The Sinking of the Lusitania

While the United States kept an official policy of neutrality in 1914, the Germans had a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare. This meant that any vessel found in international waters was at risk of being boarded and possibly sunk by German U-Boats without warning.

Holla!

Now while the United States had that "official policy of neutrality", the government was sympathetic to the Allies' cause. In order to help Great Britain and France, the United States had a unofficial policy of smuggling weapons and foodstuffs to Great Britain on passenger ships. One of these ships was the Lusitania.

In 1915, while crossing the Atlantic, the Lusitania was stopped by a German U-Boat who demanded that the Lusitania be boarded and searched or risk being sunk. The Lusitania, unknown to her passengers, was carrying  4,200,000 rounds of rifle cartridges and 1,250 cases of 3-inch (76 mm) fragmentation shells. The captain of the Lusitania, knowing what she was carrying, did not want to loose the cargo. So, he attempted to make a run for it.

Bad choice

300 American passengers were killed in the attack. The headlines on American newspapers screamed for war. Although the United States did not enter the war until 1917, this is seen as one of two major events that pushed the United States to war.

What i want you to consider is who is to "blame" for this event. Is it Germany for their policy of unrestricted submarine warfare? Or is it the United States for attempting to smuggle arms on passenger ships while claiming to be neutral?

As always, post and explain your answer in the comment section below.