On this day in 1917, President Wilson asked Congress to declare war on the German Empire. Four days later, they did.
Wilson might have thought that entering the war would make the world safe for democracy. It arguably had the opposite effect. The crushing of Imperial Germany led, less than 30 years later, to dictatorial regimes controlling all of eastern Europe.
Years ago, I read something that the British government had informed Wilson that if the Americans didn't enter the war, that the British would have to sue for peace. One can never know, of course, what would have happened if Wilson had turned a deaf ear to the British and let the war play out among the European powers.
If the United States had not entered the war, imagining an outcome that would have led to even more carnage than that which arose from the Great War might be a difficult endeavor.
We’re Just Mourning The Ice Cream TBH
34 minutes ago
3 comments:
there were other factors such as Germany's ham-handed attempt to get Mexico to distract us with a border fight (Zimmermann Telegram) and the uptick in sub warfare (Germans began sinking ANY ship with a US flag in international waters). While the Brits wanted America in the war on their side, the Germans were making the decision easier for Wilson and Congress with their inept handling of affairs with us.
The English never had a problem lying to us to get us in on their side. WW1 and WW2 for sure.
3383, indeed. One of the problems that arose in W2 was that so many people believed that that reports of the concentration camps were just another round of British propaganda.
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