Part 2 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 America's entry into World War I, framing it as a pivotal and controversial decision that transformed the nation. The episode begins by contrasting the widespread American desire for neutrality in 1914–1915, symbolized by the popular song 'I Didn't Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier,' with the eventual U.S. involvement in 1917. Host Michael Medved traces the shift through a combination of economic interests, British propaganda, German submarine warfare, and political maneuvering. Key turning points include the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915, which sparked outrage but did not immediately lead to war, and the German decision in January 1917 to resume unrestricted submarine warfare—made at Pless Castle—despite warnings from Chancellor Bethmann-Holweg that it would bring America into the conflict. President Woodrow Wilson, initially committed to neutrality and re-elected on the slogan 'He kept us out of war,' ultimately faced a crisis when Germany’s actions forced a reckoning. The episode argues that Wilson’s moral stance on neutral rights, combined with growing economic ties to the Allies and American preparedness campaigns, created the conditions for war, even as the public remained largely opposed. The narrative culminates in the idea that America’s greatest mistake may not have been entering the war, but allowing it to be driven by foreign decisions and elite calculations rather than democratic will. The episode delivers several powerful takeaways: First, public sentiment in the U.S. was overwhelmingly anti-war until the final decision was made; second, economic interests and propaganda played a decisive role in shaping policy; third, the fateful decision to resume unrestricted submarine warfare was made in Germany, not Washington, highlighting how global events can override national sovereignty; fourth, Wilson’s re-election campaign was built on neutrality, yet he entered war just months after being sworn in; and fifth, the episode warns that when leaders claim to act in defense of 'neutral rights' while ignoring the realities of warfare, they risk sacrificing both peace and principle. The tone is reflective and cautionary, blending historical analysis with moral inquiry, and ultimately positions the U.S. entry into WWI as a complex, tragic, and avoidable turning point in American history.