The Sinking of the Lusitania (1915)
The Lusitania was a cargo ship that transported people and goods across the Atlantic ocean from the United States to Great Britain. The Germans warned everyone the seas were not open and cargo being shipped to Allied ports would be destroyed. They had suspicion the Lusitania was not just transporting people, but was also smuggling goods and weapons for Great Britain to use in the war. As a result, German U-boats sank the ship, killing 1,198 people, 128 of which were Americans. This greatly angered the American public and hastened the entrance of the United States into the war.
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Zimmerman Telegram (Jan. 1917)
Germany knew eventually the United States would enter the war. At first, Woodrow Wilson maintained an isolationist policy and saw World War I purely as a "European war." So, in an attempt to stop the United States from even entering, they sent a telegram to Mexico to attempt to persuade them to invade the United States and reclaim Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, lost originally from the Mexican-American war. However, this telegram was intercepted by the British and as a result, the United States officially declared war on Germany in April of 1917.
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The End of the War
Since Germany no longer had to direct any forces on the Eastern front, they were able to focus their full army on the war in the West. In May 1918, Germany attempted to launch a full offensive to take France out of the war. They manage to push the Allies back to the Marne River outside Paris, but because of the arrival of American forces, it failed. By the summer, French and American forces have already driven Germany out of France and Great Britain was successful in maintaining a blockade, which cut off supplies to the German populations. Germany was broke and by October of 1918, all their allies had surrendered. In November of 1918, Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated the throne and declares itself a republic with the election of the Weimer Republic. The Weimer Republic then signed an armistice with the Allies on 11/11/18 at 11 a.m.