Do I have my history straight?

[Read it and Weep :P]

Okay, World War 1. (I know other places were involved, but these were the main ones right?)

This is what I got form my teachers lesson:

Germany at the time was facing both the British to the west, and the Russians to the east. The Russians were a joke, sending in poorly or hardly trained recruits, which Germany was easily taking care of.

At the time, the United States was supplying both Germany and the British, so they could make some serious money. However, the debt for the British ran to the extreme, and the US realized that they would be better off helping the British to win the war, because they owed us more.

Germany realized that if the US did come it, they would be finished. So they sent Mexico a Telegraph, The Zimmerman Telegraph, asking them to attack the US. The US had taken much of Mexico's land around 60 years before, and the Germans offered it back to them as a bribe. They refused, however, because they knew Germany still stood no chance--they wouldn't risk US taking the rest of their land.

N' so the US pulled in, and finished up the war in around 10 months. A treaty was sighed on November 11th at 11am, and no one REALLY OFFICIALLY won the war.

The US NEVER got any money back from the British.

So do I understand this okay?

 

[Rene]

I never heard from my history books in school that Mexico was involved in WW1. Research again and if I am wrong, let me know.
The war started from an assassination of ArchDuke Ferdinand and his wife Sophie. Germany, Britain, and the United States and possibly Russia were in the great war as it was referred to.

 

[Hubris]

MMMMM, that's kinda fast and loose with the facts, but generally, it's okay-

The original Russian (Tsarist) army was pretty good, and whipped the Austrians at Lemburg, which led to the Germans having to pull out several divisions from France rght when they were on the verge of victory in September 1914. The Germans in turn whipped 'em at Tannenburg, but Brusilov continued to do a lot of damage to the Germans. The Russians suffered two revolutions, in March and October 1917, so they were pretty much spent after that. In general, most historians feel that without the Russian army in the east, the Central Powers would easily have defeated France/Britain in 1914/1915.

The US was supplying the UK, but the Brits began a very effective blockade of Germany/Austria in 1915, and continued it even after the war, until 1919. Some estimates place German civilian dead from hunger at 1 million or more, so no, the US wasn't sending anything to the Germans.

The Zimmerman telegram info is essentially accurate.

Once the US declared war on the Centra Powers, Germany knew their goose was cooked- one of the reasons why there was a static stalemate on the western front was that the two opposing forces were so equally matched- and both sides had little/no reserves left by 1918- once the US started transporting their troops to France, Germany tried a last ditch effort (spring offensive, 1918) that again, came realy close to succeeding- but, Pershing started to thro the doughboys into some of the gaps, and drove the Germans back.

The Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919 and included "war guilt"
clauses, the Armistice was signed November 1918 which ended armed conflict.

The Treaty defintively assigns guilt and defeat to Germany, but Hitler denounced the Treaty once he came to power.

Reportedly, most of the German forces were shocked to find out that Germany surendered, mainly because they hed been entrenched on foreign soil for so long and were able to hold their lines, but never realized how much the US could contribute to the Allies and how bad the political/social situation was at home.

But no question, they lost.

 

[BO#44]

You've got most of it right, yes. The US entry into the war didn't seal Germany's fate so much as the people in the homeland grew weary of eating 2 slices of bread everyday and handing over so much to continue the war effort. Afterall, what exactly were they trying to win? Yes, they did ask Mexico to invade the US (as a joke? that's all I can think of), and you're right Mexico flat out refused as they should have. OFFICIALLY the Entente Powers won the war, Germany had to pay restitution and Britain did pay back some of the war debt owed to the Americans, but not nearly all of it, and then WW2 brokeout 20 years later. UNOFFICIALLY I suppose it was a draw in the fact that the Entente never got close to Berlin, and the Central Powers never sniffed Paris or London.

 

[bearstirringfromcave]

No - - - and if History was that cut & dried, that simple, well then why have YAHOO Answers?

Germany faced off against France in The West plus Belgium both of them backed by Britain, and Germany & The Austrian-Hungarian EMPIRE faced off against Russia in the East. And though there were many incidents of poorly trained 'raw' recruits being sent into battle by the Russians, the Russians did have a professional Army that fought well and several times kicked the cr^p out of the Germans and most often against Austria, in fact the Russians hated the Austrian more than they hated the Germans and mostly sent their best troops against Austria (also Austria & Russia were tussling over a place called Silesia which was rich in Iron Ore & Coal & other minerals so it was was worth the best troops.

Yes, America did profit by supplying both camps with weapons & supplies but since Germans assets dried up quicker, soon Britain and France were buying the bulk of stuff. But America's reasons for joining Britain & France were more complex than mere economics. Quite bluntly, and your teacher will hate me for saying this, but Prez Woodrow Wilson wanted to show the World his Big Testicles and he wanted to be on the WInning Side so the World would worship at the feet. Actually Wilson mostly succeeded, even Repubicans view Wilson as a SAINT, and most history teachers will expel students who do not write of Wilson in Glowing Terms.
The issues swirling aroun the Zimmerman Telegram are much more complex but suffice it to say that it was one more way Wilson was able to sway people to his stance - - - Wilson's main Stance? Win reelection in 1916 and then take America into Glorius Victory.
As for Britain & France paying back America. STUDY the BILLIONS FOR BILLIONAIRS BAILOUT of 2009. Some people get paid back others get ROYALLY Screwed. Britain was actually better at paying back than France. Many British firms did pay back their debts incurred by World War One, but the FRENCH managed to find creative ways to avoid repayment. However people such as HENRY FORD were able to negociate sweet deals for huge chunks of land for factories on French soil. Mostly large swaths of 'peasents' homes were condemed, the land 'given' to Ford. Ford then went on to make cars but mostly trucks in France and during World War Two supplied the the NAZIs with vehicles!
But you are correct on one point, no one truly won World War One - - - aside from the Industrialists, and of course Woody Wilson whose reputation is sarconsanct.

PEACE////\\