The Zimmerman Telegative Impact Of World War I On The United States

World War I started in 1914, when the archduke of Austria-Hungary was murdered, and ended in 1918 (Source 5). Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire formed an alliance against the United States, Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Romania, and Japan (Source 5). World War I had many negative effects on the United States. It hurt soldiers, citizens, and it led to World War II. At first the United States wanted to stay neutral (Source 11). What changed their mind was two things. The first was the fact that the Germans sank a British ship, causing the death of 129 americans (Source 11). The second was called the Zimmerman Telegram. The Zimmerman Telegram was a signal from Germany to Mexico, promising them the land that the United States had taken before in a past war (Source 11). Both of these events started to generate support for going to war. On April 6th 1917 the United States joined World War I. (Source 12) …show more content…
World War I killed more than 9 million soldiers, and wounded about 21 million (Source 1). The United States suffered more than 110,000 casualties (Source 1). Shell shock inflicted permanent damage on soldiers. Shell shock is a psychological disturbance that was originally thought to be caused by loud shelling (Source 6). It caused some soldiers to refuse to fight, which were then thought cowards (Source 6). Others would lose memory, but some could also suffer more physical injuries such as reduced fields of vision, or the loss or dulling of senses like smell or taste (Source 6). Because some lost vision they wouldn’t be able to drive cars. This would make them have to walk to work, lowering the amount they are paid because they aren’t working as much as other