why did the US remain neutral in WWI
There were several reasons why the US chose to remain neutral in World War I initially:
1. Isolationist sentiment: The US had a long-standing tradition of avoiding involvement in European conflicts. Americans wanted to focus on domestic issues and maintain their independence from European affairs.
2. Economic interests: World War I brought economic opportunities for the US as it supplied goods, loans, and food to both sides of the conflict. The US profited from the war economically and didn't want to jeopardize this by taking sides.
3. Wilson's policy of neutrality: President Woodrow Wilson wanted to keep the US out of the war and pursued a policy of neutrality. He believed in diplomacy and advocated for peaceful arbitration to resolve international conflicts.
4. Public opinion: The majority of Americans were against getting involved in the war. They saw it as a European dispute and felt no immediate threat to their national security.
However, eventually, the sinking of the British ocean liner RMS Lusitania by a German submarine in 1915, which resulted in the death of many American citizens, and Germany's resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare in 1917, pushed the US closer to entering the war on the side of the Allies.