Part 1 of 3. World War 1. The Great War or America’s Greatest Mistake. The Michael Medved Show Special.

This special episode of The Michael Medved Show examines the centennial of World War I, questioning whether America's entry into the conflict was a historic mistake. Host Michael Medved argues that the war, far from being 'the war to end all wars,' was a catastrophic tragedy that reshaped the 20th century with unprecedented bloodshed—over 20 million dead—and caused a massive expansion of federal power and spending. Despite initial American opposition and a strong desire to remain neutral, the U.S. entered the war in 1917 under President Woodrow Wilson, whose personality, religious fervor, and political inexperience played a pivotal role. Medved dissects Wilson’s complex psyche—his self-righteousness, isolationism, and emotional dependency—while tracing how economic interests, the British naval blockade, and the erosion of neutrality through loans to the Allies gradually pulled America into the conflict. The episode contrasts the moral clarity of World War II with the murky, imperialistic motivations behind WWI, emphasizing that no side in the war represented pure evil. Through dramatic historical anecdotes, including the personal correspondence between Kaiser Wilhelm and Tsar Nicholas, and the infamous typo that nearly derailed Wilson’s second marriage, Medved paints a portrait of a war born from misjudged alliances and a president who saw himself as a messianic figure destined to reshape the world.