Sarika Khanal
Professor David Schlortt
His 247
22nd October, 2017
The Zimmermann Telegraph
Thesis: Fuelled by the submarine war, the Zimmermann telegraph pushed United States into Great War which changed the course of world history.
In the years 1914-1917 there were different issues and events going on around the world. It was the time of modern war. Several nations were not getting along in the Great War, afterward recognized as World War I. These countries comprised Great Britain, France, Russia, Austria-Hungary, and Germany and so on. Directed by Woodrow Wilson, the United States committed to stay neutral and remain away of Europe's troubles. The foreign policy of the United States would to a great extent limit its appearance into dispute
…show more content…
He is also an author of the telegraph. It was sent to the German Minister to Mexico, von Eckhardt, in January 1917. His duty was to hand over it to the Mexican government. It was supposed to be top secret mission and was written on wartime secret code. Nevertheless British Intelligence got access to the telegraph and was decoded by code breakers.
In the first place, the telegraph offered a defense agreement between Germany and Mexico preventing United States from joining the World War I in opposition to Germany. In return, Zimmermann purposed military and financial support to the Mexico to get back their lost territory of New Mexico, Texas and Arizona. Additionally, Von Eckardt was advised to make use of the Mexicans as a mediator to appeal the Japanese to join the German
…show more content…
However dragged by the situation, the U.S. Congress announced war on Germany. As a neutral nation, the U.S. was permissible by international law to trade with all of the nations involved in war; but a rigid British marine barrier meant in reality that only those amiable to the Allies received an advantage from this agreement. Eventually, Germany attempted to stop the circulation of food, arms and armaments to its foes by the means of sinking neutral ships. Germany recommenced unhindered submarine warfare and started preying on U.S. ships in the Atlantic. This strategy caused anger in the United States. That’s why the majority of historians concur that the American involvement in Great War was unavoidable by early 1917, however the involvement to war was undoubtedly hasten by a scandalous letter composed by the
The German’s unrestricted submarine warfare was the main reason for the U.S. to enter war. Wilson had tremendous support from Americans. The Germans had to be stopped. The attacks came without warning killing many innocent people (Winter and Baggett, 1996). The Germans sank numerous ships including our own. The most famous ship sunk was the Lusitiania. Aboard that ship 128 Americans were killed (http://www.angelfire.com/in3/wilson/wilson.html). The Lusitania was torpedoed without any notice. The Lusitania sunk in 18 minutes killing a total of 1198 people (http://www.poltechnic.org/faculty/gfeldmeth/chart.ww1.html).
Both sides accepted the United States’ aid but they also sought to cut-off each other’s supply chain. While the Allies barricaded Germany’s ports with the British Navy, Germany began attacking merchant ships using their submarines, or U-boats. While Wilson was angered by the British tactics he was even more infuriated by the German’s. This would be the ultimate end of U.S. neutrality as Wilson would sternly address Germany’s actions and not Britain’s.
One of the main causes of the war was Great Britains's continued practice of impressment. The ocean was a common and affective way to transport good in order to trade with other nations. Every country has the right to use the ocean; but because Britain was causing America's rights to be restricted by capturing American ships and enslaving their seamen, it caused many problems between the two countries. Document 1 is a congressional report that describes Britain's violations of our right " to use the ocean, which is the common and scknowledged highway of nations, for the purposes of transporting, in their own vessels , the products of their own soil and the acquisitions of their own industry." The report calls Britain's impressment and seizure of ships is a
Throughout the years, the United States government had made drastic changes in its foreign policies. The few decades from 1880 to 1910, which saw five different presidents all with very distinct foreign policies, were no exception. As a country, the United States progressed from being a country only concerned with expanding its territory out west, to being a country on the verge of becoming involved in the First World War.
Great Britain controlled a big portion of the sea during this time and was the first to set up a blockade between the United States and Germany. The United States protested but Britain continued to force American ships to be searched for food, medical supplies, and steel before reaching Germany. Although the United States was against the blockade, it had very little impact on the U.S. economy. With Great Britain going to war, the United States produced enough war-related exports to pull them out of its prewar recession. Although Wilson claimed neutrality, he held sympathetic feelings toward Great Britain. After all, the Americans shared language and culture to the English in contrast to Germany who ruled their nation in a more militaristic manner. Because Wilson did nothing in response to Great Britain’s violation of American neutrality, Germany saw this as an indication of siding with the English.
