The World Remade: America in World War I

by G.J. Meyer

After years of bitter debate, the United States declared war on Imperial Germany on April 6, 1917, plunging the country into the savage European conflict that would redraw the map of the continent—and the globe. The World Remade is an engrossing chronicle of America’s pivotal, still controversial intervention into World War I, encompassing the tumultuous politics and towering historical figures that defined the era and forged the future. When it declared war, the United States was the youngest of the major powers and militarily the weakest by far. On November 11, 1918, when the fighting stopped, it was not only the richest country on earth but the mightiest.

With the mercurial, autocratic President Woodrow Wilson as a primary focus, G. J. Meyer takes readers from the heated deliberations over U.S. involvement, through the provocations and manipulations that drew us into the fight, to the battlefield itself and the shattering aftermath of the struggle. America’s entry into the Great War helped make possible the defeat of Germany that had eluded Britain, France, Russia, and Italy in three and a half years of horrendous carnage. Victory, in turn, led to a peace treaty so ill-conceived, so vindictive, that the world was put on the road to an even bloodier confrontation a mere twenty years later.

On the home front, Meyer recounts the break-up of traditional class structures, the rise of the progressive and labor movements, the wave of anti-German hysteria, and the explosive expansion of both the economy and federal power, including shocking suspensions of constitutional protections that planted the seeds of today’s national security state. Here also are revealing portraits of Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Cabot Lodge, Robert La Follette, Eugene Debs, and John J. “Black Jack” Pershing, among others, as well as European leaders such as “Welsh Wizard” David Lloyd George of Britain, “Tiger” Georges Clemenceau of France, and Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany.

Meyer interweaves the many strands of his story into a gripping narrative that casts new light on one of the darkest, most forgotten corners of U.S. history. In the grand tradition of his earlier work A World Undone—which centered on the European perspective—The World Remade adds a new, uniquely American dimension to our understanding of the seminal conflict of the twentieth century.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War I, American History, Audiobook, Politics, War

688 pages, Hardcover

First published March 7, 2017

About the author

G. J. Meyer is a former Woodrow Wilson Fellow with an M.A. in English literature from the University of Minnesota, a onetime journalist, and holder of Harvard University’s Neiman Fellowship in Journalism. He has taught at colleges and universities in Des Moines, St. Louis, and New York. His books include A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, Executive Blues, and The Memphis Murders, winner of an Edgar Award for nonfiction from the Mystery Writers of America. He lives in Goring-on-Thames, England. (source)

Reviews

[Jay Schutt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I may be copping out on a proper review here, but to put it simply, there is a lot going on in this book. I prefer doing short reviews. This book, a follow-up to the author's excellent first book about WWI, "A World Undone", is all you want as far as information about what was going on in the U.S. and Europe during that period in history both before war broke out and the chaos of trying to form a peaceful Europe afterward.
These two books of Meyer's were my first foray into learning about W.W.I and he did a great job of making sense of it all. I learned so much about the governmental workings and about President Woodrow Wilson, in particular. He was not the man I had imagined him to be.
What transpired after the war was over had a great deal to do with the coming of W.W.II some twenty years later.
I highly recommend reading both of Meyer's books.

[David Eppenstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book over 3 years ago and wrote a rather lengthy review of it at that time. It was probably the best book I read in 2017. I recently discovered that my review disappeared without explanation or reason. My attempts to discover the reasons were without success as GR couldn’t explain it either and a search for it was fruitless. After all this time trying to replicate that review would be futile but I will attempt to give my best shot to a new review though I expect to have forgotten many of the book’s good points

Back in 2014 I realized that that year marked the 100th anniversary of the start of WWI. I knew a little about that war but not a lot and thought it only appropriate to correct that deficiency so I sought a good book on the subject. I found A World Undone by G.J. Meyer. I had read this author before and was especially impressed with his biography of the Borgia pope, Alexander, as it exploded a number of historic myths about this man and his notorious family. This WWI book seemed to fit my needs so I bought and read it. Following the publication of that book the author wrote The World Remade which is about how the U.S. got involved in WWI. I expected this might be a good book but I hesitated to purchase it. His first book was so good and thorough I just couldn’t imagine what could be left in his treatment that would justify another book. Maybe it was that curiosity that motivated my purchase so I did buy it and it was jaw dropping in its revelations.

First, the book has little to do with the actual combat involvement of American troops in WWI and is not at all a further history of the war. What it is is really how President Wilson was played by our European allies in order to gain access to more bodies to throw at the Germans. To a great extent it is a very unflattering biography of Woodrow Wilson and the details of this man and his character will probably shock the reader in their similarities to our present and soon to be former president. The significant difference between Wilson and DJT is that Wilson was in fact intelligent and should have known better and been more cautious in his judgment and decisions. The most unfortunate thing about Wilson was his belief that he was destined by God to bring peace to Europe and he was ideally situated to have been successful in this belief if he had only been more skeptical and cynical in his dealings with England and France.

