How Did The United States Participate In The Great War?
Woodrow Wilsons War
Professor
4/3/13 The Great War, as it was called, started on July 28th, 1914 with the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand. The United States decided to stay out of the war and be a neutral country. The United States economy was booming during this time because they were supplying many of the countries that were in the war. The United States soon became an economic world power. European countries were too caught up in getting ready and fighting during wartime and didn’t have time to export any goods. The United States was increasing production and exporting goods all over the world. This economic boom made Woodrow Wilson very important to the European countries participating in the war. He was in control of many of the resources needed for the war. President Thomas Woodrow Wilson a former governor of New Jersey was the 28th president and served his term from 1913-1921. He was a …show more content…
leader of the progressive movement but ran for the Democrats. When President Wilson came to office he passed many new legislative acts. A few of the acts that were made while President Wilson was in office was the Federal Reserve Act, Federal Trade Commission Act, Clayton Antitrust Act, and the Federal Farm Loan Act. President Wilson was a very convincing president. His legislative agenda was un-matched by many past presidents. His views on neutrality were widely accepted throughout the country. The United States population accepted Woodrow Wilson during this time. He was keeping the United States out of war and this comforted the people with a near promise that America wouldn’t enter a war that didn’t concern them. Everyone listened to President Wilson and enjoyed listening to him when he spoke because he had the same views as the general public. Many people compared his beliefs to President Lincoln’s beliefs on neutrality in European affairs. Although President Wilson liked talking to the public he did not communicate well with his cabinet. President Wilson would not listen to negative news and did not want to talk about things he didn’t like. People around the President were scared of his power and did not confront him. President Wilson is quoted saying, “Although the president cannot conclude treaties without the Senate’s consent, he may guide every step of diplomacy…. He need disclose no step of negotiation until it is complete and when in any critical matter it is completed … whatever its inclination, the Senate may feel itself committed also” (Tucker 18). President Wilson did not leave any notes behind or allude to his thoughts. He was an independent thinker and some citizens did not like that trait about him. Wilson was depressed when his wife passed away during his presidency. Some could speculate that his depression is one of the reasons the United States stayed neutral at first. Wilson’s problems with his own life may have interfered with his presidency and made him very passive. President Wilson’s political advisors did not want to stay neutral in this war. They would try and convince President Wilson that the United States should take a side. As the war continued the American people began to get concerned about Wilsons neutrality.
Many citizens wanted to join the triple Entente because the United States and England had strong ties. However the majority of the population still did not want any part of the war. Many people wanted to be on both sides. The United States did not want any trouble with the Triple Alliance or the Triple Entente. A neutral country does have the right to trade with countries from either side. However the countries that are in the war had the right to prevent the neutral country to make trades that assist an enemy’s military effort. This made it difficult for the United States to trade because although they had the right to trade with whomever they wanted to, countries in war could prevent them from supplying the enemy. This is what propelled the United Sates into the war. Neutrality became both a legal and political status. The official ruling became that it was the status of a state in international law that stood apart from a war between two other
states. President Wilson always had favored the Triple Entente. At the time, Britain was the biggest trader with the United States. Unfortunately for President Wilson, favoring the Triple Entente made the Triple Alliance view the United States as an enemy. This eventually leads to the United States joining the war. President Wilson wasn’t intentionally trying to only supply the Triple Entente but the ties between them were thick. The trading that went on between the United States and the Triple Entente was a big factor in the global economy. The war gave the economy a boost and for the United States to be completely neutral and not trade with either side would have been devastating. No matter who President Wilson decided to trade with it was going to make the other side jealous. President Wilson was walking on a fine line and would soon find out that he walked too far. The citizens knew that if the United States intervened in the war the outcome would be bad. “Developed over a period of two centuries, the law of neutrality achieved its fullest expression in the years preceding World War 1, a period in which the circumstances that had favored the growth of this institution were already eroding” (Tucker 63). However no matter how badly the United States wanted to stay neutral there were factors that just could not be avoided. For instance Germany was using unrestricted submarine warfare to impose their will throughout the ocean. Germany let the world know that if any ship goes into unrestricted