American History Series: President Wilson Helps Negotiate an End to World War

27 October 2010

A poster for selling liberty bonds shows Uncle Sam with a truck full of citizens holding bonds under a sign saying "To Berlin"

BOB DOUGHTY: Welcome to THE MAKING OF A NATION – American history in VOA Special English.

This week in our series, Larry West and Maurice Joyce continue the story of President Woodrow Wilson and American involvement in World War One.

LARRY WEST: Nineteen eighteen was the final year of the most terrible war the world had ever known. But World War One did not end quickly or easily. The German Army made a final effort to defeat the Allies. The United States had entered the conflict. And Germany wanted a victory before large numbers of American troops could get to Europe.

Germany's effort became easier after it signed a peace treaty with the new Bolshevik government in Russia. The treaty made it possible for Germany to use all its forces against the Allies on its western border. In the end, however, Germany's plan failed.

Allied troops pushed back the German attack in a series of bloody battles. The addition of American soldiers greatly increased Allied strength.

MAURICE JOYCE: The leader of American forces in Europe was General John J. Pershing. General Pershing used a weapon new to the world of war: air power.

Airplanes were used first simply as 'eyes in the sky'. They discovered enemy positions so ground artillery could fire at them. Then they were used as fighter planes. They carried guns to shoot down other planes. Finally, planes were built big enough to carry bombs.