The allies and Germany were on the edge of financial ruin because of the war. The allies needed the U.S. for fresh troops and financial support or they were likely to be unable to continue. Had Wilson been able to recognize this he could have dictated a peace without involving further bloodshed but he was naive and a fool which is not surprising considering the level of his arrogance.

There was a great deal more in this book that will shock the reader and it has to do with our evolution from an isolationist country to rabid nationalism and anti-German bigotry. This nationalism was used to persecute anything and anybody that even hinted at being less than 100% pro-American. Consequently, immigrants, unions,and free speech all suffered severely and the persecution and prosecutions were all upheld and supported by the courts. In fact legislation justifying the government’s actions is still valid and on the books today. Wilson was successful in doing things our out-going president could only have dreamed about. I consider this book to be one that should be read by all Americans as it proves that we cannot take our freedoms for granted and must be vigilant in protecting them. What has happened in this country recently has happened before as this book illustrates. We didn’t learn from it and the history has come back to punish our ignorance.

[CoachJim · Rating 5 out of 5]

The First World War, boys
It came and it went
The reason for fighting
I never did get
But I learned to accept it
Accept it with pride
For you don't count the dead
When God's on your side
From With God On Our Side by Bob Dylan

It is so easy to speak of a million deaths, so hard to get one’s mind around the reality behind the number. A million. A million violent deaths. Of young and youngish men, the fittest their nations could muster. Men — many of them boys— with parents and sweethearts, wives and children. With lives to live, and futures.

By the start of 1917 the Great War had claimed a million lives three or four times over.
The World Remade by G. J. Meyer (page 313)

It is difficult to imagine that this was a war no one wanted, but no one would make any effort to stop, and that this was happening in “civilized Europe” with its culture and history. But most of all it is difficult to imagine that with the magnitude of deaths and no obvious end that it continued to consume more and more lives.

It is said that war is too important to be left to Generals. At the beginning as the politicians and diplomats failed with their feeble efforts to find a solution, the power began flowing away from the political to the military.

This is the companion book to A World Undone by this author. I read and reviewed that book earlier and much of the praise I had for that book applies to this one as well. Undone dealt with the European side of the war, whereas this book deals more with the American politics. Neither book deals with much of the military campaigns, although many of the battles are mentioned.

Again this book alternated chapters of sequential reporting of the events with Background chapters, which are short historical essays about many diverse current topics. Some of the more interesting ones were:

-an essay about the labor movements. Here are concise descriptions of the AFL, led by Samuel Gompers, which gave unreserved support for Wilson’s war; the socialists, led by Eugene V. Debs; and the Industrial Workers of the World, or the IWW or Wobblies, led by Big Bill Haywood.

-a brief history of the Suffrage Movement and some of its leaders and its diverse organizations. The objections to this movement are noted, but the most telling is that of Wilson’s second wife, Edith Galt Wilson, “who as a demure southern lady found the suffragettes repulsive.”

-a timely history of the Spanish Flu Influenza. The next history book I intend to read is The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History by John M. Barry. That and some books on the current COVID pandemic made this chapter interesting and especially relevant.

-there is also a chapter describing the “Lost Generation” that was a collection of American expatriates best symbolized by Ernest Hemingway. This chapter contains the quote that they saw this war as a “tragedy, a waste, a prolonged act of folly that had accomplished less than nothing at a cost beyond anyone’s ability to reckon.”

In this book we are also introduced to John “Blackjack” Pershing and Douglas MacArthur. Although both are depicted as hungry for glory at the expense of their combat troops, Pershing does deserve credit for refusing the plans of the British and French to use American troops as more fodder for their meat grinder. We see MacArthur as leading from the front — he himself faced the enemy, something that will not happen in WWII.

However, the major focus of this book is on Woodrow Wilson, his presidency and his management of this war. As a young man his Presbyterian father, the Reverend Dr. Wilson, created in him an extreme neediness and insatiable craving for approval. He also developed a desire to be a great statesman. These characteristics would permeate his presidency.

The story also involves Colonel Edward House who becomes Wilson’s devoted advisor. It is the observations by House that he reveals in his papers that the key to any relationship with Wilson was to never disagree. “The president would reject not only the contrary opinion but the person who offered it.” Wilson had a “bottomless hunger, an insatiable need, for unqualified praise.”

After a first presidential term marked by reform, Wilson lost interest in domestic issues and pursued his dream to become a great president, not only by domestic standards but on the world stage. It is here that he saw The Great War as his opportunity for historical greatness.

