why did the United Sataes abandon its neutrality, choosing to enter World War one on the side of the allies?
147844
Couple of reasons.\n\nFirst, we had closer economic ties to Great Britain.\n\nSecond, Great Britain and France had a better propaganda machine, and made US citizens think of the war in terms of the evil German Empire versus the noble French and English democracies.\n\nThird, the Germans eventually adopted unrestricted submarine warfare in early 1917, which meant that civilian American ships carrying goods to Britain and France were sunk.\n\nFourth, also in early 1917 (January 16), the British interecepted a telegram from the German Empire to the German ambassador in Mexico saying that if Mexico would declare war on theside of Germany and attack the US, they would be rewarded with the return of the terrority Mexico lost in the Mexican-American War. The British promptly gave this information to the US, and combined with the sinking of American ships by German subs, this caused the entry of the US into WWI on the side of the Allies.
679343
Actually, you are misunderstanding the relevance of the Zimmerman Telegram, an attempt at wartime diplomacy between Germany and Mexico in 1916 during the First World War. Germany had suggested that, if the United States entered the First World War in Europe, the American army would be sent to Europe and the Rio Grande would be almost completely unguarded. Germany felt that if Mexico could be enticed into joining the Central Powers, it would act as a 'force in being' and that the United States would then have to retain large military forces to watch their southern flank.\n\nGermany did not, in fact, offer to send substantial military forces to Mexico and thus eventually assume power, as you are implying. Germany was not able to send reinforcements to any of their existing colonies in Africa or China or the Pacific because of British naval superiority and the German squadron at Singapore had been destroyed at Port Stanley in 1915.\n\nSorry to rain on your parade, but your statement really is without merit.
223678
pretty much all of america was against it but we had an obligation as allies to the european nations at war so we got involved anyway. it was a totally pointless war in the first place and popular american sentiment was to let the euros handle their own problems instead of sending our young men to die which i couldn't agree with more. isolationism rocks!
683995
Conditions\nThe treaty had provided for the creation of the League of Nations, a major goal of US president Wilson. The League of Nations was intended to arbitrate international disputes and thereby avoid future wars. Only four of Wilson's Fourteen Points were realized, since Wilson was compelled to compromise with Clemenceau, Lloyd George and Orlando on some points in exchange for retaining approval of the "fourteenth point", the League of Nations. The common view has been that France's Clemenceau was the most vigorous in his pursuit of revenge against Germany, the Western Front of the war having been fought chiefly on French soil.\n\nOther provisions included the loss of the German colonial empire and loss of some territories Germany had annexed or conquered in the relatively recent past:\n\nAlsace-Lorraine, the territories which were ceded to Germany in accordance with the Preliminaries of Peace signed at Versailles on February 26, 1871, and the Treaty of Frankfurt of May 10, 1871, were restored to French sovereignty without plebiscite as from the date of the Armistice of November 11, 1918. (area 14,522 km², 1,815,000 inhabitants (1905)), \nNorthern Schleswig including the German-dominated towns of Tondern Tønder, Apenrade, Sonderburg, Hadersleben and Luegum in Schleswig-Holstein, after the Schleswig Plebiscite, to Denmark (area 3,984 km², 163,600 inhabitants (1920)), \nthe Prussian provinces Posen and (West Prussia), which Prussia had annexed in Partitions of Poland (1772-1795), were returned to the reborn Poland. This territory was already liberated by local Polish population during the Great Poland Uprising of 1918-1919 (area 53,800 km², 4,224,000 inhabitants (1931)). West Prussia was given to Poland to provide free acces to the sea, along with a sizeable German minority, creating the so-called Polish corridor. \nHultschin Hulczyn area of Upper Silesia to Czechoslovakia (area 316 or 333 km², 49,000 inhabitants), \nEast part of Upper Silesia, to Poland (area 3,214 km², 965,000 inhabitants), although after plebiscite 60 % voted for Germany \nthe area of German cities Eupen and Malmedy to Belgium \nthe area of Soldau in East Prussia (railway station on the Warsaw-Gdańsk route) to Poland (area 492 km²), \nNorthern part of East Prussia as Memelland under control of France, later transferred to Lithuania without plebiscite. \nin Eastern part of West Prussia and in Southern part of East Prussia Warmia and Masuria, small area to Poland, \nthe province Saarland under the control of the League of Nations for 15 years, after that a plebiscite between France and Germany, \nthe city of Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland) with the delta of Vistula river at the Baltic Sea was made the Freie Stadt Danzig (Free City of Danzig) under the League of Nations. (area 1893 km², 408,000 inhabitants (1929)). \nArticle 156 of the treaty transferred German concessions in Shandong, China to Japan rather than returning sovereign authority to China. Chinese outrage over this provision led to demonstrations and a cultural movement known as the May Fourth Movement and influenced China not to sign the treaty. China declared the end of its war against Germany on September 1919 and signed a separate new equal treaty with Germany in 1921.\n\n[edit]\nMilitary\nFrance's loss of Alsace-Lorraine after its defeat in the Franco-Prussian War and the reparations required of France by Germany plus the deliberate destruction and plundering of Northern France by the retreating German army in the final days of war in 1918, contributed to the staunch position taken by France for reparations and the return of territory. Furthermore, the large number of casualties and massive economic damage resulting from the war (much of which was fought on French soil) caused a fear of future German aggression and an even greater sentiment for revenge.\n\nThe German Army was to be restricted to 100,000 men, there were to be no tanks or heavy artillery and no Ger
667804
Historians believe that there were several reasons for the outbreak of war during the summer of 1914.\n\n(a) The size of the British Empire; \n\n(b) The desire by Germany to have a larger empire than Britain; \n\n(c) The fear that Austro-Hungary had of Russia; \n\n(d) The fear that Russia had of Austro-Hungary;\n\n(e) The desire of France to regain the losses suffered during the war with Germany in 1870; \n\n(f) The formation of the Triple Alliance; \n\n(g) The formation of the Triple Entente; \n\n(h) The increasing size of the German Army; \n\n(i) The increasing size of the German Navy; \n\n(j) The increasing size of the Royal Navy;\n\n(k) The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand;\n\n(l) The way that Austro-Hungary and Germany treated Serbia after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand;\n\n(m) The way that Russia reacted to the way that Austro-Hungary and Germany treated Serbia after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand;\n___________________________________________________________\n\nI have inserted links to useful pages at www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk - which is an awesome history website aimed at school kids.  It will be able to help explain the above list some more!  Just remember to scroll right down.
