US History: World War I and the Treaty of Versailles

World War I and the Treaty of Versailles
Student’s name
Institution
World War I and the Treaty of Versailles
World War I, otherwise known as the First World War or the Great War, is one the most desolating wars in human history that led to a loss of human lives exceeding 16 million, both innocent civilians and soldiers that took part in the War. The devastating war that broke out in 1914 started as a result of the assassination of the heir to the throne of Habsburg Monarchy, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, together with his wife in the streets of Sarajevo, Bosnia (Martel, 2013). The death of the Archduke and the duchess occurred following two subsequent attempts by Serbian assassins, with the first attempt in vain. Austrians were not in a hurry to retaliate against the assassination, as they initially resorted to seeking allies in case a war broke with the notion that the Serbians had the backing of the Russians (Martel, 2013). A month later after the assassination, Austria declared war against Serbia, and weeks into the war, several European countries had become involved, including Russia, Belgium, Great Britain backing Austrian, and Germany on the side of Austrians.
The assassination of the Austrian Archduke was certainly the worst mistake in human history as it was certain to cause turmoil in most parts of Europe. One factor that led to the inevitability of the First World War was the technological advancement that had enabled the development of cutting-edge weapons and other infrastructure in readiness for war (Association, 2015). The people in power across Europe at the time of the assassination, in particular, Sir Edward Grey from Britain and Kaiser Wilhelm II from Germany, were very fond of wars (Stoliarenko, 2019). The unfortunate circumstances that preceded the assassination made the First World War an inevitable war.
During the early years of WWI, the United States, under the leadership of President Woodrow Wilson, had enacted a foreign policy that seeks to keep the U.S. out of foreign wars unless under a good cause (Association, 2015). Prolonged neutrality in international wars for the U.S. ceased to be possible during WWI due to the growing sympathy for the Serbian Allies who were doing business with the U.S. The trade ties between the U.S. and the Serbian allies, in particular, France and Britain, signified that the huge sums of money from American companies were at stake in case the allies lost the battle (theworldwar.org, 2017). Germany’s sinking of the Lusitania that led to the death of over 2000 passengers rendered U.S. policy on the involvement in a foreign war inapplicable, further jeopardizing its neutrality. Besides, the Germans had started to provoke the Americans by sinking the steamship and passenger ships that led to the death of people including some Americans. Prolonged neutrality championed by President Wilson was therefore impossible.
The U.S. is considered the most matured democracy in the world, and as of the early 20th century, the country was over a century old after the independence, yet it had recorded a tremendous democratic development, better than ...