World War I was the deadliest conflict until that point in human history, claiming tens of millions of casualties on all sides.Under President Woodrow Wilson, the United States remained neutral until 1917 and then entered the war on the side of the Allied powers (the United Kingdom, France, and Russia.The experience of World War I had a major impact on US domestic politics, culture, and society. Women achieved the right to vote, while other groups of American citizens were subject to systematic repression.War in Europe and US neutrality.On June 28, 1914, Yugoslav nationalist Gavrilo Princip assassinated the heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian empire, Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Princip and his accomplices wanted to unite the Yugoslav people and liberate them from Austrian rule. The assassination set off a series of events that culminated in a declaration of war between Austria-Hungary and Serbia. Due to the European alliance system, all major European powers were drawn into the war, which spread around the globe and became the first world war in human history.start superscript, 1, end superscript.Map of World War I combatants.World map showing the nations of the world.highlighted according to whether they fought with the Allied Powers or.the Central Powers in World War I.World map showing the nations of the world highlighted according to whether they fought with the Allied Powers or the Central Powers in World War I.
World War I was truly a world-wide war. Here, countries that were allied with the Triple Entente, known as the Allied Powers, are highlighted in green. Countries that were allied with the Central Powers are highlighted in orange. Map courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
The war pitted two groups of allies against each other: the Triple Entente, composed of Russia, France, and the United Kingdom, against the Central Powers, Germany and Austria-Hungary. [See a list of principal World War I combatants]
Though everyone believed the war would be quick and decisive, it instead bogged down in a prolonged war of attrition, with soldiers in the trenches fighting ferociously to move the battle lines by mere inches.The United States enters World War I.US President Woodrow Wilson sought to maintain US neutrality but was ultimately unable to keep the United States out of the war, largely because of escalating German aggression. On May 7, 1915, the Germans sunk the British ocean liner RMS Lusitania, which had over a hundred Americans on board. Wilson warned that the United States would not permit unrestricted submarine warfare or any further violations of international law.In January 1917, the Germans resumed submarine warfare. A few days after this announcement, the Wilson administration obtained a copy of the Zimmermann Telegram, which urged Mexico to join the war effort on the side of Germany and pledged that in the event of a German victory, the territories of Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico would be stripped from the United States and returned to Mexico. The publication of the Zimmermann Telegram and the escalation of German submarine attacks on US merchant vessels led the US Congress to declare war on Germany on April 6, 1917.
More than 1.3 million men and twenty thousand women enlisted in the armed forces.cube Though some Americans opposed US entry into the war, many believed they had a civic duty to support the war effort. US government propaganda sought to mobilize the American citizenry through appeals to patriotism and civic duty, and by linking US democracy with support for the democracies of Western Europe.Propaganda poster depicting Germany as a mad gorilla intent on invading the United States. Propaganda poster depicting Germany as a mad gorilla intent on invading the United States.Propaganda poster for the American war effort in World War I, 1917. The poster portrays Germany as a mad gorilla that would turn its sights on American shores if not defeated in Europe. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.The Selective Service Act of 1917 authorized the conscription of military manpower for the war effort so that the United States did not have to rely solely on volunteers. start superscript, 4, end superscript Because many American citizens believed it was their patriotic duty to support the war effort, the draft was well-received and rates of draft-dodging were relatively low.World War I on the home frontThe First World War had an enormous impact on US politics, culture, and society.