1088023
The reason why the UN is established in the first place is to have a neutral ground where international disputes and issues can be discussed by all the member states.  Therefore, I think that having the UN is better than having each state have their say on international issues using their own ways (wars, etc.)  It was after the second world war that this organization came to be.  Hence, it is an important impartial way of avoiding conflicts worldwide.
654210
A unilateral agreement is accepted by the losing or the weaker party.  Therefore it is difficult for them to be happy with it.  Germany had to accept a unlateral agreement at the end of WWI (treaty of Versailles) and the conditions imposed by the allies were really harsh.  Many scholars agree that WWII is a direct consequence of the treaty of Verasailles on Germany.  One could argue that Desert Storm also imposed unilateral conditions on Saddam Hussein
132329
America got involved in World War I because of the sinking of the Lusitania and the Zimmerman telegram. (Germany asked Mexico to attack the US and Germany promised they could have Texas and California back!)
241301
I believe the leaders of the countries had a pretty good idea who was going to line up with who, however as many of these treaties were secret most people did not know who was aligned with who, only the leaders had a clue.  America did not enter the war that started in 1914 until 1917 so I am not sure if anybody ever counted on our participation.  Germany tried to urge Mexico into becoming their ally to keep the U.S. out of the European Theater and have us fighting at home to gain an edge.  This failed and we fought in Europe separate from other troops that were already there.  The war ended in November of 1918.
874455
Hitler WAS trying to take over the world.  Not just Austria, or Turkey, or Poland, etc...Churchill caught on after about 3 countries were taken by force.  The US caught on much later...I believe the US was the last to enter the war.
1169832
The answer to this is complex and depends on whose history you read. However, the European side of WWII was caused solely by Adolf Hitler's quest for power.  He used tactics such as the Dolchstoss Legend, which stemmed from the "stab in the back" sentiments of the Treaty of Versailles, to gain power.  These tactics gained him wide support from Germans who were still bitter from their loss of WWI.  It also rallied anti-semitism because this legend, in part, blammed the Jews for the loss.  Initially Great Britain and France followed a policy of appeasement towards Hitler, allowing him to take over former German lands such as Czechoslovokia.  However, Hitler kept wanting more. WWII started after Hitler invaded Poland in September 1939.  Great Britain and France, allies of Poland, declared war two days later. \n\nOf course, if you look at WWII from the point of view of Asia, the war started much earlier.  According to China, the war started when Japan invaded them and the infamous Rape of Nanking occurred.  \n\nThe US became involved initially with the Cash and Carry policy developed in 1939.  The US, still struggling with the economic depression, used this to remain neutral but to fuel the need for industrial jobs.  After a while, though, Great Britain and France could no longer afford to pay the US for goods and the US enacted the Lend-Lease program in 1941.  This program allowed for much the same, but the Allies were not paying for the goods immediately.  Therefore, it could be argued that since the US only provided goods to Allied forces, we were involved in the war since 1939. \n\nHowever, most pinpoint US involvement as occuring shortly after  December 7, 1941 (the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese).    Nazi Germany declared war on the United States on December 11, with Hitler wanting to declare war on US before we could declare war on anyone. The United States was fuming at the Japanese, but the president decided to focus more on the European front first, making that top priority.
