Essay Option #1
Name
Institutional Affiliation
Origin of World War 1
The outbreak of World War 1 was confirmed by the declaration of war on Germany by the British on August 4 1914. The killing of Franz Ferdinand who happened to be heir to the throne of Austro-Hungarian, together with Sophie, his wife on June 28, 1914, was a defining moment. This particular event was a peak of a considerable number of historical-based processes and forces which had been boiling in Europe for a long time. Political forces were the core factors behind the outbreak of the Great War, commonly known today as the First World War or World War 1. The murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914 was the direct cause of World War 1.
A Serbian-rooted terrorist group known as the Black Hand sent its people to kill Archduke. In their first trial, they failed because the driver managed to escape a grenade that was thrown at the vehicle. Later that day, Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian-nationalist shot Archduke together with his wife in their car driving through Sarajevo, Bosnia. Sarajevo, Bosnia was a section of Austria-Hungary, and they both died due to bullet wounds. This killing was a protest to Austria-Hungary’s control over Sarajevo, Bosnia. Serbia’s objective was to control Bosnia and Herzegovina. Following the murder of Archduke, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Russia started to assemble its defence alliance with Serbia. For this reason, Germany declared war against Russia. As a result, countries began to join the war in defence of their mutual partnerships.
U.S Declaration of Neutrality in 1914
As to why the United States declared neutrality in 1914, it was because the war (World War I) did not concern the United States directly. As a result of a longstanding idea at the heart of the American foreign policy, it was deemed imperative and wise that the United States stays out of the alliances’ entanglements with other nations. Also, the decision to remain neutral was a position that a vast majority of the United States citizens favoured. However, the decision to stay neutral was later compromised by Germany after subsequent attacks that left Americans injured and killed.
How the U.S Entered the War
Regarding how the United States entered the war, it all began after several attacks on U.S merchant ships. Germany started by attempting to quarantine the British Isles. Considering that the British was one of U.S’s closest trading partner, there was anxiety between the U.S and Germany. Germany continued to cause tension by announcing unrestricted warfare against all ships. After that, an America private vessel transporting grain to England was sunk, and Germany claimed responsibility. In late March, four extra merchants’ ships of U.S origin were sunk by Germany. President Woodrow Wilson broke the diplomatic terms with Germany, and on April 2 he showed up before the Congress, and he called for a declaration of war against Germany. After two days, the announcement was endorsed by House of Representatives by a vote of 375 to 50 and the United States officially entered World War 1.
References
Mulligan, W. (2017). The origins of the First World War. Cambridge University Press.
Pope, C. (2018, June 18). 5 reasons the United States entered the First World War. Retrieved from https://www.historyhit.com/5-reasons-us-entered-ww1/