what did german government decide to begin on february 1 1917
Milestones: 1914–1920
U.S. Entry into World War I, 1917
On April 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson went before a joint session of Congress to asking a declaration of war confronting Federal republic of germany. Wilson cited Germany's violation of its pledge to suspend unrestricted submarine warfare in the Northward Atlantic and the Mediterranean, besides every bit its attempts to entice United mexican states into an alliance against the Us, equally his reasons for declaring state of war. On April 4, 1917, the U.Due south. Senate voted in support of the mensurate to declare war on Germany. The House concurred ii days later. The U.s.a. later declared war on German ally Austria-Hungary on December 7, 1917.
World War I Trenches in France
Deutschland'south resumption of submarine attacks on rider and merchant ships in 1917 became the primary motivation backside Wilson'due south conclusion to lead the United States into World State of war I. Following the sinking of an unarmed French boat, the Sussex, in the English Aqueduct in March 1916, Wilson threatened to sever diplomatic relations with Deutschland unless the German Government refrained from attacking all passenger ships and allowed the crews of enemy merchant vessels to abandon their ships prior to any attack. On May 4, 1916, the German Regime accepted these terms and conditions in what came to be known as the "Sussex pledge."
Past January 1917, however, the situation in Germany had changed. During a wartime briefing that month, representatives from the German Navy convinced the military leadership and Kaiser Wilhelm II that a resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare could help defeat Great Britain within five months. German policymakers argued that they could violate the "Sussex pledge" since the United states could no longer be considered a neutral party after supplying munitions and fiscal aid to the Allies. Deutschland as well believed that the United states had jeopardized its neutrality by acquiescing to the Allied occludent of Germany.
German Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg protested this decision, assertive that resuming submarine warfare would draw the United States into the war on behalf of the Allies. This, he argued, would lead to the defeat of Germany. Despite these warnings, the German Government decided to resume unrestricted submarine attacks on all Allied and neutral shipping within prescribed war zones, reckoning that German submarines would cease the war long earlier the commencement U.S. troopships landed in Europe. Accordingly, on Jan 31, 1917, German Administrator to the United States Count Johann von Bernstorff presented U.S. Secretarial assistant of State Robert Lansing a note declaring Deutschland's intention to restart unrestricted submarine warfare the following day.
German Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg
Stunned by the news, President Wilson went before Congress on Feb 3 to announce that he had severed diplomatic relations with Germany. However, he refrained from asking for a declaration of state of war because he doubted that the U.S. public would back up him unless he provided ample proof that Germany intended to attack U.S. ships without warning. Wilson left open the possibility of negotiating with Frg if its submarines refrained from attacking U.South. aircraft. Nevertheless, throughout February and March 1917, German submarines targeted and sank several U.S. ships, resulting in the deaths of numerous U.S. seamen and citizens.
On February 26, Wilson asked Congress for the say-so to arm U.S. merchant ships with U.Southward. naval personnel and equipment. While the measure would probably have passed in a vote, several anti-war Senators led a successful filibuster that consumed the rest of the congressional session. Every bit a result of this setback, President Wilson decided to arm U.S. merchant ships by executive order, citing an one-time anti-piracy police that gave him the authority to do so.
While Wilson weighed his options regarding the submarine issue, he too had to address the question of Germany'due south attempts to cement a hole-and-corner alliance with Mexico. On January nineteen, 1917, British naval intelligence intercepted and decrypted a telegram sent by German Strange Minister Arthur Zimmermann to the German Ambassador in Mexico City. The "Zimmermann Telegram" promised the Mexican Regime that Germany would help Mexico recover the territory it had ceded to the United States post-obit the Mexican-American War. In return for this assistance, Germany asked for Mexican support in the war.
The "Zimmermann Telegram"
Initially, the British had non shared the news of the Zimmermann Telegram with U.Due south. officials because they did not desire the Germans to detect that British code breakers had cracked the German language code. However, post-obit Federal republic of germany's resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare in February, the British decided to employ the note to assist sway U.S. official and public opinion in favor of joining the war. The British finally forwarded the intercepted telegram to President Wilson on Feb 24. The U.Southward. press carried the story the following week.
Despite the shocking news of the Zimmermann Telegram, Wilson notwithstanding hesitated asking for a annunciation of war. He waited until March 20 before convening a Cabinet meeting to broach the matter—almost a month after he had first seen the telegram. The precise reasons for Wilson's determination to cull state of war in 1917 remain the subject of debate among historians, especially in light of his efforts to avoid state of war in 1915 later the sinking of the British passenger liners Lusitania and Arabic, which had led to the deaths of 131 U.Southward. citizens.
Yet, past 1917, the connected submarine attacks on U.South. merchant and rider ships, and the "Zimmermann Telegram'due south" implied threat of a German language set on on the Usa, swayed U.S. public stance in support of a declaration of war. Furthermore, international law stipulated that the placing of U.South. naval personnel on civilian ships to protect them from German submarines already constituted an human action of war against Germany. Finally, the Germans, by their deportment, had demonstrated that they had no interest in seeking a peaceful cease to the conflict. These reasons all contributed to President Wilson's decision to enquire Congress for a declaration of war against Germany. They also encouraged Congress to grant Wilson's request and formally declare war on Deutschland.
Source: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1914-1920/wwi
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