Natalie Frechman

Seelenbacher P.4

02/09/2024

In the early twentieth century leading up to World War I, Europe was consumed with

territorial tension and faced conflict over expansion. Known as the “powder keg,” meaning with

little conflict would come a greater deal, the Balkans region was referred to as this due to a

collapse of the Ottoman Empire, leaving the region with many ethnic groups attempting to

coexist. However with ethnic disputes and nationalism rising, it was an unsettled territory, one of

the last in Europe and posed as a fight to secure land. Leader of Germany, Otto von Bismarck,

understood the impact of conflict the Balkans could potentially have on Europe, in a

conversation with Lord Odo Russell during the Congress of Berlin in the year 1878, he states

"The Balkans are not worth the bones of a single Pomeranian grenadier.” His statement reflects

the condition the Balkans were in after the Russo-Turkish War and how he explains the

significance of stabilization in Europe rather than conflict over the region. Leaving his power in

1890, Bismarck also left the alliances he had formed to keep a check on the country's power–

things started to fall apart. Large empires took advantage of small ethnic groups and it became

a fight for independence. Setting the scene for a major conflict, competition between nations led

to World War I. There were three sides to this war, the first being the Triple Alliance, made up of

Germany, Austro-Hungary and Italy. The opposing side known as the Triple Entente, included

England, France and Russia. The last was just the neutral countries, for example, Belgium,

Luxembourg, and initially the United States. The United States planned to stay neutral however

it was justified in entering World War I due to Germany's actions, suppressing the presence of
the German naval forces, and America's commitment to promoting global peace and

democracy.

The United States was justified in entering into World War I on the side of the Triple

Entente because of Germany’s hostile actions. The Zimmermann Telegram, sent by German

Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann on the date January 16, 1917, was a proposition of an

alliance between Germany and Mexico. It offered Mexico support in the reclamation of its lost

land during the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848, consisting of Texan, New Mexico, and

California territory. It was a threat to the United States power and was a chance of Germany

overpowering the Allies through distracting America to fight another war on the opposite side of

the world (Document 1). From this attempt of drawing the United States attention away from

Europe, it displays German hostility and lack of consideration to prevent war. This led to anti-

German ideology throughout America within propaganda and the public overall. In the image

“Europe’s Future Map,” created in 1917 by the Liberty Loan Committee, it displays “Europe’s

future map,” as the German Empire taking control over all the central power’s territory and even

eating into smaller empires (Document 3). This image comes from the United States

perspective and in small writing reads “the Kaiser’s Dream must not come true,” opposing how

the Kaiser believed that the world is destined to be ruled by Germany and how the German

Empire was the easy ticket to being as successful as “Caesar and Napoleon.” German motives

to further expand and imperialize the entire world clearly shows their motivation to wipe out

everything from other countries and spread their policies. In bold letters beneath the writings

and images, the Liberty Loan Committee encourages US citizens to “Buy Liberty Bonds,” a

system that the United States’ government would obtain money from the public in order for

citizens to contribute in any way possible to send out troops and financially support war efforts.
 Additionally, the United States was justified in entering World War I on the side of the

Triple Entente because of the necessity to suppress German naval forces. According to the

article “Unrestricted U-Boat Warfare” during the war, Britain had a blockade across the North

sea and the English Channel, which impacted Germany greatly. It disrupted the flow of war

supplies and food and in response to this action, Germany decided to take it out on Britain and

all the Allies. Creating U-boats, Germany would be able to halt reinforcements overseas. The

United States would be one of the suppliers for Britain and other Allies, so it became a naval

competition to blockade the enemy (The National WWI Museum and Memorial). In Teddy

Roosevelt’s 1915 “Letter on the sinking of the Lusitania,” he persists in explaining how German

naval forces went against morals and took many innocent American lives. In order to get his

frustration across with the naval forces, he decided that the United States entry would not be to

combat with Germany but to value their own ideologies and defend against tyrannical rule

(Document 2). Germany’s naval forces have always been strong, especially after the

technological improvement of U-boats, an underwater ship that could sneak upon their enemy's

ships with ease and surprise. In 1916 along with the Lusitania, German naval forces sank the

French SS Sussex passenger ship. After Germany agreed to announce its submarine warfare

prior to their attacks, the Sussex Pledge became a way to alleviate tensions with the United

States. However this pledge did not hold up overtime. More naval blockades were placed upon

Germany, and in 1917, Germany resumed their secret U-boats attacks on merchant ships. This

further encouraged the United States to join because merchant ships were not directly

dangerous to Germany’s naval forces, however they did contain innocent passengers, materials

and reinforcements to the allied forces. The United States did not like the German ways of

controlling the sea and advocated for freedom of the seas for all countries.
 Lastly the United States were justified in entering World War I on the side of the Triple

Entente because of their desire to preserve peace globally. In Woodrow Wilson’s “Fourteen

Points” in 1918, he presents to congress a vision of achieving peace after World War I. He

encouraged international cooperation to prevent a future war and emphasized many points like

self-determination for oppressed peoples, the establishment of the League of Nations,

mediating disputes and especially maintaining peace (Document 13). His plan was a great idea

for its time, however countries will always dispute no matter what policy is presented, yet the

League of Nations was created, however his aspirations for peace did not sustain. The following

year at the Treaty of Versailles, “Article 231,” in 1919, it marked the end of World War I and

identified punishments and reparations necessary to certain countries. For all of Germany’s

conflict caused, the “War Guilt Clause,” placed full responsibility on Germany for the damage

and its allies as well (Document 11). Through these penalties, it was an act to ensure justice to

the damaged countries and to act as a moment of reparations. Even though it was after the war,

it still obtains the same intention of maintaining peace to give Germany fair treatment and

demonstrate justice for the other countries on the Entente side and the neutral countries.

Initially intending to stay out of World War I, the United States eventually decided to join

the fight for several reasons. Germany's actions pushed the U.S. towards involvement, the

intimidating presence of the German navy raised concerns for American security and the United

States believed in promoting peace and democracy globally, aligning with its values and

motivating its decision to enter the war. It is apparent why the United States should have not

interfered due to spending so much money on other countries, when it could have been spent

on domestic needs. It was a war in Europe that could have stayed in Europe, but with their allies

and gaining connections, the United States sought it as an opportunity to demonstrate their

policies of democracy, self-determination, and freedom.