The World War and American Isolation, 1914-1917

With superb scholarship, Prof. May describes in detail America's involvement in World War I. By surveying American and Allied and German policies, by extensive use of little-used documents and recently opened German archives, the author shows how the United States was forced out of isolation and neutrality. Here is the fullest analysis yet published of the reasons for Wilson's policy decisions. The end of American isolation was clearly a product of tragedy. Most of the protagonists--Grey, Bethmann-Hollweg, Wilson--wanted to keep the United States in semi-isolation. But each was also concerned with public opinion and domestic politics in hsi own country. Decision by decision, these leaders were impelled in directions they resisted, The result was that Europe unwillingly pulled America out of isolation, and America reluctantly went to war.