Today marks the 100th anniversary of the US entry into WW1. Political outrage over German U-boats sinking U.S. merchant ships, coupled with the release of the text of the Zimmermann Telegram pushed public opinion to support U.S. entry into war. It would be over a year before Pershing would start the 100 Day offensive that lead to the end of hostilities. The Great War to End All Wars would forever change our nation and redraw boundaries all over the world. In many ways it was the start of the world we call modern.
On April 2, 1917 Woodrow Wilson asked a joint session of Congress for a declaration of war against Germany. Wilson felt that he could no longer seek “Peace without Victory”. It would be many months before the U.S. was ready to join the fight, but when that happened the war’s end was not far off.
It is well for us to remember that after the war feelings of a future dystopia were prevalent arose from the carnage. The people saw a future where machines invented to serve humanity instead destroy it. Many particularly in Europe felt that the aftermath of the war only made the world worse. Some of this is evident in post war fiction.
I remember the 100th anniversary of the US Civil War. I knew and spoke to people who had known and spoken with Civil War veterans. It seems that the world changed more from the 1860’s to the 1960’s than it has from 1917 to 2017. I expect that the changes will be even less for the period 1940 to 2040. But perhaps we will finally see the flying cars of science fiction.
Here is a taste of music I associate with the period, Ralph Vaughn Williams — The Lark Ascending:
And another that I associate with the War; Edward Elgar’s OP 47.