waters that they will be attacked. Also, Hoover did keep the United States neutral; however favoring the Triple Entente over the Triple Alliance caused turmoil and bad blood between the United States and the Triple Alliance. As the war continued, it became almost certain that the United States would enter the war. President Wilson wanted the war to end quickly so that the United States wouldn’t have to enter. If the war ended before the United States joined the side of the Entente, then the United States could go in after and help mediate the peace. If Germany had won the war then the United States would have potentially been in grave danger. The way of life in America could have been dramatically altered. President Wilson knew this and that is one of the main reasons that he supported the allies. Germany issued its declaration on submarine warfare in February 1915 because the Germans knew that the United States was supporting the Triple Entente. The Germans realized that the trading that the United States was doing with Britain was greatly helping the British stay supplied. This upset the Germans because they could not trade with the United States because of the blockade set up by the British. It made the Germans think that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages of going to war with the United States. Submarine warfare had become a powerful asset that the Germans possessed. They were the only country with the technology to build submarines. At first they did not use the submarines because they did not want to start a war at sea. Eventually they started to torpedo British ships and the submarines were highly effective. It became one of the Germans biggest weapons in stopping the Triple Ententes commerce. On February 4, 1915 the British Isles were declared a war zone by Germany due to Britain declaring the North Sea a war zone. The British covered the entire war zone with underwater mines. The reasoning the Germans gave for using submarine warfare was that the British were using blockades to restrict their trade. The Germans made it clear that any merchant ship that went through the warzone would be sunk regardless of who it was. The Germans said that the British were trying to starve Germany with their blockade so using submarine warfare was their answer back. The allies viewed the submarine fleet not as a threat to the war but they did slow down neutral trade because of the submarines torpedoing innocent ships. The country was confused about what to do when Germany started to restrict trade. It took President Wilson by surprise. It was likely that the Germany was going to retaliate because of the blockade but the United States never saw this coming. The United States told Germany that what they are doing is unjust and that if any American flagged ship was sunk that it would be viewed as an “indefensible violation of neutral rights”. The United States vowed that if any of their ships were destroyed then they would have to step in and stop Germany from doing this. The United States told Germany that if they continue to show aggression towards them it could lead them to war. The British set up a long distance blockade to restrict trade from Germany. Tucker states, “It is a long distance blockade because it was enforced principally by a cruiser squadron in the North Atlantic operating about one thousand from German ports, rested on an order council issued March 11, 1915” (Tucker 101). The main goal of this blockade was to stop ships going in and out of Germany. Any ships that were caught by the blockade were sent to one of the Triple Entente ports where all the cargo was taken off and given to them. The United States chose not to do anything about the blockade because it did not affect their neutrality. Germany was still able to trade with a few of the countries that was within the blockade. The Germans continued to be aggressive towards the United States. One of the critical events that changed views in the United States was the sinking of the Lusitania. “The British ocean liner RMS Lusitania, famous for its luxurious accommodations and speed capability, primarily ferried people and goods across the Atlantic Ocean between the United States and Great Britain. On May 1, 1915, the Lusitania left port in New York for Liverpool to make her 202nd trip across the Atlantic. On board were 1,959 people, 159 of whom were Americans” (history1900s.about.com). The citizens of the United States were gravely impacted by this event and started to see how ruthless Germany was. A growing number of events started to make Americans realize that Germany was an evil power. Germany was becoming a powerful force without any intent of stopping. The sinking of Lusitania almost pushed President Wilson into declaring war. He decided that he should not declare war yet because the nation was still unsure if staying neutral was the right thing to do. He thought that maybe the nation would get over the sinking of the ship and still want to stay neutral. President Wilson told the Germans to stop using submarine warfare but the Germans did not care and continued using submarine warfare. President Wilson was very confused about what to do because the eve of war seemed more and more prevalent every day. Several other ships with American passenger ships were sunk after the Lusitania. One of the ships was the Arabic. It had two Americans on board and was unarmed. These actions were very unsettling to President Wilson. He told the Germans that if they do not stop their use of submarine warfare on passenger vessels, the United States government will have no choice but to cut off diplomatic relations with Germany. President Wilson did not care that England was blockading off Germany. He was