Question

why was the British government so eager to inform the United states of Germany's offer to Mexico? what did it hope to gain? how did this information affect Wilson's thinking on war?

Answer 1

Britain and The United States were allies. They wanted to end the war (World War 1). Wilson saw Germany's actions as an act of war and thus ended the Isolation Policy.

Answer 2

In 1917, the British government was in a delicate situation. Germany exerted a naval blockade by submarines that almost completely limited Britain's trade, while on the mainland allied forces were stagnant for months. Continuous intelligence operations did nothing more than anticipate submarine attacks that could not be avoided, since there was not the necessary technology to face the German U-Boats.

But when the British intercepted the Zimmermann Telegram, in which Germany urged Mexico to collaborate with the Central Powers so that, in case the United States entered the allied side, it could regain the territories lost in the Mexican-American War , they immediately realized that it could be the key to change the course of the war: it would help to convince the United States to attack Germany, since it represented a threat to their security, with which the balance of the war would tip over permanently on the side of the Allies.

Once President Wilson learned of this situation and the American people became aware of this through the press, the spirit of society wanted to confront Germany. Therefore, in 1917 Woodrow Wilson abandoned his neutral position and decided to enter World War I, collaborating with the Allied victory a year later.