The USA´s Role in WWI

706 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: U.s neutrality in ww1 flashcard

One of the biggest wars that happened in the past was World War 1. World War 1 was a conflict between the Allied Powers (France, Russia, Britain, Italy and the United States), and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria Hungary and the Ottoman Empire). The war grew from years of European competition over trade, colonies, allies, and armaments.
The U.S. was neutral for nearly four years becuase there were divided loyalties in the U.S. German Americans supported Germany, Irish Americans opposed Britian, and most other Americans supported the Allies. The U.S. as a whole did not have a particular side it wanted to be on. Also, who would want to go to war? It really didn't have anything to do with us anyway, so we stayed out of it as long as possible.
Several events led up to the U.S. declaring war against Germany. Great Britian had successfully blockaded all port under German control at the start of the war. To wear down British sea power, the Germans introduced submarine warfare. In May 1915, a German submarine sank the British passenger liner called the Lusitania. The reason this is one of the reasons that led to the U.S. declaring war on Germany is that about 1,200 people, including 128 Americans were killed. In March 1916, PResident Woodrow Wilson demanded Germany stop attacking passenger and frieght ships. Germany responded with the Sussex Pledge. This pledge was a promise to end unrestricted submarine warfare. However, on Feburary 1st, 1917, Germany announced that it would sink merchant ships heading to Britsh or Western ports. This was the key event that got the U.S out of neutrality.
The Germans believed they could win the war before U.S. forces could intervene. On February 3, 1917, the U.S. broke diplomatic relations with G...

... middle of paper ...

... from occurring. It was strenuously opposed by Congress and voted down because Congress was concerned about the loss of US sovereignty. Giving an international organization the right to essentially control foreign policy is a huge intrusion on the rights of any country. It also proved exceptionally difficult to create a Leauge of Nations because of the struggle to ratify it and Wilson left office without ever convincing the United States to join it.
In conclusion, World War 1 left the nations of Europe devastated. France and England had large debts.Germany, near economic collapse, was told to pay reparations that it could not pay.There are some people that call WW1 the unnecessary war because the whole thing could've been avoided. Even so, there were still tensions among nations. If this war didn't happen, the U.S. might not have been the world power it is today.

Show More
Related

  • Woodrow Wilson and World War I

    973 Words  | 2 Pages

    The German’s unrestricted submarine warfare was the main reason for the U.S. to enter war. Wilson had tremendous support from Americans. The Germans had to be stopped. The attacks came without warning killing many innocent people (Winter and Baggett, 1996). The Germans sank numerous ships including our own. The most famous ship sunk was the Lusitiania. Aboard that ship 128 Americans were killed (http://www.angelfire.com/in3/wilson/wilson.html). The Lusitania was torpedoed without any notice. The Lusitania sunk in 18 minutes killing a total of 1198 people (http://www.poltechnic.org/faculty/gfeldmeth/chart.ww1.html).

    Read More

  • America’s Great War: World War I and the American Experience by Robert H. Zieger

    1764 Words  | 4 Pages

    Both sides accepted the United States’ aid but they also sought to cut-off each other’s supply chain. While the Allies barricaded Germany’s ports with the British Navy, Germany began attacking merchant ships using their submarines, or U-boats. While Wilson was angered by the British tactics he was even more infuriated by the German’s. This would be the ultimate end of U.S. neutrality as Wilson would sternly address Germany’s actions and not Britain’s.

    Read More

  • Theodore Roosevelt vs Woodrow Wilson

    876 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...n and defeated, Wilson believed firmly that his vision of America leading a world community of nations would eventually be embraced by the American people. Twenty-five years later, the United Nations built its headquarters in New York, a tangible symbol of the bipartisan support that Wilsonian ideals had gained after a second world war. But Wilson's legacy was not confined to foreign policy. His progressive domestic programs helped stabilize and humanize a huge industrial system, and his success in making the presidency the intellectual and political leader of the American government enabled the United States to deal effectively with the challenges and threats of the modern world. But don't forget the credit of Roosevelt's "New Imperialism", it became the hallmark of American foreign policy in the new century, positioning America as the leader of the western alliance.

    Read More

  • U.S. Neutrality in World War I

    488 Words  | 1 Pages

    Great Britain controlled a big portion of the sea during this time and was the first to set up a blockade between the United States and Germany. The United States protested but Britain continued to force American ships to be searched for food, medical supplies, and steel before reaching Germany. Although the United States was against the blockade, it had very little impact on the U.S. economy. With Great Britain going to war, the United States produced enough war-related exports to pull them out of its prewar recession. Although Wilson claimed neutrality, he held sympathetic feelings toward Great Britain. After all, the Americans shared language and culture to the English in contrast to Germany who ruled their nation in a more militaristic manner. Because Wilson did nothing in response to Great Britain’s violation of American neutrality, Germany saw this as an indication of siding with the English.

    Read More

  • The Difference of Warfare between World War 1 and World War 2

    1024 Words  | 3 Pages

    While the naval war is usually known for only little attention in histories of World War I, the Royal Navy's blockade of Germany played a dangerous role in the War. The U.S. Navy linking with the Royal Navy played a significant role in overcoming the German U-boats in the North Atlantic. The Germany Navy while technically effective disastrously diminished the German war effort. Germany's building of a High Seas Fleet was one of the causes that public view on Britain turned against Germany and that Britain come unto the War. Yet, the small U-boat fleet, showed a key competition to the British. In the early war, U-boats drowned three British cruisers, shocking the people of both England and Germany. The U-boat campaign was a major reason that public opinion in America turned against Germany and that America entered the War. Despite the huge investment, the German Navy accomplished nothing in return to counter balance the cost for Germany.