directly angry with Germany because innocent Americans were being killed. He did tell England that he thought it was wrong of them to try and starve Germany. However a country has to do what it has to in order to win the war. President Wilson was beginning to get fed up with Germany and all the wrong doings they were committing. Near the end of 1915 the United States is getting closer and closer to entering the war. President Wilson began to think that perhaps staying neutral was not an option anymore. Germany was beginning to bite off more than they can chew. They were taking too much and did not have plans of stopping. President Wilson knew that he couldn’t let Germany grow and impose their will upon weaker countries. President Wilson wanted to act as a mediator between the countries at war with each and he wanted to end the war peacefully. President Wilson also thought that if he could help bring peace to different countries, that the United States could form alliances with them. This was a lofty goal that President Wilson was aiming for and he knew that most likely the United States will have to take a side. President Wilson’s view on neutrality eventually ended on April 6th, 1917. This is the day that the United States officially declared war on the Triple Alliance. In the eyes of many President Wilson’s neutrality was a failure. If President Wilson was always planning on entering the war he did it too late. One of President Wilson’s main ideas was a swift and quick war. By the time the United States joined the war it had been going on for 3 years. Europe had been war torn and totally destroyed by the time the United States joins. If the United States joined earlier the war could have ended quickly and peacefully. These are just speculations but the U. S was one of the strongest nations in the world and the United States did end the war considerably quickly once they joined. The war ended about a year and half after the United States joined. That is half the time that the war was going on for. This was President Wilson’s last option but he had no other choice. Germany was becoming a corrupt power and the United States realized that he needed to be stopped. Germany sent Mexico the Zimmerman note and that was the last straw. Germany sent Mexico a telegram that told them Germany would help them regain land that the United States took from Mekjxico. England intercepted the telegram and sent it immediately to the United States. The note said, “We intend to begin on the 1st of February unrestricted submarine warfare. We shall endeavor in spite of this to keep the United States of America neutral. In the event of this not succeeding, we make Mexico a proposal of alliance on the following basis: make war together, make peace together, generous financial support and an understanding on our part that Mexico is to re-conquer the lost territory in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. The settlement in detail is left to you. You will inform the President of the above most secretly as soon as the outbreak of war with the United States of America is certain and add the suggestion that he should, on his own initiative, invite Japan to immediate adherence and at the same time mediate between Japan and ourselves. Please call the President’s attention to the fact that the ruthless employment of our submarines now offers the prospect of compelling England in a few months to make peace. Signed, Zimmermann” (http://wwi.lib.byu.edu). Mexico responded to Germany with a no. Mexico knew that the United States was a much stronger country; they knew that the United States could cut off the trade lanes with Germany and they would not have a steady supply of arms, and Mexico would not be able to control a predominantly English speaking territory. It was not in Mexico’s best interest to go to war with the United States. Germany then sunk three more United States ships and President Wilson called an emergency session with Congress about going to war with Germany. The United States stayed a neutral country for most of World War 1. They were a world super power but they were focused on keeping the country safe. President Wilson was very pro-neutrality when he came to office. He said, “Neutrality is a negative word. It does not express what America ought to feel. We are not trying to keep out of trouble; we are trying to preserve the foundations on which peace may be rebuilt” (Tucker 24). He was a president that was well liked by the population. The United States citizens were also pro-neutrality but as the war went on they soon realized neutrality was no longer an option. Germany had taken advantage of countries including the United States. They were killing innocent American citizens and also tried to start war on the American home front. President Wilson could only let Germany go so far but when they pushed their limit he did what needed to be done; declare war. The American citizens knew that he tried his best to keep America out of war but in the end it was inevitable. It only took a year and a half for the United States to help the Triple Entente defeat the Triple Alliance and end the war. The author of this book, Robert Tucker, felt that President Wilson did the best he could to keep the United States neutral and made the right decision of declaring war on Germany.
Works Cited
Sinking of the Lusitania." About.com 20th Century History. 2012. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. .
Tucker, Robert W. Woodrow Wilson and the Great War: Reconsidering America 's Neutrality, 1914-1917. Charlottesville: University of Virginia, 2007. Print.
"The Zimmerman Note." - World War I Document Archive. 7 July 2009. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. .
