Why did America join WWI? Freedom of the Seas…
Mrs. Davis WHII
The GREAT WAR!
The Loss of American Lives
The Germans sank 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.
German submarine warfare
There were unauthorized German submarines along the US East coast.
Germany's persistence of unrestricted submarine warfare in the spring of 1917 provided the final straw for US politicians, and America declared war.
Economic Investments
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.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I think it's amazing that you call it "The Great War". In Sweden it's known more as "The Terrible War". I think it is amazing since America lost vast numbers of lives and material compared to Sweden.
ReplyDeleteI suppose that great in this sense means that it was great as in large, but that the size of the war has become the focus seem strange to me.
Do you think you are able to explain it to a quiet puzzled swede?
No offence, but I really have to qoute my favorite dudes in the universe, Yoda.
"OOOhhhh Great warrior hah, wars not make one great hmhmhm"