on credit. The US wanted to make sure that it got paid back. Germany also purchased arms, but in a much more limited fashion.

Politics


Propaganda from both sides influenced the American decision.

Woodrow Wilson did not want to go to war but when Teddy Roosevelt decided to run for another term, Wilson felt threatened and announced that there would be a preparedness program and possibly that the country would go to war.

By entering the war, the US got to flex its muscles on the world stage and establish itself as a world power.

After both sides of the Mexican civil war demanded that our troops leave and public opinion badly swayed against US intervention in Mexico, Wilson had no choice but to withdraw. By having the threat of Germany helping Mexico fight back against him, Wilson knew he had to take action. He couldn't go back into Mexico because the American people would not allow it. He really had no beef with Germany, he just wanted to save face before Mexico could fight back.

Ideology


President Wilson wanted to make the world safe for democracy ("Wilson's War Address to Congress").

It was partly for idealistic reasons (propaganda was not seen as an evil until after the Great War). The occupation of Belgium and the sinking of the Lusitania changed a lot people's minds in the US about Germany.

There was more to it than just the submarine warfare and the sinking of the Lusitania although those were the formal and legalistic reasons for declaring war. I think that over time a moral sense had developed that Britain and France were fighting the good fight for freedom against a genuine evil. If that sense had not existed I think the US would have let the Lusitania pass. As it was, it was nearly two years after she was sunk that we finally did declare war.


Zimmerman Telegram

Other points influenced entrance to the war, but the Zimmerman Telegram (sometimes called the "Zimmerman note" or "Zimmerman telegraph") finally pushed the US to war. The Zimmerman Telegram was sent from the German foreign secretary to the German Ambassador to Mexico. It stated the following:


On the first of February, 1917, submarine warfare will be reinstated unrestrictively.

The US has to stay neutral.

Germany proposes an alliance with Mexico on the following basis: If the US goes to war, Mexico must fight on the home front in an financially supported alliance with Germany; If Mexico agrees to fight, they will reconquer New Mexico, Texas and Arizona.
The telegraph was intercepted by British Intelligence and transmitted to the American government by the Brits.

This infuriated Americans. It was the same sort of alliance that plunged Europe into war.

Other FAQ Farmers agree:


The clincher was "discovery" of the Zimmerman Telegram (it was de-coded by the British and forwarded to US diplomats; with obvious self-interest on the part of the Brits).


Answer

the single most important reason the U.S. got involved in the war was because they felt that their postion as a neutral country had been violated because a German U-boat had sunk the Lusitania, an American passenger ship.




Answer

the sinking by the passenger ship Lucitania by a german U-boat


Answer
recently i found out that the central powers had sent subs into the atlantic ocean, the states saw this as a threat to their trade routes and thus declared war on the central powers (germ. Aus/Hun, Turkey and Bulgaria)


Answer
A boat called the Lusitania was sunk while sending supplies to the french. This boat was sunk by a german U-boat (submarine). Then many of the American's finances were going into the war and being sunkin by more U-boats...



Answer
the main reason was because we were afraid the war would spread acrous the atlantic to the united states.

Answer

no it wasent because of that at all it was because britian needed alot of help because lots of people were dyin an diseases were spreadin an soliders were badly wounded so, america did join in three years after the war began and helped britian beacause the united states of america were bieng called cowards and scared the war would go on alot longer


2 reasons why US joined WWI

1.sinking of innicent us ship 2.germany wanted Mexico to attack the U.S.


Zimmerman note
The United States got involved in World War 1 because of a Zimmerman telegram sent to Mexico detailing German plans against the U.S in which Mexico was conquered by the U.S loosing Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. The note was sent on April 2 1917 and 4 days later the U.S declared war against Germany.


Answer
The official reason was the continuation of unrestricted submarine warfare which had already resulted in the deaths of many Americans working or travelling on foreign vessels. The Lucitainia is the most famous example of this. Also, the ideological differences between Prussian militarism and American liberalism, an authoritarian Kaiser and a democratically elected government, and a static social hierarchy and American belief in universal equality (with numerous exceptions at the time, but hopefully you'll understand) all helped to make the Germans a very easy race to wage war against and villify. The last major reason was the Zimmerman Telegramm, which was a request from the German government to Mexico. They asked the Mexicans to declare war on the United States and in return the Mexicans would have all the territory they lost in the Mexican-American War restored to them. Naturally, Mexico declined but when the US find out, we were enraged.

