Why did the USA enter WW1?

[HortenFlyingWing]

The USA enters WW1, after the Zinnerman telegram, unrestricted sub warfare, bla bla bla. I’m jsut wondering, do you believe that American business pressured the US into WW1 in order to make more money, or do you think that the restrictions put on US business, and that the European countries didn’t pay their debts, therefore making the war less profitable to big business.

IMO, i believe that American companies did have something to do with America’s involvment, because even though labor gained more power, armament companies made billions of dollars.

Whats your take?

[bossk]

Well, I have a fond distrust of everything involving capitalism so of course I believe that arms companys (and other profiteers I suppose) had a great deal to do with the US entering the Great War.

[Candyman67]

To make the world safe for Democracy.

[Yanny]

Personally, I think the US entered the war to give them a heads up in the post WWI negotiations(The Treaty of Versailes).

[Candyman67]

All the world is a stage and it was the United States’ turn to shine like a beacon to it.

[HortenFlyingWing]

On 2002-03-11 12:12, Yanny wrote:
Personally, I think the US entered the war to give them a heads up in the post WWI negotiations(The Treaty of Versailes).

the US never signed it though.

[TG Moses VI]

If only Germany had stopped using unrestricted submarine warefare, they might’ve won.

[HortenFlyingWing]

The British blockade was starving Germany to death, and German strategist planned on winning the war (or at least britain’s surrender) in 6 months.

http://www.rjdbiz.com/rebuildwtc/index.html

[bossk]

Quite right. The Germans where in pretty terrible shape in 1918. I think if the war had lasted much longer troops would have been needed in Berlin to put down riots.

[Yanny]

Well, I didn’t imply the US liked the Treaty of Versailles. Hell, it was a stupid document.

[TG Moses VI]

However with Russia defeated, it just seems so stupid for Germany to get involved in American affairs now. I think that Germany would’ve won the war if it hadn’t been the arrival of American soldiers to help defend against the great German offensive in the West.

[HortenFlyingWing]

very true, but the germans took a gamble and lost.

[GulDan]

The reason the Americans wanted to enter the war is that they wanted to become a great world power. The war would give them a chance to build up weapons and other sorts of devlopments that otherwise, might have alarmed others. And yes, I think Americans had a lot to do with us entering the Great War

[TG Moses VI]

I don’t think that the Americans really wanted to enter a horrfying war just to gain “World Power Status.” They were a world power ever since the days of Teddy. Besides look at any poll conducted at the time and you’ll see that much Americans favored isolationism. Remember the old slogan “He [Wilson] kept us out of war.”

[Guest]

I believe that the reason that the U.S. entered the war was because Woodrow Wilsom was a meglomaniacal warmonger who ignored Austrian peace iniatives because he felt he was better than Jesus (no joke) He said something along the lines of, I have succeeded were Jesus failed. And then Wilson had a stroke. Hmmm.

Ryan

[HortenFlyingWing]

"meglomaniacal warmonger who ignored Austrian peace iniatives because he felt he was better than Jesus (no joke) "

he was a major idealist…and austria stood against one of his 14 points…self determination.

[TG Moses VI]

Wilson better than Jesus? Are you sure he said this!? I do know that may Europeans in early 1919 hailed him as the savior of the Western world and Wilson was idealistic (14 points being the prime example), but I don’t think be would be a blasphemous to refer himself to being Jesus. Wilson was deeply religious and never strayed far from the Biber or the dictionary as being the son of a Presbyterian minister and a professor.

[yourbuttocks]

He said that he had succeeded where Jesus failed. He never said he was Jesus. You brought up the most telling argument that Wilson was a warmonger: he joined World War One and Sacrificed tens of thousands of American lives so he could try and impose his 14 points on Europe. Also, look at it this way, Britian and France disagreed with more of Wilson’s 14 points than did Austria.

To sum up, there was no reason for the U.S. to join the war, we could easily have joined either side, and Wilson avoided any oppurtunities for an early peace. The U.S. was in a unique position to force a peace. And yet it didn’t even TRY.

[HortenFlyingWing]

"he joined World War One and Sacrificed tens of thousands of American lives so he could try and impose his 14 points on Europe. Also, look at it this way, Britian and France disagreed with more of Wilson’s 14 points than did Austria.

To sum up, there was no reason for the U.S. to join the war, we could easily have joined either side, and Wilson avoided any oppurtunities for an early peace. The U.S. was in a unique position to force a peace. And yet it didn’t even TRY."

…you obliously have a very distorted, biased “america sucks”, attitude. let’s take trhis point by point.

"he joined World War One and Sacrificed tens of thousands of American lives so he could try and impose his 14 points on Europe. "

He didn’t join the war…the congress can only declare war…and much of america had close economic and social ties to the western allies. Yes, he made organizations that brainwashed people (there was a sort of “ministry of truth” under him), but you obviously can’t say something that extreme. you continue to say “impose.” the 14 points did not benefit america (though wilson’s agenda) as much as it benefitted Europe. France and Britain wanted to retain their powers and so opposed many of Wilson’s 14 points (besides, ironically, the league of nations.)

"Also, look at it this way, Britian and France disagreed with more of Wilson’s 14 points than did Austria. "

Based on what? And, Austria lost the war (though IMO Russia was the country who started it), so their say really did not matter.

“To sum up, there was no reason for the U.S. to join the war, we could easily have joined either side, and Wilson avoided any oppurtunities for an early peace.”

Yes, I do believe America had no “right” reason at the time, besides for political and economic reasons. How much more would of died if America didn’t tip the scales against germany? Germany was doomed to fail…it was just a matter of time and casualities. If America didn’t join, Germany might of won, but more likely would of lost, killing a lot more brits and french in the process.

An early peace meant germany kept russian and french possesions…an empire the acquired illegally through war…this would go against Wilson’s ideology.

“The U.S. was in a unique position to force a peace. And yet it didn’t even TRY.”

The US coiuld not control Britain or France
's foreign policiy, and this is evident during the treaty of versailles.

oddly enough, henry ford was an american, high off his self esteem, tried to end the war…he couldn’t.

[bossk]

Wingy, I don’t understand how you think the Germans could have won the Great War. At home people were on the verge of starving, the German army was reduced to foraging for its own food in the ravaged french countryside. Economic war was working well. The United States’ trade embargo on the Central Powers was crippling them while helping the Allies immensly. If the war had lasted much longer then the Germans would have had to have dealt with very unhappy civilians at home and deserting troops on the front; Germany would have collapsed by 1919, and Austria was basicly defeated by Russia and Rumania long before that.