Should the Us Have Joined the Allies Before 1917?

Although many Americans wanted to stay out of the war, several factors made America neutrality difficult to maintain. As an industrial and imperial power, the United States felt many of the same pressures that had led the nations of Europe into a devastating warfare. There are four long-term causes of WWI. These are nationalism, imperialism militarism, and the formation of the system of alliance. Nationalism is a devotion to the interests and culture of one's nation. Often nationalism would lead to competitive and antagonistic rivalries among nations. Imperialism is the policy of extending a nation's authority over other countries by economic, political, or military means. Militarism is the policy of building up armed forces in aggressive preparedness for war and their use as a tool of diplomacy. This was the affect of the growth of nationalism and imperialism. Each nation wanted a stronger armed force than those of the potential enemy so therefore the policy of militarism was followed. By 1907, there were two major defense alliances in Europe. The Triple Entente, later known as the Allies, consisted of France, Britain, and Russia. The Triple Alliance consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. In October 1914, President Wilson allowed a $500 million dollar U.S. loan to the Triple Entente. As a neutral nation, the U.S. eventually loaned the Triple Entente $2.3 billion. U.S. loans to the Triple Alliance were only $27 million. I believe that the U.S. should've joined the allies in the post World War One. America would have been one step ahead and would have helped our economy as well as the countries of the allies. Our support would have made it possible to help British impression in Ireland and we could've used the war as a chance for Ireland to gain its independence. In addition, Since the U.S. was experiencing a labor shortage starting in 1915 due to trading goods with Britain and France, if we joined the allies "before" 1917,