Political Opinion Shaping Military Action
24 Pages 5901 Words
perial Germany was described as running amuck as an international desperado. This reason played well on the sympathetic side of Americans. The execution of nurses and destruction of aged monuments made people furious. They were appalled at the barbaric tactics of the Germans who seemingly went unchecked.
Third, “Prussian Militancy and autocracy let loose in the world disturbed the balance of power and threatened to destroy the international equilibrium.” This reason scared many Americans. It led the average reader to believe that the rise of German imperialism could lead to a later destruction of the American way of life. The propagandists used heavy wording to create and hold fear that the course of action being taken was crucial to sustaining American independence.
The Committee for Public Information stated that the war had gradually shaped into a war between the democratic nations on one hand and autocratic on the other as its fourth reason. This gave Americans basically two choices: either side with the allies and defend t...