By Daniel M. Smith
Untidy and dissatisfying as it was, American involvement in the first World War represented a very significant change of course in its history and that of the world. When the war began, Americans and their government reacted in accord with traditional attitudes and assumptions - but they gradually began to perceive that the war had an immense significance for American self-interests and ideals. Events soon revealed the inadequacy of our reliance on policies of neutrality.
