World War I and US Neutrality

• World War I was the deadliest conflict up to that point.
• Tens of millions of casualties occurred on all sides of the conflict.
• Under President Woodrow Wilson, the United States remained neutral until 1917.
• The experienced of World War I greatly affected the United States' domestic politics, culture, and society.
• The United States then entered on the side of the Allied powers, consisting of the United Kingdom, France, and Russia.

War in Europe and US Neutrality

• Two groups of allies were pitted against each other in the war:
  • The Triple Entente (the Allies) included Russia, France, and the United Kingdom.
  • The Central Powers included Germany and Austria-Hungary.
• The common belief was that the war would be quick, but it became a prolonged war of attrition.
• Soldiers in the trenches fought to move battle lines by inches.
• For almost three years, the U.S. maintained a policy of “isolationism.".
• There was a belief that World War I was a European conflict that did not concern America.
• President Woodrow Wilson's neutral stance reflected the traditional isolationist views of the US electorate.
• Neutrality proved impossible, and the U.S. entered WWI in 1917.
• President Wilson and the public needed to believe they were entering the war for moral reasons.
• This was rather than the country's economic interests.
• Two months before the USA declared war, Wilson provided a new vision of collective security.
• This was outlined in his famous Fourteen Points, appealing to the American mission to create a new world order.
• In 1914, most Americans, including the federal government, opposed America’s participation in the war.
• This stance began to change in 1917 due to Germany’s marine war and attacks on American ships.
• The U.S. government sought greater support for entering the war through propaganda.

US Entry into World War I

• US President Woodrow Wilson tried to maintain US neutrality.
• Escalating German aggression ultimately made it impossible to keep the United States out of the war.
• On May 7, 1915, Germans sunk the British ocean liner RMS Lusitania, with over a hundred Americans on board.
• Wilson warned that the United States would not permit unrestricted submarine warfare or further violations of international law.
• In January 1917, the Germans resumed submarine warfare.
• The Wilson administration acquired the Zimmermann Telegram, which urged Mexico to join the war effort on Germany's side.
• The telegram pledged that if Germany won, Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico would be stripped from the United States and returned to Mexico.
• The Zimmermann Telegram's publication and escalating German submarine attacks led the US Congress to declare war on Germany on April 6, 1917.
• Over 1.3 million men and twenty thousand women enlisted in the armed forces.
• Many Americans believed they had a civic duty to support the war effort, despite some opposition to US entry.
• US government propaganda aimed to mobilize American citizens.
• This was achieved through appeals to patriotism and civic duty, linking US democracy with support for the democracies of Western Europe.

Selective Service Act

• The Selective Service Act of 1917 authorized conscription of military manpower for the war effort.
• It enabled the United States not to rely solely on volunteers.
• Many American citizens believed it was their patriotic duty to support the war effort.
• The draft was well-received, and rates of draft-dodging were relatively low.
• Wilson declared that the aim was to wage "a war to end all wars" and "make the world safe for democracy".
• The U.S. later declared war on Austria-Hungary on December 7, 1917.
• The U.S. entry into the war is considered a turning point, to make the eventual defeat of Germany possible.
• The U.S. provided critical supplies, financial support, and millions of soldiers to the Allied forces.