Question

Examining US entry into foreign wars in 1898 and again in 1917, what factors do you find were most important in making those decisions? In terms of motivations and causes, what did the two decisions to shift from neutrality (or at least not direct military involvement) to intervention have in common and how did they differ?

This is the Link to The Quiet American https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.462196
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Examining US entry into foreign wars in 1898 and again in 1917

Before World War II, American engagement in foreign affairs reflected a different public and government mindset that suggested limited awareness of the global implications for U.S. security. As a result, they approached the consequences of armed involvement in foreign conflicts in terms of their local significance.[1] Even if shocking tales of violence and misery from the foreign conflict reached the American public, widespread reluctance to intervene persisted until the conflicts threatened American security directly and military response became unavoidable.[2] The U.S. was hesitant to engage in foreign wars in 1898 and again in 1917 because of the strong public opposition to overseas conflicts.

The US administrations struggled to secure support for military action. However, sections of the American press played a pivotal role in stirring public sentiments and swaying public support for military intervention in foreign conflicts.[3]^,[4] Even though the US was initially hesitant about directly intervening in military conflicts because of public opposition and limited understanding of international threats, the eventual public outrage favoring military intervention was pivotal in establishing predominant American role in regional and global affairs.

Factors that Led to US Entry into Foreign Wars

American involvement in the Spanish-American War and World War I revealed that the US foreign policy favored non-intervention positions in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Before shifting from neutrality to intervention in 1898 and in 1917, the prevailing public and government views reflected considerable discomfort with participation in foreign conflicts.

[1] George F Kennan. American diplomacy. 60th-anniversary expanded ed. (Chicago; London: The University of Chicago Press, 2012), 7.

[2] Ibid, 9.

[3] Ibid, 12.

[4] Thomas Paterson, J. Garry Clifford, Shane J. Maddock, Deborah Kisatsky, and Kenneth Hagan. American Foreign Relations: A History, Volume 2: Since 1895. 8th ed. (Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2010), 18.

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