Should the United States have entered World War I
The United States’ Entry into World War I:
Was it Worth the Cost?
Kristen M. Chamberlain
Ms. Tun
Should the United States have enlisted into World War I? World War I began because of increased competition for empires in Africa and Asia, increase of militarism, tension caused by rising nationalism, and shifts in the balance of European power leading to mistrust among nations. Alliances were made between countries by creating powerful combinations that no one would dare attack. The final impetus for war being the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo, Bosnia. The Central Powers consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire (Turkey), and Bulgaria, against the Allies comprised of Britain, France, Italy, Russia, and later on the United States. The United States exchanged its neutrality for war in 1917 by declaring war on Germany. The war ended in 1918, as Germany and Austria- Hungary were reeling into collapse, standing no chance against the incoming fresh American troops. Governments collapsed, homes, farms, factories, roads, and churches were reduced to rubble, human and material costs were staggering, and all the countries, especially the defeated Central Powers, faced large financial tolls. The United States faced a death toll of almost 120, 000 soldiers and another 200,000 were wounded (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I_casualties) along with $35 billion in financial costs (Prentice Hall: World History 2011). During the war, there was a production boom which called for technology advances and employment available for women and African- Americans to replace the men out in action. But once the men returned from overseas many women stopped working, swelling unemployment and planting the seeds for the Great Depression. World War I was one of the greatest wars in history with a death toll of an estimated 65,000, 000 soldiers and civilians
Was it Worth the Cost?
Kristen M. Chamberlain
Ms. Tun
Should the United States have enlisted into World War I? World War I began because of increased competition for empires in Africa and Asia, increase of militarism, tension caused by rising nationalism, and shifts in the balance of European power leading to mistrust among nations. Alliances were made between countries by creating powerful combinations that no one would dare attack. The final impetus for war being the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo, Bosnia. The Central Powers consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire (Turkey), and Bulgaria, against the Allies comprised of Britain, France, Italy, Russia, and later on the United States. The United States exchanged its neutrality for war in 1917 by declaring war on Germany. The war ended in 1918, as Germany and Austria- Hungary were reeling into collapse, standing no chance against the incoming fresh American troops. Governments collapsed, homes, farms, factories, roads, and churches were reduced to rubble, human and material costs were staggering, and all the countries, especially the defeated Central Powers, faced large financial tolls. The United States faced a death toll of almost 120, 000 soldiers and another 200,000 were wounded (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I_casualties) along with $35 billion in financial costs (Prentice Hall: World History 2011). During the war, there was a production boom which called for technology advances and employment available for women and African- Americans to replace the men out in action. But once the men returned from overseas many women stopped working, swelling unemployment and planting the seeds for the Great Depression. World War I was one of the greatest wars in history with a death toll of an estimated 65,000, 000 soldiers and civilians
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