Editing Woodrow Wilson (section)

===Entering World War I===
{{main|American entry into World War I}}
{{Further|United States in World War I|Foreign policy of the Woodrow Wilson administration}}
In January 1917, the [[German Empire]] initiated a new policy of [[unrestricted submarine warfare]] against ships in the seas around the British Isles. German leaders knew that the policy would likely provoke U.S. entrance into the war, but they hoped to defeat the Allied Powers before the U.S. could fully mobilize.<ref>Clements (1992), pp. 137–138</ref> In late February, the U.S. public learned of the [[Zimmermann Telegram]], a secret diplomatic communication in which Germany sought to convince Mexico to join it in a war against the United States.<ref>Clements (1992), pp. 138–139</ref> After a series of attacks on American ships, Wilson held a Cabinet meeting on March 20; all Cabinet members agreed that the time had come for the United States to enter the war.<ref>Clements (1992), pp. 139–140</ref> The Cabinet members believed that Germany was engaged in a commercial war against the United States, and that the United States had to respond with a formal declaration of war.<ref>Berg (2013), pp. 430–432</ref>

On April 2, 1917, Wilson addressed the [[United States Congress|U.S. Congress]], asking for a declaration of war against Germany, saying that Germany was engaged in "nothing less than war against the government and people of the United States." He requested a military draft to raise the army, increased taxes to pay for military expenses, loans to Allied governments, and increased industrial and agricultural production.<ref>Clements (1992), pp. 140–141</ref> He stated, "we have no selfish ends to serve. We desire no conquest, no dominion... no material compensation for the sacrifices we shall freely make. We are but one of the champions of the rights of mankind. We shall be satisfied when those rights have been made as secure as the faith and freedom of the nations can make them."<ref>Berg (2013), p. 437</ref> The [[declaration of war by the United States]] [[1917 United States declaration of war on Germany|against Germany]] passed Congress with strong bipartisan majorities on April 6, 1917.<ref>Berg (2013), p. 439</ref> The United States later [[United States declaration of war on Austria-Hungary|declared war]] against Austria-Hungary in December 1917.<ref>Berg (2013), pp. 462–463</ref>

With the U.S. entrance into the war, Wilson and Secretary of War [[Newton D. Baker]] launched an expansion of the army, with the goal of creating a 300,000-member [[Regular Army (United States)|Regular Army]], a 440,000-member [[Army National Guard|National Guard]], and a 500,000-member conscripted force known as the "[[Army of the United States|National Army]]". Despite some resistance to conscription and to the commitment of American soldiers abroad, large majorities of both houses of Congress voted to impose conscription with the [[Selective Service Act of 1917]]. Seeking to avoid the draft riots of the Civil War, the bill established local draft boards that were charged with determining who should be drafted. By the end of the war, nearly 3&nbsp;million men had been drafted.<ref>Clements (1992), pp. 143–146</ref> The navy also saw tremendous expansion, and Allied shipping losses dropped substantially due to U.S. contributions and a new emphasis on the [[Convoys in World War I|convoy system]].<ref>Clements (1992), pp. 147–149</ref>
[[File:World 1914 empires colonies territory.PNG|thumb|right|upright=2.3|Map of the [[great power]]s and their empires in 1914]]

==== Fourteen Points ====
{{Main|Fourteen Points}}
Wilson sought the establishment of "an organized common peace" that would help prevent future conflicts. In this goal, he was opposed not just by the Central Powers, but also the other Allied Powers, who, to various degrees, sought to win concessions and to impose a punitive peace agreement on the Central Powers.<ref>Clements (1992), pp. 164–165</ref> On January 8, 1918, Wilson delivered a speech, known as the Fourteen Points, wherein he articulated his administration's long term war objectives. Wilson called for the establishment of an association of nations to guarantee the independence and territorial integrity of all nations—a [[League of Nations]].<ref>Heckscher (1991), p. 471.</ref> Other points included the evacuation of occupied territory, the establishment of an independent [[Poland]], and [[self-determination]] for the peoples of Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire.<ref>Berg (2013), pp. 469–471</ref>

==== Course of the war ====
{{Main|World War I}}
Under the command of General Pershing, the [[American Expeditionary Forces]] first arrived in France in mid-1917.<ref>Clements (1992), p. 144</ref> Wilson and Pershing rejected the British and French proposal that American soldiers integrate into existing Allied units, giving the United States more freedom of action but requiring for the creation of new organizations and supply chains.<ref>Clements (1992), p. 150</ref> Russia exited the war after signing the [[Treaty of Brest-Litovsk]] in March 1918, allowing Germany to shift soldiers from the [[Eastern Front (World War I)|Eastern Front]] of the war.<ref name="clements149151">Clements (1992), pp. 149–151</ref> Hoping to break Allied lines before American soldiers could arrive in full force, the Germans launched the [[German spring offensive|Spring Offensive]] on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]]. Both sides suffered hundreds of thousands of casualties as the Germans forced back the British and French, but Germany was unable to capture the French capital of [[Paris]].<ref>Berg (2013), p. 474</ref> There were only 175,000 American soldiers in Europe at the end of 1917, but by mid-1918 10,000 Americans were arriving in Europe per day.<ref name="clements149151"/> With American forces having joined in the fight, the Allies defeated Germany in the [[Battle of Belleau Wood]] and the [[Battle of Château-Thierry (1918)|Battle of Château-Thierry]]. Beginning in August, the Allies launched the [[Hundred Days Offensive]], pushing back the exhausted German army.<ref>Berg (2013), pp. 479–481</ref> Meanwhile, French and British leaders convinced Wilson to send a few thousand American soldiers to join the [[Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War|Allied intervention]] in Russia, which was in the midst of a [[Russian Civil War|civil war]] between the Communist [[Bolsheviks]] and the [[White movement]].<ref>Berg (2013), pp. 498–500</ref>

