The Great War
The forces of nationalism, imperialism and militarism all played a role in the events that led to the Great War. As Gilbert (1994) notes, the Germans had industrialized and were now a threat to the British Empire in terms of becoming an economic and military powerhouse. Germany had, after all, just won the Franco-Prussian War and reclaimed the all-important Alsace and Lorraine regions. The Germans had also allied themselves with the Ottomans, which meant that Germany now oversaw the Bosporous Straights—and that meant Germany was a threat to Russia as well. Thus, France, the UK and Russia all had a reason to ally with one another against Germany, and Germany did not help itself by backing Austria-Hungary against the Serbs and Pan-Slavic movement in Eastern Europe. Germany’s fear was that if it did not back Austria-Hungary, the Pan-Slavic movement could lead to Germany’s borders being threatened in the east. German nationalism in German-speaking states prompted the German leaders to stick together, even though they were essentially playing right into the trap that the Triple Entente had designed. The imperialistic and militaristic ambitions of the Triple Entente were up against the nationalism of the German-speaking states. This was the essence of the Great War.
The U.S. had had no intention of getting involved in the Great War. Wilson had won re-election by running a campaign based on a platform of isolationism. The American people had had enough warring, what with the Spanish American War still fresh in everyone’s memories. However, without the assistance of the U.S., the Germans might not have been defeated—and an important population that had both influence in the UK as well as in the U.S. was the Zionist population. The Zionists were interested in building a nation for themselves in Palestine. The area was at the time under the control of the Ottomans,...
The Zionists secured a note—the Balfour Declaration—from the British that essentially stated that the UK would hand over Palestine to the Zionists if the English won the war so that there would be “a national home for the Jewish people” (Balfour Declaration, 1917). Zionists in the U.S. then influenced Wilson to renege on his campaign promises and throw his weight behind the British (Weir, 2014) to help turn the tide of the War. The sinking of the Lusitania was just the excuse that Wilson needed so as to save face among the public.
Ethnicity had played a major role in America’s initial neutrality. Many German immigrants had come to America in the 19th century, and in fact there were many English, French and Eastern European immigrants as well. America was a melting pot of ethnicities—and for the Wilson Administration to choose sides in the Great War was akin to dividing the nation. This was the basis of his decision to campaign for re-election on the promise of staying out of the war. Wilson had stated in 1914: “such divisions among us would be fatal to our peace of mind and might seriously stand in the way of the proper performance of our duty as the one great nation at peace, the one people holding itself ready to play a part of impartial mediation and speak the counsels of peace and accommodation, not as a partisan, but as a friend” (Wilson, 1914). America’s Anti-Imperialist League, with many noted voices—such as Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain), was popular and had a great deal of influence: they all supported the idea of promoting peace by staying out of the war. Rabbi Wise, however, was a major political supporter of the Zionist movement, and he had significant political clout in the first half of the 20th century. The Zionist influence was what helped sway Wilson’s mind and the Lusitania served as…
