The Quiet Conservative April 6, 2008
The Long Thread of History and the Great War
April 6, 1917 America declares war on the Central Powers and joins the slaughter in the trenches of
World War One. Officially neutral since the start of the war in 1914, the administration of Woodrow
Wilson had been edging closer to the conflict as the fires that burned Europe had implications across
the world. With the sinking of the Lusitania popular opinion had swung against the stand of
isolationism. With the release of the Zimmerman Telegram, America was now goaded into the fray.
The Zimmerman Telegram was a message sent from the German High Command to Mexico urging
them to declare war against the United States, in conjunction with an alliance with Japan, should the
U.S. enter the war. In return Germany and the Central Powers would back Mexico on an in an
invasion to reclaim Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. British intelligence had intercepted the
message and relayed it to the U.S. America was outraged. The Mexican Government studied the
proposal and declined, but responded two weeks after the United States had declared war on
Germany and the Central Powers.
The thought of Mexico going to war with the United States is not as ludicrous as it may seem. At
the time the United States had little in the way of a standing army. But Mexico was well aware of
the difficulty in not only obtaining the land, but in keeping the land pacified. To accept Germany’s
idea was certain war with the U.S. Regardless of the lack of a sizeable army, America had the
Second Amendment guarantee of the right to keep and bear arms. This meant the entire nation had
the ability to resist and fight back against a foe. Three states full of armed and angry Americans was
not an appealing prospect. Ninety one years ago the principle of an individual’s right to keep and
bear arms prevented any thought of a foreign power invading. Currently that very same right is
under review in the U.S. Supreme Court. The District of Columbia seeking to declare the right only
for the formation of a militia, not the individual.
The entry to the war was opposed by The Socialist Party of America. They did not want any
involvement in the war. Echoes of their opposition is evident with modern socialists opposing the
current war. On the other side of the globe the war was an opening for Russian socialists.
Despite several victories on the Eastern Front by Russian forces the war was not popular in Russia.
The conflict led to the downfall of Tsar Nicholas and the rise of the Bolsheviks led by Vladimir
Lenin. Russia withdrew from the war and proceeded to consume itself with the murder of millions
of its own citizens.
By the end of the conflict the redrawing of Europe from the treaties that ended the war echo down
through history to today. Armenia, Georgia, Poland Czechoslovakia, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania,
Latvia and Yugoslavia emerged from the ruined Central Power empires.
By the end of the war the Middle East saw the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. The area was
divided into areas of interest by the British and French under the Sykes Picot Agreement of 1916.
The Balfour Declaration gave British approval for the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine. This
later led to the formation of Israel after the Second World War. The artificial lines drawn, and
countries created, brought tensions and the future roots of the modern Middle East conflict. Add the
fact the region holds over a quarter of the world’s proven oil reserves and we find our nation
involved once again in an area whose problems began with the First World War.
The black and white picture in the old album or picture frame of your great grandfather coming
home from this first great modern world war sits under the pictures of your grandfather overseas in
the Second World War. World War Two was a continuation of the unsettled resolutions of the first.
Once again American Socialists advocated non intervention until Germany attacked the Soviet
Union. In the South Pacific Japan sought to increase its influence and conquest of Asia and was
chafing under embargoes by the U.S. By destroying the American Pacific fleet Japan hoped to gain a
position of advantage by which the U.S. would have to accept Japanese supremacy of the Pacific.
British and French colonialism in the Asian theater were broken by the Japanese military
advancement. Germany and Italy, coming to the assistance of their Axis ally, declared war on the
United States and we returned the favor. However, since the first war America had grown. By this
second war we had become the “Arsenal of Democracy.” By the end of this continuation of the
Great War in 1945 America had half the GDP of the entire planet.
Looking through the family albums you can then see the photographs of the post war maneuvering.
The Korean and Vietnamese Wars were wars by proxy. The Soviets, born from the WWI
instability, backed the spread of communism. The United States, dragged onto the world stage by
WWI, backed freedom and democracy. By the nineteen nineties the proxy wars ended with the
victory of liberty. Through it all there are pictures in the albums and picture frames of American
soldiers fighting all across the globe for the cause of individual freedom. There hasn't been a nation
on earth that hasn't benefited from our generosity or been protected by our might. Despite what the
left tells you in this country, we have always been guided by freedom and the value of the
individual's right to live as God intended. If it were not so, then there is no explanation as to why
throughout our long history people have flocked to come to this country.
Ninety one years after 1917, I think it’s important to remember the date of our entry onto the world
stage and how much America has contributed to the world since then. It is also important to
remember the fact that history isn't an isolated event, but a long interconnected thread of events that
tie us to the past.