Answer
United Sates joined World War 1 because France and Britian were borrowing large amount of money from the U.S. If Fance and Britian lost would have lost The U.S. would no be the way it is


Answer
Entry of the United States


President Wilson before Congress, announcing the break in official relations with Germany on February 3, 1917.

America's policy of insisting on neutral rights while also trying to broker a peace resulted in tensions with both Berlin and London. US president Woodrow Wilson repeatedly warned that he would not tolerate unrestricted submarine warfare, and the Germans repeatedly promised to stop. In January 1917 the German military decided that unrestricted submarine warfare was the best gamble to choke British supplies before the American troops could arrive in large numbers. A proposal to Mexico to join the war was exposed in February, bringing war closer. (See Zimmerman telegram). After further U-boat attacks on American merchant ships, Wilson requested that Congress declare war on Germany, which it did on April 6, 1917 (see: Woodrow Wilson declares war on Germany on Wikisource). The House approved the war resolution 373-50, the Senate 82-6, with opposition coming mostly from German American districts. Wilson hoped war could be avoided with Austria-Hungary; however, when it kept its loyalty to Germany, the US declared war on Austria-Hungary in December 1917.



Although the American contribution to the war was important, particularly in terms of the threat posed by an increasing US infantry presence in Europe, the United States was never formally a member of the Allies, but an "Associated Power." Significant numbers of fresh American troops only arrived in Europe in the summer of 1918, when they started arriving at 10,000 a day.



Germany miscalculated that it would be many more months before large numbers of American troops could be sent to Europe, and that, in any event, the U-boat offensive would prevent their arrival.



The United States Navy sent a battleship group to Scapa Flow to join with the British Grand Fleet, a number of destroyers to Queenstown, Ireland and several submarines to the Azores and to Bantry Bay, Ireland to help guard convoys. Several regiments of U.S. Marines were also dispatched to France. However, it would be some time before the United States would be able to contribute significant manpower to the Western and Italian fronts.



The British and French wanted the United States to send its infantry to reinforce their troops already on the battlelines, and not use scarce shipping to bring over supplies. Thus the Americans primarily used British and French artillery, airplanes and tanks. However, General John J. Pershing, American Expeditionary Force (AEF) commander, refused to break up American units to be used as reinforcements for British Empire and French units (though he did allow African American combat units to be used by the French). Pershing ordered the use of frontal assaults, which had been discarded by that time by British Empire and French commanders as too costly in lives of their troops. To the astonishment of the Allies, the dispirited Germans broke and ran when the Americans came running, and the AEF suffered the lowest casualty rate of any army on the Western Front. (Most of its deaths were due to disease.)


Answer
It was because Germany bombed three of US ships without warning,because the US was sending supplys to Britain.


Answer
The US got involved because of unrestricted German submarine warfare. This means Germany sunk all ships taking supplies to Britain, 3 of these ships were American and this angered Wilson and causes the US to enter the war.


Answer
The U.S. had a large economic interest vested in certain countries that were in the war. The U.S had loaned millions and millions of dollars to Britain as well as billions to another country, thus it was in their interest to assure that the Allies won - even if that meant entering the war themselves.




Answer
We entered the war because German submarines ambushed and attacked three of our merchant ships taking supplys to Britain and the Allies.


Answer

VI. EXPLAINING US ENTRY--CONTENDING THEORIES: A. Three economic explanations: 1. Neutral rights, commerce protection--"we must protect our 2-way trade with Britain, to capture the efficiencies of the international division of labor." What kind of U.S. war does this explanation predict? A limited U.S. war to protect U.S. commerce with Britain, with no land war on the continent against Germany? 2. Neutral rights, business cycle variant (export protection)--"we must protect our 1-way exports to Britain, to ease US unemployment." What kind of U.S. war does this explanation predict? A limited U.S. war at sea to protect U.S. commerce with Britain? A strategy of prolonged stalemate rather than a push for decisive victory? 3. "Merchants of Death"--protection of munitions makers--"we must protect/expand our munitions exports to Britain, to keep US munitions makers and workers prosperous." Again, does this explanation predict a U.S. strategy of prolonged stalemate? B. National security/balance-of-power: the US fought to contain German military power. What does this explanation predict we should find in the U.S. archives? In U.S. public rhetoric justifying the war? C. US mobilization strategy ---> US was unable to prevent the war, tempted Germany to cut US trade with Britain before the US could mobilize. What does this explanation predict we should find Germans saying about the U.S. in the German archives? D. US misperceptions: Wilson didn't foresee a long war, the German sub campaign, or the growth of US dependence on exports to allies. E. Common US/allied democratic culture. F. British propaganda, manipulation of US opinion.




