War  broke  out  in  Europe  in  the  summer  of  1914, after  months  of  international  tension.  The  spark that ignited open hostilities was the assassination of  Archduke  Franz  Ferdinand,  the  heir  to  the  throne of  Austria-Hungary,  and  his  wife  Sophie  in  Sarajevo, Bosnia. By the end of the year, the Central Powers, led by Germany and Austria-Hungary, were battling the Allies, led by Britain, France, and Russia.

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The  United  States  initially  declared  itself  neutral, leading  to  years  of  argument  over  whether  to  join the  conflict,  and  when.  The debates surrounding isolationism and interventionism took place in popular culture and the arts as well as in the political sphere and the news.

 

The sinking of the British ocean liner Lusitania on May 7, 1915, killed almost 1,200 people, including more than 120 U.S. citizens. Many Americans, appalled that the  German  submarines,  or  U-boats,  would  sink  a passenger ship, saw this as a brutal attack on freedom of  movement  and  U.S.  Neutrality.  The Lusitania was one of dozens of ships sunk carrying American passengers and goods.