Kwinkulungwane eyadlulayo namhlanje, i-United States Congress, yenza ngokwesicelo sika-Mongameli uWoodrow Wilson, yabhengeza imfazwe ne-Imperial Germany. Kwiintsuku ezine ngaphambili, ngorhatya lwango-Epreli 2, umongameli wathetha kwiseshini edibeneyo yeCongress, ecela imfazwe. Ukuvota okulandelayo kwakungekho kufutshane, kunye neNdlu ukuvota i-373 ukuya kwi-50, ngelixa i-Senate i-82 ukuya kweyesithandathu yayingaphezulu.
Esi yayisesona sigqibo sibaluleke kakhulu kumgaqo-nkqubo wezangaphandle owenziwa yiWashington ngenkulungwane ye-20, ukusukela ngokungena kwiMfazwe yeHlabathi yokuQala- eyayibizwa ngokuba yiMfazwe Enkulu ngelo xesha-i-United States yamisela iziphumo zolo ngquzulwano loyikekayo lwaza ke lwabeka iYurophu ikhondo lemfazwe eyoyikekayo ezayo.
Akukho nanye kwezi enokwaziwa ngelo xesha, ewe. Ngokuzilibazisa, uMongameli Wilson wagqiba ekubeni angene emfazweni-emva kokuba ebaleke ngempumelelo ukuphinda akhethwe kwakhona kwi-1916 kwiqonga loxolo-xa indlela yokuziphatha yaseBerlin inganyamezelekiyo, ikhokelela ekufeni kwabantu baseMelika. Njengonjingalwazi wasekholejini awayeyiyo, uWilson wayenethemba loxolo kwaye wayecinga ukuba iMfazwe eNkulu yayiyimveliso yolawulo lwaseYurophu lokudodobala nokungabi nambeko, apho umongameli kunye namanye amazwe aseMelika awayeziva enenkqubela ekuziphatheni okuhle.
UWilson akazange angene emfazweni ngokulula. Angathini ukuba, kanye xa ilizwi lelahleko eyoyikisayo ye-1916 ifike eMelika? Amaphupha amabi ngathi Verdun kunye neSomme , apho izigidi zabantu baseYurophu zabulawa kwaye zenzakalisana ngaphandle kokutshintsha nayiphi na into ngobuchule, oko kwakuthetha ukuba akukho mntu unengqondo onokuyamkela into enjalo.
Oko kwathethiyo, uWilson wayenovelwano kwiAllies, iBritane kunye neFrance ngakumbi, ebajonga njengesiqalo sokugqibela sokuchasana nolawulo lwe-Teutonic hegemony kwiYurophu. Ukungathethi nto kwinto yokuba i-Bhritane ne-French bexhomekeke kakhulu kwimpahla yaseMelika kunye nemali yokuhlala emfazweni. Ekuqaleni kuka-1917, iLondon neParis, ezazicofe oovimba bazo, zifuna uncedo oluvela kwiibhanki zaseNew York ukuze ziqhubeke zisilwa. Ayisiyonyani ukutsho ukuba ezemali zaseMelika zifuna uloyiso oluManyeneyo ukuze iphinde ibuyise imali-mboleko yayo enkulu eqinisa umzamo wemfazwe.
Ngethamsanqa uWilson, iBerlin yangqineka ilutshaba olunentsebenziswano. Ukujonga ukungathathi cala kwaseMelika njengentsomi, iJamani yagqiba kwelokuba iqale phantsi imfazwe engathintelwanga e-submarine ekuqaleni kukaFebruwari 1917. Ukusetyenziswa kwabo kwangaphambili kwengalo yabo yaselwandle ngo-1915 ngokuchasene neenqanawa zabarhwebi ezazinqumla iAtlantic kwabangela ilahleko enkulu kwiAllies -kodwa nakwimithombo yeendaba eyoyikisayo YeBerlin.
Ngokukodwa, ukuntywila kwelaseJamani kwi-liner yase-Bhritane ILusitania Ngo-Meyi ka-1915 kunxweme lwase-Ireland, olwabulala abagibeli kunye nabasebenzi be-1,198, phakathi kwabo i-128 baseMelika, yenza iBerlin yaqonda iindleko zopolitiko zesicwangciso sayo sangaphantsi. Ngenxa yoko, amaJamani arhoxa — okwexeshana.
