Position:Home>History> What was America's reaction to the end of world war 1?

Woodrow Wilson's major campaign slogan in 1916 was "He kept us out of the war"; which got him narrowly re-elected!. Of course US entered the war within a month of his 2nd term beginning!.
World War I was not very traumatic to America relative to many other wars!. It was certainly not as traumatic as it was to European powers!. America was only in the war for 83 weeks, and battle deaths were only about 80% higher than Canada (and America had 12-13 times the population of Canada!.
Deaths from the Spanish flu pandemic were more than 4 times as high as deaths from the war!.
Obviously America was glad the war was over, and politicians were interested in the League of Nations, but it didn't have anywhere near the profound affect on American Society as WWII!.
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DECISION TO GO TO WAR
Woodrow Wilson had decided by 1917 that the war had become a real threat to humanity!. Unless the U!.S!. threw its weight into the war, as he stated in his declaration of war speech, Western civilization itself could be destroyed!. His statement announcing a "war to end all wars" meant that he wanted to build a basis for peace that would prevent future catastrophic wars and needless death and destruction!. This provided the basis of Wilson's Fourteen Points, which were intended to resolve territorial disputes, ensure free trade and commerce, and establish a peacemaking organization, which later emerged as the League of Nations!.
To stop defeatism at home, Wilson pushed the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918 through Congress to suppress anti-British, pro-German, or anti-war opinions!. He welcomed socialists who supported the war, such as Walter Lippmann, but would not tolerate those who tried to impede the war or, worse, assassinate government officials, and pushed for deportation of foreign-born radicals!. Over 170,000 US citizens were arrested during this period, in some cases for things they said about the president in their own homes!. Citing the Espionage Act, the U!.S!. Post Office refused to carry any written materials that could be deemed critical of the U!. S!. war effort!. Some sixty newspapers were deprived of their second-class mailing rights!.

AFTERMATH OF WAR
Wilson had ignored the problems of demobilization after the war, and the process was chaotic and violent!. Four million soldiers were sent home with little planning, little money, and few benefits!. A wartime bubble in prices of farmland burst, leaving many farmers bankrupt or deeply in debt after they purchased new land!. In 1919, major strikes in steel and meatpacking broke out!. Serious race riots hit Chicago and other cities!.

After a series of bombings by radical anarchist groups in New York and elsewhere, Wilson directed Attorney General A!. Mitchell Palmer to put a stop to the violence!. Palmer then ordered the Palmer Raids, with the aim of collecting evidence on violent radical groups, to deport foreign-born agitators, and jail domestic ones!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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