America’s Progressive Era and World War I

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Table of Contents

Introduction
America’s Entrance into World War I
Conclusion
References

Introduction

World War I commenced with the killing of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914 and tore Europe into two belligerents. The first was called Triple Entente and consisted of France, Russia, and the U.K., opposed by the Triple Alliance of Italy, Germany, and Austria-Hungary. However, in 1917, after Russian Empire was forced out of the war due to the socialist revolution, the U.S.A. joined the Triple Entente. This paper will outline the events leading to America’s entrance into the war, the obstacles faced by the U.S. military, and the role of American women and minorities.

America’s Entrance into World War I

Initially, the American government did not plan to join the war. Berg and Jansen (2018) state that one of the central conflicts, leading to the U.S. intervention was the crash of Lusitania – a British passenger ship with over a hundred American passengers destroyed by a German submarine. The authors remark that while the secretary of the state opposed the intervention, Woodrow Wilson “considered Germany a potential threat to the United States and a chief obstacle to mediation” (2018, p. 600). According to the background reading material titled “America Enters the War”, the U.S.A. declared war on Germany on April 4th, 1917. One of the concepts, explaining this decision, was the balance of power, which, when disrupted, presents a challenge for the whole world. Furthermore, Kennedy (2018) points out that Wilson adhered to the policy that ensured the preservation of the U.S. status quo and influence over Latin America and China, resulting in the Versailles Treaty and League of Nations. Ultimately, the U.S. decision of joining the war was largely based on the seeming concern for national security as well as Wilson’s ambitions of creating a new world order.

As far as the U.S. military campaign is concerned, the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) were expected to change the course of the war and ended up losing over a hundred thousand men in combat. Perkins emphasizes the U.S. initial reliance on the open warfare doctrine that “imagined infantry brigades maneuvering outside the trenches that had immobilized the war months after it began in 1914” (2017, p. 6). The author argues that this strategy was excessively optimistic and called for a review of the doctrine as the U.S. military suffered extreme casualties due to its aggressive offense. Some of the unforeseen obstacles were the enemy’s heavy artillery and the use of poison gases. Subsequently, the AEF had to adopt the tactics of the European allies and shift the focus to defense rather than open warfare approach, thus, being able to overcome most aforementioned obstacles.

Concerning U.S. women and minorities, most American citizens were drafted for the war effort as a part of the preparedness movement. According to the background reading “On the Homefront”, the U.S. intervention followed an unprecedented pro-war propaganda campaign. Thus, the tradition of non-involvement was disrupted for the first time. As the majority of able men joined the AEF and left for Europe, American women took their places at the factories, learning various occupations they were previously denied or considered unfeminine. Moreover, Gavin argues that “those four years of war liberated women from old molds and stereotypes, provided new opportunities for them, and made them economically independent” (1997, p. 4). As for the U.S. minorities, Berg and Jansen (2018) mention that African and Mexican Americans recruited for war also tried to use the service to exercise their rights as American citizens. Nevertheless, the U.S. policy of segregation and discrimination continued into and after the war, eventually resulting in racial movements and protests.

Conclusion

In conclusion, American neutrality and abstinence from the war culminated in the U.S. intervention following the sinking of the Lusitania and was supported by the policy of Wilsonianism. The AEF drafted white Americans and minorities such as African and Mexican Americans alike while women contributed to the war effort back at the American production lines. The war had led to serious casualties owing to the American open warfare doctrine, however, also resulted in significant liberation and emancipation of American women and further radicalization of American racial minorities.

References

Berg, M. and Jansen, A. (2018). Americans in World War I – World War I in America. The Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, 17(4), 599–607. Web.

Gavin, L. (1997). American women in World War I: They also served. University Press of Colorado.

Kennedy, R. A. (2018). Four new takes on Wilson, World War I, and the making of the post-war order. Journal of Strategic Studies, 41(7), 1058-1070. Web.

Perkins. D. G. (2017). Multi-domain battle driving change to win in the future. Military Review, 97(4), 6-12.

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America’s Progressive Era and World War I

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