USA HISTORY

“Militant Americanism was dominant in Washington today-in those quarters of the capital where action counts in this perilous time. By one bold strike President Wilson had emboldened the timid, scattered his enemies, and brought honest critics to his side.The exposure of the German Government’s attempt to line up Japan and Mexico with Germany in a war against the United States caused hesitating Senators and Representatives to come out in the open with declarations of support of the President and his method of dealing with the German submarine menace. While the international situation is more critical, the atmosphere has been cleared of doubt and misunderstanding, and Germany’s enmity is now clearly revealed."What was one result of the events reported in the excerpt above?

(A) ** The U.S. government abandoned its official policy of neutrality.

(B) Germany financed the Mexican army’s attempted invasion of the United States

(C) Germany’s navy blockaded several Mexican seaports

(D) The U.S. government boycotted goods imported from Europe

Concept note-1: -Germany’s resumption of submarine attacks on passenger and merchant ships in 1917 became the primary motivation behind Wilson’s decision to lead the United States into World War I.

Concept note-2: -In 1915, the Germans used poison gases against the Allies fighting in the trenches on the Western Front. To protect soldiers from chemical warfare, gas masks were developed. Great Britain made one of the first types of masks capable of minimizing the deadly impact of these gases on their troops.

Concept note-3: -Background. Weapons played a big part in creating the difficult and unusual circumstances of trench warfare which the British Army encountered during the First World War (1914-18). The destructive power of modern artillery and machine guns forced soldiers to seek cover on the battlefield and dig in for protection.

Concept note-4: -Disease and ‘shell shock’ were rampant in the trenches. As they were often effectively trapped in the trenches for long periods of time, under nearly constant bombardment, many soldiers suffered from “shell shock, ” the debilitating mental illness known today as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).