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Question 1
What was the immediate cause of the United States entering World War I in April 1917?
Answer: Germany's resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare and the interception of the Zimmermann Telegram, which proposed a German-Mexican alliance against the U.S., pushed Wilson to ask Congress for a declaration of war.
Question 2
What did the Zimmermann Telegram propose, and why did it outrage Americans?
Answer: German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmermann secretly proposed that Mexico ally with Germany in exchange for help recovering Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Its interception and publication by British intelligence inflamed American public opinion against Germany.
Question 3
What was Woodrow Wilson's stated justification for U.S. entry into World War I, as expressed in his War Message to Congress?
Answer: Wilson argued the U.S. must fight to make the world 'safe for democracy,' framing the war as an idealistic crusade for democratic self-determination and international order rather than a pursuit of national self-interest.
Question 4
How did the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915 affect U.S. relations with Germany?
Answer: A German U-boat sank the British passenger liner Lusitania, killing 1,198 people including 128 Americans. This caused a major diplomatic crisis and intensified anti-German sentiment in the U.S., though Wilson still pursued a policy of neutrality for two more years.
Question 5
What was the Sussex Pledge, and why was it significant for U.S. neutrality?
Answer: After Germany sank the French passenger ferry Sussex in 1916, Germany promised in the Sussex Pledge to warn ships before attacking and to ensure passenger safety. It temporarily defused tensions with the U.S. but Germany later abandoned the pledge in 1917.