War does not always have the simple goal of killing as many of the enemy as you can. The motives behind war are often complex and not always vicious attempts to gain power. Often times a nation must enter a war to secure peace in the future. This was the case when Woodrow Wilson asked Congress for a declaration of war. Since the early days of the war when Wilson asked the nation to be impartial in their thoughts about the war, he fought to maintain the United State’s neutrality. By sending his close friend, Colonel House and other envoys, Wilson diplomatically delayed war until the last possible moment. However, Wilson knew that war was inevitable. It was imperative for the United States to enter the war because it had become a threat to humanity and unless the United States intervened, Western civilization itself might be destroyed. (Garraty, pg. 665) Wilson’s main reason for involving the United States in the war was to be included in peace talks following the end of the fighting. Had the United States not entered the war, neither the Allies nor the Central Powers would let the U.S. involve itself in the peace talks. Wilson knew that it was essential for the U.S. to be a part of these talks. The majority of statesmen thought that a victory on the battlefield was triumph enough but Wilson knew better than that. Wilson realized that the victory would be wasted if the winners permitted themselves the luxury of revenge. (Garraty, pg. 674) It was important for the victor to forgive and forget and begin to build a better society. Unfortunately for Wilson, a steadfast pacifist, he had to resort to war to secure peace for the future. By entering the war the United States was able to play a powerful role in peace talks after the fighting ended. Although the peace talks did not stop keep WWII from happening, that was Wilson’s goal.
... to be President afterwards. His unwillingness to compromise with the Senate caused the Treaty of Versailles along with the League of Nations never to be ratified by the United States. The notion of the League of Nations that won Wilson a Noble Peace Prize in 1920 was never joined his own country.
In the novel, My Brother Sam is Dead, by James and Christopher Collier, they teach that there are many other ways to solve conflict besides war. War is violent, disgusting, and gruesome and so many people die in war. Families separate in war because of how many people want to be in the thrill of the war and also how many innocent family members die in the midst of war. Lastly, war is worthless and it was caused by a disagreement over something little and the outcome of war is not worth the many lives, time, and money and there are other ways to solve conflict besides to fight. War causes so many negative outcomes on this world that it needs to be avoided at all costs.
History is full of people fighting against one another and going to war for all types of different reasons. For the most part countries go to war to either protect their way of life, or for a better way of living. We want to preserve certain aspects of life like our rights, as well as helping others gain or maintain them, we also want to be able to prosper as a country. When one or some of these things are threatened a country will go to war. Some wars that fallow this trend include the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War. Besides protecting or bettering life, war can also make or break a countries economy.
...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.
Going it to war is one of the hardest decisions a president may have to make but they cannot do it alone. They must have the support of the American people. Entering into war is not one most Americans agree to do without hesitation. War is associated with destruction, violence, and death. With so many opposed what appeals and approaches does a president use to “sell” a war to the American people? To answer this question we will look at 3 documents from Franklin D Roosevelts presented throughout the timeline of the war and how his “sales pitch” changed along the way.
In WWI, Wilsonian idealism meant several things. This included de-colonization. Also, Wilson strongly believed in democratic peace theory, and he thought that the United States needed to make the world safe for democracy. Furthermore, the president clarified that the United States was entering the war on a moral high ground. For example, Woodrow Wilson mentioned the U.S. was not going to war out of national security but the U.S. had a messianic mission. There were some concerns like the Zimmerman letter that asked Mexico to attack the U.S. On the other hand, the messianic mission was “a war to end all wars” and this was war to make the world safe for democracy. His ideas, which were deeply liberal principles, were embedded into the fourteen points he had created during
As he sat down to compose his congressional address proposing war, the uncertainty of his decision. overwhelmed him. He confided to a member of his cabinet, Frank Cobb, that He had never been as unsure about anything in his life as the judgment he made for the nation (Baker 506). Through a rhetorical analysis of Wilson’s points of argumentation and his style in the presentation to the war. congress, we can gain a better understanding of the president’s purpose.
Another powerful move for Wilson was the Fourteen Points. One aspect was a proposal to end secret treaties. Therefore, European couldn’t go behind each other’s backs in time of war. The second point was freedom of the seas. This was that no one could control the oceans.
...Wilson took on the persona of the leader of a “righteous war”, and with much support from the people approached Congress asking for a declaration of war (James and Wells, 26). While not everyone was supportive of the war, the vast majority was extremely pro-war. Congress passed the declaration of war against Germany primarily based on its unrestricted usage of U-boats against American ships. Thus through actions taken by the Germans, the United States would begin its involvement in the Great War.
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
World War I, World War II, Vietnam War, Korean War, American Revolution, Civil War, French & Indian War, and so on. These wars all occurred for one main reason, to protect the people and their endowed rights. If brave and courageous warriors did not step on to the battlefield, and sacrifice themselves to their country, who knows what could have happened.
Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of the United States, led America through World War I and created the Versailles Treaty's "Fourteen Points," the foremost of which was the “League of Nations”. Wilson also signed the 19th Amendment allowing women the right to vote. Wilson considered himself the representative of the people and believed in creating a new world order of democracy. His ideas led to the philosophy known as “Wilsonianism”. This is a foreign policy which believes peace will prosper if given the right conditions around the world. His drive and belief in ideals is apparent throughout his life, and he is responsible for many of America’s achievements during World War I as well as many mistakes. (Sidey)
War has always been, and will always be, a necessary action perpetrated by man. There are many reasons for war: rage, passion, greed, defense, and religion, to name a few. When differences cannot be resolved or compromised through mediation with an opposing party, war is the last remaining option. Muslim historian Ibn Khaldun wrote in fourteenth-century Spain, that “War is a universal and inevitable aspect of life, ordained by God to the same extent as the sky and the earth, the heat and the cold. The question of whether to fright is not a significant moral question because fighting is constant; the minor decision not to fight this war will be made only in the context of knowing that another war will present itself soon enough because it is simply always there.”
War has been around for centuries. From the time modern civilizations began, war has played an integral part in human history. It shaped the world into the modern world we live in. War has been said to be a great motivator, for example, the Great Wall of China was built to fend off the attackers from the north. However, the negative aspects of war far outweighs any positive effects it might have. The destruction of civilizations, cities and countries, mass killings of men, woman and children alike, the disastrous effect it has on economy and the after effects of war can last for centuries.
War is such a debatable topic of whether it is just to wage a war on our neighbours or invade a country.One thing is very clear there are consequence and a cost. Martin Luther once stated,“War is the greatest plague that can afflict humanity, it destroys religion, it destroys states, it destroys families”. This was exactly what did. War was not a fun game like what Jessie Pope described it as in her poem, ‘Who’s for the game’. What war did was it changed people and society. The war caused soldiers to suffer from PTSD, it left families to face the feeling of grief and it crippled the economy.