Japan Joins the WarThe main reason Japan was interested in joining the war, was the fact that they wanted a piece of the glory. They knew the Allies would win and they figured they would get something out of it. They invaded German possessions in the Pacific, hoping to keep them once the war ended. They were hosed at the peace meetings and only came away with minor islands. Politically, Japan seized the opportunity to expand its sphere of influence in China, and to gain recognition as a great power in postwar geopolitics. Like previously mentioned, Japan with the help of the British took over some German controlled islands in the pacific. Japan definitely knew what they were doing in joining this war, and in the end benefited from it.
|
Gallipoli
The Battle of Gallipoli also known as the Dardanelles Campaign or the Battle of Gallipoli or the Battle of Çanakkale took place on the Turkish peninsula of Gallipoli from April 1915 to January 1916 during the First World War. A combined British Empire and French operation was mounted in order to eventually capture the Ottoman capital of Constantinople (now Istanbul). The attempt failed, and an estimated 505,000 soldiers were killed and 262,000 wounded.
|
Why the U.S joined the WarThere were a number of factors leading to the U.S joining the war. One big influence on the United States decision was the sinking of the Lusitania, an British cruise/transport ship, bound for Britain from New York. The German U-boat ring sought to sink all supply ships headed for Britain in order to starve the island. It sank the Lusitania as part of its efforts. 1195 people died, including 128 Americans. The Lusitania's sinking was the biggest influence on the American decision to enter the war. German submarine warfare (the Lusitania is included in this) sunk many ships over several years. Another big factor adding to the U.S decision to join the war was economy. The U.S. had huge economic investments with the British and French. If they were to lose, then they would not be able to pay the U.S. debt back (amounting to about two billion dollars while Germany only borrowed a mere 27 million). If Allies could not pay back all the loans made to them by the American bankers, the US's economy could collapse. France and England were financing their war with US loans. In addition, they were buying massive amounts of arms from the US on credit. The US wanted to make sure that it got paid back.
|
The two images above explain the main reasons the United States got involved in the war. When Congress was deciding whether the U.S. should get involved with the war the deciding factor was that American ships were sunk and many Americans were killed during the sinking of the ship. The U.S almost felt obligated to join the war because they felt that their position as a neutral country had been violated by the incident of the sinking ship.
|
