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Austria-Hungary's heir to the throne, Franz Ferdinand was killed. He was assassinated by someone from Serbia. Afterwards, the result is Austria- Hungary declaring war on Serbia and thus beginning World War 1.
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President Woodrow Wilson was the current president at this time. He went ahead and announced that the U.S would remain neutral in the war. This would remain so until a few years later.
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At this point Germany has declared a war zone around Great Britain, creating a submarine blockade where all vessels were potential targets. The British ocean liner, Lusitania, is sunk by a German torpedo shortly afterwards. This killed more than 120 Americans and played a significant part in turning public opinion against Germany.
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Germany attempts to send a secret telegram to Mexico. The idea was to convince Mexico to join them in a war against the United States in exchange for winning them back California. The telegram ended up being intercepted and decoded by the British.
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Following the events of the Zimmerman note, the United States decides that it has had enough. The U.S proceeds to declare war on Germany. The country decides to get involved in the war for a number of reasons such as helping its ally, Britain, after Germany decided to proceed with unrestricted submarine warfare.
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Congress passes the Selective Service Act. This authorized the U.S federal government to raise a national army for service in the war through conscription. Although criticized for destroying democracy at home while fighting it abroad, Wilson claims he sees no other option and signs the bill into law.
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Towards the end of the war, President Wilson issues a statement of principles. It is known as the Fourteen Points and was made as a step toward peace. In it he articulates that the ideas that would for American foreign policy as the nation inched toward superpower status.
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Finally in 1919, the war begins to to draw to a close. The Treaty of Versailles is signed and officially ends the Great War. The end of the war led to drastic political, economic, cultural and social changes in countries all over the world.
