Zonie63
Posts: 2826
Joined: 4/25/2011
From: The Old Pueblo
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: NorthernGent
Have we had a good deal from these people?
My opinion would be unreservedly, yes, a very good deal that we couldn't have made elsewhere.
Just a couple of points:
We secured loans from the Yanks, during WW1, at 3%; when the best we could do elsewhere was 5%. They could have held us over a barrel but chose not to. And, if we hadn't have got hold of that money, then we would have lost WW1 because we could have kept it going but the French and Italians wouldn't have been able to. As the Germans had a numerical advantage of 190 divisions to 150 divisions, and superior tactics, the divisions freed up from the Italians been out of the war would have been too much.
They gave us nuclear weapons when we were hard pressed to afford a tank.
Not for nothing, of course, no such thing as something for nothing in this life; but, I would say we've been fortunate to have such an ally.
Thoughts please.
I suppose the deal worked out to our mutual benefit, though some Americans might have wondered if it was worth it. At the time of the World Wars, there was still a strong isolationist sentiment in America - a general feeling that we didn't want to get involved in other country's wars. There have also been somewhat mixed feelings regarding the English, since many Americans are of English descent, but many others are/were also of German descent.
After WW1, the French had a very strong hatred and resentment of Germany, and Britain did too, to a lesser extent. At Versailles, they really wanted to stick it to Germany. I think that this was a somewhat bull-headed approach to world politics, especially at a time when the British and French empires were in a weakened state, facing resistance groups in their colonies, along with Russia under a revolutionary government, civil war in China. It also left Italy and Japan somewhat pissed off since they didn't feel they got their fair share of the spoils. The breakup of the Ottoman Empire also planted seeds of dissension which we're still living with today.
WW2 only happened because the signatories of Versailles handed the situation so badly after WW1. Even before the end of the war, they put a lot of pressure on their allies in Russia which ultimately led to the collapse of two governments and their withdrawal from the war.
Looking back over the history of America leading up to WW1, it only made sense that we would help out the Allied cause. I'm not sure what would have happened if the Germans won WW1. Even if they dominated the European continent, would that mean they'd have designs on America, or would it just be similar to the same status quo we had with Europe prior to the World Wars? For a long time, Britain and France were the major powers of Europe (still are, actually), and their power could have seriously threatened America at any time. But apart from the War of 1812, they mostly left us alone after that. They were also wise enough to stay out of the US Civil War, notwithstanding Napoleon III's little escapade down in Mexico around that time.
So, since we seemed relatively safe with that status quo in place, I think that our main focus was to keep it in place by maintaining Anglo-French hegemony. I don't think a lot of American leaders felt they could trust Germany that much, at least not the Kaiser and some of the other ardent nationalists who were getting a bit too over the top. It could have created an imbalance of power which would have impacted negatively upon North American security.
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