Abandoning American Neutrality: Woodrow Wilson and the Beginning of the Great War, August 1914 – December 1915

During the first 18 months of World War I, Woodrow Wilson sought to maintain American neutrality, but as this carefully argued study shows, it was ultimately an unsustainable stance. The tension between Wilson's idealism and pragmatism ultimately drove him to abandon neutrality, paving the way for America's entrance into the war in 1917.

Table of Contents:
1. "An Awful Cataclysm": British War Aims, Neutral Rights at Sea, and Early US Mediation Efforts, July 1914–September 1914 2. "An Exceedingly Tender Spot": The Conclusion of the Declaration of London Debate, Britain's Revised Order in Council, and the US Mid-Term Congressional Elections, October 1914–November 1914 3. "At Peace With the World": The Developing Anglo-American Munitions Trade and US Efforts to Maintain the Spirit of Neutrality, October 1914–December 1914 4. "A Friend to All of Them": Munitions Bills, A Government Owned Merchant Marine and Restarting Talks of Mediation, December 1914–January 1915 5. "Twittering of a Sparrow": House's Second Mission to Europe, German Submarines, Strict Accountability, and the Tightening of the Allied Blockade, February 1915–April 1915 6. "The Palliations of Piracy": The Submarine Crisis, Shell Shortages, and the Failure of House's Second Mission to Europe, April 1915–June 1915 7. "The Shadow of War": Britain's Economic Emergency, US Distrust of Germany, the New Course for U.S. Policy toward the Belligerents, June 1915–August 1915 8. "He Has Thus Crossed the Rubicon": The Conclusion of the Arabic Crisis, German Sabotage, and Clandestine US Mediation Efforts, September 1915–December 1915

About the Author :
M. Ryan Floyd is Assistant Professor in the Department of History and Philosophy at Lander University, USA.

Review :
'Through its careful study of US trade, Floyd's book refocuses Woodrow Wilson's abandonment of US neutrality during World War I onto economic factors. It is an enlightening and well researched contribution.' - Emily S. Rosenberg, editor, A World Connecting, 1870-1945 'Abandoning American Neutrality is a profound and ultimately chilling portrait of a president who thought his rhetorical gifts could make fatally conflicting goals somehow coexist.' - Thomas Fleming, author of The Illusion of Victory: America in World War I 'Floyd's book will be particularly appealing to a wide audience because it is well written - he presents his narrative in a logical and clear manner that engages the reader. He also shows an impressive command of primary sources, including those from Great Britain. This book deals with an important and timely topic.' - Ross Kennedy, Associate Professor, Department of History, Illinois State University, USA