The United States World History
War brings the destruction of properties, economy, and death of people. In most cases, war occur when there is a conflict between two or more groups or if either of the groups involved wants to prove that they are powerful than the others. Many resources that would have been used in the growth and development of a country are used to hire soldiers and buy war equipment. Many people get displaced from their homes and countries, and they face a lot of suffering, such as hunger and diseases. The World War I had a lot of implication on all countries globally, and therefore, this paper will discuss how the position of United States changed in the world between the end of World War I and the end of 20th century.
World War I started in 1914and ended in 1918, and the conflict involved the central powers against the allied powers. The central powers comprised of the Ottoman Empire, Germany, Bulgaria, and Austria-Hungary, while the allied powers consisted of Russia, Great Britain, the United States, France, Japan, and Romania. The United States entered into the war in 1917 and led to the victory of the allied side. The victory was very crucial to the United States as it made it the superpower since it overtook Great Britain, which had economic crisis and was in huge debts after the end of the war. The United States got its power from winning the war and had an opportunity to show world that it had power in the industrial sector. Therefore, after the end of the World War I, the United States focused on promoting world peace, and had brought about many changes that were experienced in the twentieth century up to today.
After World War I, President Wilson focused on creating a new world order to redeem the United States from the sins of getting involved in the war. He proposed the creation of the league of nation and international organization that dealt with security measures (Johnson Edward 10). The United States had to sacrifice a portion of their independence to be allowed to be part of the League of Nations, and President Wilson thought it was just a small price that the Americans had to pay. Although this made created a lot of bitterness among the Americans as they felt that their doctrine would get violated if they engaged with European affairs.
The world war had significant implications for the Middle East. Their economies and societies got destroyed totally, their land ravaged, and their armies weakened. This made them vulnerable and the French and Britain took advantage of their situation and invaded their oil deposits. France and Britain signed a secret covenant, the Sykes-Picot agreement, that they would divide the Middle East region among themselves, which by then was under the Ottoman Empire. They wanted to have geographical and economic control over the Middle East nations. France controlled Lebanon and Syria while Britain controlled Iraq, Jordan, and Palestine. Britain and France divided Middle East among themselves because they wanted to control the region both geographically and economically. The region had vast deposits of oil, which was a valuable commodity that the two nations wanted to acquire for their economic benefits (Mahler Gregory 88). The destiny of Palestine and the talks that led to establishment of a Jewish nation in Middle East also attracted France and Britain to the region. The changes experienced in Middle East after France and Britain left included; Lebanon prospered economically until 1975 after which the Lebanese civil war began. Iraq and Syria have had continued conflicts, regime changes, and instability most of which are attributed to the Sykes-Picot agreement signed between British and France.
There was the Suez Canal crisis in 1956 after President Gamal Abdel of Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal 120m that was jointly controlled by Great Britain and France. Most of the oils used in Europe passed through the canal and the British prime minister wanted to reclaim the canal. The Anglo-French military started to strategically position themselves along the canal, and also the troops from France and Britain were also positioned along the canal (Sanghro et al. 132). The united nation called for power to be ceased, and the Great Britain, Israel, and France were forced out the canal by the Soviet nations and United States. The Suez-canal conflicted confirmed that the older colonies France and Great Britain had been overpowered by the United States and Soviet Union.
America was also involved in the Eisenhower doctrine of 1957, where the Middle East countries would request for American military assistance in case they got threats from other nations. Eisenhower stated that he felt that the Soviet Union wanted to invade the Middle East region, and therefore, they would need the help from the United States to have its political sovereignty and its territories protected. In January 1957, President Dwight Eisenhower addressed the congress over the increased invasion by the communist nations into the Middle East. In the meeting the president requested authorization to increase military and economic cooperation with the friendly nations in the region. He also requested that the United States military be used to protect the sovereignty and the territories of the nations in the Middle East region (Fowler Randall). The united sates had no interest in Middle East other than wanting the individual nations to maintain their independence and live peacefully within itself and with its neighbors. They also wanted to growth their material and spiritual resources to ensure that there is peace and goodwill for all people in all the regions. The United States acted as a change in democracy in the Middle East region by controlling the influence of communism of the soviet nations. Since the end of the war in 1918, and the guns silenced the world changed in a way that nobody would have imagined. The United States having a lot of industrial power influenced most of the changes experienced in the world. New technologies in transport and communication were invented and led to more destruction during the war. Engineers went to war and created dangerous weapons that were used during the war. Technologies such as planes were developed during the war, and were used to drop bombs and to spy on the enemies. The planes were later used as a means of transport to many parts of the world in the least time possible. Other technologies invented during this period included new method of recording sounds and photography, and enhanced military techniques that were used in the wars that came after.
Another change experienced in the United States and the whole world after the World War till the end of the twentieth century was advancement in medicines. The best medical researchers and clinicians were part of the war, and led to significant discoveries in medicine. The medicines discovered during the war to treat the soldiers were later used to treat the civilians after the war ended. The discoveries included disinfection for surgeries, treatment of malaria and tuberculosis, and typhoid vaccine. Giving and donating of blood started during the World War I a practice that is still carried out till today. The discoveries of the medicines have gross impact on the treatment of the same diseases that face people after the World War I. the united states also started to recognize the rights of women and they were allowed to vote, thus creating a sense of democracy that helped shape the global politics. Women were also allowed to vie for political seats something they couldn’t do before the World War I.
The United States has played a crucial role in the maintenance of global peace after the end of World War I. due to its political, military, and economic prosperity, it has supported vulnerable nations that were threatened by the communist nations. They have helped the Middle East nations to protect their independence and territories. Thus help in maintain peace such nations and their neighbors. The power of the United States made the older colonies such as the Great Britain and France weak and they obeyed the commands given by the America like withdrawing their troops from Suez-Canal in Egypt. Peace should be maintained globally and the international organizations should focus on creating ways protecting the world from engaging in another world wars that bring destruction of properties and lives of people.
Works Cited
Johnson, Edward. “League of Nations.” The Encyclopedia of Diplomacy (2018): 1-12.
Fowler, Randall. More Than a Doctrine: The Eisenhower Era in the Middle East. U of Nebraska Press, 2018.
Sanghro, Rafi Raza, Jalil Ahmed Chandio, and Siraj Ahmed Soomro. “The Special Relationship: The US, Great Britain and Egypt over the Suez Canal.” Journal of History Culture and Art Research 7.3 (2018): 127-135.
Mahler, Gregory S. “The Sykes-Picot Agreement (May 16, 1916).” The Arab-Israeli Conflict. Routledge, 2018. 87-90.