Woodrow Wilson and WwiEssay Preview: Woodrow Wilson and WwiReport this essayOn April 2, 1917 President Woodrow Wilson delivered a war message to the United States Congress outlining his reasons as to why the United States should enter a war against the German forces and the Axis Powers with which Germany allied themselves. His speech outlines the reasons or justifications for calling for war and lays out the fundamental beliefs that Wilson saw as being threatening to the American national security.
Wilson first mentions that it was the Imperial German Governments, “purpose to put aside all restraints of law of humanity and use its submarines to sink every vessel that sought to approach either the ports of Great Britain and Ireland or the western coasts of Europe or any of the ports controlled by the enemies of Germany within the Mediterranean.” (Wilsons War Message, 1917) Here, Wilson points to the fact that Germany had the audacity to attack every vessel that was approaching port and subverted any sense of the laws of humanity during this military maneuver.
The humanitarian theme of Wilsons War Message follows through the great majority of the speech. He states that the Germans attacked, “Vessels of every kind, whatever their flag, their character, their cargo, their destination, their errand.” He also goes on to state that all of these vessels, “…have been ruthlessly sent to the bottom without warning and without thought of help or mercy for those on board, the vessels of friendly neutrals along with those of belligerents.” (Wilsons War Message, 1917) Politically speaking, Wilsons line here regarding the fact that the vessels of all kinds and many flags were attacked could prove to be useful for him in garnering more international support for an attack on Germany since it wouldnt seem as though the United States was going at it so unilaterally.
Wenger, in particular, is especially involved in the controversy over the use of weapons of mass destruction since he states that a US attack on a German ship would do little to prevent it from returning to earth.Wenger, however, is also concerned about the amount of “worship around the world.” In Wilsons War Message, the author states that he is concerned about the amount of support given out for all kinds of “worship around the world.” He is also concerned about what the Germans might do if the United States took action against the Netherlands if they took action to eliminate the Dutch right wing in the United States.
While most of the German writers I talked to seem to think that they were simply making comments about non-confrontational, neutral, non-military, non-communal talk, however, my opinion is that I don’t think that they represent the very kind of political thinking that he and a few other writers have done when discussing the situation of war to the point where they are either making a huge propaganda campaign or simply have an out of touch approach to the issues that need taking to the German leaders.
Some of Wilsons’ quotes do not stand up to scrutiny. For instance:
“The war was waged without fear of bloodshed. It has not ended, but only for war and death. In this war the Nazis have a real purpose in the world, one that cannot be denied. It is in the interests of all the peoples worldwide to preserve the order. Even if the United States decides not to intervene, the people of these countries, including the people of the Netherlands, who are the most sensitive in their national liberation struggle, must defend their right to do so. No one has asked them to do so as the United States wants to use force against other nations, but in this war we have decided that all nations must fight with us, without fear of war or bloodshed.”
“I wish it were not so that I cannot say that war is for a short time. During the war I was aware that it would not be easy. What had I forgotten about things going on during WWII? We were all not happy but I had to think about what was to come. Then I began to realize that the situation is one of the same as in the last war. There were other forces around the world that were involved… I had become aware that this was an absolutely unique situation. The German people was aware that there was a war, but no one was standing up and demanding the military to save people from what was happening. The situation that they were fighting against, and what was happening, changed so much at the international level that it would have been unimaginable for us to live in an environment where that would happen. The question remained: what was happening in Germany, exactly? And then one day the war did not end. People were not feeling that they themselves would be spared. There were no Germans in control of the situation, so there was no way that it would be possible for the Germans of different nations to defeat that war, if they tried to keep our forces at it. That would cause the German citizens abroad and
Wenger, in particular, is especially involved in the controversy over the use of weapons of mass destruction since he states that a US attack on a German ship would do little to prevent it from returning to earth.Wenger, however, is also concerned about the amount of “worship around the world.” In Wilsons War Message, the author states that he is concerned about the amount of support given out for all kinds of “worship around the world.” He is also concerned about what the Germans might do if the United States took action against the Netherlands if they took action to eliminate the Dutch right wing in the United States.
While most of the German writers I talked to seem to think that they were simply making comments about non-confrontational, neutral, non-military, non-communal talk, however, my opinion is that I don’t think that they represent the very kind of political thinking that he and a few other writers have done when discussing the situation of war to the point where they are either making a huge propaganda campaign or simply have an out of touch approach to the issues that need taking to the German leaders.
Some of Wilsons’ quotes do not stand up to scrutiny. For instance:
“The war was waged without fear of bloodshed. It has not ended, but only for war and death. In this war the Nazis have a real purpose in the world, one that cannot be denied. It is in the interests of all the peoples worldwide to preserve the order. Even if the United States decides not to intervene, the people of these countries, including the people of the Netherlands, who are the most sensitive in their national liberation struggle, must defend their right to do so. No one has asked them to do so as the United States wants to use force against other nations, but in this war we have decided that all nations must fight with us, without fear of war or bloodshed.”
“I wish it were not so that I cannot say that war is for a short time. During the war I was aware that it would not be easy. What had I forgotten about things going on during WWII? We were all not happy but I had to think about what was to come. Then I began to realize that the situation is one of the same as in the last war. There were other forces around the world that were involved… I had become aware that this was an absolutely unique situation. The German people was aware that there was a war, but no one was standing up and demanding the military to save people from what was happening. The situation that they were fighting against, and what was happening, changed so much at the international level that it would have been unimaginable for us to live in an environment where that would happen. The question remained: what was happening in Germany, exactly? And then one day the war did not end. People were not feeling that they themselves would be spared. There were no Germans in control of the situation, so there was no way that it would be possible for the Germans of different nations to defeat that war, if they tried to keep our forces at it. That would cause the German citizens abroad and
In his book, War Without Mercy, John Dower writes about the racism and prejudicial thoughts that were prevalent during the Pacific War of World War II and the dehumanizing characterizations that were made about the Japanese of the WWII era. Wilson employs a very similar approach when we states, “I was for a little while unable to believe that such things would in fact be done by any government that had hitherto subscribed to the humane practices of civilized nations.” (Wilsons War Message, 1917) Wilson here describes the actions of the Germans as being inhumane and therefore uncivilized. By dehumanizing the German people, Wilson could more accessibly make a stronger pitch for the need to attack Germany.
Wilson also pulls on the strings to the listeners heart when he gives more emotional reasons as to why the United States would need to respond to the submarine attack on ships with force. “I am not now thinking of the loss of property involved, immense and serious as that is, but only for the wanton and wholesale destruction of the lives of non-combatants, men, women, and children, engaged in pursuits which have always, even in the darkest periods of modern history, been deemed innocent and legitimate. Property can be paid for; the lives of peaceful and innocent people cannot be.” (Wilsons War Message, 1917)
Kristin Hoganson in her Fighting for American Manhood: How Gender Politics Provoked the Spanish-American and Philippine-American Wars defines what she feels was the underlining factor to the Spanish-American and Philippine-American Wars: the male desire for masculinity. She breaks down how certain ways of acting can be politically seen as being masculine and how the quest for masculinity leads leaders to make decisions, such as entering the two wars she researches.
However, here it seems as though Wilson is employing a sort of feminine ideology that will push the Congress to allow the President to declare war upon Germany. Wilson talks about