US Entries into Foreign Wars in 1898 and in 1917

U.S. ENTRY INTO FOREIGN WARS
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That the United States entered into foreign wars in 1898 and 1917 is a historical fact. A historical fact is one of the most fundamental aspects of history, and it is incumbent on any historian to get facts right. Back to the historical fact that America entered foreign wars in the aforementioned years, observers are bound to wonder what precipitated such a decision. In addition, one is bound to interrogate what implications the decision had for the entire country. In answering the first question, many historians claim that one of the reasons why America involved itself in the First World War to protect trade with the allies. This paper intends to prove that American involvement in the two wars, among other factors, was made necessary by economic considerations and public opinion.[E. H Carr. What is History. 2006, 4.] [Benjamin O. Fordham. "Revisionism Reconsidered: Exports and American Intervention in World War I." International Organization 61, no. 2 (2007), par. 1.]
In the Spanish-American war in 1898, the element of the economy was paramount. This is because America wanted to wrest from Spain several islands, including Cuba and the Philippines. The war allowed the United States to consolidate its dominance in the Caribbean and pursue its economic interests in Asia. The same economic interests constrained the country to join World War 2 in 1917. The American economy had been devastated by World War 1 in its initial stages, which caused intense dread throughout the American business community. However, on the flip side, the war was a blessing in disguise to a country still smarting from the economic recession of 1914. It presented the business community with profound potential for business. Dire straits in Europe allowed American manufacturers to establish new markets. This resulted in an unprecedented flourishing of the U.S. economy. American industrial production, for instance, rose by 32%, while the GNP increased by almost 20%. In light of this, the federal government created three significant agencies in an attempt to control the thriving economy. The agencies were the Price Fixing Committee, Food and Fuel Administrations. One of the principal mandates of these agencies was to coordinate the production and distribution of war materials. They had to ensure that demand from European Allies and other consumers were sufficiently addressed. The trade went on seamlessly for several months, whereby American trade ships received safe passage. A brief interruption happened in 1916 when Germany sank an unarmed French boat. America threatened to cut off diplomatic ties with Germany. This led to an agreement between the two countries, and Germany agreed to halt the attacks. However, that changed abruptly in 1917 when Germany decided to resume unconditional submarine warfare. This was at crossroads with President Wilson’s desire to keep shipping lanes between the United States and Britain open to facilitate trade. The Germans rebuffed his demand to renounce submarine warfare. Instead, the Germans launched attacks on passenger and merchant ships. This disturbed the Americans, and they perceived the attacks as a threat to their economy, whose prosperity enormousl...