After Wilson’s efforts to mediate a peace agreement failed to win the support of either the Allies or the Central Powers, he decided that in order to achieve his dream of historical greatness he needed to be at the peace table when the war ended. Additionally, it was important that America contributed significantly to breaking the stalemate and winning the war. Thus Wilson went before Congress and asked for a declaration of war against Germany and the Central Powers. He needed to have a seat at the table, and by contributing the winning punch he felt he earned a seat at the head of the table.

The question is why did the United States enter the war. Here it is Wilson that is drawn into the war by his own rhetoric. His statements of “Peace without Victory” rang false as the war came to a conclusion. Also making the world safe for Democracy was a joke given his support and merely ignoring Britain’s policies in Ireland and India.

The author is no anglophile. He does not hesitate to point out that Britain wanted to control this war to eliminate Germany as an economic rival. This is initially done through control of the press reports. It is also Britain that imposes the blockade which results in untold deaths to the domestic population of Germany and its allies. A blockade that did not end until over seven months following the Armistice.

This is a war that should never have happened. The author points out several times that the blame for this war is hard to place. Even Woodrow Wilson is quoted as wondering what started this war? And Bob Dylan in the quote from his song at the top of this review summarizes the views of many historians when he asked “The reason for fighting I never did get”.

The author then has a description from Carl Von Clausewitz, a nineteenth century Prussian military theorist, that says war is the continuation of politics by other means, and defines victory as the achievement of a “better political arrangement”. He also says that the improvement must be worth the cost. This begs the question of whether this war resulted in a “better political arrangement” for any country, and was it worth the cost. I would reject any argument that it was worth the cost, but what of a better political arrangement:

-the war destroyed the Romanov dynasty in Russia and led to the communist takeover which eventually led to the reign of Joseph Stalin, one of history’s great mass murderers.

-it ended the Hohenzollern regime in Germany and left the country in chaos that put it on the path to Hitler.

-it left Britain a mere skeleton of the country that had such a robust economy prior to 1914.

-it left France a country that would collapse when faced with a Nazi invasion 20 years later, and eventually shamefully collaborated with Nazi Germany.

-the results for the Middle East, Italy and Japan only added to the instability.

-and then there is the United States. Intervention in the war as I said above was a vehicle for Wilson to pursue his dream of a World Leader, but more importantly it led to horrible violations of the civil rights of American citizens.

Does anyone think these things resulted in a better political arrangement?

[Bill Kupersmith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though The World Remade: America in World War I is big disappointment, in fairness to the author G. J. Meyer one should concede that he probably wrote the book he intended, but unfortunately not the book that I hoped for. I wanted to find out why and how the United States found she had to enter the Great War on side of the allies. The principal fault in the book is the lack of discussion or even recognition of the place in the world that America had achieved by the second decade of the last century. Though militarily the United States had then created a navy comparable to the Royal Navy, her army was little more than a frontier constabulary scarcely up to the task of chasing Pancho Villa out of Texas. Had the war continued as expected well into 1919, she would have fielded the most powerful army in the world. Leadership of western civilization had belonged to Spain in the 16th century, passed to France in the 17th century, Britain at the beginning of the 19th century. Now it was American’s turn, though it was a responsibility neither her politicians nor her people were ready to accept till 1945, perhaps not entirely even now, as the foreign policy of the current administration betrays.

When I read the phrase, “The American army’s Springfield rifle was considered the best in the world,” I realized that G. J. Meyer ought not to be writing military history. In fact the British Short Magazine Lee Enfield (Lee, BTW, was an American officer) had twice the magazine capacity & an experienced infantryman could fire it much faster, so fast that the Germans thought the British had a machine gun. There are only a few chapters in this very long book given to the actual fighting by the AEF, mostly at a high level of abstraction, though we read a good deal about Douglas MacArthur. Meyer seems to have missed the significance of the U-boat campaign, and its role not only in America’s entry into the war, but why it marked the necessity of abandoning passivity and leaving freedom of commerce to the Royal Navy to insure.

The British might have committed more technical violations of American neutrality with their no-nonsense enforcement of their naval blockade, though I found Meyers’ hand-wringing about starving German civilians maudlin—if the Germans had cared about their civilian population’s welfare, they could have ended the war; they were occupying Belgium and Northern France, after all. But the U-boat ended the leisure the two oceans had provided to isolate the United States from what was going on in the rest of the world, though another couple of decades would pass before Americans would receive a demonstration of what enemy submarines off their coast could accomplish.