Answer
To help their Ally Great Britain against the increasing threat from Germany.

Answer 2

The Zimmerman note which was an internal diplomatic communication issued from the German Foreign Office in January 1917 that proposed a military alliance between Germany and Mexico in the event of the United States' entering World War I against Germany. Also unrestricted submarine warfare the Germans had

Answer 3

The Zimmerman note which was an inward discretionary correspondence issued from the German Foreign Office in January 1917 that proposed a military organization together amongst Germany and Mexico in case of the United States' entering World War I against Germany. Likewise unlimited submarine fighting the Germans had

Answer 4

Lusitania was NOT an American ship. It was British, a Cunard Line passenger ship which was listed as a war ship because it carried munitions and had a deck gun to fight off submarines.

Lusitania was sunk on May 5th 1915, two years before US entered war in April 1917 and the sinking was not the reason the US entered the war.

From Wikipedia:
<< There has long been a theory, expressed by historian and former British naval intelligence officer Patrick Beesly and author Donald E. Schmidt among others, that Lusitania was deliberately placed in danger by the British authorities, so as to entice a U-Boat attack and thereby drag the USA into the war on the side of Britain. A week before the sinking of the Lusitania, Winston Churchill wrote to Walter Runciman, the President of the Board of Trade, stating that it is "most important to attract neutral shipping to our shores, in the hope especially of embroiling the United States with Germany." >>


I suggest that the US had not entered WW1 there might not have been a WW2.

We did it for Briton and for access to mid-east oil. Oil, Money, War.

Answer 5

To a great extend World War I was caused by the machinations of the United States and England. Winston Churchill was half American and blockaded German ports leading the Germans to retaliate by sinking the Lusitania causing the U.S to enter WWI. The U.S. wanted to destroy the world hegemony of Europe and the British Empire. England wanted to eliminate the menacing growing power of Germany. Since the job was only half done and the United States wanted sole world hegemony excluding England and then engineered World War II. See Ernst Nazi in Wikipedia. See Breton Woods agreement Wikipedia.

Answer 6

If the United states hadn't entered ww1 more than likely the war would have landed onto our shores. However little known bit history stated that willson told the Brits to give up their territory back to the Jews and Churchill agreed. The United States sent over the documents,for the Brits to sign and went to war. Obiviously at the end of the war the document was mysteriously lost.The jews never recieved the Promised Land. Hence WW2,this time the US told Churhhill and the Brits to give us the document in hand before we(US) bail your sorry asses out. The United States recieved what We wanted and the poor Boys Got Nromandy!!; and the Jews finally moved back to their Promised Land in 1947. Thats' a liitle piece of many pieces that is not easily found in history ..

Answer 7

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Why did the United States enter World War I?
Why didn't they remain neutral?

Answer 8

When Germany began attacking American ships carrying supplies to Britain,the Americans asked them to stop.when they didn't listen,the United States entered the war on the side of the Allies.

Answer 9

Actually the Lusitania was not the reason America entered the war, it was a big impact but America entered the war in 1917, the Lusitania sunk in 1916, it would not take America a year to enter the war, it would maybe take a month.

Answer 10

For everyone that's saying it was because a German U-boat sunk the Luisitania, you're wrong. We didn't enter the war until 2 years later. Two of the biggest reasons US entered WWI was because...

1.) The Sussex Plead was violated by Germans.
The Sussex pledge was the post fixation after they sunk the Lusitania.

2.) US heard the Zimmerman note in 1917
The Zimmerman note was basically Germans asking Mexico to invade the US to keep the US occupied.

Answer 11

In brief and without long details, USA entered in the WW1 to support England and France because Germany was about to occupy London and Paris and Germany had attacked some American ships in the ocean