Opinion of US Entry into WWI

[Oswald Acted Alone, You Kook]

Horrible. The only country that looked even remotely positive was the UK, so at least we entered the "right" side.

[PiMp DaDdy FitzGerald]

Horrible. The only country that looked even remotely positive was the UK, so at least we entered the "right" side.

I don't really see how the UK would be positive while the French wouldn't. After all, this is the same UK who's policies helped starve millions of Indians less that 20 years prior.

[MurrayBannerman]

Likely it would have ended with German annexation of disputed territories, not a full annexation.

And, yes, there would be a problem with the Armenians. In hindsight, it's much less costly than WWII.

[TNF]

We should have stayed out.

[politicus]

The Armenian genocide was a fait accompli in 1918, so its not a factor. The idea that the Turks would somehow have hunted down every surviving Armenian anywhere in the region to "finish the job" is not realistic.

The Ottoman Empire had already fallen apart by this time. Some areas had liberated themselves and some had gained independence through British help. It would not have been possible to put it back together and its unlikely that anyone would have tried this - not even the Turks themselves.
Germany would have been interested in acquiring protectorates and oil concessions in the Middle East, not helping a former ally regain its empire.

[RR1997]

A good entry, turned America into a superpower.

[RosettaStoned]

A good entry, turned America into a superpower.

 Um, no. That happened after WWII.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

A good entry, turned America into a superpower.

Question: Would you hop into the trenches and fight the fight?

[Maistre]

A good entry, turned America into a superpower.

Question: Would you hop into the trenches and fight the fight?

Can only soldiers and veterans have opinions on foreign policy?

[Repub242]

I think it was right for the US to enter the war. I also think we should have gotten involved sooner.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

A good entry, turned America into a superpower.

Question: Would you hop into the trenches and fight the fight?

Can only soldiers and veterans have opinions on foreign policy?

Since they are the ones in the trenches dying for the cause, I'd leans towards saying yes, actually. Anyone who supports a war but doesn't want to fight it is a coward of the worst kind.

[Del Tachi]

Sans a U.S. entry, Europe would have fought itself into oblivion.  U.S. entry into the war is probably a huge net positive in that regard. 

[politicus]

Sans a U.S. entry, Europe would have fought itself into oblivion.  U.S. entry into the war is probably a huge net positive in that regard.  

Not true. A non-US intervention scenario is ceteris paribus a German win within a year and a British withdrawal from France. The British Empire is intact, Germany takes over the French and Belgian colonies.

[PiMp DaDdy FitzGerald]

Sans a U.S. entry, Europe would have fought itself into oblivion.  U.S. entry into the war is probably a huge net positive in that regard. 

Not true. A non-US intervention scenario is a German win within a year and a British withdrawal from France. The British Empire is intact, Germany takes over the French colonies.

Outside of MittelAfrika and possibly Morrocco, I'm not sure Germany had that much interest in French colonies. I could definitely see them amputating Briey-Longwy and gutting French industry, though.

[politicus]

Sans a U.S. entry, Europe would have fought itself into oblivion.  U.S. entry into the war is probably a huge net positive in that regard. 

Not true. A non-US intervention scenario is a German win within a year and a British withdrawal from France. The British Empire is intact, Germany takes over the French colonies.

Outside of MittelAfrika and possibly Morrocco, I'm not sure Germany had that much interest in French colonies. I could definitely see them amputating Briey-Longwy and gutting French industry, though.

The German military and industrial elite clearly wanted to be a world power with a colonial empire.
Do you have any basis for your claim?

Combining the French, Belgian and German colonies - as well as possibly Kenya and Uganda if Britain had been forced to pay a price for getting its prisoners of war home - would have made perfect sense.
 
They were reluctant to include large non-German speaking areas in France and Belgium. It was on the table in internal discussions, but I doubt they would have gone for it.

[PiMp DaDdy FitzGerald]

Sans a U.S. entry, Europe would have fought itself into oblivion.  U.S. entry into the war is probably a huge net positive in that regard. 

Not true. A non-US intervention scenario is a German win within a year and a British withdrawal from France. The British Empire is intact, Germany takes over the French colonies.

Outside of MittelAfrika and possibly Morrocco, I'm not sure Germany had that much interest in French colonies. I could definitely see them amputating Briey-Longwy and gutting French industry, though.

The German military and industrial elite clearly wanted to be a world power with a colonial empire.
Do you have any basis for your claim?

Combining the French, Belgian and German colonies - as well as possibly Kenya and Uganda if Britain had been forced to pay a price for getting its prisoners of war home - would have made perfect sense.
 
They were reluctant to include large non-German speaking areas in France and Belgium. It was on the table in internal discussions, but I doubt they would have gone for it.

