What are three reasons that led the United States to join the Allies during WWI?

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• Introduction & Top Questions

• • Forces and resources of the combatant nations in 1914
  • Technology of war in 1914

• • Initial strategies
    • The Schlieffen Plan
    • Eastern Front strategy, 1914
    • The strategy of the Western Allies, 1914
  • The war in the west, 1914
    • The German invasion
    • The First Battle of the Marne
  • The Eastern and other fronts, 1914
    • The war in the east, 1914
    • The Serbian campaign, 1914
    • The Turkish entry
    • The war at sea, 1914–15
    • The loss of the German colonies

• • Rival strategies and the Dardanelles campaign, 1915–16
  • The Western and Eastern fronts, 1915
    • The Western Front, 1915
    • The Eastern Front, 1915
  • Other fronts, 1915–16
    • The Caucasus, 1914–16
    • Mesopotamia, 1914–April 1916
    • The Egyptian frontiers, 1915–July 1917
    • Italy and the Italian front, 1915–16
    • Serbia and the Salonika expedition, 1915–17
  • Major developments in 1916
    • The Western Front, 1916
    • The Battle of Jutland
    • The Eastern Front, 1916
    • German strategy and the submarine war, 1916–January 1917
    • Peace moves and U.S. policy to February 1917
  • Developments in 1917
    • The Western Front, January–May 1917
    • The U.S. entry into the war
    • The Russian revolutions and the Eastern Front, March 1917–March 1918
    • Greek affairs
    • Caporetto
    • Mesopotamia, summer 1916–winter 1917
    • Palestine, autumn 1917
    • The Western Front, June–December 1917
    • The Far East
    • Naval operations, 1917–18
    • Air warfare
    • Peace moves, March 1917–September 1918

• • The Western Front, March–September 1918
  • Other developments in 1918
    • Czechs, Yugoslavs, and Poles
    • Eastern Europe and the Russian periphery, March–November 1918
    • The Balkan front, 1918
    • The Turkish fronts, 1918
    • Vittorio Veneto
    • The collapse of Austria-Hungary
  • The final offensive on the Western Front
    • The end of the German war
    • The Armistice
  • Killed, wounded, and missing

Fast Facts

• Key Facts of World War I
• World War I Timeline
• Causes and Effects of World War I

• • Who won World War I?
  • How many people died during World War I?
  • What was the significance of World War I?

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United States in WWI

Remaining Neutral

When war broke out in 1914, the United States had a policy of neutrality. Many people in the U.S. saw the war as a dispute between "old world" powers that had nothing to do with them. Also, public opinion on the war was often split as there were many immigrants who had ties to both sides.

When the Germans sank the Lusitania in 1915, a passenger ocean liner with 159 Americans on board, the public opinion in the United States toward the war began to change. This act killed 1,198 innocent passengers. When the United States finally entered the war two years later, the cry "Remember the Lusitania" was used on recruitment posters and to unite the people against the Germans.

Zimmerman Telegram

In January of 1917, the British intercepted and decoded a secret telegram sent from German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmerman to the German ambassador in Mexico. He proposed that Mexico ally with Germany against the United States. He promised them the territories of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.

Declaring War

The Zimmerman Telegram was the final straw. President Woodrow Wilson gave a speech to Congress on April 2, 1917 asking for them to declare war on Germany. In his speech he said that the U.S. would go to war to "fight for the ultimate peace of the world." On April 6, 1917 the U.S. officially declared war on Germany.

U.S. Forces in Europe

The U.S. army in Europe was under the command of General John J. Pershing. At first, the U.S. had few trained troops to send over to Europe. However, the army was quickly built up through the draft and volunteers. By the end of the war around 2 million U.S. troops were in France.

Wilson's Fourteen Points

After entering the war, President Wilson issued his famous Fourteen Points. These points were his plans for peace and the goals of the United States in entering the war. Wilson was the only leader to publicly state his war aims. Included in Wilson's Fourteen Points was the establishment of a League of Nations that he hoped would help to end war in the future.

After the War

After Germany was defeated, President Wilson pushed for his Fourteen Points to be followed by the rest of Europe and the Allies. Wilson wanted all of Europe to be able to recover quickly from the war, including Germany. France and Britain disagreed and placed harsh reparations on Germany in the Treaty of Versailles. The United States did not sign the Treaty of Versailles, but established their own peace treaty with Germany.

Interesting Facts about the United States in World War I

• The United States had 4,355,000 military personnel involved in World War I. It suffered 322,000 casualties including 116,000 soldiers that were killed.
• The United States didn't become an official member of the Allies, but called itself an "associated power".
• The U.S. Navy played a major role in helping to blockade Germany, keeping out supplies and hurting Germany economically.
• The U.S. forces that were sent to Europe during World War I were called the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF).
• The nickname for U.S. soldiers during the war was "doughboy."

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