Japan Entering the War
Japan desired “to secure firm and enduring peace in eastern Asia”. The Japanese government then sent an ultimatum to Germany demanding them to hand over a German-leased territory of Jiaozhou to the authorities of Japan without compensation. It also demanded the Germans to withdraw its warships from the Japanese and Chinese waters. The Germans refused to comply so Japan got involved. They entered the side of the Allies on August 23, 1914. The Japanese forces took the fortress of Qingdao (a German-held port), and German-held islands such as the Marshall Islands, the Mariana Islands, Palau, and the Carolines. Japan had exploited the Allied support to advance their own interests. They had 21 secret demands for the Chinese.
The Gallipoli Conference
Gallipoli was the most extreme military operation outside of Europe. It took place in Southeast Asian territories of the Ottoman Empire. It attempted to secure control of the Dardanelles Strait as well as to open a third front. This strait would allow Britain and France access to Russia. Winston Churchill was the person who had the idea of the Gallipoli Campaign. A naval attack was launched on February 16, 1915 but the attacks were paused many times because of bad weather conditions. They lasted until March of 1915. When troops landed on the peninsula, the allied assaults had slow progress. In the end, there was a clear victory for the Central Powers. The Ottoman Empire ended and the Republic of Turkey was formed. There was lots of nationalism spreading and this caused the desire to become independent states free of British rule.
The United States Gets Involved
![Picture](/uploads/1/8/8/9/18893393/3155990.jpg)
In the beginning of World War I, the United States mainly just sold weapons, food, and artillery to foreign countries as aid. When German forces had sunk an American ship carrying supplies and people to Britain, they declared war on Germany and Germany alone. The United States were considered a neutral foreign power and that’s how they wanted to stay. Everyone at this point was still okay to trade with the U.S. besides Germany.
In the picture above, this is a ship carrying goods and people across the ocean as foreign aid
In the picture above, this is a ship carrying goods and people across the ocean as foreign aid