The Zimmerman telegram clearly stated that Germany would help Mexico get back their lost lands from the American Southwest if they waged war against America. In the document “Germany Must Not Be Allowed to Win the War, it is explained that, “German agents have undoubtedly been at work in Mexico arousing anti-American feeling...Germans also appear to be operating in Haiti and San Domingo and are probably doing so in other Latin American republics” (D). Germany had tried to persuade Latin American nations to fight against America because of their proximity to this country. Interventionists believed that to stop the risks of Latin American countries waging war on us, we should get involved first to display our strength and not be threatened. American interests were best sheltered by interventionists because our lands would be protected and defended by joining the
Before the United States entered WW II, President Franklin Roosevelt signed a series of documents known as the Neutrality Acts. These acts were passed and followed between the years 1935 and 1941 and were used to keep the U.S. out of the war.1 The Neutrality Acts limited weapons sales to countries not involved in the war, gave the U.S. power to keep its citizens off of ships of, or travelling to nations involved in the war, and outlawed loans to countries currently in war and countries who had not paid back previous loans.2 These acts also outlawed American ships to carry weapons to nations in the war. The U.S. believed that if a nation in war knew that a ship had weapons on it, this ship would be a prime target for that country, therefor drawing the U.S. into another war. The Neutrality Acts helped keep the U.S. out of WW II until the bombing of Pearl Harbor, at which point the U.S. helped the British through a "Lend-Lease Program". The Lend-Lease Program allowed the U.S. to give arms and...
While the naval war is usually known for only little attention in histories of World War I, the Royal Navy's blockade of Germany played a dangerous role in the War. The U.S. Navy linking with the Royal Navy played a significant role in overcoming the German U-boats in the North Atlantic. The Germany Navy while technically effective disastrously diminished the German war effort. Germany's building of a High Seas Fleet was one of the causes that public view on Britain turned against Germany and that Britain come unto the War. Yet, the small U-boat fleet, showed a key competition to the British. In the early war, U-boats drowned three British cruisers, shocking the people of both England and Germany. The U-boat campaign was a major reason that public opinion in America turned against Germany and that America entered the War. Despite the huge investment, the German Navy accomplished nothing in return to counter balance the cost for Germany.
Anderson, F., and R.S Stephenson. The War That Made America. Penguin Group USA, 2005. (accessed December 5th , 2013).
Congress passed the declaration of war against Germany primarily based on its unrestricted use of U-boats against American ships. Thus through actions taken by the Germans, the United States would begin its involvement in the Great War. Works Cited James, D. Clayton, and Anne Sharp Wells. America and the Great War, 1914-1920. Wheeling: Harlan Davidson, 1998.
It was soon tested on what the U.S. considered free international waters. Both the Allied and Central Powers hoped to gain good trading relationships with the United States (Byas). “Britain was controlling the span of the North Atlantic Ocean and refused to allow American goods to be shipped to Germany by seizing U.S. goods. In response to Britain’s tactics, Germany established a submarine war zone around the British Isles, declaring that they would immediately sink all enemy merchant ships encountered in the area” (Aboukhadijeh). The idea of keep trading with the European countries was destroyed. This was the first time that Wilson thought that it might be the time to join the war. In 1917, the British Secret Service communicated to the American government a copy of the key document, which was the Zimmermann Telegram. “The German foreign minister proposed an alliance with Mexico--in the event that America declared war on Germany. The Zimmermann proposal included financial support to Mexico and the promise that Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona would be restored to Mexican control” (Farmer). On April 4, 1917, the Senate approved the declaration of war against the Central Powers by a vote of 82 to 6. On April 6, the House of Representatives approved it by a vote of 373 to 50 (History.com). This was the end of the Neutrality. On June 26, the first 14,000 U.S. infantry troops landed in France to begin training for combat. The United States entered the war became the turning point of the conflict. By the time the war finally ended on November 11, 1918, more than 2 million American soldiers had served on the battlefields of Western Europe, and some 50,000 of these men had lost their lives
The War of 1812 proved to be the most serious challenge to face the United States since the country's birth. This 'Second war of Independence' perhaps changed American history as we know it though. This essay will discuss the causes for this war assessing whether there actually were valid reasons for the United States and Britain going to war or whether the whole 1812 war was just born out of "pointless aggression"
On April 2nd 1917, President Woodrow Wilson of the United States of America, ??went before Congress and called for a declaration of war. Both the House and the Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of going to war with Germany.?# This was an act that led to much resistance among the American people. Not four months earlier the American people re-elected President Wilson, partly because of his success in keeping the United States out of this European war. However, a series of events, such as the Germans continuing submarine warfare and the attacks on five American ships, led President Wilson to sever diplomatic relations with Germany and send the United States into what would be labeled as World War I. As a result of the war the
The United States remained neutral in World War One because they saw it in their best interest. At the time the war began, the U.S. industry was struggling. Staying out of the war was a way to boost the industry in America by utilizing trade with both the Ally and Central Powers. The U.S. also had no real reason to join the war. They had close ties with both sides. Some problems, however, would arise that would question the U.S. decision to remain neutral and sway their opinions to one side of the war.
Prior to World War I, the United States was concerned with reform at home. When the war began, the United States decided to stay neutral up until the Zimmerman Telegram. The Americans tried to stay neutral for three years in order to be able to keep trading. Woodrow WIlson, also, was aware of the large amount of immigrants who came from other nations that were already in war. Wilson’s desire to stay nonpartisan failed as America drew closer to Britain and France. The “true spirit of neutrality”(Doc. A) was not true after all. The United States went into war on April 6,1917.