1917: The Architect of War
Above, a picture of President Wilson meeting with leaders of Italy
THERE has been a change of government. It began two years ago, when the House of Representatives became Democratic by a decisive majority. It has now been completed. The Senate about to assemble will also be Democratic. The offices of President and Vice-President have been put into the hands of Democrats. What does the change mean? That is the question that is uppermost in our minds to-day. That is the question I am going to try to answer, in order, if I may, to interpret the occasion.
It means much more than the mere success of a party. The success of a party means little except when the Nation is using that party for a large and definite purpose. No one can mistake the purpose for which the Nation now seeks to use the Democratic Party. It seeks to use it to interpret a change in its own plans and point of view. Some old things with which we had grown familiar, and which had begun to creep into the very habit of our thought and of our lives, have altered their aspect as we have latterly looked critically upon them, with fresh, awakened eyes; have dropped their disguises and shown themselves alien and sinister. Some new things, as we look frankly upon them, willing to comprehend their real character, have come to assume the aspect of things long believed in and familiar, stuff of our own convictions. We have been refreshed by a new insight into our own life.
Wilson's inauguration was not calm, nor peaceful like Americans had expected for the 1916 election. The campaign's tread was of corruption, fraud, violence, slander, and in many cases open-fights on the streets. Upon a 55% victory after gaining right-leaning Socialists and former Liberal Democrats and Republicans, the Democratic Party secured a moderate position in the United Stations. The moderate position gave rise to many post-Republicans and former moderate Socialists who sought to pull the party in opposite directions. Under the Wilson Administration, he has vowed to ban all campaigns supporting radical communism, or
Reimerian Socialism, as it was commonly called in the 1916 election. Regardless, Wilson's eloquent words soothed many loose ends left unchecked with Debs' leaving of office, and focused the nation on Wilson's ideals for America's future.
Germany's principles were the chief aspects that were attacked during the push for actions against Germany. An autocratic nation is a nation not free. Avoiding discussing their equal egalitarianism and their vastly more free market, Wilson and his cabinet used mass media to portray Germany as a strong dictatorship; although true to an extent, German-Americans felt falsely depicted and prosecuted.
The German Federation was vast and feared by Europe. With troops capturing Paris a couple years ago, and Germany gaining large amounts of Russia's core during their collapse, Germany had a far reaching military success that promised to beat France into surrender and secure their Polish vassal, with Austria in its interests.
Weeks after Wilson's rise to office, hundreds of spy network leaders received telegrams about change in plans: We focus on Germany. It was hoped by the Departments of espionage and intelligence that within a few months, Germany would be infiltrated enough to report exact German army where-bouts to plan for a decisive, efficient war.
Diplomatically, the war would be harder than Wilson professed. Germany was feared by neighboring European nations and was allied with Egypt. Woodrow met with his cabinet regularly the following days to discuss all the alternatives of how to face this issue. A full on war, avoiding the diplomatic impact of Germany having Egypt as an ally, gave dark flashbacks to McKinley's Spanish-American War. Egypt would not abandon their alliance either, seeking to push American influence out of the Suez area to gain its control.
Troops were strategically placed in the following weeks. Western troops were sent to be stationed near German-Pacific holdings. African troops were given orders to set up fortifications near Namibia and Cameroon; the latter proving difficult with the only plausible offensive was from the north, as the south was a thick jungle. Finally, Eastern troops were loaded up on large navies and accompanied by several battleships deemed "invaluable for defense", and thus stationed near Brest, France with official declaration that they were patrolling off the coasts of Ireland.
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The Engineering of another Great War
Careful pondering came to a mischievous solution to concocting a war with Germany, ironically derived from their current enemy:
Divide and Conquer. Several nations, ranging from India to Britain, were given strong "suggestions" to convert to a more American, democratic system. By uniting forces most likely to weaken Germany's connections for allies and most likely to back America during a war, America had effectively pulled a gun to Germany's head should they cross a line.
The gun was cocked when Wilson met with Sweden, Arabia, and Korea to discuss an alliance. Germany's northern neighbor was now an effective sentry tower overlooking Germany and spreading out their needed defensive lines. Arabia, a source of Germany's oil, was blackmail, and finally Korea helped maintain America's access to the pacific should Japan or China back Germany during the war.
A fire went off! The bullet did not go through the helmet of Germany, nor did it pierce a German ally, but it was the fire of the beginning of a world war. Rattled and shaken, the world was now divided, and military production called for imports from the "neutral" United States. How did this happen so quickly? Wilson had overseen something no other president would have the patience to look at. Italy had been itching for a war to further expand their successful empire, and fearing that they might join Germany, Wilson traveled to Milan to discuss diplomacy. It was found that for a large sum of aid for industrialization (although small compared to the huge American treasury), Italy would declare war on Portugal. This helped the United States in four ways: 1) Portugal and Italy needed to be weakened in order to reconstruct Spain, 2) Both nations would buy ammunition and artillery from the States, 3) Portugal and Italy were effectively separated from helping Germany, and most importantly 4) Portugal's alliance with Egypt caused a chain of diplomatic ultimatums that ended in Italy and Austria warring Germany.
A possible war theater in Asia was avoided when China was convinced to war India. Tibet, China's ally, was infuriated by China's "declaration of war", and quickly allowed India to annex them.
Wilson had engineered a war that would most definitely end in Germany's defeat and several major powers' weakening without public knowledge nor diplomatic infuriating. Airships were sent to Austria, Italy, Denmark, and Russia in preparation for war. The war was imminent, but Wilson rigged the chances when he managed to divide a recently liberated world simply by tossing forward promises of wealth.
I am planning on staying despite the wrong person was elected 
