After being re-elected Wilson once more offered to mediate between Germany and the Allies. They should agree to self-determination, freedom of the seas and an end to ‘entangling alliances’ that had driven Europe into war. Thus, the Europeans were to just become reasonable again and adhere to American principles. But for both sides it appeared that they had gone too far to turn around. The blood shed and the money spent could only be justified with and paid for by winning the war. A ‘peace without victory’ was no longer acceptable to either party.[158]

   In January 1917, the German strategists thought they could aim at ‘peace with victory’ by defeating Great Britain before American troops could even be sent to Europe. The Russian Empire that was more and more falling apart and on the brink of revolution, did not seem to be an obstacle any more. On February 1, Germany recommenced ‘unrestrained submarine warfare’ in the Atlantic.

   Wilson broke diplomatic relations to Berlin, but was still reluctant to enter the war on the side of the Allies.  Peace demonstrations took place that rallied many people in American cities all over the nation.[159]

   While the Germans attacked and sank U.S. merchant ships in the Atlantic, Wilson feared that entering the war might create a vacuum of power in Central Europe that Russia would step in to fill, and was afraid war in Europe that involved the Ameri- cans would leave free hand to the Japanese to occupy China. But the fears about Japan were partly removed by signing the ‘Lansing-Ishii Agreement’ wherein the U.S. recognized Japanese hold over the territories close to it (i.e. Manchuria) and Japan agreed to uphold the Open-Door. Both countries agreed on not seeking any privileges in China during the war.[160]

   On March 1, 1917 Wilson published the ‘Zimmermann-Telegram’ British intel- ligence had intercepted. In it the German minister of foreign affairs proposed to the Mexican president to join the war on the side of Germany against the United States in return for which it would receive financial support and regain territory in the U.S. Southwest. Negotiations were to be taken up with Japan to form an alliance that would threaten the United States on three fronts. [161]  Anti-German sentiments erupted and the nation demanded retaliation. Wilson waited.

   On March 15, the czar had to abdicate his throne and was replaced by a liberal provisional government. Americans rejoiced at the sight of Russia turning ‘Ame-rican’ and the obstacle of an authoritarian ally. The Allies now all appeared to be ‘fit partners’ in the president’s crusade that he finally announced to Congress on April 2, 1917 after German submarines had torpedoed several American ships and Wilson had to accept that to have a say in the peace talks, and change the world in his way, he would have to enter the war.[162]

„The present German submarine warfare against commerce is a warfare against mankind. (...) The challenge is to all mankind. Each nation must decide for itself how it will meet it. (...) Our motive will not be revenge or the victorious assertion of the physical might of the nation, but only the vindication of right, of human right, of which we are only a single champion. (...) We know (...) that in the presence of [autocratic states](...) there can be no assured security for the democratic governments of the world.(...)We are glad (...) to fight thus for the ultimate peace of the world, and for the liberation of its peoples (...), for the rights of nations great and small and the privilege of men everywhere to choose their way of life and of obedience. The world must be made safe for democracy.“[163]

   Wilson’s War Message serves to justify the entrance into war: the intolerable, uncivilized German submarine warfare that had ‘war thrust upon’ the U.S.  as well as naming the mission, the objectives, the soldiers on the battlefields and the media- tors in the conferences were to achieve: free the world from authoritarianism as to give the peoples the opportunity to choose the American way. It mixes idealism, the ideal of all peoples turning towards democracy and Americanization, with the realistic, but hard learned evaluation that neutrality, freedom and worldwide trade cannot be had at the same time.[164]  Walter LaFeber praises Wilson for the fact that „he so eloquently quoted the bleak skeleton of U.S. self-interest in the attractive garb of idealism.“[165]

   But Wilson soon had to discover that his ideals were poised to remain ideals. The allied powers did not want the Americans, who had only just entered the conflict, to determine, what they had to fight for. The British were not interested in adhering to the freedom of the seas if that meant having to give up their dominant position on the oceans. And neither Britain nor France had any intention to apply the principle of self-determination to their colonies or concede to them democracy.      The Allies were dependent on them as purveyors of resources and outlet for their surplus production. No, the war had already ruined them financially, and they did not want to let Wilson ruin their imperialistic pride as well. As Wilson came to realize this difference, he had the United States enter the war as an ‘Associated’ power instead of an ally to separate the nation from the more restorative British and French.[166]

   The United States’ vast industrial potential helped to have war production easily run along the production for civil needs. Nevertheless, the first U.S. troops to see combat only came to the front in France in December 1917. But by May 1918, Ame- rican troops were rushing in and decisively helped push the frontlines eastward. In November 1918 the Germans had to sign a ceasefire. The First World War had ended at the cost of 53,402 American casualties.[167]

   In early November 1917 a new form of internationalism emerged that was to di- rectly challenge the liberal Wilsonian approach and the conflict which would largely shape the course of history as well as U.S. foreign policy.[168]  The Russian people as well as the army had suffered enough from the war as to support those who pledged to end it. On November 7, 1917 the radical socialists or Bolshevists led by Vladimir I. Lenin, whom the Germans had brought back into the country seized power. They immediately began the distribution of land to the peasants, nationa- lized banks and factories and confiscated church property. Their call for world revo- lution - based on the principle of self-determination - aimed at repeating this radical program all over the world. Worldwide revolution - a Wilsonian nightmare!
Militarily he followed Britain and France in sending several thousand troops into Russia in July 1918 to support opposition forces at Vladivostok and Murmansk, who stayed until 1920 but did not achieve a reversal of the events.[169]
 

   Politically and ideologically, Wilson answered the socialist challenge by stating a more precise  and more liberal version of the American war objectives: the Fourteen Points which proclaimed that „all the peoples of the world are in effect partners in this interest, and for our own part we see very clearly that unless justice be done to others it will not be done to us.“[170]  These demands included territorial restora- tion and new regulation of Europe along „clearly recognizable lines of nationality“ respecting the principle of self-determination as well as such universalistic princi- ples as ‘open’ diplomacy, freedom of the seas in peace and in war, the removal of trade barriers and a worldwide Open-Door, disarmament, an impartial adjustment of colonies regarding the interests of the colonized people and finally the establish- ment of a ‘general association of nations’ to provide for the peaceful settlement
of conflicts and to guarantee the independence and territorial integrity of its mem- bers.[171]

   Wilson now had clearly visualized how he wanted the world made safe for democracy.
If only the whole world adhered to these American principles, liberty, stability and peace would reign. But how to convince the world of these ideals?