When war erupted in Europe during the summer of 1914, few Americans were eager to participate. President Woodrow Wilson declared the United States neutral “in thought as well as in action.” But maintaining neutrality proved quite difficult. Powerful cultural and family ties connected many Americans to Great Britain. Financiers and industrialists viewed European trade as the key to boosting a slow economy. At the same time, millions of Americans of German or Irish descent felt no affinity for the British. Pacifists, progressives, and socialists opposed war on moral grounds and feared that U.S. entry into the conflict would end social reforms at home.Although Americans remained divided in their opinions of the war, the desire for expanded international trade and a bias against the Central Powers soon drew the United States into the conflict. German U-Boat attacks, especially the sinking of the Lusitania, generated popular demands for vengeance. At first, the Wilson administration persuaded the Germans to suspend unrestricted submarine warfare against ships traveling to Great Britain. In 1916, Wilson won reelection vowing to keep America out of the war. Within months, however, desperation compelled the Germans to resume unrestricted submarine attacks. Convinced that U.S. involvement in the war could ensure a “peace without victory” (and angered over the Zimmerman Telegram), Wilson asked Congress for a declaration of war on April 2, 1917. You can read this declaration by clicking here.
After reading Wilson’s declaration I would like you all to consider and discuss the following: Why does Wilson believe that the United States must enter the war? How does Wilson describe the Germans? Why does he distinguish between the German government and the German people? According to Wilson, what are America’s war aims? Your thoughts…
10 comments:
Wilson belives that the u.s is obligated to be involved in the war because the German govt. has gone from only destroying naval ships to,ruthlessly bombing and killing any ship coming into contact with their european enemies. They have even bombed hospital ships going to Belgium!
Wilson took note to adress that it is not in fact the people of germany but the german govt that is the enemy. He says this to point out how thats how it was done in old times of was. How the govt of a peoples would go to war on queue without the concern of its people.
Wilson says that the U.S. should be a part of the war because the German government has not only decided to destroy any naval ships that try to trade with England, France, ect. but any ship that tries to (which caused the Lusatania to get destroyed). I aslo noticed how he made sure to say that it wasn't the people of Germany that were the enemy, but Germany's governmant as a whole. I fairly remember hearing you say something about that in class last week Mr. Prill. How in Joyeux Noel, it wasn't that the soldiers wanted to fight each other, but it was that the government wanted it. I can see how it relates more and more to different aspects of this war.
Wilson makes it sound like the Germans have no reason what so ever to bomb the ships, but in reality the people on ships like the Lusitania were passengers but carried TONS of ammunition and war supplies so they did have a legitimate reason to be bombed. He includes this saying that they "have been sunk with the same reckless lack of compassion or of principle. Though the people on the ship may have been innocent they were partly involved in an attack against Germany. He is saying that neutrality is impossible.
I like how he is saying that the United States has nothing against the people but their government. "we have no quarrel with the German people". This is important because all the German and Irish decent people in America, and this makes them think that they are fighting against just the government figure and not their own family...he doesn't like autocratic governments. and wants the people to be self-governed. because he says the autocratic government does not care about the people or humanity as a whole, and he uses Russia as an example and I think he is trying to say he wants them in "the League of Honor"
You can tell how furious he gets when he talks about the Zimmerman intercepted note because he talks about "enemies at our very door"
Wilson says that the U.S. needs to enter the world in order to protect the innocent citizens from the German Government. ALso he briefly tells of the land loss that was proposed of the U.S. by the German gov't to the Mexican Government. He says that it is the U.S. duty to protect freedom and the democracy type of government. He differentiates between the German govt and the German people because 1) there are German people living in the U.S. so he has to make sure he doesn't offend them im sure and 2) He knows that the wars are mainly Govt affairs and the citizens dont necessarily know what they are fighting for and/or they see other countries like the U.S. as friends and they really cant control what the government does. Its not the peoples decision for war it is the govt. The aims are to make lives safer for the world and to make a more peaceful world.
Wilson says that the United States needs to enter the war against the German GOVERNMENT, not the people in order to keep the people of German decent living in America prowar. He says this because the Germans have began to bomb any ship rather than only military/naval ships which killed many innocent civilians and they even bombed a medical ship.
Wilson belive sthat the US hsould definately get invovled with the German government. I says that they have just gone to far with their bombing of American ships and killing innocent people. He basically says that the German submarine warfare has gone to far and now it is up to each nation to make their decision. And well, President Wilson's is to enter the war.
wilson just wants the united states to fight for freedom. he feels that by america entering the war, that people of all nationalities will have a chance to rise up and not submit to an autocratic imperial government. he believes that imperial governments are the problem, and that the united states needs to enter to get rid of them and make the world safe for democracy. [here we go again]
he describes the german people as their friends. because there were so many german immigrants in the u.s. at the time, there were many people who were loyal to germany. wilson believes it's not the german people that are bad, it's the german government that is bad. he has no intentions of wanting to hurt the german people, simply correct it's corrupt government and unjust warfare.
he says that the u.s. isn't fighting on a side, as much as they are fighting to maintain a world order in which different nationalities can have their own democratic nations.
Yeah i didnt really know much about WWI, but now i do. I see the foreshadowment of the unrestricted war to come, and how submarine warfare, and the zimmerma telegragh, pulled us into the first wolrd war.
According to wilson, the united states should be a part of the war because of the constant german attacks on all ships even ships wi/o ammunition.
Germany was described as against mankind and ruthless.
He doesn't blame the people of germanyy because he says that its the gov. that was entering in the war w/o approval or previous knowledge by the people.
It sounds reasonable, but it is a propaganda. It's remarkable how wilson has turned german americans to go against germany. This is a wild guess, because world war one, i think some companines with german names on them suffered like budweiser
Post a Comment