WWI was a bloody and gruesome war that killed millions worldwide. Trench warfare was a brutal way to fight. Should the U.S. have gotten involved with WWI? Explain one valid reason why the U.S. should have or should not have entered WWI. Be sure to include many historical details. Have fun!!!
Mrs. Demmel
The U.S. was definitely right in entering world war 1. One reason that the U.S. should have entered World War 1 was the Zimmermann note. The Zimmermann note was a proposal from Germany to Mexico asking Mexico to declare war on the U.S. and join the central powers. By doing this, Germany was pretty much just declaring war on the U.S. Also, had Germany won the war, who would their be to stop the Germans from invading the U.S. Better to fight in Europe than to fight in the U.S.
ReplyDeleteThe United States should not have entered World War 1. Prior to the war, America stood in the first position for productivity and economics, and maintained a decent foreign policy with other nations. There was not a whole lot of anti-American sentiment throughout the world, and it was still the shining star of the western hemisphere. The Monroe Doctrine and Washington's teachings were embedded into the the American lifestyle, and they both advised America to stay out of other countries' businesses. This way, America would maintain a diplomatic reputation throughout the world, and could have prevented the Great Depression of 1930.
ReplyDeleteThe US was justified in entering the war because the Germans were continuing to kill Americans on ships despite having promised not to after the sinking of the Lusitania. This went against the Germans agreement to try to preserve human lives and therefore was extremely unjust. If the U.S. had not interfered the Germans may have continued to do so. The Germans did not except that the U.S. was neutral which could have proved to the U.S. in later years.
ReplyDeleteThe US was right in joining World War I. Once a prominent US symbol, such as the Lusitania, was attacked the US was involved in the war. This issue was saying that we don't want any of your people here and was a crime towards the US. Also, once the Zimmerman Note was found, and Germany wanted Mexico there was need for intervention since the war had now reached North America.
ReplyDeleteThe US was right to join World War One, not only because of internal threats such as the Zimmerman Note, but also because it needed to break out of its shell as an isolationist country. The Monroe Doctrine was an old document, that was written for an America that was only a fledgling country and had been attacked by multiple European powers. By the time WW1 came around, the US had become a rising power. It needed to get involved in European affairs to both further relations and prove to the world that America had muscle, and wasn't afraid to use it.
ReplyDeleteThe United States was justified in its decision to enter World War One. Not only were the Germans sinking our shipping vessels, they were killing thousands of our political allies. Furthermore, the Zimmerman note had to be answered with some sort of action, otherwise none of the other countries would have taken us seriously. The first world war was also a huge economic and political stimulus for the United States, and helped establish a position of power on a global scale.
ReplyDeleteThe United States should not have entered the war because its armed forces clearly were not ready for mobilization. Although the US had triumphed during the Spanish-American War, by the start of WWI it possessed a relatively weak military. This resulted in the passing of the Selective Service Act in 1917 which established a draft for young (21-23 years old) men to be enlisted in the AEF. Pershing's insistence on keeping the troops back until they had basic training might have prevented the US troops from a complete massacre, but also meant that the US only officially participated in the last year of the war, their efforts concentrated in the battle of Meuse-Argonne.
ReplyDeleteThe United States' involvement in the war proved to be beneficial in many aspects. While the soldiers were away, much of the work force was replaced with women of equal skill. This allowed for more women to prove their place as equals with men. Many labor unions gained support as well, and the government finally stepped in and regulated many aspects of American life. Had the US not been involved in the war, these changes in American society would have been stunted and many Americans would not have received the full benefit they earned.
ReplyDeleteThere are many reasons the United States should not have entered World War I. One of the primary reasons American president Woodrow Wilson gave for entering the war was that American intervention would preserve, “the rights and liberties of small nations.” Wilson also claimed that the United States was fighting in Europe to promote, “democracy, for the right of those who submit to authority to have a voice in their own governments.” Although eloquent and ideologically pleasing, this argument is invalid. The United States entered World War I primarily for economic reasons. During the war, American trade with the Allies went from being valued at $824 million in 1914 to $3.2 billion in 1916. American loans to the Allied powers were worth $2.5 billion in 1917 compared to only $27 million in loans to the Central Powers. After World War I, the United States went from being the leading debtor nation to the leading international creditor.
