I have to disagree somewhat. True, Wilson promised a 'just peace' which he really could not deliver, but the German economy was a complete wreck by Nov 1918. They were quite literally at the point of collapse and starvation with riots in the streets. They simply could not continue the war any longer. They were spent.
It was not what the US Army did to the German army. It was more US food and materials proping up Britain and France while Germany had no such source to keep their economy from collapsing.
I don’t think we disagree. In a very close contest, U.S. intervention decisively tipped the scales, with what I consider to be disasterous results, a disaster disproportionately visited on East Europeans and European Jews.
RE: They were quite literally at the point of collapse and starvation with riots in the streets. They simply could not continue the war any longer. They were spent.
If I remember my history correctly, Britain actually formed a blockade on all food going to Germany ( the USA had not entered the war then ). The German Empire relied on imports for food and domestic food and such a blockade would be sure to starve their people.
Germany had no choice but to fight back using the U-boats against the trade routes of the Entente Powers. It took place largely in the seas around the British Isles and in the Mediterranean.
The British had the Royal Navy which was superior in numbers and could operate within the British Empire, while the German Kaiserliche Marine surface fleet was mainly restricted to the German Bight, and used commerce raiders and unrestricted submarine warfare to operate elsewhere.
Apparently, non-hostile commercial ships were supposed to be allowed to go through the war zone in the ocean by Germany...
The Germans claimed that a lot of these commercial ships were actually carrying weapons (as well as ordinary passengers) for the enemy.
The US, at that time wanted to stay out of the war ( although it has been claimed by some that President Wilson was secretly supporting Britain ).
What changed American opinion was the Sinking of the Commercial ship, the RMS LUSITANIA. Hundreds of Americans on board were killed.
The Germans claimed that the ship was carrying, not only innocent passengers, but arms as well. The German commander who shot the torpedo actually intended to simply cripple the ship, knowing that there were other boats present that could rescue the passengers, and the example of the Titanic showed that it would take hours to be rescued ( he was hoping that the ship could survive as long as the Titanic, enough time for the passengers to be rescued ).
Unfortunately, the Lusitania sunk very quickly, killing most of the passengers. She was torpedoed by German U-boat U-20 on 7 May 1915 and sank in just eighteen minutes, eleven miles (19 km) off the Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland, killing 1,198 of the 1,959 people aboard.
The sinking turned public opinion in many countries against Germany and contributed to the entry of the United States into World War I.
The sinking of Lusitania was a coup for anti-German sentiment, caused great controversy and became an iconic symbol in recruiting campaigns of why the war was being fought.
Prior to the incident, Americans EVERYWHERE were warned NOT to travel on ships crossing the war zone. In fact, the US policy then was NOT TO GO TO WAR just because a few Americans were foolish enough to risk their lives for such an adventure.
The entry of America to World War 1 helped to ensure Germany’s defeat. Woodrow Wilson rammed the Treaty of Versailles down the defeated and humiliated Germany’s throat, and created the foundation for the rise of Hitler and World War II.