Was the entry of the USA into the First World War in 1917 the decisive factor in deciding its outcome?

Jas Singh 10D

Teacher - Mrs Ball

During World War One, millions of men were killed in battle, and throughout the war either side could have won. There were many significant turning points in the war, but some events were more influential than others. Was the entry of the USA in 1917 the decisive factor in deciding its outcome? The entry of the USA was not the only factor that decided its outcome. There were many events that took place, which eventually resulted in an Allied victory.

Germany initially had a plan that would capture Paris in 6 weeks, called the Schlieffen Plan. Once they had taken Paris, they would only need to fight a war on one front against Russia, rather than two against France as well. In order for the plan to succeed, the Germans were hoping that many different scenarios would take place that would ensure the plan would be successful. Unfortunately, their gamble did not pay off, and the Schlieffen Plan failed. Previous to 1914, all wars had been swift and rapid, and usually they were over in about 10 weeks. But because of the failure of the Schlieffen Plan, the Germans, along with all the other nations in the war, were not prepared for a war that would last four years. The Germans were always going to be at a disadvantage, as they were in the middle of Europe, and they would be forced to fight on two fronts rather than just the one against Russia. Therefore, the Schlieffen Plan did have a significant influence on deciding the outcome of World War One, as the fact that it failed meant that Germany would have to split her forces between the East and the West. By the time Russia withdrew, Germany had lost millions of men anyway.

Another significant event that had an influence on the outcome of the war was the failure of the German Spring Offensives, which were launched on the 21st March 1918. This was when Germany launched a huge offensive on the Western Front in a final attempt to break the deadlock there. They knew that the USA would be entering the war; so this was the final push. But the Allies were able to hold out until the Americans came, so the offensives were a failure for the Germans. The Americans arrived in time and strengthened the French army significantly, and this helped to overcome the huge German bombardment. Also, for the first time in the war, the Allies saw their tactics and their weapons coming together and combining successfully. The Allied Commanders had learned from their past mistakes and worked together to win the battle. Had the Germans won, they would have split the French and British armies apart and this could have led to the collapse of the Allies. But this event was significant to deciding the outcome of the war as it was a massive triumph for the Allies – they had mastered the art of attack. It also demoralized the Germans, and this affected the outcome of the war, as they would not battle so bravely as they had done earlier in the war, and the Allies always stood a better chance of victory in future.

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Another major impact on the final outcome of the war was the failure of the U-Boat campaign. The aim was to eliminate Britain from the war by destroying their ships and preventing food getting to Britain. The Germans came bitterly close to starving out the British, just as the British would do to them later on in the war. The German U-Boats attacked any ship that entered British waters, ranging from the submarines to merchant ships. They came extremely close to success – at one point Britain was down to its last 6 weeks of grain, and there was only four days of sugar remaining at one point. But the Allies developed new tactics to fight back and safely allow ships to reach Britain. These tactics included placing mines to destroy the U-Boats, having the ships travelling in convoys escorted by aircraft and warships and using long-range aircraft to detect German U-Boats from far off and warn the ships. This event had a considerable impact on the outcome of the war, as the Allies were able to retain the service of Britain’s men and resources, and the Allies learnt new methods of defending their ships, which meant that any future German attacks on the Allied ships would be stopped. The Germans needed to change their tactics of sea attacks – which they were unable to do.

There were many different factors that had had an impact on the result of the war, and one of these was the naval blockade on the German ports. This was when the British Navy deployed their battleships around the German ports to block the entrance of vital supplies such as ammunition, food and resources from their Scandinavian trading partners, Sweden and Norway. This was a huge success for the Allies for many reasons, and was important in deciding the final outcome of the war. The German civilians became hungry, and began to starve. This created a demoralised atmosphere for the citizens, and they began to pile pressure on the Kaiser to put and end to the war. People were starving, so they believed that the only way to get food was to end the war. This was awful news for the Germans, as now they were beginning to lose support for the war, and things were looking bleak. Also, it affected the military, as the blockade meant that essential supplies such as bullets, chemicals and artillery shells could not be provided for the German front line. This would have had a fairly significant impact on the outcome of the war, as the Germans would now have a limited supply of resources and they would eventually have to succumb to defeat.