Nangona kunjalo, ekuqaleni kuka-1917, iJamani yayilahleka ngokucacileyo, ngenxa yokuvinjelwa kweenqanawa zase-Bhritane ezazilambisa uqoqosho lwayo lwemfazwe ngezixhobo ezingafunekiyo ukugcina ungquzulwano. Kwakukunciphisa indlala abantu baseJamani, nabo. Ukuqalisa kwakhona iimfazwe zaselwandle ezingathintelwanga kwabonakala njengeyona ndlela yaseBerlin yokulwa umva, kwaye yoyise kwiMfazwe Enkulu.
Ubunkokheli bemikhosi yaseJamani babulindele ngokupheleleyo ukuba eli nyathelo liza kutyhala iMelika kungquzulwano, ngokusesikweni. Babengakhathali. Kwimikhosi yasemkhosini, Umkhosi wase-U.S wawumncinci kwaye uphelelwe lixesha, kunzima ngaphezu komgaqo owenzelwe ukoyisa amaMelika aseMelika; yayingengomkhosi onamandla wokulwa emehlweni aseJamani.
IBerlin ivavanye ngokuchanekileyo ukuba kungathatha ubuncinci unyaka eMelika ukuba ahlanganise umkhosi wokwenyani kwaye awufikise eYurophu ngamanani afanele ukuthetha ngawo. Iinjengele zaseJamani zaceba ukuphumelela emfazweni ngelo xesha, ke oko akubalulekanga. Ekugqibeleni, baphantse bayikhupha — kodwa hayi ncam. NgoJanuwari 15, 1919: UMongameli waseMelika uWoodrow Wilson (1856-1924) eshiya iQuai d'Orsay ekuqaleni kweNkomfa yoXolo yaseParis eyaziwa ngokuba siSivumelwano saseVersailles. Kwezi ntetho kwenziwa isivumelwano soxolo esibonisa ukuphela kweMfazwe Yehlabathi I eyayisayinwe phakathi kweJamani noMkhosi Womanyano, kwasekwa uManyano Lwezizwe.Ifoto nguHulton Archive / Getty Izithombe
Imikhosi yaseJamani eqala ukuntywila kwiinqanawa zaseMelika kulwandle oluphezulu kwakhona, ngaphandle kwesilumkiso, kwaye kulindelwe ingqumbo yoluntu. IWashington yaqhawula ubudlelwane phakathi kozakuzo kunye neBerlin njengoko imeko yayiqhubeka ngoFebruwari 1917. Nangona kunjalo, iMelika yahlala ililizwe elahluleleneyo. Nangona abemi abaninzi babefuna ukungena kungquzulwano ukuze basindise umhlaba kwi-Hun barbarism, i-quasi-yenkolo yomnqamlezo eyayityhalwa ngamabandla amakhulu amaProtestanti, babebaninzi abangavumelaniyo.
Izigidi zabantu baseMelika abanemvelaphi yaseJamani, abanye ababalaseleyo, babengenaso isisu sokulwa nelizwe labo, nokuba iBerlin yayingaziphethe kakuhle kangakanani, ngelixa uninzi lwabantu baseIreland-baseMelika balwa ukukhusela uBukhosi baseBritane naphantsi kwaziphi na iimeko. U-Wilson ke wajongana nengxaki enkulu ekuqaleni kuka-1917.
Ngethamsanqa kumongameli, okona kubalulekileyo kubhukuqo lwengqondo lwama-20thInkulungwane yamhlangula kanye ngexesha elifanelekileyo. Ingaziwa iWashington, ubukrelekrele bemikhosi yaseBritane babufunda ngokufihlakeleyo iikhowudi zaseJamani nezomkhosi ukusukela kwiinyanga zokuqala zemfazwe. Oku kunike iLondon ithuba elikhulu kuzo zonke iinkalo zongquzulwano, ngaphezulu kwako konke ngokunyanzeliswa komkhosi wamanzi ngokuchasene neJamani.
Ngomhla kaJanuwari 16, 1917, iRoyal Navy codebreaker yathintela kwaye yaqala ukubhala umyalezo phakathi kweBerlin kunye nemishini yaseJamani eMexico City. Ngosuku olulandelayo, kwakucacile ukuba babephethe ibhombu ezandleni zabo. Umyalezo, othunyelwe ngu-Arthur Zimmermann, umphathiswa wezangaphandle waseJamani, wayalela inxusa lakhe eMexico ukuba lilungiselele umlo ne-United States, kwaye lifumane iMexico kwimbambano nayo-kwicala laseJamani. Ibifundeka ngolu hlobo:
Sizimisele ukuqala ngomhla wokuqala kuFebruwari iimfazwe zaselwandle ezingathintelwanga. Siza kuzama nangona oku kugcina iUnited States of America ingathathi cala. Kwimeko apho oku kungaphumeleli, siza kwenza iMexico isindululo somdibaniselwano ngolu hlobo lulandelayo: yenza imfazwe kunye, yenze uxolo kunye, inkxaso ngenkxaso yezemali kunye nokuqonda kuthi ukuba iMexico izoyisa umhlaba olahlekileyo eTexas, eNtsha EMexico, naseArizona. Ukuhlala ngokweenkcukacha kushiyelwe kuwe.
