Woodrow Wilson Nationalism

When the world starts to fight, most people think to fight back, but that is not always the case. After the assassination of Austro-Hungarian Archduke and heir, Francis Ferdinand, the world was about to go to war. It started out small, but others got involved through alliances and deals. The US entered in 1917, but was that really the best course of action? The curse of nationalism is something that shouldn’t have taken so much control of the nation. Woodrow Wilson tried his best to stay neutral, and the reasons he declared war were not necessarily necessary. Germany was trying convince Mexico to join the war against America, but America didn’t have to worry about Mexico with it’s strength. America never had to enter the war, but because of pride, threats, and fear, America ended up making the wrong decision.
Nationalism is an extreme form of patriotism and loyalty to one’s country. Nationalists place the interests of their own country above the interests of other countries. By doing this, they are only concerned about how their country is doing, and not about other countries. However being neutral is not a sign of a cowardice country, but in the eyes of other countries it pressures nationalists to take action. Being neutral could also show the world that the US is not hungry for violence; big and powerful
At first he tried to stay neutral with a slogan, “He kept us out of war.”, which won him his second term as president. “Remain neutral in thought as well as deed”(Wilson). Wilson clearly wanted to keep the US out of the war, and it wasn’t just about peace either. To protect international trading rights, it was the smartest plan to not go into war. However Britain, convinced the US by intersecting the Zimmerman Note, and telling the US that if they didn’t enter, Germany and Mexico could start attacking them. While that is a worry, America shouldn’t have to worry about