America and the Great War 1914-1920 Research Paper

America and the Great War 1914-1920 - Research Paper Example roy the international equilibrium and interfered with the balance of power; the America’s tradition of isolation had become out of control, and it could no longer be sustained in the era of growing independency, and the quest for America’s independence (Abbott et al. 123). Back in 1917, President Woodrow Wilson, before a joint Congress session, requested for a declaration of War against Germany. He claimed that the Germans violated the American request to suspend unrestricted submarine warfare in the Mediterranean and the North Atlantic (Goldfield et al. 464). Germany also attempted to persuade Mexico to collaborate with them, and wage war against the United State. The U.S. senate, on April 4, 1917, voted in favor for declaring war against Germany. On December 7, 1917, the United Sates waged war against Austria-Hungary (Ford 23). Germany’s submarine attack on merchant and passenger ships, in 1917, is one of the key reasons that motivated the U.S. senators’ decision to participate, in the World War I. Wilson threatened to frustrate the U.S. diplomatic relations with Germany, following the sinking of Sussex, unarmed French boat, in English Channel, in March 1916 (Goldfield et al. 473). He asserted that the U.S. was not going to have any diplomatic relation with Germany, unless Germany desists from attacking crew merchant and passenger ships. In response, German Government accepted to refrain from these attacks, under terms and conditions that was referred to as â€Å"Sussex pledge† (Goldfield et al. 473). German Government’s pledge changed later, in January 1917. Representatives from the German navy, during a wartime conference meeting that month, claimed that continuation of unrestricted submarine warfare was a strategic move that will see them defeat Great Britain, in the Great War. They based their arguments on the basis that they were capable of violating â€Å"Sussex pledge† since the United States was no longer a neutral party after offering