Meyer notices, though in passing and mostly with respect to Wilson’s ambitions, that only by entering the war could America play a significant role in making the peace, a peace that would result in redrawing the maps of three continents, with consequences that are very much still with us today, especially in the Middle East. More important, as appears to have escaped the author, is that if America had remained neutral, the peace that would have resulted in Europe would have been the Peace of Brest-Litovsk, leaving Germany and her clients masters of eastern Europe, and ultimately the most powerful rival claimant for world leadership.

Of course, strategic reality had to be sold to the American electorate with the mushy moralism we still label “Wilsonianism”—“making the world safe for democracy” and “self-determination”—but under all the mush there is not only a good deal of enlightened self-interest, but a vital understanding of why America exists, of the duty of the people who inhabit the world’s most powerful nation to make the world a civilized and peaceful polity, to banish cruel tyrants and unnecessary suffering. The Romans understood that, the British understood that, and in 1917 it began to dawn on the Americans. And it may dawn on G. J. Meyer.

I am grateful to Random House and NetGalley for an ARC.

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 4 out of 5]

A big thank you to G J Meyer, Bantam Books, and Netgalley for the free copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

The book sets the stage for a boiling pot. Franz Ferdinand was a tiny spark that lit the powder that was Europe in the early twentieth century. There seemed to be no way out once sides were drawn: the Triple Entente (Britain, France, Russia) and the Central Powers ( Germany and Austria. This war, remember, was a war to "end all wars" a war "to the death". Policy went out the window. And everyone wanted the United States on his side.
America's leader was Woodrow Wilson, a man who craved praise and approval. He set himself on a pedestal and expected others to worship accordingly but on his own timeline. From childhood he dreamed of a stately position and forged his education to fit the bill, becoming a lawyer only because it seemed to be a path to progress. He butted heads with Theodore Roosevelt who found Wilson too cowardly to make momentous decisions.
At the start of the war in 1914 the US claimed neutrality. This included its businesses. JP Morgan, for example, refused a $100 million loan to France. The stock market closed for four months because exports ceased. But it soon became apparent that trade with the Entente would prove profitable. And therein began the US' biased relationship with the Allies and their supply lines. It's never explicitly stated, but when Britain owed $1 billion and their loss meant throwing that debt into default, that's a huge push for the US to fight on the Allies' side.
Shipping became complicated. The British wished to enforce the Declaration of London, which outlined what products could be confiscated from ships. But then they modified it. Germany launched their U-boats, which made all sea voyages risky. As far as Germany was concerned the whole sea was a war zone. Amazingly Wilson insisted that Americans had the right to travel waters in safety regardless of the ship (armed, cargo, recreational, etc) on which they chose. This included on ships of countries that were at war.
And this is when Wilson became uncompromising to the point of arrogance. To quote Alan Seeger, a soldier and poet, "I cannot understand the American state of mind nor why Americans have the temerity to venture into a declared war-zone, much less let their wives and children go there." Or what about this quote from German Foreign Minister,"why not the right of free travel on land in war territory?" Wilson continued to sit clueless behind his typewriter drafting one ultimatum after another, insulting and appalling both the members of the Entente and the Central Powers. By the time he narrowly won his second term of office he had become a narrow minded hypocrite who isolated himself from all disagreement or criticism and showed annoyance with outside interference, which included his Cabinet members and ambassadors.
As the United States government continued to hide behind closed doors and isolate itself, the war remained deadlocked. Wilson wished to force peace talks, while Lloyd George refused any end except complete annihilation of the German forces, and the Kaiser refused to desist the u-boat attacks. So stale mate of the most catastrophic event the world had ever faced.
While all of this was occurring in Europe, the citizens of America were also battling the women suffrage, early Prohibition, and increased taxes and inflation caused by the ballooning national debt. Wilson was against the first, for the second, and the sole cause of the last, lending and spending as if the coffers were bottomless.
Fatalistically the negotiations, and that term is used loosely, set the stage for the next world war. Communist Russia was in place; a weak, token republican Germany could not pay its reparations and feed its citizens; most of Britain was disillusioned by the supposed justice meted out; and France was obsessed with European domination. Then there is the Middle East and its bloody wars, Japan's indignation, and Eastern Europe's confusion. Nothing was settled except Wilson's grandiose machinations on the chess board of the globe.
Freedom of speech was assaulted. "Hyphenates" were beat on the streets, arrested, and deported. The right to assemble was taken away. Unions were busted. The Espionage Act, passed in 1918, is still on the books.
Myers did a fantastic job of laying the facts on the line. I know the politics behind this war now and tons about President Wilson. Very impressed. No florid speech. This serious subject was treated with the respect it is due.

[Rebbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book on WWI that is filled with information you wouldn't even have thought of, let alone realized that you should know it to begin with.

