America and the First World War Essays

America and the First World War Essays America and the First World War Essay America and the First World War Essay Under then president Woodrow Wilson, America did not enter the major conflicts erupting in Europe. The initial stand of the Wilson administration was to remain neutral despite warnings that America will eventually be drawn towards the war (Lynch, p. 422). The facts that America just had enough soldiers to federalize under national service and that the country just had a previous campaign in Mexico and realizing thereafter its shortcomings in terms of military strategy and arsenal further forced the Wilson leadership to step back from the ensuing First World War. However, as things turned out, America became unable to resist the call of participating in the global conflict. For the most part, European events pushed America to participate, events such as the submarine warfare Germany declared towards any military force not belonging to the Central Powers, the American casualties resulting from the conflicts in the high seas, and the sinking of the ocean liner Lusitania. The unwillingne ss of the German leadership to recall its hostile policies that were causing much damage to America forced Wilson to seek the approval of Congress to declare and participate in the war. These things being said, it is relatively easy to understand why America was hesitant at first to participate in the First World War. It barely had the sufficient amount of military resources and tactics to provide the most needed supplies in engaging in a full scale battle. Nevertheless, the most pressing situations America faced later on from the hands of the German forces eventually outweighed all its reasons to remain neutral and avoid the conflict. At best, America’s decision to participate in the war can be seen as a reaction to the unwarranted losses that the country received at the height of the war. The participation of the United States of America in the First World War is not without its consequences on a domestic level. The political, economic and social development aspects of the country were greatly placed in radical shifts. As a result, the post-war era was a time when several new things came about and changed the way Americans lived. One of the most notable results of the war is that America became more of an industrial nation rather than an agricultural nation. That is because the country’s previous engagement in the First World War forced it to manufacture military vehicles such as the airplane. Towards the end of the war, America now had a great amount of industries capable of producing airplanes, among others, for commercial purposes. The mass production of automobiles was yet another milestone for America after the war. Another effect of the war was the abrupt increase in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of America. This was a direct result of the heavy purchases of Allied members to America at the height of the war (Koubi, p. 69). In order to pay the purchases made, Britain, for instance, heavily invested in American railroad systems while borrowing huge amounts of money from Wall Street at the same time. Germany, for its part, paid its loans to America in terms of war reparations which were supported on the other hand by more American loans. In general, the American economy began to glide on a sharp boom, thereby resulting to what is now known today as the period of the â€Å"roaring twenties† where everything mass produced was almost readily available for public consumption that â€Å"consumer culture† is said to have defined that period in a way (Stark, Bainbridge and Kent, p. 142). Another defining characteristic of post-war American era is that it was a time when women gained wider role in the society. Since the participation of America in the First World War inevitably paved the way for the mass conscription of men who were the primary wage earners in most American families, women faced the role of having to fill-in the shoes of their conscripted male family members. The American workforce whose laborers were largely replaced by women therefore became a sight where women became seen more and more. The greater participation of women in American society at the time also influenced the increase in the struggle for the right of women to suffrage or to vote. Thus, the post-war era in America gave women increasing social roles that were neither prevalent nor seen prior to America’s participation in the First World War. A political side of the post-war era is the ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution which prohibits the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic drinks across the country. It was designed to thwart-off the crime and violence in the country by prohibiting the acquisition of the root cause of the many social ills at the time. The Amendment proved to be futile and even worse as organized crime increased and illicit trade of alcoholic beverages became a force to reckon with (Farish, p. 276). The Volstead Act, the law that enforced the Eighteenth Amendment, was barely able to meet the objectives of making America free from alcohol and of putting back the country’s morality. Instead of lessening the sources of alcoholic drinks for Americans, the Amendment eventually gave rise to the â€Å"speakeasies,† bars not seen by the public and where people could easily order their preferred alcoholic beverage. All of these were radical shift s in the different social, political and economic aspects of America after the First World War.