America had come up separate from European influence in their policy of isolationism. European powers saw The US as being militarily weak. Up until the First World War, the US barely had an army and focused more on economic expansion than a military one. Europe was however aware of America’s exponential economic growth as they supplied most bulk industrial goods to the continent. The American industrial output overtook that of Britain in 1885. During the war, the Allies saw America as an ally that did not commit as much as it possibly could to the war effort and after it ended, the Germans convinced themselves that their defeat had nothing to do with the American involvement (Millett, Maslowski & Feis, 2012).
Europe grossly misinterpreted the role of America in the war. For instance, although the Germans were correct to assume that the U. S military was weak, they failed to foresee the speed with which they could mobilize troops and other resources needed for the war. The US was able to enlist about three million soldiers in just a few months. The US also contributed highly to the war by offering troops in the forefront while more experienced allied soldiers were saved for worse battles (Millett, Maslowski & Feis, 2012). Back home, the American industry manufactured war gear, ammunition and families contributed their food supplies toward the war effort while most of Europe was economically crippled by the long war. Without this the conflict would have dragged on for longer or Germany would have won the war ( Trueman, 2015) .
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The most unexpected result of this war was perhaps the rise of America over European powers as a superpower. At the end of the war, the allies owed the US at least $10 billion while the American economy thrived. The swift end of the war due to American involvement gave it a new identity as a nation that sweeps in to save the day in places where involved parties have been unable to solve their issues on their own ( Trueman, 2015)
References
Millett, A. R., Maslowski, P., & Feis, W. B. (2012). For the common defense: A military history of the United States from1607 to 2012 (3rd ed.). New York: Free Press.
Trueman, C. N. (2015). America and World War One - History Learning Site. Retrieved from http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-one/america-and-world-war-one/
