Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: This is trojan media network.
[00:00:10] Speaker B: By 1917, the war had spread far beyond Europe.
What began as a regional conflict was now truly global.
Fighting was taking place on land, at sea and across multiple continents.
[00:00:25] Speaker C: Countries around the world had been pulled into the conflict. Empires sent soldiers from the colonies.
Troops came from Africa, Asia, Australia and Canada. This was no longer just a European war at sea.
[00:00:40] Speaker D: A new kind of warfare was changing everything.
Germany used submarines called U boats to attack enemy ships. They targeted military vessels and civilian ships.
[00:00:52] Speaker B: This strategy was called unrestricted submarine warfare.
Germany's submarines would sink ships without warning.
The goal was to cut off supplies to Britain.
[00:01:04] Speaker C: But this had consequences.
But this had consequences. In 1915, a passenger ship called the Lusitania was sunk by a German u boat. Nearly 12,000 people died, including civilians.
[00:01:20] Speaker D: The attack shocked the world and increased anger toward Germany, especially in the United States.
[00:01:28] Speaker B: At the time, the United States was not part of the war. President Woodrow Wilson had tried to keep the country neutral.
Many Americans believed the war was a European problem.
[00:01:40] Speaker C: But tensions were growing. In 1917, Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare. Ships were being sunk again. American lives were at risk.
[00:01:52] Speaker D: Then a message was intercepted. It became known as the Zimmerman Telegram.
Germany had sent a secret message to Mexico.
[00:02:02] Speaker B: In that message, Germany suggested that if the United States entered the war, Mexico should join Germany.
In return, Mexico would receive land it had lost to the United States.
[00:02:15] Speaker C: When this message became public, it changed opinions. Many Americans saw it as a direct threat.
[00:02:22] Speaker D: At the same time, ships carrying American passengers and goods continued to be attacked. The idea of staying neutral was becoming harder to defend.
[00:02:31] Speaker B: On April 6, 1917, the United States declared war on Germany.
After nearly three years, a new major power had entered the conflict.
[00:02:43] Speaker C: American soldiers, known as the American Expeditory Forces, began training and preparing for war. They would soon be sent across the Atlantic.
[00:02:54] Speaker D: Their arrival gave new energy to the Allied forces, fresh troops, fresh supplies, and renewed hope.
[00:03:03] Speaker B: But the war was still far from over.
Even as the United States joined, other countries were still struggling.
[00:03:11] Speaker C: In Russia, the war had taken a heavy toll. Food shortages, economic problems and dissatisfaction with leadership led to unrest. And 1917 revolution broke out.
[00:03:24] Speaker D: The Russian government collapsed. A new government eventually decided to withdraw from the war.
Russia signed a peace agreement with Germany in 1918.
[00:03:36] Speaker B: This allowed Germany to focus more of its forces on the Western front.
The balance of the war shifted again.
[00:03:45] Speaker C: Now with the United States entering and Russia leaving. Both sides were preparing for what could be the final stage of war.
[00:03:53] Speaker D: The conflict had reached its largest, largest scale. More countries, more soldiers, more resources.
[00:04:03] Speaker B: World War I had become exactly what its name suggests. A war involving the whole world.
[00:04:10] Speaker C: And as new forces entered the fight, the outcome was still uncertain.
[00:04:17] Speaker D: But the end was beginning to take shape.
[00:04:20] Speaker B: Next time, the war reaches its breaking point and the final push begins.
