Additional Consequences
Japan's Entry into the War
On August 15, 1914 the Japanese government, claiming that it desired "to secure firm and enduring peace in Eastern Asia," sent an ultimatum to Germany demanding the handover of the German-leased territory of Jiaozhou (northeastern
China) to Japanese authorities without compensation. The same note also demanded that the German navy unconditionally withdraw its warships from Japanese and Chinese waters. Japan entered the war on August 23, 1914 after Germany refused to comply. Japanese forces took the fortress of Qingdao, a German held port in China’s Shandong Province, in November 1914. Between August and November of that year they took possession of the German held Marshall Islands, the Mariana Islands, Palau, and the Carolines. Japan then shrewdly exploited Allied support and European preoccupation to advance its own imperial interests in China.
China) to Japanese authorities without compensation. The same note also demanded that the German navy unconditionally withdraw its warships from Japanese and Chinese waters. Japan entered the war on August 23, 1914 after Germany refused to comply. Japanese forces took the fortress of Qingdao, a German held port in China’s Shandong Province, in November 1914. Between August and November of that year they took possession of the German held Marshall Islands, the Mariana Islands, Palau, and the Carolines. Japan then shrewdly exploited Allied support and European preoccupation to advance its own imperial interests in China.
Gallipoli
The most extensive military operation outside Europe took place in the southwest Asian territories of the Ottoman empire, which was aligned with the Central Powers at the end of 1914. Seeking a way to break the stalemate on the Western Front, Winston Churchill, first lord of the Admiralty, suggested that an Allied strike against the Ottomans would hurt the Germans. This idea was approved and several of the Royal Navy's older battleships were transferred to the Mediterranean. Operations against the Dardanelles began on February 19, 1915, with British ships under Admiral Sir Sackville Carden bombarding Turkish defenses with little effect. After withdrawing the battleships, the British high command decided to land a combined force of English, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand soldiers on the beaches of the Gallipoli peninsula. The campaign was a disaster. Gallipoli ended up being a debacle with long-term consequences. The Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders suffered terrible casualties. That recognition led to the weakening of imperial ties and paved the way for emerging national identities.
American Intervention
At the start of the war, Woodrow Wilson and the U.S. pursued neutrality that favored the Allies, but something drastic happened to the image of the country that forced them to emerge from darkness into war-torn countries and help repress the assault by Germany. The year 1917 proved to be a decisive year, due to the fact that the U.S. entered the war on the side of the Allied Powers, tilting the war to their favor and push the success of their frontal assault against Germany's push for supremacy. Germany had used submarines, or U-boats to attack ships carrying food or war supplies to the Allied Powers, to demoralize the soldiers, and unearthed a crack in the structure of the Great Powers, and give them a opportunity to counter-attack them, giving them the edge in battle. In the midst, in one of their attacks, they sank a British ship called Lusitania, which had American passengers and 128 of them lost their lives during the naval strike. This proved to be a blow to the U.S., and a threat to national security, and many Americans, urged their government to join the war against Germany in retaliation against the horrible carnage. So, the U.S. declared war against Germany in April 1917, and this spark the victory of the Allied Powers.