Sure enough, it did not go beyond Eder's expectations. On the tenth day after the outbreak of the Russian Revolution, the United States announced the severance of diplomatic relations with Germany. The reason was that Germany's unrestricted submarine warfare threatened American shipping and trade freedoms.
When Washington, the founding president of the United States, left office in 1796, he stated to the public: "The great principle of our dealings with foreign countries is: to have as little political connection as possible in expanding our commercial relations with them... to involve ourselves with some artificial connections.
It would certainly be unwise to be involved in the constant political rise and fall of Europe, or the constant battles between friends and foes." John Adams put it bluntly: "We should make this a first principle and never forget that in all future wars in Europe
maintain neutrality." The diplomatic tone set by the founding leaders of the United States is called isolationism.
Therefore, after the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the then US President Wilson declared the neutrality of the United States and demanded that the United States "must remain neutral not only in name but in fact."
: "Don't show any non-neutral feelings, not even words or words."
Since the independence of the United States, it has actually been surrounded by the colonies of the European powers Britain, France, and Spain. It must always be wary of interference from foreign forces. It is a wise choice to keep a distance from all European powers. The natural chasm of the Atlantic Ocean has also helped the United States escape from it.
There is another important reason for maintaining neutrality in the disputes in Europe, and that is that the United States is relatively weak and needs to keep a low profile, seek a peaceful development environment, focus on development, and enhance its own strength.
On the eve of the Spanish-American War in 1898, the U.S. military had less than 30,000 people. Looking around the world, it was not as good as Bulgaria. Considering the land area of the United States, this number was pitifully small, and its naval strength was even more insignificant. In addition, the United States is a country of immigrants.
, European immigrants occupy an important position, and excessive involvement in the European war may also cause different European ethnic groups in the country to fall into divisions due to their allegiance to their country of origin. By remaining neutral and watching the tigers fight, you can profit from the European disputes.
.
War will create a large number of logistics needs, which are opportunities for American enterprises. Therefore, the United States not only remains neutral, but also hopes that other countries will "let the bullets fly." Throughout the 19th century, the United States took advantage of the contradictions between European countries to expand from the East to the East.
Open up territory to the west and desperately expand your own strength.
In 1803, the United States purchased Louisiana from France. In 1819, it forced Spain to abandon Florida. In 1845, it annexed northern Mexico to become Texas. In 1846, it signed a treaty with Britain and acquired Oregon. In 1848, it annexed territory from Mexico to form New Mexico and Alta California.
, purchased Alaska from Tsarist Russia in 1867.
The end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century was the "Gilded Age" of the United States, and society was making rapid progress on the road to progress. The hard power indicator is that in 1890, the steel production of the United States was already the first in the world. By 1900, the steel production of the United States was 13.3 million tons.
, approximately the same as Britain and Germany combined. The United States' relative share of world industrial production exceeded that of the United Kingdom in 1900, at 23.6%, while the United Kingdom's 18.5%. The relative total industrial potential also exceeded that of the United Kingdom by a quarter in 1900
.
The population of the United States was only three million in 1783 and 32 million in 1860. Since the 1880s, the population of the United States has increased rapidly, mainly due to the influx of immigrants from Southeast Europe into the United States. From 39 million in 1870
The population increased to 63 million in 1890.
The U.S. military also developed extremely rapidly from 1898, and increased to 100,000 by 1900, of which 10,000 were stationed in Cuba and 60,000 were fighting in the Philippines. In 1884, the U.S. Navy also ranked 12th in the world.
In 1914, the United States had a population of 98 million, and its national income of $13.7 billion was more than 13 times that of the United Kingdom of $1 billion. Its per capita income of $377 was also much higher than the United Kingdom's $244. The total national income of all European countries, including Russia, was comparable to that of the United States.
The U.S. Navy is the third largest in the world, second only to Britain and Germany. At this time, even the most ignorant people in the old world can feel the power of American muscle and strive to adapt, and of course this includes the United States itself.
It is not objective to say that the United States will definitely give up isolationism just because its muscles are strong. A change in a major foreign policy will inevitably involve challenges to its core interests. A closer look at U.S. isolationism is not just about remaining neutral.
It "specifically refers to the relationship between the United States and Europe, and does not apply to other parts of the world. It also refers specifically to politics and military, but does not include economics and culture." This sentence has two meanings. The first meaning is that the United States
As long as it does not get involved in military and political disputes in Europe, other places outside Europe do not necessarily have to be neutral, especially the Americas.
In 1823, U.S. President James Monroe expressed the red line of isolationism in his seventh State of the Union address to Congress: “We regard all attempts by the European nations to extend their institutions to any part of the Western Hemisphere as an attack on us.
Endangerment to peace and security. We have not and will not interfere with the existing colonies or possessions of any European country, but for those countries that have declared independence, any interference by any European country for the purpose of oppressing them will be regarded as an attack on the United States.
An unfriendly gesture.”
In other words, the United States does not care when the great powers are doing things in Europe, but it is the core interest of the United States to do things in the Americas. The second meaning is that isolationism only involves military and political non-involvement, but it requires equal opportunities in the economy and culture.
. Even in your colonies, the door should be open and the interests should be shared, and on the high seas, freedom of navigation should be required. This principle reveals the brute force of a backward power. It has the same confidence as the Monroe Doctrine. They are both talking about the isolationism of the United States.
There are conditions and a bottom line. In short, isolationism serves the economy, and interests are king.
