The Great War was one of the most devastating wars in American history, a long struggle between the Allied and Central Powers that resulted in almost no gain in territory for either side.
America did not immediately jump into the war when it was sparked by the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Serbia. President Woodrow Wilson did not wish to enter the war at first but due to several events and political and economic ties America's entrance onto the field of battle was inevitable. Three of the several reasons that the U.S. did enter the war are: Germany's naval policy (unrestricted submarine warfare), American economic interests, and propaganda from the Allied powers.
Allies and Central Powers in the First World War A...
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President Woodrow Wilson asking Congress to declar...The major reason that war was declared on Germany in 1917 was its naval policy. Germany perfected the submarine, or U-boat, and developed it into the one of the most lethal and decisive weapons in the Great War. Submarine International Law, however, hindered the U-boat's effectiveness. It stated that before attacking a non-military vessel, the sub had to surface, fire a warning shot, allow the people on the ship to escape and then attack. This obviously is not what the Germans wanted to do, in the time that it takes to surface and wait, a warship can easily be radioed and a surfaced submarine is no match for a ship of a navy. So the Germans enacted unrestricted submarine warfare, the attacked ships and blockaded ports and other areas of the sea without warning. The events that sparked American entry to the Great War started on May 7, 1915. A German U-boat destroyed a British luxury liner, The Lusitania. There were over one thousand passengers, over one hundred Americans, and all of them drowned. Woodrow Wilson warned Germany that he would intervene if this continued but...