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Why the United States entered World War I after declaring its neutrality for three years
“We have lost everything, but we managed to keep our honor,” said Nikola Pasic, Prime Minister of
Serbia.
In Sarajevo, on June 28, 1914, my countryman Gavrilo Princip, a Serb from Bosnia assassinated
the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the throne of Austro-Hungarian Empire. In that time, Bosnia
was a part of Austro-Hungarian Empire. The assassination was an excellent excuse to execute Austro-
Hungarian Empire plans for a war to destroy Serbia's ability to interfere in Bosnia. In next few days,
Austro-Hungarian Empire issue an ultimatum to Serbia with demands so stringent that it was bound to
be in any way rejected. The Serbian government denied any involvement with the assassination and,
when Austro-Hungarian Empire issued an ultimatum, turned to its ally, Russian Empire, for help. When
Russian Empire began to mobilize its army, Europe's alliance system, ironically intended to maintain the
balance of power on the continent, drew one country after another into war. On July 28, Austro-
Hungarian Empire declared war on Serbia, exactly one month after assassination in Sarajevo. The World
War began in Europe. Of course, German Empire as Austro-Hungarian Empire ally, declared war on
Russian Empire and on France, and invaded Belgium. After that, Great Britain entered the war. In
August, whole Europe took a part in two opposing alliances, on one side the Allies with Great Britain,
France, Russian Empire, and Serbia, and on another side the Central Powers with Austro-Hungarian
Empire, German Empire, Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria.
In the same time, President Wilson officially announced that America would be neutral in World
War. That neutrality extended to a policy of ‘fairness’, whereby American bankers could lend money to
both sides in the war, and American companies could sell ammunition and other war materiel. Overseas
trade was more complicated, because a Great Britain naval blockade of the German coastline made it all
but impossible for America to trade with Germany. The Great Britain policy of blockading Germany was
the primary reason for Germany ultimately introducing unrestricted submarine warfare. On May 7,
1915, a torpedo sank the Lusitania from a German submarine. The ship sank off the Irish coast in under
twenty minutes, and 1,198 passengers and crewmembers, including 128 Americans, lost their lives.
Although the United States strongly protested the incident (even though the ship was carrying
contraband to Britain), there were several more sinkings before Germany, through the Sussex pledge
(May 1916), agreed not to attack passenger ships without warning and to make provisions for the safety
of noncombatants. The sinking of the Lusitania did raise questions about America's preparedness,
however, and steps were taken to get the country ready for war. The National Defense Act provided for
the immediate expansion of the regular Army to 175,000 men and a maximum of almost 250,000
troops, while the Naval Construction Act instituted a three-year building program for the navy. The
Council of National Defense was established to coordinate and mobilize industry, available natural
resources, and labor in the event of hostilities with Germany.
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In the 1916 presidential election, Wilson faced Republican candidate Charles Evans Hughes, a Supreme
Court justice. The Progressive Party had nominated Theodore Roosevelt again, but he declined to run
and threw his support to Hughes. Wilson campaigned as the peace candidate. Although the slogan “He
kept us out of war” proved effective, the election was extremely close, with the vote in California for
Wilson determining the outcome. The Democrats also kept control of the House of Representatives and
the Senate. Before his inauguration, Wilson pressed the Allies and the Central Powers to clearly state
their war aims and outlined his own ideas for “peace without victory” and an international organization
to guarantee that peace.
These overtures became moot when Germany announced the resumption of unrestricted submarine
warfare on all neutral or Allied shipping, effective February 1, 1917. The United States quickly broke
diplomatic relations with Germany. In March, the State Department released the Zimmerman Telegram,
a message intercepted from the German foreign minister to the German ambassador in Mexico that
proposed an alliance with Mexico in the event of war with the United States. Mexico would reclaim
Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona and was expected to persuade Japan to join the Central Powers. The
publication of the message did little to enhance Germany in the eyes of Americans. March also
witnessed a revolution in Russia that overthrew Tsar Nicholas II and put a democratic provisional
government into power. The events in Russia were significant. When Wilson asked Congress for a
declaration of war against Germany in April, largely on the basis of its submarine policy, he could do so
with greater justification than before the Russian Revolution, arguing that the purpose of the war was to
make the world “safe for democracy.”
The United States enters the war. The weakened condition of the Allied forces in the spring of 1917
made it clear that the United States would have to provide more troops than perhaps originally
anticipated. In May, the Selective Service Act was passed, which made all men between the ages of 21
and 30 eligible for the draft; the age range was soon expanded to 18 to 45. Of the almost 5 million men
who served in the military during World War I, 2.8 million were drafted. A total of 1.4 million Americans
saw combat.
The Selective Service Act did not discriminate against African-Americans, and many were drafted or
volunteered. There was a widespread belief in the black community that military service would help
break down prejudice and lead to political and economic gains. However, African-Americans served in
segregated units under white officers, and an overwhelming majority were relegated to menial jobs far
behind the front lines.