I was deeply impressed by the wealth of knowledge that the author, G.J. Meyer, selflessly shared with readers. Not only must it have taken literally YEARS to learn and compile this staggering amount of information, but to place it in a cohesive format for our benefit must have been no easy task.

G.J. Meyer also has a gift of language; he managed to keep my interest by writing in such a way that it felt like I was reading a factual novel, rather than a thick, college-level textbook.

I definitely recommend this for people who are interested in learning about WWI and the part that the USA played in it.

Thanks to netgalley.

[Alan Tomkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly excellent. Indispensable reading for those who wish to know and understand the America of the early twentieth century, and a superbly researched and documented companion book to Meyer's "A World Undone: the Story of the Great War 1914-1918." A riveting, informative, and edifying read. I highly recommend this book.

[A.L. Sowards · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Great War changed the world in so many ways, but since the US wasn’t involved for most of it (and didn’t change as much as, say, Germany or Russia), it’s easy to overlook just how much the war impacted America. The war brought a deep divisiveness. (Divisions weren’t absent before the war, but the war intensified them.) It turned our military from a minor force to a world power. The federal budget ballooned. Things were never the same again. This book did a good job of highlighting the changes, and here are some of my thoughts.

One of the sad things about Germany and the First World War is that there was so much propaganda aimed against it. And there were certainly atrocities committed by German soldiers, but they were exaggerated. At the beginning of the war, the British cut Germany’s transatlantic cable, so Germany couldn’t defend itself to the wider world. Then World War II came along and all those atrocity stories were real. So there’s a common conception of Germany as the bad guy in both world wars. But it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to argue that the British committed just as many atrocities during the Great War. They were just more effective at hiding them.

I’ve read it in other places, but Meyer really helped clarify, that most of the nations went to war in 1914 because they were scared. They weren’t out to conquer for the sake of conquering. Instead, they were certain that war would come—a war that would threaten their very existence. In the case of Germany and Austria-Hungary, they knew their opponents would only get stronger as the years passed. They felt that all-out war, sooner rather than later, was their only chance of survival.

Wilson was a central figure in this story, and he doesn’t come off well. He was principled in many ways, but unwilling to compromise about anything. He surrounded himself with people who built up his ego and quickly removed anyone who didn’t agree with him (even for small things, like building design when he was president of Princeton). He was a racist, and while that wasn’t unusual for a man from the south in that time period, some of his cabinet appointments made things much worse for the black minority in America. He kept the US out of the war for years, but he didn’t keep America neutral. The banking industry, the diplomatic corps, and the press were clearly on the side of Britain and France. Then when the US entered the war, he allowed freedom of speech and freedom of the press to be absolutely trampled. It wasn’t as bad as the Red Terror the Bolsheviks inflicted on their opponents, but it was a terrifying time for anyone who couldn’t back Wilson and the war wholeheartedly. Neighbors turned spy against neighbors, the justice department went wild with arrests and convictions, and newspapers that didn’t support the war completely were closed or had their mail privileges revoked.

I find Wilson’s fourteen points admirable, yet in a sad twist, when it came time for the peace conference, he was willing to let go of every other principle in order to get a League of Nations that the US ultimately didn’t even join. The map of Europe (and beyond) was redrawn without local say. (And the results are still causing problems today.) The delegates wouldn’t include a clause about racial equality (per a suggestion by the Japanese representatives), so to make up for it, they gave Japan a part of China. Impossible demands were made of a starving Germany because the British blockade continued long after the armistice was signed.

Overall, this was an educational book. It’s a good companion to the author’s A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918, but with a focus on the US. It covers a good mix of political and military history, and sheds light on many of the important figures of the time.

[Thomas Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

/The World Remade: America in World War I/, G.J. Meyer, 2016, 651 pages, ISBN 9780553393323, Dewey 940.3

The author's previous, /A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914-1918/, is of the whole war. /The World Remade/ is a political and military history of the U.S. involvement in the war. p. xvi.

Very readable.


The U.S. actually fought during only about the last half-year of the war. At home, Americans became less free. Main changes:

The government's assault on speech, assembly, due process, and fairness.

The widespread public approval of that assault.

The official telling of lies, and the eager embrace of those lies.

The Espionage Act of 1917 is still in force. The government uses it against whistleblowers: people who reveal facts of official misconduct the government wants hidden from the public.

We've lost our sense that our political system is improving. p. 572.


WE WANT WAR!

Why war? July 1914:

All the countries of Europe were afraid of their neighbors' intentions. Each felt the need to mobilize their military for defensive purposes. Decision-making power flowed away from the politicians, to the generals. pp. 12-22.

Germany, afraid of being crushed between France and Russia, rushed to attack France first, through the softest route: Belgium. pp. 25-26.

