Imperialism and World War I
An overseas empire acquired in a few months of war, and a European alliance system that dragged America into its first world war.
5 topics · 16 questions
Each topic is a path, not a menu: work down it in order and every question builds on the one above. Click any of them to watch the answer draw itself.
The Spanish-American War and US Territorial Gains
- How it worksShow me US forces fighting Spain in two oceans at once: Cuba in the Caribbean and the Philippines in the Pacific.
- Common mistakeWhy isn't yellow journalism's role in the Spanish-American War just a minor detail historians added later.
- How it worksWalk me through how a war that lasted about ten weeks left the US holding Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.
Your turn1 of 2
In February 1898, the USS Maine exploded and sank in Havana harbor, killing over 250 American sailors. The cause was never conclusively proven, but many newspapers blamed Spain immediately. Why did the sinking of one ship push the US into war?The Panama Canal
- How it worksShow me the Panama Canal's lock system lifting ships up and over the isthmus instead of cutting straight through it.
- Going furtherWhat happens to US influence in Latin America once it controls the canal zone that connects two oceans.
- Worked exampleTrace how the Panama Canal cut a ship's trip from New York to San Francisco by about 8,000 miles.
Your turn1 of 2
Colombia rejected the terms the United States wanted for building a canal across its territory. Soon after, the US supported a Panamanian independence movement and quickly recognized the new nation. Why did the US help Panama break away from Colombia just to get a canal built?The Alliance System and the Outbreak of War
- How it worksShow me the Triple Alliance and Triple Entente turning one regional crisis into a continent-wide war.
- Common mistakeWhy isn't a single assassination enough by itself to explain why World War I actually happened.
- How it worksWalk me through the chain of alliance obligations that pulled Russia, Germany, France, and Britain in one after another.
Your turn1 of 2
In June 1914, a Serbian nationalist assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary in Sarajevo. Within weeks, every major European power was at war. Why did one assassination drag them all in so fast?US Neutrality to Intervention, and Trench Warfare
- How it worksShow me the chain from unrestricted submarine warfare to the Zimmermann Telegram pulling the US into the war.
- How it worksWalk me through why trenches, machine guns, and barbed wire turned the Western Front into a stalemate for years.
- Worked exampleTrace the front line barely moving more than 10 miles in either direction for most of 1915 through 1917.
Your turn1 of 2
The United States tried to stay neutral for about three years after World War I began in 1914. Then in April 1917, it declared war on Germany. What pushed a country determined to stay out of the war to finally join it?The Treaty of Versailles
- How it worksHow did the war guilt clause and reparations bill leave Germany's economy and pride both devastated.
- Common mistakeWhy isn't the Senate's rejection of the League of Nations simply the US turning its back on Europe entirely.
- How it worksShow me the Treaty of Versailles redrawing the map of Europe and stripping Germany of territory and its military.
- Ties togetherHow does the Treaty of Versailles's punishing terms connect directly to the grievances fascism later exploits in Germany?
Your turn1 of 2
The Treaty of Versailles ended World War I in 1919 and was meant to secure a lasting peace. Instead, many historians see its terms as helping cause the next world war. Why did a treaty meant to secure peace end up planting the seeds of another one?