American involvement in World War I was not primarily the result of American bankers protecting their wartime loans and profits, but rather the need to safeguard democracy after the major events in Europe, the United States' failure to remain a neutral country and the conflicting problems between the United States and numerous European countries leading up to the war.
<Tab/>There were many causes of World War I. The first cause was the Alliance System. Europe was divided into two armed camps. In 1870, France went to war with the Prussians (Germans), but Napoleon II lost. As part of their treaty the Germans would receive Alsace and Lorraine. The French, upset about the loss of the war, were determined to recapture their lost territory. From 1870 on, France and Germany began an arms race and gradually formed their own alliances for the next war. …
