Military Entry Into The Great War Essay

The Great War was the debut of the United States on the world stage as an international military power. The Great War began with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, in late June 1914, set off a chain reaction of treaties and alliances that divided Europe. The Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria – Hungary, and Italy) against the Triple Entente (Russia, Great Britain, France) (Oxford - 812). The war began in a rush, but model of old warfare met 20th century armaments; the result led to massive numbers of causalities from the trench warfare meat grinders that still scare Europe’s landscape. Although the war started in 1914, the American military entry into the war on April 6th, 1917 on the side of the Triple Entente quicken the pace to end the war. Yet, because of the late entry into the war the American contributions to the War were limited and at a relatively small cost.

Before military entry into the Great War, America gained from the economic stimulation of the war. American bankers, industrialists, farmers, and various other economic producers exploited war torn Europe (MM - 310). Britain imported 64% and

Once America broke the legal neutrality and sided with the Allies, the war was in its closing period as the German state was nearing exhaustion. The alliance with the Allied powers in 1917, was the first time the United States was in a military alliance since the American Revolution (Oxford 813). In order to maintain an independent role in the Allied war effort, Wilson determined that the United States was an “associate power”, which allowed the United States to conduct independent goals and a distinct military