Amagosa aphezulu ase-Bhritane aqonda ukuba into efana nommangaliso iwile emathangeni abo. Nkqu uninzi lwabantu baseMelika abalwa imfazwe babenokuthatha ngokungafanelekanga ukuphulukana kwamazwe aliqela-amaphondo alahlekileyo eMexico-kummelwane wabo wasezantsi obawayo. Umyalezo kwafuneka kwabelwane ngawo neWashington — kodwa njani?
ILondon yajongana neengxaki ezimbini. Kuqala, iRoyal Navy yala kwaphela ukwazisa amaMelika malunga nekhono labo lokophula ikhowudi, eyayiyimfihlo egcinwe nkqu nangaphakathi kurhulumente wase-Bhritane. Ke kwabakho into ebalulekileyo ngokuchanekileyo Njani Abaphangi beekhowudi baseBritane babamba izandla kwiZimmermann Telegraph.
Ekuqaleni kwemfazwe, i-Bhritane yaqhawula zonke iintambo ze-telegraph ezingaphantsi kolwandle zase-Jamani, isika i-Berlin emhlabeni. Ekuphela kwendlela yakhe yokunxibelelana nabathunywa bakhe bezopolitiko phesheya yayikunomathotholo, owawubanjwa ngokulula. Oonozakuzaku baseJamani babongoza iWashington ukuba ngoku abanandlela yakuthatha inxaxheba kuthethathethwano ngoxolo abathi bafuna kakubi. Ngomzuzu wenkululeko ebanzi, uMongameli Wilson wavumela iBerlin ukuba isebenzise iintambo zikarhulumente waseMelika ukuthumela imiyalezo yazo kwilizwe liphela. Ngamanye amagama, iRoyal Navy yangena kwiZimmermann Telegraph kuba babefunda Imfihlo ye-US State cable traffic.
Ngokucacileyo ayinakwabelwana nabantu baseMelika, ke intloko ye-Royal Navy intelligence, u-Admiral Reginald Blinker Hall, wenza iqhinga lokukhohlisa. Wathumela iarhente yase-Bhritane ukuba ibambe ikopi yomyalezo ofihliweyo waseJamani kwi-ofisi yocingo yase-Mexico-eyayiyinguqulelo ekwabelwana ngayo ne-Washington. 
Imikhosi yaseMelika ekumatshi ngexesha leMfazwe yokuQala yeHlabathi, malunga ne-1917.UHenry Guttmann / Getty Izithombe
IHolo yazisa lo myalezo kwindlu yozakuzo yaseMelika eLondon ngoFebruwari 19, eyakudlulisela kwiWhite House kungekudala. Enomsindo, uWilson wagqiba kwelokuba abelane noluntu ngeZimmerman Telegraph, nto leyo awayenza ngoFebruwari 28. Iindaba ezimnandi zathatha iMelika ngoqhwithela, zivutha inkanuko yokuchasana neJamani (kunye ne-anti-Mexico). Ngobusuku bobusuku, kuphela abona bantu bodwa abafa bodwa abahlala bengashukunyiswa sisicelo sikaWilson sokungena kwiMfazwe Enkulu kwicala laseAllied.
Kuqhelekile ukuba isibhengezo semfazwe e-Epreli 6, 1917 siphelise ukwahlukaniswa kweMelika nehlabathi, nto leyo engeyonyani kwaphela. Ukungena kwethu okokuqala kwi-adventurism yomhlaba wonke, imfazwe yowe-1898 nxamnye neSpain, yayiyinto yokudibana kwezomkhosi, ingekho ngaphezulu kokubetha ngenqindi ngokuchasene nobukhosi baseSpain obonakeleyo, kodwa yaphumelela ikoloni zaseMelika ukusuka kwiiPhilippines zaya ePuerto Rico.
