Why didn't the US enter World War 1 sooner?

Answer 1

The United States did not enter WWI sooner because they initially wanted to remain neutral in order to keep the Atlantic open for trade with everyone and to not get involved with European politics.

Answer 2

The United States was not the financial powerhouse it is today and it did not particularly have a valid reason to enter WW2 and withoutaproper reason to enter a war across the ocean it would have been hard to convince American public to get on-board. The U.S finally got a valid reason with (Zimmerman's note).Some also believe this note was fabricated by U.S insiders. Although it entered the war late the U.S offered an abundance of assistanceto Great Britain before it entered thewarthrough weapons and fuel assistance secretly.

Answer 3

The US wasn't initially involved in the war, and had no vested interest in it. The war was originally two alliances of European countries fighting against each other; the US wasn't in either of the alliances, nor was the US informally linked to either. Additionally, between 1900 and 1917, the US made a habit of invading other American countries, and had military forces occupying countries like Nicaragua, Cuba, and Haiti. The US also intervened in the Mexican Revolution, eventually sending troops to attack rebel forces along the border.

However, the US has traditionally had closer economic and cultural links to Britain than to Germany. As British Propaganda about Germany took its toll on the US (not that Germany was innocent- but propaganda made them look even worse), and German submarines occasionally attacked American ships (or British ships that happened to be carrying some American people, like the Lusitania), popular opinion in the US shifted strongly against Germany.

As 1917 started, events made Germany look even worse. The Zimmermann telegram was intercepted and published- in the telegram, Germany asked Mexico to declare war on the US in order to keep the US distracted from World War I. Then German submarines began sinking American ships again (they had stopped for a couple years), and in April 1917 President Wilson finally asked Congress to declare war, which they did.
It had no reason not to. The European war seemed more-or-less deadlocked. Germany had backed down from unlimited submarine warfare (a threat to US shipping) in 1915 and 1916. Neutralist Americans questioned the notion of a "war for democracy" by pointing to Russia's Tsarist autocracy or Allied colonial rule over Asians and Africans. Britain's execution of Irish Republican leaders in 1916 further alienated Irish-Americans, an influential constituency in the President's party. It was fortunate for Wilson that the final crisis in relations with Germany came just as the Tsar fell, apparently to be replaced by a moderate republic, allowing it to become a war for democracy (at least for Europeans) after all.

Answer 4

President Wilson wanted to keep the economy on a "peacetime basis" and decided not to make plans for the war until Mexico became allies with the Germans, who gave financial help to the Mexicans so they could recover the land they lost in the Mexican-American war.

Answer 5

in order to help defeat Germany with as little cost to its self as possible and be assured that they are repaid debts by the country's that fought Germany.