US intervention in WWI

Tim Brown strongly disagrees with Rosa de Pena over US intervention in World War I: "It is hard to know where to begin in the face of such incredible distortions of the realities of history. Rosa de Pena has history backwards. Does she really oppose freeing captive nations in the name of peace? The United States caused World War I, but its actions after the war ended, is guilty of causing the Russian Revolution and World War II, and is on the verge of causing World War III. Does she really believe we should have sat quietly by while Germany conquered Russia? Does she really believe it was Wilson who forced the Europeans against their will to break up the Austro-Hungarian empire and that neither Austria nor Hungary should be independent nations today? Does she honestly believe that, had it not been for US meddling, the Soviet Union would not have tried to stage a world revolution? Does she honestly believe that had it not been for the United States Europe's appeasement of Hitler would have kept him from invading France? And it thought I was a contrarian! This version of history is so audacious it literally takes my breath away. It paints this country as an omnipotent and omniscient Satanic power whose every action invariably and deliberately causes disasters which others cannot stop despite their obviously superior wisdom because we have been the world's dominant power since the 1910s. Therefore, we must heed Europe's collective wisdom, stop the war and let Saddam Hussein go on about his business in peace, lest we cause World War III. Please!!!!"

RH: I suggest that both Tim Brown and Rosa de Pena write textbooks about world history since 1900. They would be excellent contributions to our history textbook project.

Ronald Hilton - 4/6/03