The Lusitania
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Europe was composed of a complex system of alliances of different ideas, attitudes and fears. The flimsy stability of the European status quo shifted one way or the other with the slightest breath of wind. The cement holding this fragile structure together was the threat of the military power that armed each nation. The assination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, on June 28, 1914 was the ground shaking event that caused this fragile alliance to come toppling down. Once the alliance started to fall, it rapidly became the bloody horror that was World War I. The United States tried to walk the tightrope of neutrality as the world began to explode around them. President Woodrow Wilson had a deep abhorrence of war and the vast majority of the American public was not interested in getting involved in a conflict so far from home. If the United States were to enter the war, there would have to be a st!rong reason or act to overcome the general apathy. The sinking of the Lusitania, proved to be such an act. This unprovoked, unjustifiable act of war, so enraged the American public, that they would forever be galvanized in their bitter resentment towar
a state of war exists between Germany and her allies and Great Britain and her against themselves mighty and intangible powers by which their strength was was her undoing and our salvation." 13 south of Coningberg Lighthouse. Make sure that the Lusitania gets this. By early 1915, German hopes for a quick victory on land had faded, and the Kaiser decided that a decisive victory must be derived at sea. On February 4th, he declared the water around the British Isles as a war zone. Any enemy ships entering into this zone would be sunk without warning, and no guarantee could be given for the safety of their passengers and crew. He also made it clear that neutral ships ran the risk of being sunk in this zone. The brutal unrestricted U-boat campaign deepened Germany's reputation for ruthlessness. As merchant ships and even a Red Cross ship bringing food for the relief of starving people in Belgium were sunk without warning, the American public was horrified. Americans, who had been determined to have nothing to do with any foreign conflict, now found the U-boats regularly taking American lives. American business men initially had been displeased with the way the British blockade was interfering with their trade with Germany. As the war! The sinking of the Lusitania would not be forgotten nor forgiven by the American people. It was the pivotal point that change popular sentiment in the United States against Germany. Indeed, the sinking of the Lusitania became the flashpoint to war from which there was no turning back. commerce with Germany. Even though the American States became outraged, they nonetheless remained determined to keep out of the war at all costs. It would take a major catastrophe at sea before American opinion would finally shift far enough for the country to seriously consider the possibility of joining the struggle. Captain Turner knew that fast steamers could considerably reduce the chance of successful surprise submarine attack by zigzagging, which is altering the course at short and irregular intervals, every 10 minutes to half an hour. The underwater speed of the submarine is very slow, "Germany felt that the unlimited U-boat war was the only means of victory. Botting, Douglas The U-boats Virginia: Time-Life Books, 1979
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2367
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)
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