His views fell between those of Clemenceau and those of Wilson. He was under huge pressure from the public to punish Germany. Yet at the same time he believed he should not punish Germany too harshly. He saw this action as disastrous for future peace, for Germany would seek revenge in the near future if the treaty was too harsh. “We want a peace which will be just, but not vindictive.
If America was truly angry about Germany harming innocent civilians, why did not the declaration of war follow the sinking of the Lusitania immediately? To say that America has to go to war against Germany because of the Lusitania is like saying a person fighting her best friend over something that happened two years ago which the person herself had provoked. It is not a valid reasoning to which why war is unavoidable, because it is
Americans were warned by Germany though just chose to ignore their warning. Spirts of the Americans grew angry that their people were dying especially since the country was declared neutral. Lusitania, a British ship, was an example of Americans dying that brought up aggression towards the Central Power. Even though, the Germans clearly put a notice on the ticket warning Americans of the dangers of traveling on an enemy’s ship during times of war, spirts
Reading this you can see how entering the war was more than just a peace keeping mission as expressed by Wilson in his message to Congress. Although these two pieces differ in the reasoning for America's intervention, they both express the intensity of the situation. Germany was on a rampage, killing anyone who tried to trade with their enemies. Something needed to be done and America was the country that had to do it. These two pieces both have great value with the message to Congress having the most.
Within months another British liner, the Arabic, was sunk by a U-boat torpedo. Wilson again demanded the Germans to scale down the submarine attacks, and again the German government gave only a half-hearted acknowledgment. Then, in early 1916, Germany announced that it would begin attacking all merchant ships without warning in the waters around Europe, including neutral merchants. Wilson notified Berlin that this policy was illegal according to the international rules of war and were therefore unacceptable. Germany responded only with the destruction of the steamer Sussex in March.
The British blockade kept all trades away from the Germans, including food (Ghost Liners 124).Yet, when the Germans retaliate, the Americans hate them for it. The Germans received blame for a crime that followed the rules of war blockades. America shames the Germans for killing civilians warned of the possible danger. Finally, the Lusitania allowed for the British to win in a win-win situation that their government
Even after what Germany did, President Wilson still hesitated in taking further steps. Wilson broke off any relationship with Germany, but still did not declare war with them. The Germans U-boats continued to sink million tons of Allied ships per month; the Allies told Wilson that without their supplies they have no chance in winning the war. Finally on April 2, 1917 Wilson went to the Congress and asked for a declaration of war. Wilson was real serious and dedicated in not only defeating Germany but destroying them
Conclusively, America entered the Great War because of a variety of reasons. They were partially influenced by the Germans to enter the war, although they were also influenced by the possibility of economic collapsed. America tried to follow Washington's advice when he said to stay out of war, but America would only be able to stay isolated for so long, and they were influenced enough to break away and enter world-wide relationships were
British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain truly believed that they had made peace with Germany so once more France and Britain appeased Germany (Dr. Seuss). Later, he held a press conference saying “We have made peace in our time.” In addition to this false hope of peace, the British and the French refused to risk war with Germany by giving aid to Poland after Germany attacked its port of Danzig. Horrible memories of hundreds of thousands of men from multiple nations who lost their lives in World War 1 in addition to severe global economic problems were both large deterrents of war in the eyes of France and Britain. However, these nations were not the only culprits in this act of idleness towards obvious growing issues of totalitarian and
The message of the representation is that Americans is losing the war and wants out and it is clearly shown in the poster "I WANR OUT". This shows that it is accurate because I know from my own personal knowledge that the 1971 protest in America were getting bigger, more violent and serious for the government. However, representation 3 is not totally accurate because not all of America were against the war. I know this because there was a huge questionnaire on if people were against or for the war. 40% said they were for the war and 60% said against the war.