World War I Begins

1. What are the four main causes of World War I? Give an example for each as to why it was a cause.
Militarism- the nations of Europe were all rushing to create more weapons and build a bigger army so they'll have more military power if they need it

Alliances- nations were making lots of alliances, so when one country goes into war, its allies are forced to go with it, and so are its allies, and its enemies allies. This drags multiple countries into the war

Imperialism- the rush for colonies and a dwindling supply of resources created a fierce competition between the European countries for colonies.

Nationalism- ethnic groups were joining together and becoming more nationalistic. Each group was demanding their independence.

2. How did the June 1914 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand become the spark for WWI?

The Austria-Hungarian Empire had wanted to move into Serbia and take it over for a while, and when a Serbian assassinated the Archduke of the Austria-Hungarian Empire, Franz Ferdinand, that was there perfect excuse to declare war and attack Serbia.

3. What happened within the first few months of fighting?
Within the first few months of fighting, Germany, Russia, France, and Britain were pulled into the war by their alliances, and the "Great War," or WWI. had begun. Germany took Belgium, and the fighting countries began to use trench warfare.

4. Generally, why did the United States want to stay out of the war?

Generally, the United States wanted to stay out of the war because it didn't threaten American lives or property, and they didn't want their sons and families to experience the horrors of war.

5. Specifically, Why did the following groups of Americans tend to oppose U.S. participation in the war? Naturalized citizens; socialists; pacifists; parents.
Naturalized Citizens: Closely followed the war because of the ties they may have had with their background nationality. Citizens with German decent sympathized with the Germans, and those with Irish background saw the war as a chance for Irish independence. So some didn't want the allies to win.

Socialists: They criticized the war as a capitalist and imperialist struggle between European nations to control colonies and markets in other countries.

Pacifists: They believed that war was evil and that the U.S. should set an example of remaining neutral and promoting peace in the world.

Parents: They didn't want their sons to go and experience the horrors and dangers of war. They didn't want to lost their children in the war.

6. How did Germany respond to the British naval blockade of Germany’s ports? What was the U.S. response?

The U.S. got angry about the blockade, because it threatened the freedom of the seas and stopped American goods from reaching Germany, therefore the U.S. could not trade with Germany for profit. Germany's reaction was to sink the British liner Lusitania, and of the 1,198 people killed in that disaster, 128 were Americans. The Germans argued that the ship contained ammunition to defend their case, but the U.S. public opinion turned against Germany and the Central Powers.

7. What forced the United States into the war?

The United States was forced into the war because Germany was threatening to sink every ship in British waters, and it was sinking many ships with American passengers. Germany continued this unrestricted submarine warfare as much as it pleased. It also tried propose an alliance with Mexico, and promised that if war broke out with the U.S., Germany would assist Mexico in recovering land they lost to the U.S. Fortunately, Britain intercepted this telegram. Then, four unarmed American ships were sunk, and 36 lives were lost. Finally, the Russian monarchy was replaced by a representative government. Now American war supporters could say that it was a war of democracies against monarchies, and they supported joining the allies.