By the end of September 1918, the German leadership no longer believed it could win the war, and Kaiser [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|Wilhelm II]] appointed a new government led by [[Prince Maximilian of Baden]].<ref>Clements (1992), pp. 165–166</ref> Baden immediately sought an armistice with Wilson, with the Fourteen Points to serve as the basis of the German surrender.<ref>Berg (2013), p. 503</ref> [[Edward M. House|House]] procured agreement to the armistice from France and Britain, but only after threatening to conclude a unilateral armistice without them.<ref>Heckscher (1991), pp. 479–488.</ref> Germany and the Allied Powers brought an end to the fighting with the signing of the [[Armistice of 11 November 1918]].<ref>Berg (2013), pp. 511–512</ref> Austria-Hungary had signed the [[Armistice of Villa Giusti]] eight days earlier, while the Ottoman Empire had signed the [[Armistice of Mudros]] in October. By the end of the war, 116,000 American servicemen had died, and another 200,000 had been wounded.<ref>Berg (2013), p. 20</ref>

==== Home front ====
{{main|United States home front during World War I}}
[[File:FoodWillWinTheGreatWarNOLA.jpg|thumb|A banner reading, "Food will win the war—don't waste it", in front of city hall in [[New Orleans]] in October 1918]]
[[File:Women workers in ordnance shops, Midvale Steel and Ordnance Company, Nicetown, Pennsylvania. Hand chipping with pneumati - NARA - 530774.jpg|thumb|Women workers in an ordnance shop in [[Pennsylvania]], in 1918]]
With the American entrance into World War I in April 1917, Wilson became a war-time president. The [[War Industries Board]], headed by [[Bernard Baruch]], was established to set U.S. war manufacturing policies and goals. Future President [[Herbert Hoover]] led the [[United States Food Administration|Food Administration]]; the [[Federal Fuel Administration]], run by [[Harry Augustus Garfield]], introduced [[daylight saving time]] and rationed fuel supplies; William McAdoo was in charge of war bond efforts; [[Vance C. McCormick]] headed the War Trade Board. These men, known collectively as the "war cabinet", met weekly with Wilson.<ref>Heckscher (1991), p. 469.</ref> Because he was heavily focused on foreign policy during World War I, Wilson delegated a large degree of authority over the home front to his subordinates.<ref>Cooper (1990), pp. 296–297</ref> In the midst of the war, the federal budget soared from $1&nbsp;billion in [[fiscal year]] 1916 to $19&nbsp;billion in fiscal year 1919.<ref name="clements156157"/> In addition to spending on its own military build-up, Wall Street in 1914–1916 and the Treasury in 1917–1918 provided large loans to the Allied countries, thus financing the war effort of Britain and France.<ref>Cooper (1990), pp. 276, 319</ref>

Seeking to avoid the high levels of inflation that had accompanied the heavy borrowing of the [[American Civil War]], the Wilson administration raised taxes during the war.<ref>Weisman (2002), pp. 320</ref> The [[War Revenue Act of 1917]] and the [[Revenue Act of 1918]] raised the top tax rate to 77 percent, greatly increased the number of Americans paying the income tax, and levied an [[excess profits tax]] on businesses and individuals.<ref>Weisman (2002), pp. 325–329, 345</ref> Despite these tax acts, the United States was forced to borrow heavily to finance the war effort. Treasury Secretary McAdoo authorized the issuing of low-interest war bonds and, to attract investors, made interest on the bonds tax-free. The bonds proved so popular among investors that many borrowed money in order to buy more bonds. The purchase of bonds, along with other war-time pressures, resulted in rising inflation, though this inflation was partly matched by rising wages and profits.<ref name="clements156157">Clements (1992), pp. 156–157</ref>

To shape public opinion, Wilson in 1917 established the first modern propaganda office, the [[Committee on Public Information]] (CPI), headed by [[George Creel]].<ref>Berg (2013), pp. 449–450</ref> Wilson called on voters in [[1918 United States elections|the 1918 off-year elections]] to elect Democrats as an endorsement of his policies. However the Republicans won over alienated [[German-Americans]] and took control.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Livermore |first=Seward W. |date=1948 |title=The Sectional Issue in the 1918 Congressional Elections |journal=The Mississippi Valley Historical Review |volume=35 |issue=1 |pages=29–60 |doi=10.2307/1895138 |jstor=1895138}}</ref> Wilson refused to coordinate or compromise with the new leaders of House and Senate—Senator [[Henry Cabot Lodge]] became his nemesis.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Parsons |first=Edward B. |date=1989 |title=Some International Implications of the 1918 Roosevelt-Lodge Campaign Against Wilson and a Democratic Congress |journal=Presidential Studies Quarterly |volume=19 |issue=1 |pages=141–157 |jstor=40574571}}</ref> In November 1919, Wilson's attorney general, [[A. Mitchell Palmer]], began to target anarchists, [[Industrial Workers of the World]] members, and other antiwar groups in what became known as the [[Palmer Raids]]. Thousands were arrested for incitement to violence, espionage, or sedition. Wilson by that point was incapacitated and was not told what was happening.<ref name="cooper201209">Cooper (2008), pp. 201, 209</ref>