Well, I have never seen any German interest in French colonies outside of Africa. Also, outside of Indochina which Japan could very well veto, I'm not sure France had any important colonies from the German perspective at the time.
Hence the German interest in Mittelafrika, although I'm not sure the Germans could get the British to part with their valubles.
Briey-Longwy had the majority of French Iron ore and you had many politicians, even Bismark, who regretted not also annexing it. It would be a minor nibble population wise: small enough to either garrison or ethnically clense as the Kaiserreich was apt to do.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Clearly Central Africa was Germany's primary colonial target during WWI and with continued British dominance at sea, I can't see Germany wanting colonies in the Mediterranean.

[Peter the Lefty]

Horrible, utterly horrible.

[Reaganfan]

It's interesting how the first woman elected to Congress, Jeannette Rankin, managed to vote against both World Wars despite only serving two terms. She was the only vote against WWII, just like Barbara Lee would be the only vote against Afghanistan 60 years later.

After the vote an angry mob followed her, and she was forced to hide in a telephone booth and then called congressional police to rescue her. Jeez. I think liberals don't realize sometimes that their beliefs could lead some to think that they are not just someone with opposing views, but that they make themselves into enemy combatants of the country due to radical views.

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

It's interesting how the first woman elected to Congress, Jeannette Rankin, managed to vote against both World Wars despite only serving two terms. She was the only vote against WWII, just like Barbara Lee would be the only vote against Afghanistan 60 years later.

After the vote an angry mob followed her, and she was forced to hide in a telephone booth and then called congressional police to rescue her. Jeez. I think liberals don't realize sometimes that their beliefs could lead some to think that they are not just someone with opposing views, but that they make themselves into enemy combatants of the country due to radical views.

Wait, how is opposing entering a war "making oneself into an enemy combatant of the country"?

[Reaganfan]

It's interesting how the first woman elected to Congress, Jeannette Rankin, managed to vote against both World Wars despite only serving two terms. She was the only vote against WWII, just like Barbara Lee would be the only vote against Afghanistan 60 years later.

After the vote an angry mob followed her, and she was forced to hide in a telephone booth and then called congressional police to rescue her. Jeez. I think liberals don't realize sometimes that their beliefs could lead some to think that they are not just someone with opposing views, but that they make themselves into enemy combatants of the country due to radical views.

Wait, how is opposing entering a war "making oneself into an enemy combatant of the country"?

Well we've slid it in as "conscientious objectors" but I'm sure there were many, many Americans who felt betrayed.

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

It's interesting how the first woman elected to Congress, Jeannette Rankin, managed to vote against both World Wars despite only serving two terms. She was the only vote against WWII, just like Barbara Lee would be the only vote against Afghanistan 60 years later.

After the vote an angry mob followed her, and she was forced to hide in a telephone booth and then called congressional police to rescue her. Jeez. I think liberals don't realize sometimes that their beliefs could lead some to think that they are not just someone with opposing views, but that they make themselves into enemy combatants of the country due to radical views.

Wait, how is opposing entering a war "making oneself into an enemy combatant of the country"?

Well we've slid it in as "conscientious objectors" but I'm sure there were many, many Americans who felt betrayed.

That's not what "enemy combatant" means. I feel betrayed by your very existence, but you're not an enemy combatant.

[CatoMinor]

It's interesting how the first woman elected to Congress, Jeannette Rankin, managed to vote against both World Wars despite only serving two terms. She was the only vote against WWII, just like Barbara Lee would be the only vote against Afghanistan 60 years later.

After the vote an angry mob followed her, and she was forced to hide in a telephone booth and then called congressional police to rescue her. Jeez. I think liberals don't realize sometimes that their beliefs could lead some to think that they are not just someone with opposing views, but that they make themselves into enemy combatants of the country due to radical views.

Well this wins for worst post of the week I think. Why do I get the feeling you blame rape on how women dress?

[Simfan34]

Imperial Germany had a parliament and a free press and would likely have developed into a full fledged democracy in time.

It did indeed have a parliament, but that parliament (as you well know) was almost entirely toothless. The votes cast by the people (on an ironically broad franchise) had no influence over government policy. The military, the state bureaucracy, and the country's social and economic elites were opposed to democracy on principle. The excessively elevated status of the military in particular was a massive barrier to democratisation (as leading Social Democrats knew only too well). The development of anything that can be meaningfully described as a democracy could only have happened after a revolution.

This is very interesting, I do not know much about it. Where would be a good place to read about Imperial German parliamentary politics and structures in further depth?

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

It's interesting how the first woman elected to Congress, Jeannette Rankin, managed to vote against both World Wars despite only serving two terms. She was the only vote against WWII, just like Barbara Lee would be the only vote against Afghanistan 60 years later.

After the vote an angry mob followed her, and she was forced to hide in a telephone booth and then called congressional police to rescue her. Jeez. I think liberals don't realize sometimes that their beliefs could lead some to think that they are not just someone with opposing views, but that they make themselves into enemy combatants of the country due to radical views.

I'm pretty sure Rankin was well aware of that.