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德国潜艇的攻击迫使威尔逊让美国参加第一次世界

在美国1916年总统大选中，一个主要问题就是战争。欧洲是第一次世界大战的中心，这是一场迄今以来世界上最血腥的战争。绝大多数美国人不想介入欧洲的纷争之中，他们支持他们政府的政策，即保持中立。正是这一愿望使得伍德罗.威尔逊赢得连任。人们把选票投给威尔逊是希望他能够继续让美国保持在战争之外。本周，我们继续向你讲述伍德罗.威尔逊的执政故事。

和绝大多数美国人一样，威尔逊也不想让美国加入战争之中，他担心加入世界大战会使许多美国人失去生命。威尔逊读到许多来自欧洲战场的报告，这些消息真的让人难以相信的可怕，到1916年底，已经有数百万人在战争中阵亡、受伤和被俘。在凡尔登（Verdun）战役中法国军队阻止了德军的进攻，但双方都付出了惨重的代价，大约有70万人阵亡、受伤和被俘。在随后的索姆（Somme）战役中，英军在第一天的交战中就损失了六万人，到整个战役结束，双方共伤亡一百多万人。

同样，德国在东线战场上与俄罗斯对阵，共损失了一百多万人。

就在美国举行1916年总统选举的同时，德国似乎正在赢得整个战争的胜利，德国损失是相当惊人的，但他的敌人――协约国的损失更为惨重。德国已经占领法国北部和几乎整个比利时，德国和奥地利的士兵还占领着俄罗斯、意大利、罗马尼亚和塞尔维亚的一部分，德国在战场上正在一步步取得胜利。而协约国则在海上取得胜利，英国封锁了德国几乎所有的贸易通道，即使是食品补给船也被封锁，结果，德国面临严重的饥饿，它迫切需要打破海上封锁，以便获得食品。

这种形势最终迫使德国下定了决心，而恰恰是由于德国的这个决心，促使美国加入了战争。德国的决定是利用它的潜艇来打破英国的封锁。德国潜艇将攻击任何到英国和欧洲其他地方的船只，这包括来自美国等中立国家的船只。早先，德国对美国有承诺，德国许诺在未事先警告的情况下，不会向民用船只发动袭击，并确保民用船上人员的安全。现在德国撤销他对美国的承诺，它说，无限制的潜艇战立即开始。德国皇帝威廉说：“如果威尔逊想要参加战争，那就让他来好了，它会得到报应的。”

威尔逊总统立即中断了美国与德国的外交关系，但他仍然不希望美国和德国两国处于战争状态，他将决定权交给了德国：如果德国潜艇击沉美国船只的话，那么威尔逊除了宣布向德国开战外别无选择。许多美国航运公司都担心受到德国潜艇的攻击，在整个1917年初，他们都停留在港口没有出航，他们需要保护。所以，他们要求武装他们的船只。刚开始，威尔逊总统并没有向国会寻求许诺武装民船，因为他不想采取任何促使德国向美国宣战的行动。然而，后来他收到一封来自英国的密信，英国的情报人员得到了一封德国外交部长发给其驻墨西哥大使的电报，该电报说，德国将对美国采取敌对行动。于是威尔逊立即采取行动，他开始把枪炮和士兵安放到美国的贸易船上，他开始武装美国的民船了。

很快，悲剧发生了，就在几天之内，一艘德国潜艇击沉了一艘没有任何武装的民船－－阿尔冈琴号（Algonquin），随后有三百多艘美国贸易船被击沉，许多人因此丧生。威尔逊总统在和平与战争问题上再也没有选择了，这就是战争！威尔逊呼吁国会召开特别会议，国会参众两院议员都聚集在一个会议室内，当威尔逊总统快速步入会议室时，他们全体起立。威尔逊总统站在那平息了一会，随后他发表讲话，以下就是他所说的：

“我完全清楚我所要采取的行动的严重性，我建议国会宣布，德国政府最近所采取的行动，实质上是对美国宣战。”

“让热爱和平的人民投入战争是一件非常可怕的事情，但正义比和平更加珍贵，我们为之战斗的是我们一直所珍爱的事物――民主、权利和各小国家的自由，以及将全世界自由人民团结起来将和平和安全带给世界各国。”

