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.