American policy toward World War I

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DANIEL GONZALEZ GONZALEZ

NORTH AMERICA REGIONAL STUDIES

In 1914 Woodrow Wilson proclaimed U.S. neutrality and asked the American people to be neutral in thought as well as action. In April 1917 Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany. What caused this turnaround in American policy toward World War I?

"We must be the great arsenal of democracy."

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Report to Congress, Jan. 2, 1941  

        

        World War I (1914-1919), undoubtedly, was an event that framed universal history. Therefore is important to note that even though the conflict began in Europe, finally great nations as Japan and the United States were involved. This was one of the major wars in which participation in the affairs of others is cover under the supposed protection of democracy or the free towns. Such events are events that have marked paths with traces of blood the formation of a powerful nation like the United States of America.

        Throughout the nineteenth century, the United States experienced an accelerated economic process, mainly after the Civil War. Time after Wilson assumes the presidency (1912) explodes the War and immediately the president recommended taking a position of neutrality in his foreign policy since he thought that this did not affect its interests; nevertheless, the population was insane since their sentiment was in favor of the allies due to the narrow relation with Great Britain. As War was developing, began to notice diverse economic factors on which certain interest arose (so it was not the decisive consideration to enter the war) as Morrison and Commager in “Brief History of the United States” saying:  

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“From before 1914 great part of the North American commerce had been with the allied nations, and when the allies blocked the central powers the commerce of the United States with Germany, became insignificant, while the commerce with Great Britain and France increased dramatically. This increase of the foreign trade, flourishing in the middle of 1915, rescued to the United States of an economic depression that had lasted a year”. (Morison, Commager and Lichtenburg; 2001; p. 616 

        For better or for worse the participation in a war brings considerable changes for the country. For the ...

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