威尔逊总统那激情的演说，让许多议员都流下了眼泪，他们觉得威尔逊总统的请求是极其严肃认真的。当威尔逊总统离开国会大厦返回白宫时，国会大厦外面街道两旁的人群向威尔逊总统欢呼。威尔逊总统坐在车中，悲伤地摇摇头，他说：“好好想一想，他们所欢呼的是什么，我今天所发表的演说，带给我们年轻人的是死亡的信息，而他们却如此地欢呼。”1917年4月6日，国会批准了对德开战的宣言。

协约国，即英国、法国和俄罗斯欢迎美国参战。这场战争对于协约国而言越来越糟糕，他们已经损失了大量的军队、金钱和物资。协约国的军舰正遭受德国潜艇越来越严重的攻击，损失惨重。英国海上封锁极大地减少了德国的食品供应，现在，英国自己也面临严重的食品短缺。协约国代表前往华盛顿，向美国解释他们需要什么。他们需要补给，特别是食品，这非常紧急。他们还需要金钱，以便购买补给物资，他们需要船舶，以便将物资从美国运往欧洲，他们还需要美国的士兵。

威尔逊总统和国会共同合作，将整个国家投入到战争之中。国会赋予威尔逊新的战时权力，他很快就成立了一个委员会来建造船只、提高工业生产和控制全国的运输；他成立了一个农业机构，以便增加食品生产和食品出口；他成立了一个信息委员会，以便获得广大民众对打战的支持。威尔逊的这些努力取得了成功。协约国很快就从美国那获得了他们所需要的船只、补给物资和资金，更为重要的是他们很快就得到了美国士兵。

协约国军方领导人说，他们大约只需要五十万美国军队即可，但美国决定组建更为庞大的军队规模。不久，大量的美军越过大西洋来到欧洲，他们将在欧洲西部战场与德国作战。协约国所获得的这支新生力量将在击败德国时扮演极为重要的角色。欲知后事如何，请看下周分解。

简评：

假如，德国信守承诺，不对美国民用船只发动攻击，那么美国就真的不会参加第一次世界大战吗？

假如，德国信守承诺，利用其占领大片俄罗斯、法国、比利时、意大利等国领土，难道就不能获得他所需要的食品吗？

假如，美国仍然与德国保持贸易往来，那么英国会攻击美国驶往德国的船只吗？如果攻击，美国会作什么样的反应呢？因为美国已经表示保持中立，愿意与交战双方进行贸易往来。

因此，我在想，美国之所以参战，绝非德国攻击其民船那么简单，而是美国有意为自己参战寻找更好的借口，而德国恰好中了美国的计策。

我想，德国攻击美国船只真正的原因是：美国通过船只大量地援助协约国，特别是英国，而有意地不与德国进行贸易往来，就是进行贸易往来，由于受到英国的阻拦而中止。美国明的是没有参战，而实际上，通过大规模地援助协约国而真正地参战。这就极大地激怒了德国，因此，德国才会不惜一切要攻击美国的船只。

我想，这与第二次世界大战美国参战的情形，是否有很大的相似性呢？

German Sub Attacks Push Wilson Into War

The German submarine U-36 near the ship Batavia V in April 1915大战1915年4月德国潜艇U－36号靠近巴达维亚五号船只

There was one main issue in America's presidential election of nineteen sixteen. That issue was war. Europe was in the middle of what is now remembered as World War One. It was the bloodiest conflict the world had ever known. Most Americans wanted no part of the struggle in Europe. They supported their country's official position -- neutrality. This desire was the main reason President Woodrow Wilson won re-election. People gave Wilson their votes because they hoped he would continue to keep America out of the war. This week in our series, we tell more about the presidency of Woodrow Wilson.　

Like most Americans, Woodrow Wilson did not want war. He feared that entering the conflict would cost the United States many lives. Wilson read the reports from European battlefields. The news was unbelievably terrible. By the end of nineteen sixteen, several million men had been killed, wounded, or captured. At the Battle of Verdun, French forces stopped a German attack. The cost was high on both sides. More than seven hundred thousand soldiers were killed, wounded, or captured. The Battle of the Somme followed. Britain lost sixty thousand men on the first day. By the time the battle was over, losses for both sides totaled more than a million.　

Trench warfare during World War I　第一次世界大战的战壕

Germany also was at war on its eastern border, with Russia. Losses on that battlefront, too, totaled more than a million men.　

