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However if the Americans did not enter the war (say no UBoat campaign in 1917) then I think there would be have been a stalemate and the war would have gone onto 1919 any maybe 1920.
1920??
No way was anybody apart from the US had she been in the war) going to last that long. And France in particular was being kept going by British loans which in turn were made possible by American loans to GB. Take that away and things are unlikely to hold together even through1918, let alone longer.
No way was anybody apart from the US had she been in the war) going to last that long. And France in particular was being kept going by British loans which in turn were made possible by American loans to GB. Take that away and things are unlikely to hold together even through1918, let alone longer.
1920? Who knows. Possibly.
Both sides were exhausted and the West Front was nearly a stalemate. The Germans with their massive offenses had shot their bolt in the first half of 1918 but I figure that if the USA was not coming in then the Germans might have been more conservative and held a little back. The British still had their blockade going but the Germans and Austrians might had been able to get a small amount of additional food stuffs from Belarus and Ukraine in 1919.
Keep in mind that in 1914 no one thought the war was going to last until 1918 either.
Both sides were exhausted and the West Front was nearly a stalemate. The Germans with their massive offenses had shot their bolt in the first half of 1918 but I figure that if the USA was not coming in then the Germans might have been more conservative and held a little back. The British still had their blockade going but the Germans and Austrians might had been able to get a small amount of additional food stuffs from Belarus and Ukraine in 1919.
Keep in mind that in 1914 no one thought the war was going to last until 1918 either.
The most likely outcome IMHO is that both sides decide that they had enough and sign a peace treaty mostly based on status quo ante bellum. Without the Treaty of Versailles there will be no fascism and no WWII, so all of the major powers except for the reduced Soviet Union are likely to remain the dominant players on the world stage, maybe even to this day.
So now were supposed to believe Americans 'saved our asses' in WWI too are we! What's next Americans claiming they won the Falklands war? The Roman wars perhaps? The Germans were on the brink of defeat by the time the US had any involvement in the first world war, technology (specifically the tank) had a big impact on the actual front line but it was the desperate situation in Germany itself that ultimately forced the surrender.
With Russia's capitulation, the Germans could have had the forces to at least push France and England into a cease fire treaty.
All sides were exhausted, basically out of troops and supplies so it was just a matter of time until the civilian populations of all involved countries would have demanded an end.
The influx of American troops and supplies put pressure on Germany, and much like the Star Wars program of the 80's when Russia couldn't match the resources of the US, Germany couldn't replace it's men and materials to counter the threat.
Perhaps if the US hadn't become involved, there would have been a brokered peace agreement similar to the end of the Russian-Japanese war a few years before.
Of course, that could have meant that the Kaiser would have remained on the throne, Hitler wouldn't have risen, and there is the distinct possiblity that western Europe including Germany and Austria would have allied with France and England against the anti-monarchist communists in Russia for the 2nd world war.
Who knows for certain? All we know is what did happen, but the possible historical twists are interesting to speculate on
Great post! The failure of the US to enter WW1 would have left England and France lacking key resources (Russia was out of the war) and likely would have resulted in a negotiated peace agreement.
I really like the idea that a peace agreement would likely have left the Kaiser on the throne and Germany would probably have escaped the humiliating terms they suffered from being defeated in WW1 (with our help). This would have made it highly unlikely Hitler could ever have risen to power.
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Ahh hell, We (USA) didn't have a big impact on WWI...
We sent troops, but the outcome would have probably been the same..
Oh, Easthome, do you really think it was your submarine that sank the Belgrado?
So now were supposed to believe Americans 'saved our asses' in WWI too are we! What's next Americans claiming they won the Falklands war? The Roman wars perhaps? The Germans were on the brink of defeat by the time the US had any involvement in the first world war, technology (specifically the tank) had a big impact on the actual front line but it was the desperate situation in Germany itself that ultimately forced the surrender.
No it wasn't. It was the collapse of morale, following the appeal for an armistice - which the High Command insisted upon (against Prince Max's objections) because of defeats in the field. The situation on the Western Front was such that Germany could spare no troops to prop up her allies - and once they collapsed, Germany's southern frontier would be wide open.
Certainly the blockade (now a lot tighter than it would have been without US belligerency) made life miserable for a lot of German civilians, but they didn't turn against the regime until it had confessed itself defeated.
So now were supposed to believe Americans 'saved our asses' in WWI too are we! What's next Americans claiming they won the Falklands war? The Roman wars perhaps? The Germans were on the brink of defeat by the time the US had any involvement in the first world war, technology (specifically the tank) had a big impact on the actual front line but it was the desperate situation in Germany itself that ultimately forced the surrender.
Not quite, my friend, only that both sides were exhausted and the Germans could see the handwriting on the wall when green, untested Americans began arriving and Germany had no comparable reserves to throw against them. In a few months those Americans would no longer be green and untested and by the spring of 1919 they would be pushing the Western Front back into Germany. In many ways a great-uncle of mine perfectly typified America's experience in World War I: He arrived at a turnip field on the Western Front, spent one night there, and the next day the war was over and he went Back Home.
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