ReplyDeleteIf the United States had in fact been concerned with the, “peace and safety of all nations,” as Wilson claimed, it would not have sanctioned the British blockade of Germany that caused 750,000 Germans to starve to death. Furthermore, if the American government’s main priority was to promote the welfare of all nations, Wilson would not have supported the Treaty of Versailles under which Germany had to pay $33 million in reparations to France and Great Britain. The United States did not protest the British blockade or the Treaty of Versailles, however, because it could not afford to jeopardize its lucrative commercial and financial connections with the Allied powers. The American government’s primary reasons for entering World War I were misrepresented. The United States did not enter the war for the preservation of freedom or democracy, but rather out of self interest and to preserve profitable economic connections. For this reason, the United States was not justified in entering World War I.
Sources:
DeleteFaragher, John M., Mari J. Buhle, Daniel Czitrom, and Susan H. Armitage. Out of Many: A History of the American People; AP Edition. Sixth ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2001. Print.
* I also used the notes Ms. Demmel gave us titled "WWI (1914-1919)"
The United States of America should not have entered World War 1 because it was not worth it. 117,465 Americans died during the period of the war. Was it really worth it to get involved in European conflict thousands of miles away that would just result into another war 20 years later. Imagine all of the families that lost sons or brothers or fathers. All of those deaths could have been saved if the United States did not enter World War 1. Even though we did win some things during the Treaty of Versailles but some of Wilson’s points were never accepted by American’s like the League of Nations.
ReplyDeleteThe U.S had to enter WWI because they could not stay isolated forever. American ships were being sunk by German u-boats. Also Americans in Europe were being killed on British ships such as the Lusitania. We may have been across an ocean from the fight but we were still very involved in European affairs. We also had a ton of business with European countries. We had to go to war to protect these business transactions.
ReplyDeleteThe United States should not have entered WWI because, originally, it did not have anything to do with them. It was interfering on the foreign affairs between Austria-Hungary and Serbia. It is true that, as the the war quickly became a war between the Allies and the Central Powers, it began affecting the US much more. However, Wilson advertised the US as completely neutral in policy. At some point it may have become unavoidable, but entering the war and going back on this peaceful sentiment was hypocritical of the US, and an unnecessary action.
ReplyDeleteThe United States should not have entered the war because also the Lusitania was sunk and the Zimmerman Note threatened us, the people of the US and their lives would have been more safe had US not entered the war. The toll f the war was the loss of an entire American generation. While there was economic boom due to the war, the depression after that was worse and longer lasting. Also, the resulting nationalist sentiments and the red scare caused a lot of conflict throughout the coming decade.
ReplyDeleteI believe this question is very controversial. When it comes to america joining World War one it was unnecessary for the war but very important to our countries safety. After the war began Germany took a power place and took action that was completely unnecessary. Submarine warfare against a country that hadnt even joined the war was uncalled for. Germany wanted us to join because they wanted a fight. After sending the Zimmerman note to challenge Mexico against us we took the proper precautions to help ourselves. We may not have joined purely for the protection of democracy but it was a reason. Mainly we wanted to protect ourselves against losing land and out country and to support our allies. Joining the war helped our country stay safe and helped solve our allies problems. We shouldn't have had to but yes, we joined for the right reasons.
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ReplyDeleteThe U.S. definitely should have entered World War 1 for many reasons. Throughout the early parts of the war, America tried to stay out of the war in Europe through a firmly publicized neutrality. However, despite their efforts, The U.S. was continually effected in a negative way by a war they were not part of. During the first years of the war, U.S. trade was limited by both German and British naval blockades, making harder for American merchants to sell foreign goods. Then there was the problem of submarine warfare. At first the Germans had agreed to identify and warn a boat before they torpedoed it, however, Germany switched to unrestricted submarine warfare midway through the war. Even before the switch, The Lusitania had been sunk by a German submarine, killing 128 Americans. Another boat, called the Sussex, was torpedoed, injuring 4 Americans. The last straw for the U.S. was the Zimmerman note. The Zimmerman note was a coded message sent to the German ambassador in Mexico that was intercepted and decoded by the British. It said that if Mexico allied with the Germans and invaded the United States, that they would get back the land they lost during the Mexican-American War in the late 1840's. This proved that the U.S. was getting effected and even attacked, even if they remained neutral. They had no choice but to enter the war to preserve freedom of the seas, protect their southern border, and keep the country safe.
