zimmermann telegram definition us history

zimmermann telegram definition us history

The Impact of the Zimmermann Telegram on US History

1. Introduction to the Zimmermann Telegram

While it did not contain any explicit charge of conspiracy to promote the Mexican Government to attack the United States, the Zimmermann Telegram did reflect the German belief that the United States occupied a special position with regard to the war and the fact that Germany had a special interest in Mexico and in the maintenance of a neutral United States. Indeed, until the US officially entered the war on April 6th, 1917, Germany’s relation with the US was influenced mainly by relations with its two friends, Mexico, and Japan. The alliance with Mexico, also known as The Mexican Claim, was a bold gamble to improve US-German relations by reducing the conflict potential in the U.S. Without US resources, the Entente would necessarily be weakened. By proposing to the US, Germany would take care of unrest in the US by promoting interaction between Mexican agents and the southern and Pacific states. The funds needed for Mexican intelligence and for the purchase of Mexican material should be funded by Germany. In return, the Mexican government and Germany would then sign a pact against the US. Concerned about the potential impact of the German “peace policy” and more worried about the material consequences of preparation for war. On March 24th, 1917, the United States declared war and mobilized its public to join the European “war aims.”

The Zimmermann Telegram was an internal diplomatic proposal from the German Empire for military cooperation with Mexico during World War I. Through the US interception of the telegram, the US public found out about German proposals to Mexico to promote unrest in the US and in return, Germany would assist Mexico in the event that the US were to join the all-out war. Once British code-breakers decrypted and discovered its content and shared them with the United States, the Zimmermann Telegram played a major role in changing the American public’s opinion and led to the US entering the war on the side of the Allies. Subsequent events then promoted a strong pro-Allied sentiment in the US. On March 18th, 1917, another US civilian ship was sunk. Later in the same day, British naval intelligence had given President Wilson the necessary decryption cables, thus making him release the translation of the Zimmermann Telegram on March 1st, 1917.

2. The Role of the Zimmermann Telegram in Pushing the US Towards World War I

During President Woodrow Wilson’s administration, US foreign policy was based on neutrality, reflected by popular opposition to entering the European turmoil. Any move resulting in US entry required a compelling justification. Tuchman’s thesis is that the Zimmermann Telegram dramatically changed American public opinion. The telegram offered hard evidence of Germany’s plan. Instead of being believed as an Allied forgery or as a German blunder as it was originally believed, it had undermined all doubts of America’s reason for entering an unwanted war alone. Tuchman posited that without the telegram, the American public would have probably hesitated enough in supporting the war effort not to affect a major shift in America’s history in international involvement. While the U.S. would have probably stayed a major economic power, the influential role it currently occupies would not have been touched.

In her Pulitzer Prize-winning work, “The Zimmermann Telegram,” historian Barbara Tuchman argued that by bringing the US into World War I, the content of the telegram played a larger role in shaping the US to the world than has often been believed. Delivered to the German Minister to Mexico, Berlin instructed him to inform the Mexican President of Germany’s plan to launch unrestricted submarine warfare and to seek an alliance with Mexico to support them in the event of the United States’ entering the war.

3. Public Reaction and Political Consequences in the US

The President was able to work enough concerned citizens to his side, and even began to enlist some of his previous political enemies in this patriotic crusade. Although Wilson worked to educate and motivate the public, he also lacked enough congressional support. He hoped still for a negotiated settlement. The resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare erased Wilson’s last hopes of finding a peaceful solution to the diplomatic crisis. The President had basically already declared war, this formal declaration was only pushed along by the major skeptical congressmen. With this final act, the already tense diplomatic situation was pushed over the brink and war was declared on April 6th, 1917. This means that the telegram was a powerful catalyst for the American declaration of war, however it would not have been the only cause. It was just one of many factors that shaped the decision.

Once the British circulated this telegram, President Wilson was faced with the response of the American public as well as his own reaction. The public response was definitely hostile. People were angered by the careless attitude of Germany in the face of serious American warnings. There was also the question of the submarine debacle. The resumption of submarine activity and the sinking of ships had made the American public more aware of the need for protection to be extended to American ships in times of war. As a result of this frustration, Woodrow Wilson was plagued with the problem of what to do next. He needed an extremely unified public to back him in the case of a declaration of war. Before he could attempt to unify the country, Wilson needed to shift those who were dissenters to his way of thinking.

4. The Legacy and Long-Term Impact of the Zimmermann Telegram

The Zimmermann Note was not the catalyst for the United States’ entry into the war due to several mutually reinforcing reasons. First, British intercepts did not publish a Spanish version of the Zimmermann Telegram immediately after they had translated the original from codes, which suggests that information about the proposal was kept secret for a certain time. This enabled the British to inform the Americans of the note in a second-hand way. Second, the British presented the Zimmermann Note to the United States thanks to propagandistic perception, which showed a certain anti-German orientation of British materials. A calculation of British probability of directing the outrage that German directive and use of propaganda communication coordinated the United States with an anti-German position was conducted, expressed as a Bayesian game model. The conclusions that discussed two different factors, namely duration of economic warfare and negative effects of British neutrality ensured anti-German direction of United States through generated beliefs about the British probability of drawing United States into the war on the side of the Allies, indirectly indicated the impact of British propaganda of the Zimmermann Telegram. Third, US officials later stated that they had no direct contact with the Zimmermann Note, which is why they could not recognize the credibility of the British note. Since the British and the American authorities had no comprehensive relationship in March 1917, these statements can be reasonably believed.

The Zimmermann Note was a catalyst for the United States’ decision to enter World War I. As soon as President Woodrow Wilson learned of the proposal, he commissioned Congress to declare war. As soon as the US troops arrived in France, they were used to reinforce the Western Front. Some historians disagree and conclude that once the United States entered the war, it did not contribute that much to the Allied victory. In the event, events occurred differently and the appearance of the American units at important moments at least contributed to the belief that U.S. support was very valuable.