There were also other events that were important factors in deciding the outcome of the war. One of the main reasons Germany lost the war was because of the strengths and weaknesses of her allies, compared to those of the French and British. Germany’s allies, Turkey, Italy and Austria-Hungary were weak compared to the alliance of Britain, France and the USA. Germany’s allies did very little fighting, and the battles they did fight they usually lost. Whereas the British and Americans would regularly supply their men to the French, Germany’s allies were more reluctant to do so. An example of the Allies supporting each other was shown when the USA entered the war to help their allies. Another point to make is that the Allies were more friendly towards each other, and that they were prepared to listen to their criticisms and to work together to overcome them. An example of this was when the British and French united under one leader so that they could work together. These events had a considerable impact on deciding the outcome of the war, as the Allies were prepared to fight for each other and to work together to win the war, whilst the Triple Alliance was divided and did not get on together. This in turn would have meant that whenever one of the Allies were being attacked, the other army would send troops to help them, but when the Germans were under attack, they were left to fend for themselves. This put the Allies in a much better position to win the war.

At the beginning of the war, most American civilians did not want to go to war. But events such as the sinking of the Lusitania liner, which resulted in the death of 128 American civilians, and the Zimmerman Telegram, where Germany sent a telegram to Mexico asking them to attack the United States, changed the views of the American public, and by 1917 there was a strong anti-German feeling. There was no other choice but for Woodrow Wilson to declare war on 6th April 1917.

The impact that the USA had in the War was huge. At the beginning of 1917 the Allies were at breaking point. The French army had descended into a huge mutiny in a protest about fighting in a war which they believed was already lost, and the spirits in the British army were extremely low. In fact, 30,000 French troops joined the mutiny, and some 54 divisions (about one-half of the French army) refused to take orders from their commanding generals. The entry of the USA was a huge morale boost for the Allied side. Fresh, well-equipped and well-trained soldiers were steadily being injected into the French and British armies, and the Americans were eager to fight. It raised the spirits of the civilians in the Allied countries, who were weary of war and feared defeat. In fact, as the Americans entered the cities of France, cheering crowds and great hysteria greeted them. With this morale boost the Allies were able to once again summon their courage, and manage to hold the Germans back. This was one of the most important events for the Allies – if this morale boost had not occurred then the Allies may have simply given up and allowed the Germans to win the war.

Another effect that the USA had when they entered the war was the money and resources they brought with them. For the Allies this was crucial – they needed money to produce munitions, weapons, chemicals, missiles and many other military requirements. At the time the US entered, the Allies were in a bad state, with shells rapidly running out and weapons being produced too slowly back in England and France. This problem was solved; with the huge number of factories in America, coupled with the vast raw materials in the country. The USA had a steel production of 45 million tons. This was crucial to the success of the Allies, as these weapons and munitions were used to fight the Germans, and without them the Allies may have not been able to do so, resulting in a German victory.

The Americans also supplied a vast number of men to fight. These “doughboys”, as they were known, were well trained and highly equipped. In 1917 the Russians left the war, which left the Allies in desperation. As they left, they took away 180 million vital people, but the Americans supplied the Allies with 94 million people, who were richer, resourceful, more productive and courageous fighters. These Americans went a long way to make up the gap that the Russians left. Two and a half million American men signed up to fight in the War, and they were crucial to the Allied success. The American generals taught the Allied Commanders new tactics, such as a creeping barrage, and these were used effectively in battle. Had the USA not entered the war, and their army not been involved in fighting on the Western Front, the Germans may have been able to attack and defeat the British and the French armies, and so the US entry was very important to deciding the outcome.

There were many different factors that decided the outcome of the First World War, but there were some factors that were more decisive than others. In conclusion, yes, I do believe that the entry of the USA into the First World War in 1917 was the decisive factor in deciding its outcome. I believe this because at the time that they entered, the Russians had just left the war and so the Allies looked doomed. But the entry of the USA supplied men, munitions, money and a much needed morale boost to the French and the British respectively. The Allies would not have survived the Spring Offensives without the aid of the brave American fighters. The well-trained, disciplined and well-armed Americans were vital to the Allied war effort and without American intervention, the Germans would have defeated France and Britain and they would claim victory. Of course, the entry of the USA alone would have not been enough to win the war, and it took a series of other events to take place to fully ensure victory for the Allies. But it is my firm belief that the American entry into the war in 1917 was the decisive factor in deciding its outcome.