US & World War I Notes

Background

1. When war broke out in Europe in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson declared U.S. neutrality, reflecting both isolationist traditions and economic pragmatism.
2. Yet, between 1914 and 1917, neutrality proved increasingly difficult to maintain. Economic interests, submarine warfare, and ideological factors gradually drew the U.S. into the First World War.
3. The conflict marked a decisive moment: the United States emerged as a global power, while Wilson’s postwar vision tested the limits of American internationalism.

Neutrality and Early Involvement (1914–1916)

1. The U.S. initially pursued a policy of neutrality, supplying both sides with goods while officially avoiding entanglement.
2. American banks and industries soon became heavily invested in the Allied Powers, especially Britain and France, through loans and trade in weapons, food, and raw materials.
3. The U.S. economy prospered, but neutrality increasingly tilted toward the Allies as British naval blockades restricted trade with Germany.
4. Public opinion favored peace but was divided: many Americans of German and Irish descent opposed involvement, while others were swayed by reports of German aggression in Belgium and unrestricted submarine warfare.

Reasons for U.S. Entry into the War (1917)

1. By 1917, neutrality was unsustainable. Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare, sinking American merchant ships.
2. The Zimmermann Telegram (January 1917) was a secret German proposal offering Mexico U.S. territory in exchange for joining the war.
3. Economic motives also played a role: protecting billions of dollars in U.S. loans and trade with the Allies became essential.
4. Wilson framed intervention as a moral mission: to make the world “safe for democracy.”
5. The U.S. formally declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917, entering the conflict as an Associated Power, not a formal ally, to preserve independence in policymaking.

Wilson’s Peace Ideals and the Treaty of Versailles Debate (1918–1919)

1. Wilson’s Fourteen Points (January 1918) outlined his vision for a postwar order based on democracy, free trade, self-determination, and collective security.
2. He became the first sitting U.S. president to travel to Europe for diplomacy, shaping the Treaty of Versailles (1919)and advocating for the League of Nations.
3. However, at home, the U.S. Senate, led by Henry Cabot Lodge, opposed ratification, fearing the League would entangle America in future wars.
4. Isolationists and Republicans argued that joining the League violated the Constitution’s separation of powers by limiting Congress’s authority to declare war.
5. Despite Wilson’s nationwide campaign for ratification, the Senate rejected the Treaty twice (November 1919 and March 1920).

Significance of the War for U.S. Hemispheric Status

1. The war elevated the United States to the status of global creditor and industrial leader, replacing Britain as the principal economic power in the Western Hemisphere.
2. Latin American nations, though divided in alignment, increasingly depended on U.S. loans and markets.
3. The U.S. role in the war reinforced the Monroe Doctrine and Pan-Americanism, establishing Washington as the hemisphere’s political center.
4. However, postwar isolationism and protectionist policies (like the Fordney–McCumber Tariff, 1922) alienated Latin American partners and deepened perceptions of economic dominance.

Legacy

1. The First World War marked the U.S. transition from isolation to international power, though its retreat from the League of Nations showed enduring ambivalence.
2. The war spurred modernization, state centralization, and social reform at home while reshaping the U.S. role in hemispheric and world affairs.
3. By the 1920s, the United States had become both the economic engine of the Western world and a reluctant superpower.