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Woodrow Wilson and America’s Reluctant Path to WWI Essay

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Introduction

President Woodrow Wilson was reluctant to join the First World War as it had nothing to do with the United States. However, Germany’s war tactics made it inevitable for the United States to help its allies. Wilson knew that securing sufficient men, food, money, and supplies was the only way to guarantee America’s success in the war. In addition, the country needed to work on strategic planning, public support, and military leadership before entering the war.

Main Body

The United States required a large army to assist its allies in winning the attrition war. When the United States invaded Germany in 1917, the size of its army ranked seventh in the world with only 200,000 soldiers, while the German army had over 4.5 million soldiers and was able to mobilize 11 million more throughout the war.

Surprisingly, more than 10 million men volunteered on the first day, and over 22 million men had been registered by the war’s end. Over 20,000 women also volunteered and served in clerical positions or as nurses.

The draft was not without opposition, as over 350,000 people defied the call to service. Most of them disobeyed the conscription law based on their religious beliefs. Others did not want to join because they believed the war had nothing to do with America or because of moral objections.

Although most protesters were not prosecuted, those who found themselves at military hearings faced up to 21 years in prison, even death sentences.

As the size of the U.S. army grew, the government needed adequate fuel and food supplies. To regulate the production, cost, and supply of food and fuel during the war, the Lever Food and Fuel Control Act was passed.

Civilians were encouraged to assist in the war by rationing fuel during some days. In addition, civilians were encouraged to minimize the consumption of meat and grains on some days, and the rationed food would be delivered for military use. The War Industries Board was also established, and Bernard Baruch was appointed to guarantee sufficient military supplies.

Baruch lured private firms with profitable contracts to shift their production to materials needed in the war.

The last approach to ensure a successful war was determining how to pay for it. The government estimated that $32 billion was needed to finance the war. The federal government launched the Liberty Loan Act, which enabled it to sell liberty bonds to its citizens and was able to raise about $23 billion.

The 16th Amendment to America’s constitution, adopted in 1913, allowed the government to collect additional revenue from the federal income tax. With equipment, finance, men, and food in place, America was ready for war.

Conclusion

Finally, although all the physical pieces were in place to fight the war, the country was divided about joining the war. The only way Wilson would ensure the national unity of citizens and migrants with ties to both sides of the war was to remind them that they were Americans first. Restrictive laws and propaganda campaigns encouraged all Americans to silence their criticisms and make the necessary sacrifices to help win the war.

Bibliography

Corbett, P. Scott, Volker Janssen, John M. Lund, Todd J. Pfannestiel, Paul S. Vickery, and Oral Roberts. U.S. history. OpenStax, 2014.

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IvyPanda. 2024. "Woodrow Wilson and America's Reluctant Path to WWI." October 22, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/woodrow-wilson-and-americas-reluctant-path-to-wwi/.

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