Abandoning American Neutrality

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-x

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • M. Ryan Floyd

   Pages 1-6

3. “An Awful Cataclysm”

   • M. Ryan Floyd

   Pages 7-30

4. “An Exceedingly Tender Spot”

   • M. Ryan Floyd

   Pages 31-52

5. “We Are at Peace with the World”

   • M. Ryan Floyd

   Pages 53-72

6. “As a Friend to All of Them”

   • M. Ryan Floyd

   Pages 73-95

7. “Twittering of a Sparrow”

   • M. Ryan Floyd

   Pages 97-120

8. “The Palliations of Piracy”

   • M. Ryan Floyd

   Pages 121-147

9. “The Shadow of War”

   • M. Ryan Floyd

   Pages 149-171

10. “He Has Thus Crossed the Rubicon”

    • M. Ryan Floyd

    Pages 173-188

11. Conclusion

    • M. Ryan Floyd

    Pages 189-193

12. Back Matter

    Pages 195-251

    PDF

During the first 18 months of World War I, Woodrow Wilson sought to maintain American neutrality, but as this carefully argued study shows, it was ultimately an unsustainable stance. The tension between Wilson's idealism and pragmatism ultimately drove him to abandon neutrality, paving the way for America's entrance into the war in 1917.

• Anglo-American
• 5327
• Britain
• Europe
• peace
• Woodrow Wilson
• World War I

'Through its careful study of US trade, Floyd's book refocuses Woodrow Wilson's abandonment of US neutrality during World War I onto economic factors. It is an enlightening and well researched contribution.' - Emily S. Rosenberg, editor, A World Connecting, 1870-1945

'Abandoning American Neutrality is a profound and ultimately chilling portrait of a president who thought his rhetorical gifts could make fatally conflicting goals somehow coexist.' - Thomas Fleming, author of The Illusion of Victory: America in World War I

'Floyd's book will be particularly appealing to a wide audience because it is well written - he presents his narrative in a logical and clear manner that engages the reader. He also shows an impressive command of primary sources, including those from Great Britain. This book deals with an important and timely topic.' - Ross Kennedy, Associate Professor, Department of History, Illinois State University, USA

M. Ryan Floyd is Assistant Professor in the Department of History and Philosophy at Lander University, USA.

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