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Question 101 of 128 · American History · Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information

Why did the United States enter World War I?

Accepted answers

  • Because Germany attacked U.S. (civilian) ships
  • To support the Allied Powers (England, France, Italy, and Russia)
  • To oppose the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria)

Any one of these is accepted, unless the question asks for more than one.

Why this is the answer

World War I began in Europe in 1914, and the United States stayed out for three years. It entered in 1917 after German submarines attacked British and American ships, including civilian ships, and after Germany tried to draw Mexico into a war against the United States. Once in, the United States fought with the Allied Powers, led by Britain, France, Italy and Russia, against the Central Powers, led by Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria. Any of the three official answers is accepted. Memory hook: German attacks on U.S. ships brought the country in.