World War I

Extract

[...] Finally, the interception by the British of the illustrious Zimmerman Telegram was the final straw for the United States. In 1917, the Germans sent a telegram which was meant for Mexico. In the telegram, Germany proposed to Mexico an alliance that would result in Germany funding Mexico's military. Thus, Mexico would attack America and reclaim the land the U.S. took from Mexico. This plan would aid the Germans because it would keep the U.S. occupied in a war with Mexico, and would therefore slow any military aid they might provide to the Allies. [...]

[...] Wilson ultimately ordered 9000 U.S. troops to Russia to support the White Russians in rebelling against communism. This plan ultimately failed and only fueled the hostilities between the United States and the Soviet Union. Workers strikes begin in countries by the working-class public who wanted the war to end, most notably in Germany. The nations at War decide to meet up in Paris to make a peace arrangement. President Wilson's 14 Points became the basis for these peace talks. The Versailles Peace Treaty was signed and leveled harsh conditions against Germany, who was forced to take full responsibility for conflict and to pay steep war reparations. [...]

[...] World War I In June of 1914, one man by the name of Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria, was assassinated. The death of this man would ultimately lead to the bloodiest conflict in all of human history up to that point. This assassination was the final trigger in the tension that was brewing between countries. This war led to intricate alliances in Europe and generally split into two major alliances; the Allies made up of (most notably) England, France, Russia, and Italy, and the Central Powers which were (most notably) Germany, Austria- Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire. [...]

[...] To most Americans, the war was a strong sentiment which proved that Europe was a mess and further solidified that their ancestors were correct in leaving. The war dragged on and the initial belief that the war would end quickly was proved wrong. Trench warfare was established. It was brutal, leading to many deaths, if not from being killed by the enemies then by infection or poor health. U.S. involvement started in a slow crawl, with the United States starting to ship materials to England to help aid them in the war. [...]

[...] On April the United States Congress declares war as an associated power of the Allies. U.S. troops mobilize to Europe before the end of 1918 and Wilson continued to seek a peace treaty. He proposed the “14 Points” which ultimately the Allied powers criticized. The communist revolution in Russia during October of 1917 led to the Bolsheviks taking over the government. Once they were in power, the Bolsheviks signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany and the Central powers, that promised to end hostilities. [...]