In this series, we are discussing the events of World War I that led to the partition of the Ottoman Empire.
This is episode 5-20: Submarines and Americans.
Before we get into the episode, let’s do a brief recap of where we are so far:
- Frustrated with the high casualties of the war, Great Britain elects David Lloyd George as Prime Minister in 1916
- New Prime Minister Lloyd George believes defeating the Ottomans is critical to winning the war
- A staunch supporter of the Zionist movement, he refocuses the nation’s effort on the Middle East.
- The British make significant gains in Sinai and Mesopotamia, culminating with the capture of Baghdad in March 1917
- Outnumbered and desperate, Germany looks for a way to bring the war to a quick end.
And with that, let’s begin our discussion of America’s entry into the war.
American Perceptions of the War
Throughout the war, most of the world, including the United States, viewed Germany as the aggressor. And to understand this perception, let’s briefly go over how the war started in the first place.
In 1914, Serbia was an unwilling member of the Austria-Hungary Kingdom. Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian nationalist, assassinated the Austrian Archduke, Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie.