The United States In The Great War: Tilting The Balance In Favor Of The Allies Research Papers Examples

The globe witnessed the beginning of a new era on June 1914 as one country after another declared war on another nation based on existing treaties and the need for more territories. Otherwise referred to as the First World War, the Great War encompassed countries take up arms and proceed to the battlefronts in a kind of ripple effect. Herwig and Hamilton's work view the war as “an accident” because “it was neither intended nor foreseen by any of the decision makers” (2003, p.16). After all, none of the powers could predict that a feud between two countries could escalate to such an extent that all super power countries participated. In addition, its outcomes encouraged the two more confrontations that are significant, World War II, and the Cold War, that saw Americans and Soviets engage in a battle of wits because of nuclear weapons. With that in mind, World War I lasted between 1914 and 1918 and although it began in Europe, its battles took place in other countries as well. After the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand by a Serbia nationalist on July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia as a form of retaliation. Because of the treaties and alliances mentioned before, Germany, Great Britain, France, and Russia were quick to join the feuding pair, with each supporting its ally country. Expectedly, more States entered the war with each giving one reason or the other. Throughout “The Origins of the First World War”, Martel Gordon insists that the interests in the ongoing war did not gain momentum overnight; instead, it was the outcome of many years of suppressed interests. Apparently, the interests in war as a phenomenon “far exceeded the events of July” because nationalism played a significant role (2008, p.8). For example, German troops crossed Belgium after the country declared war on France. Belgium was a neutral country and had Great Britain as its ally; consequently, the British declared war on the Germans. Through it all, the Americans were neutral; however, the Germans’ antics forced their participation, and their late entry benefited the Triple Entente Forces.
Despite its state of neutrality, it was only a matter of time before the United States had to join the war albeit out of necessity. Now, there were two major sides of the war. On one hand, there was the Triple Alliance with Germany leading Ottoman Turkey, Austria-Hungary, and Bulgaria (Spielvogel and Duiker, 2012, p.672). On the opposition, there was the Triple Entente with Great Britain leading the French and Russian forces (Spielvogel and Duiker, 2012, p.672). The Germans adopted the use of submarines in an attempt to penetrate the defenses of Europe that the British had set up. Perhaps it was miscalculations or just plain carelessness but the German submarines did not attack Europe alone but also began costing the United States its trade ships laden with goods from around the continent. A perfect illustration is evident in the sinking of the merchant trade ship dubbed “Lusitania” in 1915 (Herwig and Hamilton, 2003, p.432). In retaliation, the American government declared war on Germany and expectedly, joined forces with the Triple Entente. Now, the United States recorded the defense of their economy as the sole purpose for entering the war. However, political fears also played a part, especially with the steady momentum with which Germany was winning the battle. In the end, from the sheer determination of the United States to ensure Germany lost, the Triple Entente boasted of more troops and fresh supplies.
The German forces expected victory from their military forces and not necessarily their economy, after all, the bigger the army, the higher the chances of winning a war. In fact, the general expected a win within the first six weeks after joining the war; hence, the people did not foresee finances as a possible problem (Herwig and Hamilton, 2003, p.440). Expectedly, the plan failed, and it was not for the Germans alone because each side had to strategize new forms of attack with all the involved economies in mind. Each country contributed towards the war effort through money or men to go into battle. Hence, from general provisions for the armies to the supply of men to do the fighting, the involved countries, and their citizens stretched their economies to unfathomable measures. Consequently, as the war continued, the ongoing battles drained one nation after another and the weakest economies were the first ones to withdraw from the confrontations. Russia withdrew in 1917 in an attempt to protect the rest of its army and people (Spielvogel and Duiker, 2012, p.673). As a result, the Allied forces faced possible defeat because without the Russian Red Army defending the Western front, soldiers of the British and the French armies had to fight from two battlefronts. It was at that point that the United States joined the war against the German troops and by extension, the rest of the Triple Alliance forces (Herwig and Hamilton, 2003, p.432). Now, while Russia was wallowing in poverty, it was the opposite for the United States government, which engaged in sea trade and had multiple industries for production. On that note, production did not stop with American men joining the army because the women stepped up and assumed the roles previously allocated for the male gender. For instance, weapon production factories hired women to produce muskets that were to aid the American cause in the war (Woman oiling machine in ordnance plant, 1914-1918). Hence, one of the world’s richest economic powers replaced the weakest and their aid upheld the Allied forces in the battlefronts until the end. In other words, the United States was yet to use its resources in the war. Consequently, while the rest of the countries had exhausted their supplies, the United States could still boast of an untapped reservoir. At the end, where war tactics could not determine the winner of the confrontations, financial sustenance sufficed.
About the American troops, the speed and proficiency with which the United States government organized and provided an army surprised the Germans and any other nation that cared to monitor the process. As mentioned above, the Germans’ submarine warfare, destroyed American trade ships and the sinking the Lusitania in 1915 marked America’s entry into the war (Herwig and Hamilton, 2003, p.432). There is a reason the Germans did not appear to fear the United States, and that was simply the fact that the country had no sustainable army with which they could go on the defense. In concurrence, the article dubbed “German Promises Worthless, Says Mr. Lansing” published in the New York Herald on June 12, 1918, emphasizes on the German’s deceit. As per the views of the then Secretary of State, Robert Lansing, the writer reports of Germany apparently mocking the defenses of the United States (German Promises Worthless). In the end, Germany continued its attack on American ships without fearing retaliation. Surprisingly, in 1918, the country delivered 287,000 troops to France (Herwig and Hamilton, 2003, p.432). By summer, the number soared as 500,000 more men crossed the Atlantic. In the words of one Prince Rupprecht from Germany, the Americans were “multiplying” in a way that the Germans could not foresee (In Support of British Line, 1919). Nonetheless, enough Americans were on the Allied forces to make a significant difference in the war. Concurrently, while the new numbers significantly improved the strength of the Allied forces, it also confused the opposing powers. A good instance is evident in the reported incidents where German troops forgot firearms after fleeing from the advancing American troops in Bois de Belleau (Martin, 1918, p.1). On June 11, 1918, the American army took control over Bois de Belleau, and in turn, rendered the Germans defenseless (Martin, 1918, p.1). According to an article written by Don Martin for the New York Herald, Americans were making significant differences in at the battlefronts (1918, p.1).
Conclusively, it is apparent that the United States tilted the balance in favor of the Allied forces by just being present on the battlegrounds. Their numbers swayed the confidence of the enemy forces, and their superior economic status supported the troops from both countries. From the historical textbooks, it is quickly evident that the French and British forces were skeptic about the newly arriving Americans. The soldiers utilized trench warfare, a difficult tactic for a seasoned soldier and even more so harder for the newly trained American troops. However, “In Support of British Line” shows the fear of the Germans while “German Promises Worthless” gives evidence to America’s hesitance to join the war. By extension, the United States had no interest in fighting a European war but after failing to dissuade the German submarine attacks, they had no option. Thus, it is plausible that the United States joined the war out of necessity and the aid for the Allies was through sheer luck. No wonder the country only emerged as a super power after the Second World War, they obviously had more experience. In addition, there is the picture of “Woman Oiling Machine In Ordnance Plant” that shows an American woman handling a musket in a factory. Most works concentrate on the armies and prominent persons from the Great War; hence, they often overlook the individuals who fought the war from home. The support the American troops had from their female counterparts at home paid off because unlike countries like Russia; the United States was not bankrupt after the war.

References

Evans, R. (2014, January 17-28). Before the War. New Statesman, pp. 23-29.
German Promises Worthless, Says Mr. Lansing. (1918, June 11). The New York Herald, p. 1. Retrieved from http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/wwi/1918/06/12/issue.html?hide_index_menu=true&zoom=15
Herwig, H.H., and Hamilton, R.F. (2003). The Origins of World War I. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
In Support of British Line. (1919, May 9). The Stars and Stripes (Paris, France). Retrieved from http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/np_item.pl
Martel, G. (2008). The Origins of the First World War (3rd ed.). London: Longman.
Martin, D. (1918, June 12). AMEX MARINES HURL BACK FOE IN FIERCE HAND FIGHTING. The New York Herald, p. 1. Retrieved from http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/wwi/1918/06/12/191806120002.html?hide_index_menu=true&zoom=15&pageNumber=1
Spielvogel, W. J. (2012). World History, Volume II: Since 1500 (7th ed.). Connecticut: Cengage Learning.
Woman Oiling Machine In Ordnance Plant. (1914-1918). Retrieved from Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2002712563/