Britain, France, and Russia intended to take vast Middle Eastern, African, and Pacific territory from the Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian, and German empires. They bribed Italy, Romania, and Japan to join with promises of territory. They kept their intentions secret, especially from the Americans. All the belligerents inflamed their own people with exaggerated promises of the fruits of victory. pp. 161-162.

There is evidence that British officials deliberately put the Lusitania in danger of German torpedo attack, to try to bring the U.S. into the war. pp. 126-127.

Britain and France were determined to make peace talks impossible, to get the U.S. into the war. p. 160. Wilson's secretary of state, Robert Lansing, treasonously urged Britain and France to make demands that would make peace talks impossible. p. 163. Colonel House also told Britain and France not to take seriously Wilson's call for peace talks. p. 163.

Wilson's "neutrality" so obviously favored the Allies, as by accepting Britain's blockade of Germany to starve her people, that Germany could not trust Wilson as a peacemaker. p. 162.


CONTROL THE MESSAGE!

Britain cut Germany's North Sea communications cables, including those to New York, August 4, 1914, before even declaring war, so that only British-French-Russian propaganda could reach the U.S. p. 27. Britain denied U.S. reporters access to the front, so that only British lies about German atrocities would reach the U.S. p. 175. "Germans are monsters." Irrational hatred is more easily turned on than off: it became an obstacle to postwar peace. p. 180.

William Jennings Bryan had such a following in the Democratic Party that Wilson offered him the post of secretary of state. With their hero in the administration, Bryan's many partisans would be less inclined to criticize. p. 96. Wilson then ignored Bryan's attempts to reach a negotiated end to the European war. pp. 100-103, 105-109. Bryan resigned, rather than support Wilson's march to enter the war. pp. 107-109.


DISAGREEMENT IS TREASON!

For daring to speak against the draft, or for belonging to labor organizations or progressive or populist political parties, hundreds of people were arrested and prosecuted, subject to decades-long prison sentences and ruinous fines, under the Espionage Act of 1917 and the even-more-unconstitutional Sedition Act. p. 430. Wilson's Justice Department arrested and charged 166 senior officers of the Industrial Workers of the World, of disloyalty under the act. p. 336. The postmaster general was empowered to, and did, shut down antiwar, pacifist, critical, progressive, socialist, labor, Lutheran, Catholic, and foreign-language periodicals. School districts banned the teaching of German. Progressivism as a political force was disintegrating. The Department of Justice recruited 250,000 vigilantes to report their neighbors' inadequate loyalty. pp. 257-258, 274-291, 319-320.

Attorney General Palmer, 1919-1921 and his henchman J. Edgar Hoover, unleashed police riots on thousands of unoffending "aliens." The American public applauded. pp. 534-540.

Massachusetts governor Calvin Coolidge used 6,700 soldiers to crush a labor strike by Boston police, who were working 83-hour weeks for wretched pay. Americans made him president for it. p. 547.


PROGRESSIVES VS. PLUTOCRATS

Senator Robert La Follette was early to see what many would understand only later: war sends more power flowing to those Americans who already have most of it.

La Follette by contrast was as tireless and effective a champion of the rights of ordinary citizens as the American political system has ever produced. He fought to take power from Big Money and put it in the hands of voters. He won antitrust laws, direct election of senators, utility and bank regulation, better wages and working conditions, restrictions on child labor, progressive income taxes, protection of Native American woodlands from the predations of timber companies. He opposed discrimination against blacks, Asians, and Jews, and championed voting rights for women. The masters of industry and finance saw him as a serious threat. He interfered with the efforts of banks, railroads, packing companies, mill owners, and trusts, to steal the fruits of working people's labor. "The supreme issue is the encroachment of the powerful few on the rights of the many." pp. 194-199.

William Jennings Bryan likewise spent his life crusading for those on the losing end of the American dream. Bryan believed that the prime duty of pietists was to side with the common man and woman in their perpetual battle with the defenders of privilege, corruption, and big money. p. 81.

For businessmen, to choose fast fat profit, rather than the common good, was a no-brainer. p. 261. War profiteers wallowed in wealth. pp. 267, 332. Most of the spending was of borrowed money, which transferred more wealth to rich financiers. p. 267. Federal spending went up by a factor of 24 during the war; most of it borrowed. p. 353. For ordinary Americans, the cost of living inflated faster than wages. p. 353. Price inflation spiked to 100% per year. After the war, corporations reduced workforces, demanded 12-hour days, cut wages, denied union recognition. pp. 498, 533. "I can hire one-half the working class to kill the other half." --robber baron Jay Gould. p. 293. The U.S. spent $33 billion on the war, 1917-1918. In 1919, 20% of U.S. workers were at some point on strike. p. 533.

