What was Going on Across the Pond

United States Occupation of Veracruz

In response to the Tampico Affair the US Navy decided to invade the port of Veracruz in Mexico. The public reason for the invasion was because of a misunderstanding between American and Mexican soldiers. However the real reason was that the US Navy wanted to intercept a shipment of arms that Germany had sent to Victoriano Huerto in Mexico. On April 21, 1914 the United States Atlantic Fleet invaded the port. The townspeople were given weapons to defend themselves however they were untrained in the use of their weapons. The US soldiers remained in Veracruz until November 23.

This event connects to what was going on in Europe in a few ways. For one the Germans may have been sending arms to Mexico to better their relationship so that when Germany asked France to join them in World War I, Mexico would say yes. Another connection is that this event created a lot of tension between The United States and Mexico. Germany may have tried to use this tension to get Mexico to attack the US like they wanted in the Zimmerman note.

Henry Ford Creates the First Assembly Line

Henry Ford developed the most efficient assembly line ever scene in 1913. He used this assembly line to mass produce his car, the Model T. The assembly line reduced the overall cost of the car by reducing the time needed to produced the car. It was said that a car could be built on the assembly line in ninety-three minutes. The assembly line helped Henry Ford sell over fifteen million models of the Model T.

The creation of the assembly line greatly affected what was going on in Europe. Henry Ford's assembly line made automobiles more accesible to the average European family. The assembly line idea was also applied to other industries and helped lead to mass produced goods and booming economies in Europe.