    Read More

  • Impact of US involvement in World War I

    721 Words  | 2 Pages

    World War I, a military conflict, began as a local European war between Austria-Hungary and Serbia in 1914. It was transformed into a general European struggle by declaration of war against Russia, and eventually became a global war involving 32 nations. Twenty- eight of these nations, known as the Allies and the Associated Powers, and including Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, and the United States, opposed the coalition known as the Central Powers, consisting of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, and Bulgaria. World War I, was not only a dispute among nations, but also affected thousands of people from all over the world, including African Americans, women, and even business and economic changes. African Americans endured a great amount of racism during the war, especially from the military.

    Read More

  • Woodrow Wilson Accomplishments

    765 Words  | 2 Pages

    When War broke out in Europe in 1914 Wilson determined it was in the best interest of the United States to stay out of the conflict. In spite of the fact that president Wilson hoped to stay out of the war and wanted peace, in mid 1917 German submarines started attacking U.S. dealerships. On April 2, 1917, Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany, stating,“The world must be made safe for democracy.(History.com Staff)” In the following year and a half the United States constructed a army of 4 million men by enrollment, and sent 2 million men abroad to France, and joined the whole populace behind the war effort.

    Read More

  • World War I: United States Involvement

    1218 Words  | 3 Pages

    "He Kept us Out of War" (World War I Quotes). This quote was a democratic slogan stated during the election of 1916 on behalf of President Woodrow Wilson. This slogan makes an attempt to refer to the good leadership qualities and decisions that President Wilson made to keep the United States of America out of the war and that is why he should be elected again to serve as President. Though this made a valid argument to show that Wilson was smart to keep us out of war, many events took place that continued to anger the U.S. which eventually made them declare war on Germany on April 6th, 1917 (World War I). In doing this, they broke their policy of non intervention. The United States held out of the Great War for so long because of economic reasons, their policy of neutrality, and to avoid the morbid trench warfare (America). However, the United Stated eventually entered the war because of Germany sinking several U.S. passenger ships, and the publication of the Zimmerman telegram (World War I).

    Read More

  • The Espionage Act and The Sedition Act

    2058 Words  | 5 Pages

    Congress passed the declaration of war against Germany primarily based on its unrestricted use of U-boats against American ships. Thus through actions taken by the Germans, the United States would begin its involvement in the Great War. Works Cited James, D. Clayton, and Anne Sharp Wells. America and the Great War, 1914-1920. Wheeling: Harlan Davidson, 1998.

    Read More

  • The Three Causes Of World War I

    649 Words  | 2 Pages

    World War I was a huge war. Several countries were involved in World War I. Many lives were lost during this horrible time. Many people believe that imperialism, nationalism, and militarism caused it all to happen.

    Read More

  • Social, Political and Economic Effects of WWI

    2176 Words  | 5 Pages

    The society could not support a long war. The First World War left no aspect of European civilization untouched as pre-war governments were transformed to fight total war. The war metamorphed Europe socially, politically, economically, and intellectually. European countries channeled all of their resources into total war, which resulted in enormous social change. The result of working together for a common goal seemed to be unifying European societies.

    Read More

  • American Foreign Policy in World War II

    1612 Words  | 4 Pages

    The U.S.’ involvement in World Wars I and II did not occur immediately following the beginning of the wars. Rather, in WWI, President Wilson, who had built his re-election campaign around the slogan, “he kept us out of war,'; entered the U.S. into WWI shortly after his re-election. Although Wilson had not specifically promised to keep the country out of war, he declared that only a negotiated “peace without victory'; would prove durable (Bailey, 722). Unfortun...

    Read More

  • The Great War: Causes Of The World War

    629 Words  | 2 Pages

    World War I, also known as the Great War was one of the most revolutionary wars in modern history. The war started in 1914 and ended in 1919 and included many advancements such as tanks and mustard gas. The Great War was one of the most deadly and gruesome wars ever. There were many different pivotal things that led to the breakout of war in Europe and eventually the world. One could see alliances escalating the the amount of countries in the war, an extreme amount of nationalism, and tensions over colonies and technological advances. All of these ultimately led to commencement of World War I.

    Read More

  • Espionage Act of 1917 and Sedition Act (Amendment) of 1918

    1469 Words  | 3 Pages

    On April 2nd 1917, President Woodrow Wilson of the United States of America, ??went before Congress and called for a declaration of war. Both the House and the Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of going to war with Germany.?# This was an act that led to much resistance among the American people. Not four months earlier the American people re-elected President Wilson, partly because of his success in keeping the United States out of this European war. However, a series of events, such as the Germans continuing submarine warfare and the attacks on five American ships, led President Wilson to sever diplomatic relations with Germany and send the United States into what would be labeled as World War I. As a result of the war the

    Read More

  • U.S. Neutrality in World War One

    617 Words  | 2 Pages

    The United States remained neutral in World War One because they saw it in their best interest. At the time the war began, the U.S. industry was struggling. Staying out of the war was a way to boost the industry in America by utilizing trade with both the Ally and Central Powers. The U.S. also had no real reason to join the war. They had close ties with both sides. Some problems, however, would arise that would question the U.S. decision to remain neutral and sway their opinions to one side of the war.

    Read More

More about The USA´s Role in WWI

Open Document