（自分メモ）WWI なぜアメリカは中立を守っていたのか

Behold, America: The Entangled History of

Sarah Churchwell 

先ほど紹介した本を読んで「なるほど」と思ったところ。本のメインテーマとは離れていますが、どうして第一次世界大戦が開戦してからアメリカが中立を守っていたのかを書いているところ。

Western Europe was a full year into the Great War, while the United States remained neutral. Although public sentiment veered strongly towards protecting fellow neutral nations like Belgium from German occupation, many Americans viewed the conflict as an imperialist quarrel between two equally unsympathetic foes. Despite a strong animus against what was widely perceived as a baldly nationalist venture by Kaiser Wilhelm, there was plenty of anti-British sentiment to balance that out. The sun had not yet set on the British Empire, and it was not at all clear to many Americans why they should support the nation they had fought so hard (and within the memory of living people’s grandparents) to overthrow. Irish-Americans in particular were outraged at the idea of an allegiance with Britain, as most of them had emigrated to America to escape conditions created by British rule, an offence that only deepened after the British government's brutal response to the 1916 Easter Rising. Neutrality also meant hat US citizens could contribute relief to victims in war zones, and the nation gave generously.

Yutaは素朴にもっとアメリカが早く参戦してくれていたら被害も少なく戦争が終わったかもしれないのにと思っていたんですが、アメリカはアメリカでいろいろな思いがあったようです。帝国主義者同士の戦いでしょという冷めた見方もなるほどですし、イギリスと戦って独立を勝ち取ったのですから、なぜイギリスの肩を持つのかという気持ちもわからないではないですし、アイルランド系のアメリカ人にしたら母国を弾圧していた国ですから反発も強いでしょう。