World War I began very far in Europe and initially, it did not seem to threaten, any of the American interests. As Woodrow Wilson stated, “this war we have nothing to do, its causes do not concern us.” As is well known, almost all Americans were in favor of neutrality in 1914. However, in 1917 the involvement of the United States was inevitable and it was significant for the imminent victory of the Allied nations. This was due to the fresh resources and manpower that the United States brought when it joined the war. In order to enter the war, it was necessary for all Americans to be committed to the same cause. Therefore, with the emotional and moral speech about spreading democracy to all the world by President Wilson in 1917, and the several propaganda published to persuade the Americans caused almost a unanimously support to fight the war in defense of the Allied nations (Document A & C). Subsequently, with the favor of the …show more content…
In the summer of 1918 the American Expeditionary Force, AEF, began to play a significant role in the Allied war effort (Votaw). Out of the 130,000 soldiers he had in 1916, he had a recruitment of 3.5 million, a truly impressive quantity, if that number added to the number of marines we have 4 million combatants. On the other hand, the navy went from one million tons to 10 million. It was clear that the specific weight of this war machine would produce an imbalance in favor of the allies. In economic terms, the federal government itself provided the European allies with a credit of 10 billion dollars to continue the war effort. The country's industry and agriculture, which had benefited from the sale of products to the allies, now halt civilian production to focus on civilian production to focus on war production: cannons, airplanes, and leftover foods for the European front (Document
The us did not originally support the entrance into WWI. They didn’t support it because they believed in neutrality rather than going to war and putting US citizens in danger. This all changed when german actions such as mistreating the US on the High Seas, making secret treaties with Mexico and spreading the idea of autocratic government through europe.(Thesis) During this time President Woodrow wilson was elected and thrown into a mess in with foreign countries. Almost all of europe was in war and the US was a bystander watching from the outside. The task for wilson now was to either declare war and help their allies or stay neutral and keep out of it completely.(Historical context)
Above all, the most important role of american industry was war production. This is emphasized in document 1 “The superiority of the United states in weapons must be overwhelming so overwhelming that the Axis nations can never hope to catch up with it. In order to attain this overwhelming superiority the United states must build planes and tanks and guns to the utmost limit of our national capacity. We have the ability to produce arms not only for our own forces but also for the armies,navies and air forces fighting on our side.” This statement by Roosevelt, justified just how important war production or for the americans to produce weapons for war is.
The Harsh Punishments of World War I World War I, also known as the great war started after the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, this was the main agitator that started the great war, the assassination was followed by the domino effect. Over 30 nations were involved in World War I and there were two main sides of the war, Great Britain, France, The United States, Russia, and Italy (The Allied Powers) who fought against Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire ( The Central Powers). After the war nations agreed for this to never happen again. The Treaty of Versailles was created but helped cause WWII by treating Germany harshly, reducing their army, and by taking away their territory.
As the situation in Europe developed into a stalemate between the Allies and the Central powers, actions taken against civilians, namely US citizens, angered the United States. Despite the mounting incentive for war, many Americans were hesitant about joining a war on the other side of the world. However, all of this changed on April 6, 1917, when Congress passed President Wilson’s resolution for war. With public opinion unsure about their participation, the government had to build public support and refocus the entire economy on the war effort. In the interest of preparing for and supporting the war, Congress gave President Wilson control over the economy, allowing him to regulate and nationalize any war-related industries.
There was “powerful financial interest which would be connected with these loans,” meaning that by joining the war and giving other belligerent nations money the United States could make a lot of money. The United States makes major increases in their exports to both Britain and France whereas there was a sharp decline in the number of exports sent to the Germans. (Doc 2) This was partly to help protect the financial investment that the United States made to the British and French but also to increase the United States own factory production. War was also brought wealth and “prosperity to the stock gambler” which helped the United States to gain more support for the war efforts.
The United States is known to be a great contributor for the victory of the Allies during World War One. Not only did the United Stated join the war with more ammunition and a base where they manufactured war supplies, but they were also prepared with a military of over four million young soldiers ready to fight. However, a greater contributor for The Allies triumph is propaganda and the impact it had on the people. Propaganda helped convince the people of the United States to enlist in the army, it inspired patriotism, and it encouraged people to become aware of their enemies. Propaganda was used as a weapon during World War One.
During World War One, America’s decision to join the war was a critical turning point in the outcome of the war for the Allies. Before this contribution, America’s position in the war was neutral but highly productive and consequently, their economy flourished. However, the major event bringing America into war was the sinking of Lusitania. It can be clearly argued that America’s involved is WW1 was a major turning point in the outcome of the war. History.com, 2017 is a highly reliable secondary source with a detailed recount about WW1.
World War I also had a huge impact on the American foreign policy. The U.S. was isolated but came out of isolationism to join the war. “... Neutrality is no longer feasible or desirable where the peace of the world is involved and the freedom of its peoples…” (Document 4). In his speech, President Woodrow Wilson was telling the U.S. that we were joining the war because he wanted to keep peace in the world for democracies and their people. Another way WWI changed the U.S. foreign policy was by getting attacked and fighting back, taking us out of isolationism.
When woodrow Wilson declared war on Germany, many American men were eager and willing to go to war “Through American muscle, American practices, American ideas.” World war 1 changed the landscape of America by incorporating new technology such as the use of advanced weapons, motorized vehicles, and deadly chemical warfare.
The decision of whether America should start making the necessary preparations for war or not became a big controversy. The president at the time Woodrow Wilson wanted to maintain a neutral policy, he also had mentioned that the idea of war was nonessential and “provocative”. However, later in 1915, he proposed an order to greatly increase the nation’s armed forces. Though, this sparked up a huge disagreement and scare to many Americans.
Despite initial hesitance, America eventually took part in World War 1 with a plethora of developments on the home front during the period of conflict. The war began in 1914, however America steadfastly maintained neutrality and did not join until early 1917. The discovery of the Zimmermann Telegram, which promised to give back lost territories of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona to Mexico if they helped Germany, led President Wilson to call for war and capitalize upon the notion that America must defend its honor and maintain a loud voice in altering a postwar world. The American public opinion was vastly divided, with many favoring Britain, others favoring German, and Jewish immigrants opposing Russia. As a product of these perceived conflict
The growing power of government and its affect on an individual's country justified the United States entering WWI in 1917. It encouraged the people of a country to believe in their word, to support their choices, to brainwash them into thinking the goal of war is to win
These events led to the shift in opinion of The United States. At the beginning of World War I, The United States declared their position as neutral. In Woodrow Wilson’s Address to Congress, he said, “The United States must be neutral in fact, as well as name, during these days that are to try men’s souls” (“Declaration”).
This caused for Wilson to embark on a program to grow the military and prepare for war. Thanks to Wilsons program, Americans were allowed
The fact that the North American president for that moment, Woodrow Wilson had guaranteed to be nonpartisan and not to enter that war before being picked in the decisions, and later joining the war to gain a more broad position over the world and to establish itself as a possibly source of power, might brought a lot of resentment among people, as well as the uncertainty for how that historic event could shape them as a whole before the world, and which would be the changes in its society along it. Be that as it may, the business and money related world squeezed for the war, on the grounds that notwithstanding assume a major business would serve to have controlled the number of inhabitants in their nation; that each time was more disappointed and embittered by the emergency that stretched out by the