In arguing for U.S. entry into World War I, Wilson asserted that America’s rights as a neutral had been violated and that which principle should prevail?

In arguing for U.S. entry into World War I, Wilson asserted that America’s rights as a neutral had been violated and that which principle should prevail?

• A. Democracy promotion through intervention
• B. Total isolationism
• C. Economic expansion
• D. Colonial expansion

Answer: (B)

Defending neutral rights and promoting democracy through intervention. Wilson framed the issue around theRights of neutral nations being violated by Germany’s submarine warfare, and he tied those violations to a larger goal: that a world governed by democracies, where governments reflect the consent of the governed, would be safer and more just. Because the justification for U.S. entry rests on defending neutral rights while advancing democratic principles, the principle that should prevail is democracy promotion through intervention—the idea that the United States should take action to support and shape a international order that allows self-government to flourish. The other options diverge from that motive: isolationism would keep the United States out of war, and economic or colonial expansion misalign with the moral-political rationale Wilson emphasized.

Defending neutral rights and promoting democracy through intervention. Wilson framed the issue around theRights of neutral nations being violated by Germany’s submarine warfare, and he tied those violations to a larger goal: that a world governed by democracies, where governments reflect the consent of the governed, would be safer and more just. Because the justification for U.S. entry rests on defending neutral rights while advancing democratic principles, the principle that should prevail is democracy promotion through intervention—the idea that the United States should take action to support and shape a international order that allows self-government to flourish. The other options diverge from that motive: isolationism would keep the United States out of war, and economic or colonial expansion misalign with the moral-political rationale Wilson emphasized.