Friday, February 27, 2015

Questions about World War I

1. When did World War I (The Great War)  begin, and why? (What was the immediate cause?) Between what two groups of allies was it fought? Give the name and member countries for each of the opposing sides.

World War I began in the middle of August of 1914 because of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, which caused a lot of threats and mobilization orders, leading to the outbreak of WWI.  The war was fought between the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire) and the Allied Powers (Great Britain, France, Italy, Russia, and Japan).

2. When and why did the United States enter the war?

The US entered the war in 1917 because of Germany's policy of unchecked submarine aggression against shipping interests headed to Great Britain.  

3. When and why did World War I come to an end?

WWI ended on November 11, 1918 because Germany was forced to seek an armistice.  They had to do this because they didn't have many resources left on the battlefield, there was discontent on the home front, and all of its allies had surrendered.

4. What were the terms of the major agreement ending the war? Why did the United States not ratify this treaty, even though President Wilson had played such a major role in negotiating it?

Germany and the Allied Powers signed the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919.  The terms of the treaty included Germany having to compensate for the losses of the Allied nations by conceding territory and paying reparations (132 billion deutsche marks). The United States didn't ratify the treaty because of enmity between Wilson and Lodge.

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