Professor
4/3/13 The Great War, as it was called, started on July 28th, 1914 with the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand. The United States decided to stay out of the war and be a neutral country. The United States economy was booming during this time because they were supplying many of the countries that were in the war. The United States soon became an economic world power. European countries were too caught up in getting ready and fighting during wartime and didn’t have time to export any goods. The United States was increasing production and exporting goods all over the world. This economic boom made Woodrow Wilson very important to the European countries participating in the war. He was in control of many of the resources needed for the war. President Thomas Woodrow Wilson a former governor of New Jersey was the 28th president and served his term from 1913-1921. He was a …show more content…
leader of the progressive movement but ran for the Democrats. When President Wilson came to office he passed many new legislative acts. A few of the acts that were made while President Wilson was in office was the Federal Reserve Act, Federal Trade Commission Act, Clayton Antitrust Act, and the Federal Farm Loan Act. President Wilson was a very convincing president. His legislative agenda was un-matched by many past presidents. His views on neutrality were widely accepted throughout the country. The United States population accepted Woodrow Wilson during this time. He was keeping the United States out of war and this comforted the people with a near promise that America wouldn’t enter a war that didn’t concern them. Everyone listened to President Wilson and enjoyed listening to him when he spoke because he had the same views as the general public. Many people compared his beliefs to President Lincoln’s beliefs on neutrality in European affairs. Although President Wilson liked talking to the public he did not communicate well with his cabinet. President Wilson would not listen to negative news and did not want to talk about things he didn’t like. People around the President were scared of his power and did not confront him. President Wilson is quoted saying, “Although the president cannot conclude treaties without the Senate’s consent, he may guide every step of diplomacy…. He need disclose no step of negotiation until it is complete and when in any critical matter it is completed … whatever its inclination, the Senate may feel itself committed also” (Tucker 18). President Wilson did not leave any notes behind or allude to his thoughts. He was an independent thinker and some citizens did not like that trait about him. Wilson was depressed when his wife passed away during his presidency. Some could speculate that his depression is one of the reasons the United States stayed neutral at first. Wilson’s problems with his own life may have interfered with his presidency and made him very passive. President Wilson’s political advisors did not want to stay neutral in this war. They would try and convince President Wilson that the United States should take a side. As the war continued the American people began to get concerned about Wilsons neutrality.
Many citizens wanted to join the triple Entente because the United States and England had strong ties. However the majority of the population still did not want any part of the war. Many people wanted to be on both sides. The United States did not want any trouble with the Triple Alliance or the Triple Entente. A neutral country does have the right to trade with countries from either side. However the countries that are in the war had the right to prevent the neutral country to make trades that assist an enemy’s military effort. This made it difficult for the United States to trade because although they had the right to trade with whomever they wanted to, countries in war could prevent them from supplying the enemy. This is what propelled the United Sates into the war. Neutrality became both a legal and political status. The official ruling became that it was the status of a state in international law that stood apart from a war between two other
states. President Wilson always had favored the Triple Entente. At the time, Britain was the biggest trader with the United States. Unfortunately for President Wilson, favoring the Triple Entente made the Triple Alliance view the United States as an enemy. This eventually leads to the United States joining the war. President Wilson wasn’t intentionally trying to only supply the Triple Entente but the ties between them were thick. The trading that went on between the United States and the Triple Entente was a big factor in the global economy. The war gave the economy a boost and for the United States to be completely neutral and not trade with either side would have been devastating. No matter who President Wilson decided to trade with it was going to make the other side jealous. President Wilson was walking on a fine line and would soon find out that he walked too far. The citizens knew that if the United States intervened in the war the outcome would be bad. “Developed over a period of two centuries, the law of neutrality achieved its fullest expression in the years preceding World War 1, a period in which the circumstances that had favored the growth of this institution were already eroding” (Tucker 63). However no matter how badly the United States wanted to stay neutral there were factors that just could not be avoided. For instance Germany was using unrestricted submarine warfare to impose their will throughout the ocean. Germany let the world know that if any ship goes into unrestricted waters that they will be attacked. Also, Hoover did