Q&A · 29:56-46:44

Theodore Roosevelt and earlier American entry into the First World War

Earlier American intervention after Lusitania could reinforce the Grand Fleet, relieve Allied financial pressure, and change the prospects for peace.

Question

How would the First World War and later naval treaties change if Theodore Roosevelt won a fourth term?

Short answer

Roosevelt would probably intervene after Lusitania, reinforce the Allied war effort, and resist naval treaty limits. An earlier negotiated peace is a possible outcome.

Notes

In this counterfactual, Roosevelt treats American deaths aboard Lusitania as grounds for entering the war in 1915 and commits substantial forces. American battleships could join the Grand Fleet before Jutland, while older units strengthen the Mediterranean. Earlier American troops and credit would increase pressure on Germany and reduce the financial strain on Britain and France. Additional support could also strengthen Russia's war effort and its government. A negotiated peace during 1917 is one projected outcome, although the ease of reaching that settlement and its political consequences remain disputed. Roosevelt's appetite for naval power also makes the familiar postwar treaty order unlikely.