After the outbreak of World War I, massive and high-priced military orders from both warring parties filled the pockets of American businessmen. In August 1914, France shipped a large amount of gold to the safe of the Morgan Company in the United States in exchange for a loan of US$100 million. 1915
In October of that year, Morgan loaned another US$500 million to Britain and France. This money could only buy American goods. Loans and military supplies for Russia also amounted to more than 470 million. During World War I, the United States also traded with Germany and other allied countries.
.
However, Britain's maritime power was too powerful and blocked trade with Germany. The British military's maritime superiority made the United States' neutral trade quickly evolve into a de facto blood transfusion channel to the Allies. Anglo-American maritime trade became the hatred of the Germans, and the conflict between Germany and Germany began.
intensify.
On February 4, 1915, the German Admiralty launched unrestricted submarine warfare and designated a blockade area on the British islands. All passing surface ships, both military and civilian, would be attacked without warning. Freedom of shipping was restricted.
, Americans can no longer do business.
On March 28, 1915, the American cruise ship "Falaba" was sunk, killing an American. Five weeks later, a large British passenger ship "Lusitania" was sunk in the Southern Irish Sea, killing one thousand people.
The remaining people died, 128 of them Americans. The Lusitania incident caused civilian casualties and caused an uproar in American society. When the Germans cheered, "We gaze with joyful pride at this latest achievement of our navy,"
Among the American public, public opinion has formed that the Germans are extremely vicious and disrespectful of basic human rights.
In this regard, President Wilson issued a series of extremely tough and threatening diplomatic notes. Dissatisfied with this note that might lead to diplomatic misfires and lead to war, Bryan, the then US Secretary of State and a pacifist, resigned angrily. In fact, Wilson's biggest problem at the time was
The political goal was to be re-elected in 1916. During the campaign, he used the slogan "He kept us out of the war", flaunting himself as allowing the United States to continue trade without entering the war.
Wilson, who was born in the South, desperately needed votes from the Northeast and the Great Lakes regions, which had benefited most from the war trade, so that these voters could continue to benefit from the war. Not paying for the war was a prerequisite for Wilson's re-election. Fortunately, after this, Germany
The submarine warfare in Japan had somewhat subsided, but on March 24, 1916, the Sussex incident occurred again. A German submarine sank the French passenger liner Sussex without warning in the English Channel, seriously injuring 80 passengers.
Or drowned, including four Americans. Although this incident was not serious, it added fuel to the already deteriorating relations between the United States and Germany.
In 1916, the U.S. trade surplus "increased from more than 430 million U.S. dollars to more than 2 billion U.S. dollars, or an increase of 3.7 times." The war finances of World War I enabled the United States to accelerate the upgrading of its industrial structure. Industry and agriculture, especially the military industry, developed rapidly.
It has also gained the initiative in finance, and has transformed from a debtor country to a creditor country. Comparing the transaction volume of the United States with the Allied Powers and the Central Powers, we will find that the United States and the Allied Powers are more closely tied economically, and the capital exported by the United States to Germany is only
Accounting for 2% of the total exported capital of the United States. If the Allies were defeated, the huge investment of the United States would be wiped out. This is obviously not what the Americans want to see.
The Germans were completely at a disadvantage in economic warfare and propaganda warfare. The U.S. government issued an ultimatum to Germany to cut off diplomatic relations, and Germany had to announce that it would stop sinking merchant ships that did not offer resistance without warning, known as "Shasek"
Guaranteed."
As the war situation changed, Germany once again resumed its most effective naval warfare ace, unrestricted submarine warfare, on February 1, 1917, and pushed submarine technology to its peak. Germany judged that even if the United States participated in the war, it would take a year and a half for the U.S. military to
It is another matter to form and transport it to Europe. Whether it can be transported to Europe under the blockade of German submarines is another matter. Germany only needs to end the war before the Americans come. The Germans are always overconfident when considering the war capabilities of the enemy and ourselves, regardless of strategy.
adventure.
On February 25, Wilson received a confidential telegram from Ambassador Page to the United Kingdom, which contained a top-secret telegram from German Foreign Minister Zimmermann to the German Ambassador to Mexico on January 19.
Zimmerman wrote in the telegram: "We intend to begin unrestricted submarine warfare on February 1st. At the same time, we will try our best to keep the United States neutral. If we cannot do this, we will agree with Mexico on the following
Establish an alliance on the basis of coordinated operations, conclusion of a peace treaty, and generous financial assistance. We agree that Mexico will regain the lost territory of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. The details are arranged by you. We expect to go to war with the United States. You should immediately and secretly inform the President of Mexico.
, and asked him to take the initiative to invite Japan to join the war and adjust the relationship between Japan and us. Please tell the President that unrestricted submarine warfare will force Britain to make peace within a few months. Please answer the call. - Zimmerman.
This cable not only admitted that it wanted to fight the United States, but also extended its reach to Mexico, which the United States regarded as its back garden. Its effect was undoubtedly explosive, and the British made it the headline of The Times.
Seeing the enraged American people, Wilson certainly would not miss this opportunity. On March 12, Wilson went beyond Congress and authorized the State Department to declare that merchant ships traveling in the war zone would be armed and that merchant ships could fire on German submarines.
A few days later, three more ships, the "City of Memphis", "Illinois", and "Virginia" were sunk, causing losses in both men and cargo. The call for participation in the war became louder and louder. Then from March 15 to 18
, the U.S. Congress voted to declare war on the Allies, and the slogan was to fight to defend democracy and freedom (and American money).
After Edel received the intelligence of the United States' declaration of war, he watched it for at most ten seconds. Now, for him, the United States has no direct impact on Romania. Because what is happening in Russia now has the most direct impact on Romania.
