دوشنبه ۲۶ شهریور ۰۳ | ۱۸:۴۰ ۷ بازديد
d finally, they
would start to rot. The only solution was to amputate the toes, and in some
cases, the entire foot. A painful infection of the gums and throat, called
trench mouth, was also common among the soldiers.
The soldiers also suffered from lack of sleep. Constant bombardments and
other experiences often led to battle fatigue and “shell shock.” This term was
coined during World War I to describe a complete emotional collapse from
which many never recovered.
Americans Question Neutrality
Just after the fighting in Europe began, President Woodrow Wilson declared
that the United States would remain neutral. His statement reflected a long-
standing American commitment to isolationism. Most Americans agreed
that there was no reason to join a struggle 3,000 miles away. The war did not
threaten American lives or property. This did not mean, however, that certain
groups and individuals in the United States were indifferent to who would
win the war. Public opinion was strong—but divided.
DIVIDED LOYALTIES Socialists criticized the war as a capitalist and
imperialist struggle between Germany and England to control mar-
kets and colonies in China, Africa, and the Middle East. Pacifists,
such as lawyer and politician William Jennings Bryan, believed that
war was evil and that the United States should set an example of
peace to the world.
Many Americans simply did not want their sons to experience
the horrors of warfare, as a hit song of 1915 conveyed.
“I didn’t raise my boy to be a soldier,
I brought him up to be my pride and joy.
Who dares to place a musket on his shoulder,
To shoot some other mother’s darling
would start to rot. The only solution was to amputate the toes, and in some
cases, the entire foot. A painful infection of the gums and throat, called
trench mouth, was also common among the soldiers.
The soldiers also suffered from lack of sleep. Constant bombardments and
other experiences often led to battle fatigue and “shell shock.” This term was
coined during World War I to describe a complete emotional collapse from
which many never recovered.
Americans Question Neutrality
Just after the fighting in Europe began, President Woodrow Wilson declared
that the United States would remain neutral. His statement reflected a long-
standing American commitment to isolationism. Most Americans agreed
that there was no reason to join a struggle 3,000 miles away. The war did not
threaten American lives or property. This did not mean, however, that certain
groups and individuals in the United States were indifferent to who would
win the war. Public opinion was strong—but divided.
DIVIDED LOYALTIES Socialists criticized the war as a capitalist and
imperialist struggle between Germany and England to control mar-
kets and colonies in China, Africa, and the Middle East. Pacifists,
such as lawyer and politician William Jennings Bryan, believed that
war was evil and that the United States should set an example of
peace to the world.
Many Americans simply did not want their sons to experience
the horrors of warfare, as a hit song of 1915 conveyed.
“I didn’t raise my boy to be a soldier,
I brought him up to be my pride and joy.
Who dares to place a musket on his shoulder,
To shoot some other mother’s darling
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