AMERICA ENTERS WORLD WAR I Essential Questions: 2.What was Operational Plan 3? 3.How did the sinking of the Lusitania impact American involvement in WWI? 4.How did the Russian Revolution of 1917 impact American involvement in WWI?
AMERICA ENTERS WORLD WAR IEssential Questions:2.What was Operational Plan 3?3.How did the sinking of the Lusitania impact American involvement in WWI?4.How did the Russian Revolution of 1917 impact American involvement in WWI?
OPERATIONAL PLAN 3 German plan to invade the U.S.
Invasion of the United States was considered vital by many within Germany
Included an attack on America's Eastern Seaboard with 60 ships and 100,000 men
They planned to start off by shelling Manhattan and capturing Boston
Operational Plan 3 was eventually shelved German leaders realized that the
German Navy was not powerful enough to stand up to the US Navy
THE LUSITANIA A British luxury ocean liner
She was torpedoed by a German Uboat on May 7, 1915
The ship sank in 18 minutes killing 1,198 of the people aboard, 128 were Americans
The sinking turned public opinion in many countries against Germany Germans said the Lusitania
was carrying ammunitions
Was a major factor in the decision of the U.S. to enter the war in 1917
ZIMMERMAN NOTE Telegram from German foreign minister
to German ambassador in Mexico Decoded by British cryptographers
Instructed German Ambassador to propose an alliance
Germany would help Mexico regain territories lost in MexicanAmerican War Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona
Reauthorized start of unrestricted submarine warfare by Germany
Telegram caused American outrage Lead to declaration of war against
Germany
RUSSIAN REVOLUTION Events in Russia removed the
last significant obstacle to direct U.S. involvement in WWI
In March 1917 the oppressive Russian Monarchy was replaced with a representative government
Supporters of American entry into WWI could now claim that this was a war of democracies against brutal monarchies
On April 6, 1917 the U.S. entered the First World War