Why USA joined WW1. Well the official answer is:
"When a German U-boat sank the British liner Lusitania in 1915, with 128 Americans aboard, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson vowed, "America was too proud to fight" and demanded an end to attacks on passenger ships. Germany complied. Wilson unsuccessfully tried to mediate a settlement. He repeatedly warned the U.S. would not tolerate unrestricted submarine warfare, in violation of international law and U.S. ideas of human rights. "
"After submarines sank seven U.S. merchant ships and the publication of the Zimmerman telegram, Wilson called for war on Germany, which the U.S. Congress declared on 6 April 1917."
Source- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_war_1
So, USA joined the war to protect it's citizens from Germany's unrestricted submarine warfare.
Why did Germany start unrestricted submarine warfare?
To cut down the import of food and other essentials to UK. UK was doing the same to Germany. IK had the world's largest surface fleet and could prevent cargo ships from entering Germany. The blockade of Germany was giving rise to famine-like situation. The only way for Germany to break the blockade was to force UK into a similar or worse scarcity and only unrestricted submarine warfare could do that, as enough material was reaching through neutral vessels.
This does not negate USA's position. USA had to protect it's citizens carry out their legal transactions. But this piece of news changes the contours:
"He had previously claimed neutrality, while calling for the arming of U.S. merchant ships delivering munitions to combatant Britain and quietly supporting the British blockading of German ports and mining of international waters, preventing the shipment of food from America and elsewhere to combatant Germany."
Source- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_war_1
So, Woolson strengthened UK's war-efforts, undermined Germany's war-efforts and when Germany retaliated in its dire crisis, he declared war on Germany. This deliberate provoking must have some purpose.
I feel that the USA's mostly English-origin elite felt threatened by the large numbers of German immigrants in the last two decades of 19th century. Today, people of German origin account for 17% of USA's population (largest ethnic group) and their per capita income is higher than USA's average. Most immigration from Germany occurred in the end of 19th century. Germans had a reputation for industriousness. The sudden expansion in German population, coupled with tales of German industriousness would have created deep fears in the Anglican elite's psyche. They might have feared that in combination with disadvantage groups (Irish and Afro-Americans), the Germans might sweep them out of power. And hence, the elite counteracted by attacking and demonizing Germany. This would other people in USA, suspicious of people of Germanic origin and the American Germans themselves would try to integrate into the societal norms sanctioned by the elite, to nullify suspicions and suspicion-related oppression based on their relationships with the enemy. Thus the English-origin elite could continue its political and cultural dominance
"When a German U-boat sank the British liner Lusitania in 1915, with 128 Americans aboard, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson vowed, "America was too proud to fight" and demanded an end to attacks on passenger ships. Germany complied. Wilson unsuccessfully tried to mediate a settlement. He repeatedly warned the U.S. would not tolerate unrestricted submarine warfare, in violation of international law and U.S. ideas of human rights. "
"After submarines sank seven U.S. merchant ships and the publication of the Zimmerman telegram, Wilson called for war on Germany, which the U.S. Congress declared on 6 April 1917."
Source- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_war_1
So, USA joined the war to protect it's citizens from Germany's unrestricted submarine warfare.
Why did Germany start unrestricted submarine warfare?
To cut down the import of food and other essentials to UK. UK was doing the same to Germany. IK had the world's largest surface fleet and could prevent cargo ships from entering Germany. The blockade of Germany was giving rise to famine-like situation. The only way for Germany to break the blockade was to force UK into a similar or worse scarcity and only unrestricted submarine warfare could do that, as enough material was reaching through neutral vessels.
This does not negate USA's position. USA had to protect it's citizens carry out their legal transactions. But this piece of news changes the contours:
"He had previously claimed neutrality, while calling for the arming of U.S. merchant ships delivering munitions to combatant Britain and quietly supporting the British blockading of German ports and mining of international waters, preventing the shipment of food from America and elsewhere to combatant Germany."
Source- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_war_1
So, Woolson strengthened UK's war-efforts, undermined Germany's war-efforts and when Germany retaliated in its dire crisis, he declared war on Germany. This deliberate provoking must have some purpose.
I feel that the USA's mostly English-origin elite felt threatened by the large numbers of German immigrants in the last two decades of 19th century. Today, people of German origin account for 17% of USA's population (largest ethnic group) and their per capita income is higher than USA's average. Most immigration from Germany occurred in the end of 19th century. Germans had a reputation for industriousness. The sudden expansion in German population, coupled with tales of German industriousness would have created deep fears in the Anglican elite's psyche. They might have feared that in combination with disadvantage groups (Irish and Afro-Americans), the Germans might sweep them out of power. And hence, the elite counteracted by attacking and demonizing Germany. This would other people in USA, suspicious of people of Germanic origin and the American Germans themselves would try to integrate into the societal norms sanctioned by the elite, to nullify suspicions and suspicion-related oppression based on their relationships with the enemy. Thus the English-origin elite could continue its political and cultural dominance
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