517662
The Treaty of Versailles (1919) was the peace treaty which officially ended World War I between the Allied and Associated Powers and Germany. After six months of negotiations, which took place at the Paris Peace Conference, the treaty was signed as a follow-up to the armistice signed in November 1918 in Compiègne Forest (which had put an end to the actual fighting). Although there were many agreements to the treaty, one of the more important and recognized agreements required that Germany accept full responsibility for causing the war and, under the terms of articles 231-247, make reparations to certain members of the Allies.\n\nTerms imposed by the Treaty included Germany losing a certain amount of its own territory to a number of surrounding countries, being stripped of all its overseas and African colonies, and its ability to make war again was limited by restrictions on the size of its military. Germany also acknowledged and agreed to respect the independence of Austria. Germany's foreign minister, Hermann Müller, undersigned it on June 28, 1919. The treaty was ratified by the League of Nations on January 10, 1920. In Germany, the treaty caused shock and humiliation that contributed to the collapse of the Weimar Republic in 1933.\n\nConditions\nThe treaty had provided for the creation of the League of Nations, a major goal of US president Wilson. The League of Nations was intended to arbitrate international disputes and thereby avoid future wars. Only four of Wilson's Fourteen Points were realized, since Wilson was compelled to compromise with Clemenceau, Lloyd George and Orlando on some points in exchange for retaining approval of the "fourteenth point", the League of Nations. The common view has been that France's Clemenceau was the most vigorous in his pursuit of revenge against Germany, the Western Front of the war having been fought chiefly on French soil.\n\nOther provisions included the loss of the German colonial empire and loss of some territories Germany had annexed or conquered in the relatively recent past:\n\nAlsace-Lorraine, the territories which were ceded to Germany in accordance with the Preliminaries of Peace signed at Versailles on February 26, 1871, and the Treaty of Frankfurt of May 10, 1871, were restored to French sovereignty without plebiscite as from the date of the Armistice of November 11, 1918. (area 14,522 km², 1,815,000 inhabitants (1905)), \nNorthern Schleswig including the German-dominated town of Tondern Tønder in Schleswig-Holstein, after the Schleswig Plebiscite, to Denmark (3,984 km², 163,600 inhabitants (1920)), \nthe Prussian provinces Posen and (West Prussia), which Prussia had conquered in Partitions of Poland, were returned to the reborn Polish state after the local population had gain its freedom in Great Poland Uprising (area 53,800 km² 4,224,000 inhabitants (1931)) \nHultschin Hulczyn area of Upper Silesia to Czechoslovakia (316 or 333 km² and 49,000 people), \nEast part of Upper Silesia, to Poland (area 3,214 km² 965,000 people), although after plebiscite 60 % voted for Germany \nthe area of German cities Eupen and Malmedy to Belgium \nthe area of Soldau in East Prussia (railway station on the Warsaw-Gdańsk route) to Poland (area 492 km²), \nNorthern part of East Prussia as Memelland under control of France, later transferred to Lithuania without plebiscite. \nin Eastern part of West Prussia and in Southern part of East Prussia Warmia and Masuria, small area to Poland, \nthe province Saarland under the control of the League of Nations for 15 years, after that a plebiscite between France and Germany, \nthe city of Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland) with the delta of Vistula river at the Baltic Sea was made the Freie Stadt Danzig (Free City of Danzig) under the League of Nations. (area 1893 km², 408,000 inhabitants 1929). \nArticle 156 of the treaty transferred German concessions in Shandong, China to Japan rather than returning sovereign authority to Ch
175271
The United States had a policy called isolationism where they felt it was best for the country to not be binded to any treaty with Europe 9 this was from Washingtons early warning to stay out of conflict in his farewell address). The whole country wanted to stay neutral at all costs and it was only when Germany started taking out our ships with u-boats and also when they sent the Zimmerman Telegram to Mexico tell the mexicans that if they helped Germany would help them take back texas..\nfactors such as those made it too hard for us the stay out of war.
176108
The main reson to oppose WWI...\nIt's over.\n\nReally, specify which side your interested in...\n\nThe whole war or just US involvement, etc?
400914
its complicated.\nUK and US were allies. US helped with industry, which it sailed to UK. germany sunk some ships with US citizen eg the lusitania.\nmostly beacuse a lot of it allies, canada, australia, UK etc were fighting and US interests rested more with them than with Germany
362025
I'd say WWI, after WWII the soviets and Americans were pretty much at eachother's throats and the advent of the atomic age ensured heightened levels of paranoia from all sides now that a single bomber could level a city.\n\nAfter WWI things could have gone a lot better if the allied powers weren't so harsh on germany (but that goes back to the french's stupidity during the napoleonic wars, but I digress) and if the stock market hadn't crashed hitler would have had a much harder time coming to power.
568989
WWI began in 1914.  Germany is regarded as the primary agressor, but nationalist sentiments played a big role in all European countries, and there was great enthusiasm for the war on all sides.  Germany was allied with Austria-Hungary and Turkey (then known as the Ottoman Empire) against Britain, France, Russia, Italy, and later the United States (Japan also made small contributions on the allied side in order to seize German overseas posessions).  The U.S. entered in 1917, after Germany adopted a policy of unresctricted submarine warfare which was striking at U.S. shipping interests (including the supply of munitions to Britain) and inflicting civilian casualties.  The war ended on November 11th 1918. The uneasy peace which followed set the stage for all the major 20th century problems, from WWII, to the rise of communism, to the Balkan Wars, to the current tensions in the middle east. Bummer.