On June 28th, 1914, Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian terrorist, assassinated Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary. For many years Serbia and Austria-Hungary had been unfriendly because Serbian patriots wanted to unite all Serbs into a single state. Germany backed Austria-Hungary’s decision to use the assassination as an excuse to settle its disagreements with Serbia.

Many became involved in the World War. Europe had been divided into two camps. The Central Powers and the Allies. Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy were members of the Central Powers. Russia, France, and England formed the Allies. The Balken States and Serbia sided with the Allies.

The United States was a neutral nation when the war began. America believed that the wars of Europe were not the business of the United States. German’s actions soon caused a change in the attitude of the United States towards the war. Most Americans objected to Germany’s violation of Belgian neutrality. German’s

unrestricted submarine warfare was a violation of international law. Acts of German sabotage in the U.S. and the use of poison gas in warfare also helped to change the American public opinion. Americans became to believe that democratic government would be unsafe if Germany won the war. President Wilson tried hard to keep the United States out of war and tried to get the war nations to negotiate a peace. But he failed. Germany continued its unrestricted submarine warfare. Then, in his second term, Wilson read to Congress a message stating to enter the war to make the “world safe for democracy” and Congress declared war on April 6, 1917.

Once the United States was fully committed to the war in December of 1941, patriotism soared in American society. Americans’ willingness to carry out blackout and civil defense drills; to recycle metals, paper, and cooking fats; to work longer hours, but to have fewer consumer goods to buy with their salaries; and also women taking over men’s jobs in factories and many other work places.

The United States involvement in World War I and World War II was also very different in some ways. The United States entered each war for two totally different reasons. The United States entered into World War I because Germany’s unrestricted submarine warfare was a violation of international law and because they didn’t like the acts of German sabotage in the United States and the use of poison gas warfare. The United States entered into World War II because the Japanese surprised attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7th, 1941, destroying eight battleships, many cruisers and destroyers, and six air bases were heavily damaged. Another difference between World War I and World War II was that the United States declared war in World War I, but in World War II, war was declare

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