They were naturally not too happy about it. First of all, there were American citizens on board. In addition, this was a passenger ship, not a war ship. They considered it cowardly to attack innocent civilians.
The sinking of the Lusitania was the main reason the United States joined World War I. Previously the United States had avoided becoming involved in the War but on May 7, 1915 the Germans bombed and sunk the Lusitania. This enraged the people of the U.S because the Lusitania was a pleasure cruise carrying U.S and British civilians. The people of the Unites States called for action, therefore the government and military became involved in the war.
AnswerGermany violated Belgium neutrality and France and England were allied.
In fact the Lusitania was torpedoed. The Germans had declare the seas around Britain as a war zone to keep out war supplies. They claimed that the Lusitania was carrying such supplies. It was a very unwise move as it turned public opinion in the US against Germany.
The Lusitania was torpedoed on May 7th 1915, by the German U-Boat U-20. What is not as widely known is that Germany had given many public warnings, even going so far as to publish those warnings in American Newspapers for some time prior to the sinking of the Lusitania, that any vessel found entering their controlled waters would be subject to immediate attack. Despite this the Lusitania was sent out to be destroyed to sway public opinion about entering the war. It was found that the Lusitania was carrying munitions and so was supporting their enemy and a military target. BUT, later, a German U-boat sunk an Italian liner without warning, killing 272 people, including 27 Americans, which turned US public opinion against Germany. And in a third attack, Germans sunk the American liner Housatonic. So while people still argue that the Lusitania was carrying about 173 tons of war munitions for Britain, Germany had no excuse for sinking other ships. The Lusitania argument is largely viewed as merely an excuse only found in the aftermath of Lusitania's loss.
One incident of importance in May of 1915 was the sinking of the passenger ship"Lusitania" off the coast of Britain by a German U-boat(submarine). This incident enraged the American public and gave support to the argument that the U.S. should enter WWI against Germany and its' allies. Which we did in 1917.
The sinking of the ocean liner RMS Lusitania.
The Lusitania was deliberately sent through an area where"wolfpacks" of German submarines were known to be lurking. The sinking was a necessary event to galvanise American public opinion into supporting their countrys entry into the first world war. Thus it was not a blunder but a cold blooded sacrifice by the U.S. government of its own citizens and those of other nations.
The shift in American public pinion occured when Germany sank the Lusitania.
In the Great War, American public opinion turned against Germany following persistent attacks by submarines on merchant shipping. The most notorious sinking was that of the passenger steamer RMS Lusitania on 7 May 1915 when 1198 out of 1959 passengers and crew were killed. The RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner, and was was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat.
The sinking of the Lusitania took place in May 1915; the U.S. entered World War 1 in April 1917. It's a mystery to me that people say it was a cause of the U.S. going to war. Obviously, it turned public opinion in the U.S. against Germany.
After the sinking of the Maine Americans favored war with Spain. President McKinley had tried to avoid the war for many months but he had to go with public opinion after the sinking of the Maine.
The sinking of the Lusitania was the main reason the United States joined World War I. Previously the United States had avoided becoming involved in the War but on May 7, 1915 the Germans bombed and sunk the Lusitania. This enraged the people of the U.S because the Lusitania was a pleasure cruise carrying U.S and British civilians. The people of the Unites States called for action, therefore the government and military became involved in the war.
The Lusitania was a British transantlic liner torpedoed by a German submarine off the coast of Ireland in May 1915. Many of the passengers were American and drowned ... Contrary to a widespread misunderstanding the sinking of of the Lusitiana did NOT bring America into the war. (America entered WW1 in March 1917, about 22 months later). The point - often overlooked - is that the incident played an important part in swinging American public opinion against Germany.
the sinking of the British ocean liner Lusitania
the sinking of the British ocean liner Lusitania
AnswerGermany violated Belgium neutrality and France and England were allied.
The sinking of the passenger liner LUSITANIA in 1915 by a German submarine was a factor in the US decision to enter World War I. However, the effect was not immediate.When Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare, US Presidnet Wilson asked Congress for a declaration of war against Germany.If any one sinking was crucial, it was probably the Vigilancia, an American merchantman topredoed without warning on 18 March 1917, with the loss of 15 American lives. Two other American vessels had been sunk by u-boats that same day. Three days later, President Wilson called Congress into session for April 2, when he requested a declaration of war against Germany.