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Essay on The Causes and Effects of World War I

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The Causes and Effects of World War I In 1914 through 1918, the entire world was at war. Due to many small, and some great incidents, the world powers went to war. During the war there were many events that drastically affected the outcome. Some of these events were very influential. From the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, the war was shaped by events like this. On June 28, 1914, the Archduke of Austria-Hungary, Francis Ferdinand, and his wife entered their car. About five minutes later a blast rang out. A bomb had been throw in front of his car. A Serbian nationalist and member of the Black Hand, Gavrilo Princip, ran up to the car and, with two shots, killed the Archduke and his …show more content…

On February 21, 1916, the Germans launched a major offensive under the command of Prince Frederick William against Verdun. The Battle of Verdun had begun. The French soon lost Douaumont and Hardaumont but were able to eventually stop the German advance. In July the British launched an offensive on Somme which made the Battle at Verdun a little easier. By December the French had taken most of the land they lost. The Battle of Verdun was the longest and one of the bloodiest battles of the war. The Germans soon realized they couldn't kill enough French to win the war. They found themselves losing as many men as the French. Over two million soldiers from both sides took part in the battle. A combination of about 675,000 men from both sides lost their lives; 348,000 French and 328,000 Germans. On January 16, 1917, the German Foreign Secretary, Arthur Zimmermann, sent a telegram to Johann von Bernstorff, the German ambassador to the U.S. The telegram said that if the U.S. did decide to enter the war, Mexico should be asked to join as an ally to Germany. In return, Germany would help Mexico regain Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. The British intercepted and deciphered the message. They gave it to the U.S. government. On March 1, President Wilson released the telegram to the press. A month later on April 6, the United States declared war on Germany and officially entered the war. The U.S. gave the Allies much

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