At the time of America's presidential election in nineteen sixteen, Germany seemed to be winning the war. Its losses were terrible. But the losses of its enemies -- The Allies -- were even worse. German forces occupied much of northern France and almost all of Belgium. German and Austrian soldiers also held parts of Russia, Italy, Romania, and Serbia. Germany was winning on the battlefield. The Allies were winning at sea. A British blockade cut off almost all German trade with the rest of the world. Even food shipments were blocked. As a result, Germany faced mass starvation. It urgently needed to break the blockade and get food.　

This situation finally forced Germany to make the decision that would bring the United States into the war. It decided to use its submarines to break the British blockade. The submarines would attack any ships that came near Britain or other parts of Europe. This included ships from neutral countries, like the United States. Earlier, Germany had made a promise to the United States. Its submarines would not attack civilian ships unless warning was given and the lives of those on the ships were saved. Now Germany was withdrawing that promise. It said unrestricted submarine warfare would begin immediately. German ruler Kaiser Wilhelm said: "If Wilson wants war, let him make it, and let him then have it."　　

President Wilson immediately broke diplomatic relations with Germany. He still hoped the two nations would not go to war. He left that decision to Germany. If German submarines sank American ships, Wilson would have no choice but to declare war. Most American shipping companies feared attack by German submarines. Throughout the early part of nineteen seventeen, they kept their ships in home ports. They wanted protection. So they asked for permission to arm their ships. At first, President Wilson refused to seek such permission from Congress. He did not want to do anything that might cause Germany to declare war. Then he received secret news from Britain. British agents had gotten a copy of a telegram from Germany's foreign minister to Germany's ambassador in Mexico. The telegram said Germany was planning hostile acts against the United States. Wilson acted quickly. He began putting guns and sailors on American trade ships.　

It did not take long for the worst to happen. Within days, a German submarine sank an unarmed American ship, the Algonquin. Then three more American ships were sunk. Many lives were lost. President Wilson no longer had a choice between war and peace. There would be war. Wilson called a special session of Congress. Members of both the Senate and House of Representatives gathered in one room. They stood as the president walked quickly to the front. He stood silent for a moment before speaking. This is what he said:　

'I fully understanding the serious step I am taking, I advise that the Congress declare the recent acts of the German government to be, in fact, nothing less than war against the United States.

President Woodrow Wilson asks Congress to declare war on Germany in April 1917　1917年4月，威尔逊总统要求国会对德宣战

"It is a fearful thing to lead this great peaceful people into war. But right is more precious than peace. And we will fight for the things which we have always carried nearest our hearts -- for democracy, for the rights and liberties of small nations, and for the belief that a worldwide union of free people can bring peace and safety to all nations."　

President Wilson's emotional speech brought tears to the eyes of many of the lawmakers. They felt the great seriousness of his request. Outside, crowds lined the street to cheer Wilson as he returned to the White House from the Capitol Building. He sat in his car and shook his head sadly. "Think of what it is they are cheering," he said. "My message today was a message of death for our young men. How strange it seems they would cheer that." On April sixth, nineteen seventeen, Congress approved a declaration of war against Germany.　

The Allies -- Britain, France and Russia -- welcomed American involvement. The war was going badly for them. It had been very costly in lives, money, and supplies. Allied shipping was suffering heavy losses from German submarine attacks. A British naval blockade had greatly reduced food shipments to Germany. Now, Britain itself faced dangerously low supplies of food. Allied representatives went to Washington to explain what The Allies needed. They needed supplies -- especially food -- immediately. They needed money to pay for the supplies. They needed ships to get the supplies from America to Europe. And they needed American soldiers.　

President Wilson and Congress worked together to organize the United States for war. Congress gave Wilson new wartime powers. He soon formed a council to build ships, improve industrial production, and control national transportation. He formed an agricultural agency to increase food production and food exports. And he formed an information committee to build public support for the war. Wilson's efforts succeeded. The Allies quickly got the ships, supplies, and money they requested. Most important, they soon got American soldiers.　

Allied military leaders said only about a half-million troops were needed from the United States. But American officials decided to build a much larger army. Before long, large numbers of American soldiers were crossing the Atlantic Ocean. They would fight the Germans at the western battlefronts of Europe. The extra strength they gave the Allies would play a major part in helping defeat Germany. That will be our story next week.　

http://www.21voa.com/path.asp?url=/201010/se-nation-158-woodrow-wilson-part-4-14-oct-10.mp3