keep the United States neutral; however favoring the Triple Entente over the Triple Alliance caused turmoil and bad blood between the United States and the Triple Alliance. As the war continued, it became almost certain that the United States would enter the war. President Wilson wanted the war to end quickly so that the United States wouldn’t have to enter. If the war ended before the United States joined the side of the Entente, then the United States could go in after and help mediate the peace. If Germany had won the war then the United States would have potentially been in grave danger. The way of life in America could have been dramatically altered. President Wilson knew this and that is one of the main reasons that he supported the allies. Germany issued its declaration on submarine warfare in February 1915 because the Germans knew that the United States was supporting the Triple Entente. The Germans realized that the trading that the United States was doing with Britain was greatly helping the British stay supplied. This upset the Germans because they could not trade with the United States because of the blockade set up by the British. It made the Germans think that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages of going to war with the United States. Submarine warfare had become a powerful asset that the Germans possessed. They were the only country with the technology to build submarines. At first they did not use the submarines because they did not want to start a war at sea. Eventually they started to torpedo British ships and the submarines were highly effective. It became one of the Germans biggest weapons in stopping the Triple Ententes commerce. On February 4, 1915 the British Isles were declared a war zone by Germany due to Britain declaring the North Sea a war zone. The British covered the entire war zone with underwater mines. The reasoning the Germans gave for using submarine warfare was that the British were using blockades to restrict their trade. The Germans made it clear that any merchant ship that went through the warzone would be sunk regardless of who it was. The Germans said that the British were trying to starve Germany with their blockade so using submarine warfare was their answer back. The allies viewed the submarine fleet not as a threat to the war but they did slow down neutral trade because of the submarines torpedoing innocent ships. The country was confused about what to do when Germany started to restrict trade. It took President Wilson by surprise. It was likely that the Germany was going to retaliate because of the blockade but the United States never saw this coming. The United States told Germany that what they are doing is unjust and that if any American flagged ship was sunk that it would be viewed as an “indefensible violation of neutral rights”. The United States vowed that if any of their ships were destroyed then they would have to step in and stop Germany from doing this. The United States told Germany that if they continue to show aggression towards them it could lead them to war. The British set up a long distance blockade to restrict trade from Germany. Tucker states, “It is a long distance blockade because it was enforced principally by a cruiser squadron in the North Atlantic operating about one thousand from German ports, rested on an order council issued March 11, 1915” (Tucker 101). The main goal of this blockade was to stop ships going in and out of Germany. Any ships that were caught by the blockade were sent to one of the Triple Entente ports where all the cargo was taken off and given to them. The United States chose not to do anything about the blockade because it did not affect their neutrality. Germany was still able to trade with a few of the countries that was within the blockade. The Germans continued to be aggressive towards the United States. One of the critical events that changed views in the United States was the sinking of the Lusitania. “The British ocean liner RMS Lusitania, famous for its luxurious accommodations and speed capability, primarily ferried people and goods across the Atlantic Ocean between the United States and Great Britain. On May 1, 1915, the Lusitania left port in New York for Liverpool to make her 202nd trip across the Atlantic. On board were 1,959 people, 159 of whom were Americans” (history1900s.about.com). The citizens of the United States were gravely impacted by this event and started to see how ruthless Germany was. A growing number of events started to make Americans realize that Germany was an evil power. Germany was becoming a powerful force without any intent of stopping. The sinking of Lusitania almost pushed President Wilson into declaring war. He decided that he should not declare war yet because the nation was still unsure if staying neutral was the right thing to do. He thought that maybe the nation would get over the sinking of the ship and still want to stay neutral. President Wilson told the Germans to stop using submarine warfare but the Germans did not care and continued using submarine warfare. President Wilson was very confused about what to do because the eve of war seemed more and more prevalent every day. Several other ships with American passenger ships were sunk after the Lusitania. One of the ships was the Arabic. It had two Americans on board and was unarmed. These actions were very unsettling to President Wilson. He told the Germans that if they do not stop their use of submarine warfare on passenger vessels, the United States government will have no choice but to cut off diplomatic relations with Germany. President Wilson did not care that England was blockading off Germany. He was directly angry with