History
In about 1870 most of the countries in Europe were preparing for war with each other. This is because of the rising power in Europe. Germany had emerged as a superpower in those days. Many countries feared an attack or war from the side of Germans and they either decided to join hands with other countries to face a threat or some countries went on adding more strength to their army and military troops. France was scared of an attack from the side of Germans, so they decided to strengthen their military troops to face any battle.
Russia also feared an attack from the side of Germans, so it joined hands with Britain, France and Germany itself to protect itself. Britain wanted to stay out of the conflicts Europe was going through. But these conflicts were unavoidable. Great Britain also faced a threat from the superpower since it had a very strong naval army. The situation in the Middle East became much worse due to some rebellious groups rising in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Ottoman Empire was also trying to expand its control and rule. Thus Europe was heading towards war. Two sides emerged as a result of rising conflicts in the European region. One side includes the Germans, Ottoman Turks, and Austro-Hungarians while the other side consisted of France, Britain, and Russia. German, Turks, and Austro-Hungarian joined hands as a central power while France, Britain, and Russian formed a friendly coalition to face a threat from rising superpowers.
America wanted to stay neutral in the given condition. Although many Americans had a view that America must join hands with entente allies. This comprised of France, Britain, and Russia. But America decided to stay away from war and rising conflicts. The president and the Congress declared that the country would stay neutral in all matters and will stay away from the war. America continued to stay neutral to the entire situation. America provided its ports to both the groups. America also continued trading its goods to both sides. However both groups in Europe decided not to damage the neutral shipping ports, but many times these powers would seize the neutral shipping ports. Both powers paid America for using the neutral shipping ports. Germans however soon felt that America was siding Great Britain by sending more goods to Great Britain than to Germany. The Germans felt that neutral ports were no longer helpful for the Germans. The Germans faced a shortage of supplies from America. The Germans decided to start a new campaign that comprised of submarine technology. The technology was new and quite effective in the war. The new technology was so successful that even Germans couldn’t believe it. Wilson realized that situation is changing. The German submarines had destroyed many seaports of Great Britain where several lives were lost. Still, the American decided to stay neutral in the given situation and decided to stay in peace. Wilson sent a message to Germany to stop its deadly attacks.
The Germans went on attacking. Germany was now attacking all shipping lines including neutral ones. America sent a message to Germany that this was against international rules. In 1917 Wilson decided to give up neutrality and to enter into a way with entente allies against Germany. In my view, America was never neutral in its approach/. It was always siding the entente allies to destroy Germany. America was only waiting for the right time. The time America affected supplies to Germany, it was quite clear that Wilson was never neutral and was waiting for the right time before entering in the war (History.com Staff, 2009).
References
History.com Staff. (2009). Wilson asks for the declaration of war. Retrieved from History.com: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/wilson-asks-for-declaration-of-war
