Germany's leadership believed a high-profile sinking like the Lusitania would be a powerful deterrent. They calculated that the shock would frighten neutral shipping away from Britain, creating an effective blockade that would outweigh the negative publicity.
The liner carried millions of rifle rounds and artillery shells for British manufacturers. While technically legal under US law at the time, this practice blurred the line between civilian and military targets, essentially using passengers to shield war materials from attack.
Contrary to popular belief, the Royal Navy had 75 submarines in 1914, while Germany had only 28, many of which weren't seaworthy. Germany's naval command was initially focused on battleships, making them late adopters of what would become their signature weapon.
President Woodrow Wilson's initial refusal to enter the war was heavily influenced by domestic politics. A large and crucial part of his Democratic coalition consisted of Irish-Americans who were strongly against allying with Great Britain, making intervention politically risky.
In an unusual act of public diplomacy, the German ambassador to the U.S. placed warnings in 50 American newspapers. The ads explicitly stated that passengers traveling on British ships into the war zone did so "at their own risk," publicizing their intent to attack.
The liner sank in under 20 minutes, compared to the Titanic's two-hour descent. This extreme speed created immediate chaos, prevented an orderly evacuation, and made most lifeboats impossible to launch, explaining the catastrophic and indiscriminate loss of life.
The German press and public widely viewed the sinking as a major naval victory, not a war crime. This sentiment was so strong that unofficial commemorative medals and celebratory postcards were produced, highlighting a profound disconnect with international opinion.
Britain's naval intelligence cleverly turned a German propaganda tool against its creators. They formed a committee to mass-produce copies of a German medal celebrating the sinking, selling a quarter-million to the public to fund the Red Cross and fuel outrage.
Despite public celebrations in Germany, intense diplomatic pressure from the United States forced a major policy reversal. The Kaiser, chancellor, and army chief ordered the navy to cease unrestricted warfare, recalling U-boats from the Atlantic for nearly two years.
The British government subsidized the construction of commercial liners on the condition they could be converted into armed merchant cruisers during a war. The Lusitania's design included space for naval guns, blurring the line between civilian and military assets from its inception.