Gcse History: Assignment one - First World War

GCSE History: Assignment One - First World War

There are many different reasons for the First World War ending in 1918. The three main factors I'm going to examine are the entry of the USA into the war on the Allies side, the failure of the Ludendorff Offensive and the discontent in Germany. I will explain if each of these factors were equally important in bringing the First World War to an end. However there are other reasons for the war ending and these two will be investigated.

There are two main reasons why America joined the war. In 1917 the Germans started unrestricted submarine warfare. As a result German U-Boats could sink all ships sailing in British waters. Within eight weeks eight American ships had been sunk. America's patience finally ran out with the Zimmerman telegram. Arthur Zimmerman, Germany's foreign minister sent a telegram to one of his agents in Mexico suggesting they should make an Alliance with Germany. The Mexicans could then attack America's southern states such as Texas and Arizona. This was the last straw. America joined the war on the Allies side. They did not send troops straight away, instead they sent resources such as weapons, food supplies and munitious which were essential to the survival of Britain and France troops. The entry of USA to the war was a huge boost of morale for the Allies. They entered the war when it was most needed. Soldiers from the Allied countries were exhausted and needed help because of all the fighting they had done without any rest. This is where America helped out. Their army was that powerful they had the potential to win the war on their own. They had three times as many men as the other countries, twice as much ammunition and weapons, and a lot more resources. The reason for all of this is America are a very wealthy country, they could afford it all, and so far had stayed out of the war. The American military base provided troops and weapons. Troops were important because Allies had already lost a lot of men and didn't have many reserves. The weapons that America provided were also a very good use. Some of the weapons could take out large numbers of men in seconds. When the Germans found out that the USA had entered the war they tried to finish everyone off and win the war by launching the Ludendorff Offensive.

On the 3 March the Russians signed a peace treaty with Germany. The German army could now send all its troops to the Western Front. However time was running out for the Germans. They calculated it would take six months before the Americans began flooding into Europe to help the Allies. Germany's General Ludendorff decided to gamble everything he had on a final offensive to defeat the Allies before America began sending troops. Germany launched the offensive because America