ReplyDeleteThe U.S. was justified to enter World War 1 due to the moral grounds it had to declare war. The Belgium Rape was a series of German war crimes against the neutral nation, Belgium. Belgium's neutrality had been guaranteed by the Treaty of London in 1839, however Germany violated the treaty in order to flank the French army. In Belgium, German soldiers killed thousands of civilians and burned even more homes, and it is estimated that 20% of the population fled the country. The U.S. had no choice but to enter the war on moral grounds.
ReplyDeleteThe United States government was right in declaring war against Austria-Hungary and its allies in 1917. After the combined threat of German U-boat attacks on American shipping and the Zimmerman telegraph, the citizens no doubt felt endangered. At this point, the United States had tried to remain neutral to no avail, and negotiating a peace had proved unsuccessful as well. Propaganda of wartime horrors across the ocean had also won massive citizen support for entering the war. Because the government is elected to represent the views of the people and to protect the American economy and society, the WWI government of the United States was justified in declaring war in order to accomplish these objectives.
ReplyDeleteThe U.S. was justified in entering the World War I. New weapons, such as the fighter plane and tank, along with the use of trenches, led to a massive slaughter on both sides. Casualties were 9 million for Russia, 6 million for Germany, 5 million for France, and 2 million for Britain and Italy, making World War I one of history’s most bloodiest conflicts. It was truly a “war to end all wars”. The U.S., up to that point, supplied much of the Allies weapons, ammunition, food, and other supplies necessary on the battlefield, a total of $6 billion in 1916, as Europe, being in a prolonged stalemate, was severely undersupplied. By entering the war, the U.S. hastened its end, as the massive influx of troops and supplies overwhelmed the exhausted Germans, who were forced to sign an armistice on November 11, 1918. If the nation had not entered World War I, the severe lack of supplies and stagnation on the trenches would have caused the war to drag on much longer than it actually did, killing millions more in the process due to continued fighting and starvation until one side was too depleted to continue. Ultimately, American intervention in World War I prevented the conflict from escalating to an unheard level of bloodshed.
ReplyDeleteWhile the United States may have been morally justified to have entered the war based on Germany's violations to respect its status as a neutral nation, the country should have essentially never entered the war due to the long-term effects it had on society and the nation's economy. Within World War One, the country's economy was at an all-time high, for the rate of industrial and agricultural production exceeded the normal. However, particularly in the agricultural department, as southern farmers were engaged in the process of harvesting large surpluses of food, the nation failed to acknowledge how this mass production would affect the country once the war was over. The effects were indeed evident once the end of the war no longer called for a mass production of goods. Farmers, left with huge surpluses of food and vegetables, suffered from dramatic drops in the prices of their crops, and while a large part of society prospered in the rejuvenating era of the 1920s, there was also another half in which the war greatly devastated those who suffered from drastic changes in the prices of their goods as well as a lack of sales. This sharp division in the country would only contribute to its economic downfall (the stock market crashing) and therefore, worsen problems. Had the United States never entered the war, the nation may have possibly never suffered from such unfortunate consequences.
ReplyDeleteThe United States was justified in entering the war. Eventually the US was going to get dragged into it anyways but alas i digress. What I thought justified the war was the end result which was the Treaty of Versailles. Although it was controversial towards Germany it created the League of Nations. The League of Nations was the stepping stone for the United Nations which wouldn't be what it is today without US involvement in WWI.
ReplyDeleteThe united states were right in joining the war because of many reasons. First, Germany was essentially bullying most of europe at the time, and the alliances needed us. Second, we were responsible for a large amount of supplies that were sent to the alliances, which help Britain and France fight against Germany. Lost, Germany was beginning to illegally sink our ships, without checking the cargo, and it needed to stop.
ReplyDeleteThe U.S. should not have gotten involved with World War I because of the effect it had immediately on the war upon their entrance. The U.S. shouldn't have entered the war because the entrance of the U.S. nearly caused a German victory. The Germans knew that once American troops arrived in full force, they would overwhelm them, so they decided to put their efforts into one last massive offensive to gain victory before enough American troops arrived in Europe. This offensive was launched in Kaiser's Battle, where it nearly knocked Britain out of the war in the mainland and brought the Germans near Paris. Eventually, the offensive was turned back outside Paris. In the end, the effect of America's entrance probably shortened the war by a couple months, but if America had not joined, the Allies would have won anyway due to the British Naval Blockade that Germany was suffering from. If America had not joined, America would not have had to spend the resources needed to help the Allies in the war.
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