The Zimmerman Telegram and America’s Entry into WWI
In The Zimmerman Telegram and America’s Entry into WWI, host Andrew Marr takes us back to when the Great War was raging but the Americans hadn’t yet entered the fighting. The Germans attempted to keep America out of the war by getting Mexico to reclaim the territory it lost to the U.S., but this backfired when their telegram was intercepted by the British, ultimately pulling the Americans into the First World War. This video is excerpted from BBC’s A History of the World, a story of human history that uses reenactments, modern footage, and storytelling to explain history’s greatest achievements.
Lesson Express
Q: What effect did the developments of the Industrial Revolution have on the toll of the Great War?
A: The Industrial Revolution produced technology that made it possible to kill more people than ever before. As a result, many people died during the Great War.
Q: What action did the Germans take that made it more likely that the U.S. would enter the war?
A: The Germans declared that all submarines could attack merchant ships, many of which were American.
Q: What was Zimmerman’s secret plan?
A: He planned to encourage Mexico to reclaim the territory they had lost to the U.S. He sent a telegram that was intercepted by the British, who alerted President Wilson.