Cause of Ww1

With the assassination

of Arcduke Franz Fernidad throne of the Austro-Hungarian empire, Austro-Hungary declares war on Serbia. Russia, Serbia's ally declares war on Austro-Hungary and Germany mobilizes there troops and declared war on France and Rusia. With the war raging in Europe a stalemate was made. President Woodrow Wilson and Congress felt hostility towards Great Britan because of past wars, for this reason they favores the Central Powers. More Americans opposed the Central Powers because of German ruler, Kaiser Wilhelm. They disliked him because he was an autocrat, and they saw the Germans as people of frightening militarism and cold-blooded efficiency. With the AMerican inestments overseas increasing between 1897 and 1914 between $700 million and $3.5 billion, the bloackade of the North Sea by Germany put these investments at risk. To protect these investments President Wilson declared the U.S a neutral country. However in the next two years friction between the United States grew more and more. The German U-Boat attacked warships, merchant ships, and passenger ships without warning this struck many Americans as hostile. Great Britan then cut the translatic cable between Germany and the United States. Soon after the sinking of the Lusitania on May 7, 1915 hostility grew even larger between the United States and Germany. On Februrary 3 of hte next year the U.S. cut off diplomatic relationships with Germany. With American public putting pressure on Wilson to go to war, Wilson asked Congress for permission to arm American merchant ships. With the Zimmerman note being the final straw the U.S. declared war on April 2.