The Long Thread of History and the Great War
April 6, 1917 America declares war on the Central Powers and joins the slaughter in the trenches of
World War One. Officially neutral since the start of the war in 1914, the administration of Woodrow
Wilson had been edging closer to the conflict as the fires that burned Europe had implications across
the world. With the sinking of the Lusitania popular opinion had swung against the stand of
isolationism. With the release of the Zimmerman Telegram, America was now goaded into the fray.
The Zimmerman Telegram was a message sent from the German High Command to Mexico urging
them to declare war against the United States, in conjunction with an alliance with Japan, should the
U.S. enter the war. In return Germany and the Central Powers would back Mexico on an in an
invasion to reclaim Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. British intelligence had intercepted the
message and relayed it to the U.S. America was outraged. The Mexican Government studied the
proposal and declined, but responded two weeks after the United States had declared war on
Germany and the Central Powers.
The thought of Mexico going to war with the United States is not as ludicrous as it may seem. At
the time the United States had little in the way of a standing army. But Mexico was well aware of
the difficulty in not only obtaining the land, but in keeping the land pacified. To accept Germany’s
idea was certain war with the U.S. Regardless of the lack of a sizeable army, America had the
Second Amendment guarantee of the right to keep and bear arms. This meant the entire nation had
the ability to resist and fight back against a foe. Three states full of armed and angry Americans was
not an appealing prospect. Ninety one years ago the principle of an individual’s right to keep and
bear arms prevented any thought of a foreign power invading. Currently that very same right is
under review in the U.S. Supreme Court. The District of Columbia seeking to declare the right only
for the formation of a militia, not the individual.
The entry to the war was opposed by The Socialist Party of America. They did not want any
involvement in the war. Echoes of their opposition is evident with modern socialists opposing the
current war. On the other side of the globe the war was an opening for Russian socialists.
Despite several victories on the Eastern Front by Russian forces the war was not popular in Russia.
The conflict led to the downfall of Tsar Nicholas and the rise of the Bolsheviks led by Vladimir
Lenin. Russia withdrew from the war and proceeded to consume itself with the murder of millions
of its own citizens.
By the end of the conflict the redrawing of Europe from the treaties that ended the war echo down
through history to today. Armenia, Georgia, Poland Czechoslovakia, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania,
Latvia and Yugoslavia emerged from the ruined Central Power empires.
By the end of the war the Middle East saw the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. The area was
divided into areas of interest by the British and French under the Sykes Picot Agreement of 1916.
The Balfour Declaration gave British approval for the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine. This
later led to the formation of Israel after the Second World War. The artificial lines drawn, and
countries created, brought tensions and the future roots of the modern Middle East conflict. Add the
fact the region holds over a quarter of the world’s proven oil reserves and we find our nation
involved once again in an area whose problems began with the First World War.
The black and white picture in the old album or picture frame of your great grandfather coming
home from this first great modern world war sits under the pictures of your grandfather overseas in
the Second World War. World War Two was a continuation of the unsettled resolutions of the first.
Once again American Socialists advocated non intervention until Germany attacked the Soviet
Union. In the South Pacific Japan sought to increase its influence and conquest of Asia and was
chafing under embargoes by the U.S. By destroying the American Pacific fleet Japan hoped to gain a
position of advantage by which the U.S. would have to accept Japanese supremacy of the Pacific.
British and French colonialism in the Asian theater were broken by the Japanese military
advancement. Germany and Italy, coming to the assistance of their Axis ally, declared war on the
United States and we returned the favor. However, since the first war America had grown. By this
second war we had become the “Arsenal of Democracy.” By the end of this continuation of the
Great War in 1945 America had half the GDP of the entire planet.
Looking through the family albums you can then see the photographs of the post war maneuvering.
The Korean and Vietnamese Wars were wars by proxy. The Soviets, born from the WWI
instability, backed the spread of communism. The United States, dragged onto the world stage by
WWI, backed freedom and democracy. By the nineteen nineties the proxy wars ended with the
victory of liberty. Through it all there are pictures in the albums and picture frames of American
soldiers fighting all across the globe for the cause of individual freedom. There hasn't been a nation
on earth that hasn't benefited from our generosity or been protected by our might. Despite what the
left tells you in this country, we have always been guided by freedom and the value of the
individual's right to live as God intended. If it were not so, then there is no explanation as to why
throughout our long history people have flocked to come to this country.
Ninety one years after 1917, I think it’s important to remember the date of our entry onto the world
stage and how much America has contributed to the world since then. It is also important to
remember the fact that history isn't an isolated event, but a long interconnected thread of events that
tie us to the past.