"The interests that control steel, oil, shipping, munitions, mines, will dominate; government will be in their hands." --Woodrow Wilson. Having said so, Wilson quickly acted to make it true. pp. 344-345. Four executives of Bethlehem Steel took $2.1 million in personal bonuses in 1918. p. 350.

U.S. private soldiers were paid $30/month in combat. French privates earned $3/month. p. 411.


DEATHS DUE TO COMBAT

Some 9 million soldiers died as a result of combat: 2 million German, nearly 2 million Russian, 1.5 million French, 1 million Austrian, .8 million Turkish, .7 million British, .5 million Italian, .25 million Romanian, .25 million Serbian, .053 million American. p. 464.


INFLUENZA

Maybe 50 million people worldwide died of the war-spread influenza pandemic (including 675,000 Americans). Few civilians knew that in fall 1918, thousands of soldiers were dying of influenza: military authorities censored news as bad for morale. p. 407. Only neutral Spain did not censor news. Hence it was called the "Spanish" flu. The third-worst pandemic in history began in Haskell County, Kansas, January 1918. It spread around the world by U.S. troops and people they infected. By August 1918, it had become quite lethal.


POSTWAR

President Woodrow Wilson knew that a decisive defeat of either side would make a stable postwar Europe impossible. p. 163. "Upon a triumph which overwhelms and humiliates, cannot be laid the foundations of peace." --Woodrow Wilson, 1/22/1917. p. 168.

Everywhere except the United States, it could be hard to distinguish the fruits of victory from the price of defeat p. 464.

1919: From the Rhine to the Pacific, Finland to Arabia, scarcely a border was not in dispute. p. 463. Many civil wars erupted. pp. 470-472.

Sometimes with the best intentions and sometimes not, the Supreme Council (Wilson, Clemenceau, Lloyd George) gradually turned Europe into a mass of festering geopolitical wounds. p. 478.


IT'S ALL ABOUT ME!

Why did President Wilson take the United States into the war in 1917? He feared that the United States, and he as president, would have no major part in the postwar settlement. p. 209. For Wilson, the thought of being on the outside while other men decided the fate of the world would have been unbearable. p. 212.

President Woodrow Wilson could find it impossible to imagine that those who disagreed with him might sometimes be right. Those who don't see what's real, collide with it. pp. 6-7. Europeans weren't particularly grateful for his lofty postwar preachments. p. 8. Wilson's Democratic Party lost both houses of Congress, November 5, 1918. p. 10. It was necessary to never disagree with Wilson on any subject about which he appeared to have made up his mind; the president would reject not only the contrary opinion but the person who offered it, and the rejection could prove permanent. Wilson needed unqualified praise. He hungered to be considered great. pp. 31-32. Wilson's one friend and adviser, "Colonel" House, likewise mistook his, House's, own prejudices for facts. p. 35. Wilson cut off close friends when they displayed independence of thought or action, and denounced anyone who declined to do as he demanded. p. 46. After William Jennings Bryan resigned as secretary of state in 1915, Wilson heard no voices to question his decisions. p. 109. "Wilson is a man of high ideals and no principles." --Lindsey M. Garrison, onetime secretary of war. p. 130. Wilson is "a ruthless hypocrite, who has no convictions that he would not barter at once for votes." --former president Taft. p. 155. Wilson is "unscrupulous and dishonest." --former Republican senator Elihu Root. pp. 284, 492-493. President Wilson condemned German-Americans, Irish-Americans, and other "hyphenates." p. 156.

Wilson nearly brought the U.S. to war with Mexico in 1913. A U.S. gunboat prowling the Mexican coast put ashore for water, without asking permission. U.S. sailors were arrested, then released with apology. Wilson demanded that Mexico give the U.S. flag a 21-gun salute. The Mexican president offered a mutual salute of each others' flags. Miffed, Wilson ordered U.S. marines to capture the port of Veracruz. Many men died on both sides. pp. 97-98.


ERRATA

The 53,000 U.S. soldiers who died of combat wounds, plus the 51,000 who died of illness, composed .1%, not .01%, of the 103-million U.S. population of 1917. p. 464.

[Christopher Saunders · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had read this before and given it a positive score, on a reread I've found too many errors in fact and judgment to recommend it. I will rewrite a proper review if and when I finish.

[Jerome Otte · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written and engaging history of America’s part in the war.

Meyer ably covers the period leading up to US intervention, the US war effort, and the American experience of the war’s immediate aftermath. Much of the book deals with Wilson and House. Wilson comes off as incompetent and grasping,and Meyer covers how Wilson adopted inconsistent policies that he claimed showed America’s intent to remain "neutral" (Wilson had his own definition of that term, of course), how they favored the Entente, and how the Germans saw through it. He also covers Wilson’s toleration of the Allied blockade, and how this made the Germans suspicious of his supposed even-handedness.

