The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand was the trigger for WW I but was not the cause. War, certainly in the 20th Century was big business, especially if you get to supply both sides, and that certainly happened in the Great War.
Our bankster friends having created the Federal Reserve System in the USA bankrolled both sides, but by 1915 Britain and France were almost broke and a German victory was becoming a possibility. To save the war, and increase profits they needed the USA to enter the war. Problem was, the USA had elected Woodrow Wilson as their president, after he had campaigned to keep the US out of the war. What was needed was an unprovoked attack by Germany upon the US to shift public opinion towards war.
The north Atlantic waters, especially around Britain were deadly for any shipping due to the very efficient German U-boats. On May 7, 1915 a German U-boat torpedoed and sank the British liner Lusitania which had sailed from New York destined for Liverpool. Almost 2,000 people died onboard including 128 Americans. Unknown to the passengers onboard, but certainly known to the Germans was the fact that the Lusitania carried 600 tons of gun cotton, 6 million rounds of ammunition, 1,248 cases of shrapnel shells, plus other war materials destined for Britain. The German foreign office had tried unsuccessfully to warn passengers not to travel on this voyage. It was later revealed that the initial torpedo hit had not sunk the liner, but a second much larger explosion due to its hidden cargo. The US did not enter the war until April 6th 1917 but the sinking of the Lusitania is seen as a pivotal point in the decision.
World War I cost 9 million Russian lives, 6 million French, 3 million British and 323,000 American lives. The total expenditure of the US for the war years rose to $35 trillion, the supply of fiat money almost doubled from $20.6 billion to $39.8 billion causing the purchasing power of the dollar to drop by almost 50%, the only beneficiaries of the war were the banksters making interest on all the generated war debt.
The Problem: How do we get the USA to enter the war?
Thesis – Sink a passenger liner with US citizens on board
Antithesis – Public outcry, demanding action
Synthesis – US declares war on Germany
The League of Nations (LON) was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference, and the precursor to the United Nations. At its greatest extent from 28 September 1934 to 23 February 1935, it had 58 members. The League’s primary goals, as stated in its Covenant, included preventing war through collective security, disarmament, and settling international disputes through negotiation and arbitration. Other goals in this and related treaties included labour conditions, just treatment of native inhabitants, trafficking in persons and drugs, arms trade, global health, prisoners of war, and protection of minorities in Europe.
The diplomatic philosophy behind the League represented a fundamental shift in thought from the preceding hundred years. The League lacked its own armed force and so depended on the Great Powers to enforce its resolutions, keep to economic sanctions which the League ordered, or provide an army, when needed, for the League to use. However, they were often reluctant to do so.
Germany withdrew from the League, soon to be followed by many other aggressive powers. The onset of World War II showed that the League had failed its primary purpose, which was to avoid any future world war.
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