Paper 1, Question # 2: Von Spiegel's Account vs. Zimmermann Telegram

Sources A and B, von Spiegel's account and the Zimmerman Telegram, agree on the subject of the necessity of Germany's U-boat warfare. In Captain von Spiegel's journal entry, he specifically expresses his views towards war, stating that, "War is war, and every horse fewer on the Western front is a reduction of England's fighting power." The captain understands that despite the cruelty of sinking neutral merchant ships with innocent civilians on board, it cannot be helped. Von Spiegel has to sink those ships because he has the responsibility to help his country and his fellow countrymen who are fighting in the horrible trenches in Europe. The Zimmerman Telegram also conveys a similar message, that Germany is only committing to unrestricted submarine warfare because it is necessary and the nation has little choice. The Germans cannot fight Britain's blockade and prowess at sea if they do not engage in submarine warfare; it iss perhaps the most effective way of reducing Britain's advantage at sea. And, although there iss the danger of provoking the United States, Germany can only hope that Mexico will accept their offer detailed in the Zimmermann Telegram.

In contrast to Source A, von Spiegel's account, Source B, the Zimmerman Telegram, expresses a different purpose for submarine warfare. According to the telegram, Germany uses submarine warfare because they do not want the balance of power to change in favor of the Allied powers; the Germans wish to keep the United States neutral and out of the war. This is stated specifically in the Zimmerman note: "We [the Germans] shall endeavor...to keep the United States of American neutral." Captain von Spiegel does not bring up anything about the U.S. in his journal entry but seems to be exceedingly honest and open about his infatuation towards beautiful horses. Also, unlike the Zimmerman telegram, von Spiegel's account emphasizes the reduction of "England's fighting power" on the Western front to protect Germany and her people.

Source A disagrees with Source B in the way that von Spiegel's account shows the humanity and compassion in the Germans. Not only does Captain von Spiegel show remorse for the lives he takes when he bombs the passenger ship, but he cannot bear to watch all the men, women, and animals scrambling about, terrified, knowing that their ship is sinking and death is just around the corner. As recorded in his journal, "At that point I could not bear the sight any longer, and I lowered the periscope and dived deep." However, the Zimmerman Telegram shows the Germans as impersonal and calculating. No where in the telegram mentions the casualties that unrestricted submarine warfare will cause, the civilians that will die. The Germans seem to be only worried about the possibility of the United States entering the Great War and the impact it will make.

Chapter 23 sections 1 - 3 HW

How did the Great War change American (USA) internally?

As the textbook mentions, the Great War was a war of firsts for United States. Before the war, the U.S. military was composed of about 200,000 volunteers soldiers with low pay, few equipment, and little experience in combat. When it was certain that the United States was entering the war, the military needed more troops. As a result, Congress passed the Selective Service Act in May 1917, requiring all men from 21 to 30 years of age to register for military service. Also, prior to the war, the U.S. government had upheld the policy of avoiding "entangling alliances" in Europe. However, with President Wilson and General Pershing's decision to let the AEF remain separate from the rest of the Allied armies, the U.S. illustrated its desire to play a greater role in the peacemaking process after the war. This desire might have originated from the nation's interest in enhancing their political, and perhaps economic, influence on the European participants of the war.

Not only did the Great War change American internally in a political and militaristic way, but it also slightly affected how the normal citizens of the U.S. perceived the African Americans. When U.S. first joined the war, African American troops were kept segregated in the military and no blacks had the opportunity to receive an officer training. However, people in the U.S. began to publically protest against this. To the African Americans, this was a significant step towards racial equality.

How did the Great War change the way war was fought, in general?

Before, wars were personal. Combatants physically faced off against their enemies with rifles or handguns, but the Great War changed the way war was fought, making it increasingly impersonal and deadly. Soldiers were able to kill without having to even see the enemy's face. The invention of machine guns, large cannons, and improved flame throwers introduced a new type of combat called trench warfare. Soldiers could no longer charge across open fields because machines guns could easily mow them all down. In addition, with the invention of machine-gun firing airplanes and German zeppelins, the sky became a new battlefield for the Allied and Central powers.

Compare and contrast the views about submarine warfare expressed in the Zimmermann Telegram and the graph on pg. 286

The Zimmermann Note and the graph on page 286 both illustrate Germany's desperation to keep United States out of the Great War as a result of submarine warfare. Germany understood that if such a powerful and industrialized nation joined the war on the side of the Allies, the chance of the Allied powers winning would increase dramatically. However, Germany was at a disadvantage against the British at sea, so the nation's only option was to rely on submarine warfare. This act shows how desperate Germany, supposedly the most powerful European nation at that time, actually was. Although the nation itself was suffering from the lack of trade due to Britain's blockade, Germany went so far as to offer Mexico financial support and supplies in exchange for their alliance. Essentially, Germany made Mexico a hollow promise. Also, according to the graph, between 1914 and 1916, trade between Germany and the United States drastically decreased, while United States' trade with the Allies skyrocketed. With the U.S. supplying weapons, bullets, and other necessities to the Allies, Germany had no choice but to turn to submarine warfare.

Importance and Authenticity of the Zimmermann Note

The Zimmermann Note was a coded telegram sent by the German foreign minister Arthur Zimmermann to the German minister in Mexico proposing that if the U.S. entered the war, Mexico and Germany should become allies, and Germany would then help Mexico regain their lost territory in the U.S. The "lost territory" includes New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona. Anti-German feelings quickly arose among the American people This note is very important because it influenced the United States to declare war on Germany several weeks later.

The coded telegram, consisting of seemingly random series of numbers, was deciphered by British cryptographers. The British did not release the note to the United States immediately after it was de-coded; the British waited until the relationship between Germany and the United States was at an all-time low to release the telegram to American newspapers.

I can't help wondering did the British make a mistake during the deciphering process? And how long did it take them to decode the whole note? Was their interpretation accurate?

History Alive's View on United States' Decision to Enter the Great War

History Alive! provides the basic reasons behind United States' decision to enter the Great War. United States was propelled to join the Allied Powers because of Germany's continuous attacks on neutral merchant ships with Americans on board (Germany's unrestricted submarine warfare), Britain's successful use of propaganda, such as the Bryce commission's report, and the Zimmerman note. The majority of Americans supported President Wilson's decision to take action against the Central Powers, specifically Germany, but some said that the United States was "going to war for economic reasons only."

Although the text does not clearly state whether or not it supports the United States' decision, it seems as if History Alive! suggests that the decision is understandable and perhaps, good.