The Lusitania Effect: America's Mobilization against Germany in World War I

The sinking of the Lusitania by a German submarine in 1915 became not only a crucial factor for the American entry into World War I, but unleashed an increasingly emotional drive of exclusion in the name of forging a new unity of the American nation. In the broader context the persecution of German...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:German studies review 2009-05, Vol.32 (2), p.241-266
Main Author: Trommler, Frank
Format: Article
Language:eng ; ger
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The sinking of the Lusitania by a German submarine in 1915 became not only a crucial factor for the American entry into World War I, but unleashed an increasingly emotional drive of exclusion in the name of forging a new unity of the American nation. In the broader context the persecution of German Americans reinforced hysteria against socialists and other dissenters for the next half-century. A closer look at the battle for and against German culture reveals it as part of America's battle for its cultural independence, which became a fatal identity test for German Americans but also a challenge to American intellectual elites who maintained strong interest in German modernity and social policies.
ISSN:0149-7952