Nangona kunjalo, ukungena eMelika kwiMfazwe Enkulu yayisisigqibo esasibaluleke ngakumbi, kuba yenza uloyiso lwaseJamani alunakwenzeka kwaye ngaloo ndlela lagqiba isiphumo sempixano. Ngamandla ethu abonakalayo angenamda kunye nezixhobo eziphathekayo, iUnited States imele intshaba engenakufikeleleka eBerlin. Ukwenza izinto zibe mbi nangakumbi, icebo laseJamani lokuphumelela emfazweni phakathi ku-1918 lasilela ngokuwohloka. Izenzo zabo ezinkulu zentwasahlobo zabetha ngamandla amaBritane namaFrentshi, zisondeza imikhosi yaseJamani eParis okokuqala ukusukela ngo-1914 -kodwa ke yapheliswa. Emva kwelahleko enkulu yamadoda kunye nezixhobo, iBerlin yayingasenakulunga.
Embindini wehlobo, imikhosi yaseJamani kwiNtshona Front yayihamba kancinci njengoko amajoni aseMelika athululela eFrance ngamanani othusayo. Engatyalwanga edabini kodwa elangazelela umlo, iAmerican Expeditionary Force yathatha inxaxheba kwiphulo elinye laseNtshona, iMeyuse-Argonne ekhubekisayo, eyaqala ngasekupheleni kukaSeptemba yabaleka de yangumkhosi ngoNovemba 11, 1918. Kwiintsuku ezingama-47. yomlo okhohlakeleyo, i-AEF yangqina ubuchule bayo, ityhala amaJamani boyisiwe abuyela umva ngaphambili, kodwa ngexabiso eloyikekayo labangama-122,000 ababuleweyo, kubandakanya ama-26,000 aseMelika aswelekileyo. Nangona iphantse yalityalwa luluntu, iMeuse-Argonne iseyeyona mfazwe inegazi kwimbali yaseMelika.
Ayikokuzibaxa ukuthi ukungenelela kwaseMelika kwiMfazwe Enkulu kukhokelele ngqo ekoyisweni kweJamani. Nokuba ekugqibeleni ibiyinto elungileyo uhlala ungumbuzo ovulekileyo kunokuba abaninzi beqonda. Ngelixa i-Imperial yaseJamani yayingeyiyo inkululeko yenkululeko ngqo, yayingenguye nomcinezeli wokubulala-kwaye yayingafani nhlobo nolawulo olubi lwamaNazi olwaqala ukulawula ngo-1933, lukhwele iingubo zenzondo kunye nokuhluthwa kwezoqoqosho okubangelwe yiJamani ngo-1918.
Imigaqo-nkqubo engqwabalala kaWilson e-Austria-Hungary, iqabane eligulayo laseJamani, yangqina eyintlekele ngakumbi . Umongameli wayeyicekisa inkqubo ebuyayo kunye ne-Habsburg Monarchy yamaKatolika, kwaye ukupheliswa kwayo ekupheleni kweMfazwe Enkulu kwaba sisiphumo ngqo somnqweno kaWilson wokuchitha obu bukhosi bamandulo. Ewe kunjalo, oko kudilika kukhokelele kuphalazo-gazi kunye neziphithiphithi kwi-Yurophu eseMbindini nakwii-Balkan, ezihlasele amashumi eminyaka-kwaye kwezinye iimeko azikapheli kwaphela.
Imbali ye-Counterfactual ngumdlalo onobungozi, kodwa kulula ukucinga ukuba i-Yurophu eyahlukileyo iza kwenzeka ngaphandle kokungenelela kwaseMelika ngo-Epreli 1917. Olunye uhlobo loxolo lwaluya kuthi ekugqibeleni luvele ngaphandle kweMfazwe Enkulu eyaphulwa ngabantu baseMelika. Ibiyinto eyayilawulwa yiJamani, kodwa sinayo ngoku. Ngokubalulekileyo, ngekhe ibanike udumo abantu abaphambeneyo njengamaBolsheviks kunye namaFascist, ngelixa uAdolf Hitler angafa, engenamali kwaye elityelwe, njengegcisa lomnumzana-manqué.
Kuyaphawuleka ukuba abaphuli beekhowudi baseMelika baqonda kuphela ngasekupheleni kweminyaka yee-1930 ukuba babefumene nguBlinker Hall kunye nobuqhetseba bakhe bokukhohlisa, amashumi amabini eminyaka emva kwexesha lokungabinanto, xa ungquzulwano olubi nangakumbi lwalusondela.
UJohn Schindler yingcali yezokhuseleko kunye nowayesakuba ngumhlalutyi weArhente yoKhuseleko kuZwelonke kunye negosa lobukrelekrele. Ingcali kwezobuntlola kunye nobunqolobi, ukwaligosa lomkhosi wamanzi kunye nenjingalwazi yeWar College. Upapashe iincwadi ezine kwaye uku-Twitter ku @ 20committee.