Germany because innocent Americans were being killed. He did tell England that he thought it was wrong of them to try and starve Germany. However a country has to do what it has to in order to win the war. President Wilson was beginning to get fed up with Germany and all the wrong doings they were committing. Near the end of 1915 the United States is getting closer and closer to entering the war. President Wilson began to think that perhaps staying neutral was not an option anymore. Germany was beginning to bite off more than they can chew. They were taking too much and did not have plans of stopping. President Wilson knew that he couldn’t let Germany grow and impose their will upon weaker countries. President Wilson wanted to act as a mediator between the countries at war with each and he wanted to end the war peacefully. President Wilson also thought that if he could help bring peace to different countries, that the United States could form alliances with them. This was a lofty goal that President Wilson was aiming for and he knew that most likely the United States will have to take a side. President Wilson’s view on neutrality eventually ended on April 6th, 1917. This is the day that the United States officially declared war on the Triple Alliance. In the eyes of many President Wilson’s neutrality was a failure. If President Wilson was always planning on entering the war he did it too late. One of President Wilson’s main ideas was a swift and quick war. By the time the United States joined the war it had been going on for 3 years. Europe had been war torn and totally destroyed by the time the United States joins. If the United States joined earlier the war could have ended quickly and peacefully. These are just speculations but the U. S was one of the strongest nations in the world and the United States did end the war considerably quickly once they joined. The war ended about a year and half after the United States joined. That is half the time that the war was going on for. This was President Wilson’s last option but he had no other choice. Germany was becoming a corrupt power and the United States realized that he needed to be stopped. Germany sent Mexico the Zimmerman note and that was the last straw. Germany sent Mexico a telegram that told them Germany would help them regain land that the United States took from Mekjxico. England intercepted the telegram and sent it immediately to the United States. The note said, “We intend to begin on the 1st of February unrestricted submarine warfare. We shall endeavor in spite of this to keep the United States of America neutral. In the event of this not succeeding, we make Mexico a proposal of alliance on the following basis: make war together, make peace together, generous financial support and an understanding on our part that Mexico is to re-conquer the lost territory in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. The settlement in detail is left to you. You will inform the President of the above most secretly as soon as the outbreak of war with the United States of America is certain and add the suggestion that he should, on his own initiative, invite Japan to immediate adherence and at the same time mediate between Japan and ourselves. Please call the President’s attention to the fact that the ruthless employment of our submarines now offers the prospect of compelling England in a few months to make peace. Signed, Zimmermann” (http://wwi.lib.byu.edu). Mexico responded to Germany with a no. Mexico knew that the United States was a much stronger country; they knew that the United States could cut off the trade lanes with Germany and they would not have a steady supply of arms, and Mexico would not be able to control a predominantly English speaking territory. It was not in Mexico’s best interest to go to war with the United States. Germany then sunk three more United States ships and President Wilson called an emergency session with Congress about going to war with Germany. The United States stayed a neutral country for most of World War 1. They were a world super power but they were focused on keeping the country safe. President Wilson was very pro-neutrality when he came to office. He said, “Neutrality is a negative word. It does not express what America ought to feel. We are not trying to keep out of trouble; we are trying to preserve the foundations on which peace may be rebuilt” (Tucker 24). He was a president that was well liked by the population. The United States citizens were also pro-neutrality but as the war went on they soon realized neutrality was no longer an option. Germany had taken advantage of countries including the United States. They were killing innocent American citizens and also tried to start war on the American home front. President Wilson could only let Germany go so far but when they pushed their limit he did what needed to be done; declare war. The American citizens knew that he tried his best to keep America out of war but in the end it was inevitable. It only took a year and a half for the United States to help the Triple Entente defeat the Triple Alliance and end the war. The author of this book, Robert Tucker, felt that President Wilson did the best he could to keep the United States neutral and made the right decision of declaring war on Germany.
Works Cited
Sinking of the Lusitania." About.com 20th Century History. 2012. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. .
Tucker, Robert W. Woodrow Wilson and the Great War: Reconsidering America 's Neutrality, 1914-1917. Charlottesville: University of Virginia, 2007. Print.
"The Zimmerman Note." - World War I Document Archive. 7 July 2009. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. .