7. World War I showed that the United States had begun to realize, its potential to become a major world power.

SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1 7 . World War I showed that the United States had begun to realize , its potential to become a major world power

TRUE : World War I was a turning point in American history because it was the first time that the United States realized its potential to become a major world power . Prior to World War I , the United States had a policy of isolationism . The foreign policies that dictated the way that American presidents approached world events and issues was that of isolating itself from foreign affairs . This

policy was meant to keep America free from any of the problems of that faced the outside world almost as a protection . As the United States entered the 20th century the world began to be more interdependent and , beyond that , American officials began to understand that what affected nations on other continents would affect them . This revelation is what pushed the United States into World War I and the ensuing events would make the United States realize its potential in the world political theater

The United States entered World War I in 1917 , three years after the war broke out in Europe . Americans initially opposed the involvement of U .S . troops and President Woodrow Wilson declared the country 's neutrality in response . As the fighting continued and the German tactics threatened civilian lives , Americans began to waiver in their neutrality and siding with the Allies . After the sinking of the passenger liner the S .S . Lusitania , Germany adopted submarine warfare , but early in 1917 Germany again began attacking unarmed ships . U .S . cargo boats were attacked , pressing the United States towards war . German U-boats were positioning to cut off shipping to and from Britain , in an effort to force the power to surrender . The turning point for American involvement in the war was the result of the Zimmerman note , a message intercepted by the British in which the German foreign minister urged Mexican government into war with the United States in March of 1917 . One month later Congress declared war on Germany , with President Wilson declaring that the world must be made safe for democracy

Though the United States had been little prepared to enter the war , the American government mobilized quickly to rally the troops-and the citizens-behind the war effort . In April 1917 , the U .S . Army was comprised of just over one hundred thousand men by the end of the war the American armed forces stood some five million strong . It was the arrival of the U .S . troops that gave the Allies the manpower they needed to win the war . After continued fighting in the trenches of Europe which had left almost ten million dead , in November 1918 , Germany agreed to an armistice and the Central Powers finally surrendered . In January 1919 , Allied representatives gathered in Paris to draw up a peace settlement . America 's real turning point in terms of their realizing their potential as a world power was solidified at the Paris...