In Meyer’s rendition of this history, Wilson seems to have been manipulated into the war by the Entente and by House, and was manipulated by the Entente into caving in to their peace terms, in return for the preservation of the League of Nations. Meyer also vividly covers the willingness to repress dissent at home, on the part of both Wilson and the American public. The insanity of that era’s censorship is told in a sardonic and understated tone. There’s not a lot of heroes in Meyer’s narrative.

Meyer does a great job explaining complex issues in a straightforward way, and offers some fresh insights. The narrative is rich and flows well, and he does a great job making the people come to life. There’s not much in the way of new arguments or fresh interpretations, though. Also, the battlefield role of the AEF is not covered in detail. He also avoids the question of whether the US should have intervened.

A thoughtful, well-researched and very readable work.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The World Remade is the sequel to G. J. Meyer's excellent The World Undone, which was a high-level overview of WWI. This book focuses on the United States' involvement in the war. There is not much coverage of battles, but rather the political maneuverings on how the US got involved in the war and public reactions to the war. Much time is spent on Woodrow Wilson, his background as well as the part he played in bringing the country into the conflict and his role at the 1919 Peace Conference. I did not know much about Wilson prior reading this book and had a mostly positive impression of him. This book has made me rethink my views on his presidency; I definitely want to delve into more books on Wilson in order to get a broader perspective. Meyer portrayed him as as an arrogant thin-skinned, spiteful man with strong autocratic tendencies. I was surprised to learn about the turmoil the war caused on the home front, and the polarization between people supporting the war and those opposed. One of the things that happened as a result of protests against the war a severe crackdown on civil liberties. Wilson and others felt that any expressions of dissent would be harmful to the war effort, and therefore, must be suppressed. This resulted in the passage of the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in WWI.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from NetGalley.

G.J. Meyer previously wrote a synthesis on the First World War which was fairly well received as a volume for the occasional reader into the subject. It offered little originality but did distill a wide range of sources into a readable form. His newest volume, The World Remade: America in WWI, accomplishes the same task. It offers very little new in its arguments, but can work well as a single-book read for lay people interested in America’s role in WWI and the new world it birthed.

Meyer argues that Wilson was very much living in his own world before, during, and after WWI, largely disconnected from reality. And this feature of Wilson’s personality was central to America entering the war, it’s conduct within, and it’s failure after. To Meyer, American entry into WWI was as much a product of Edward House as Woodrow Wilson. He paints a picture of an administration very much disconnected from reality. Where fact was insufficient to fulfill expectations, they were eager to insert “alternate facts” into their decision-making. This was fed, in turn, by a tight control of the media in wartime Britain and France, which carefully crafted a message to the American government and public. As war became realty, the Wilson administration instituted its own control of domestic media, ensuring any deviation from “alternate facts” was severely punished. America’s rejection of Wilson made his dream of a new world order an impossible dream, yet he refused to stop pushing. The resulting incomplete world order directly contributed to a Second World War a mere 21 years later. But this is not entirely a story of Wilson’s delusion. Meyer also writes extensively on US preparedness and military campaigns, with varying accuracy. He neither over nor understates the American contribution. In addition to the main story, Meyer indulges in many digressions to describe characters in his drama.

This is a very readable and enjoyable book. Meyer is able to keep the reader’s attention through some fairly dry material. The proof version I am reviewing has surprisingly few spelling or grammatical errors, and is well served by photographs and maps. The final will likely be even more complete in this regard. He includes extensive notes and a short essay on his sources; mostly secondary sources but he is not claiming to be engaging in new research. Nevertheless, his secondary sources are often the leading monographs on their subjects. Selecting the sources he’s distilling is definitely a skill Meyer possesses: there is little irrelevancy in them.

This is not to say there are not problems. Meyer’s central theme of Wilson possessing great ability in self-deception is perched on a foundation of psychohistory. While any biography will engage in a certain amount of personality analysis, the simple fact that one cannot actually psychoanalyze a dead person largely delegitimizes the endeavor. Interestingly, Meyer does mention a previous attempt to psychoanalyze Wilson. Published in the 1930s in Europe, but not in the US until 1967, Thomas Woodrow Wilson: A Psychological Study, is exceptionally infamous. Its authors were William Bullitt, a career diplomat who was the first unofficial envoy and first official ambassador to the USSR, and Sigmund Freud, noted psychoanalyst. The two argued that Wilson was a naïve religious fanatic; but it is widely agreed that the book was mostly Bullitt exercising his grudge against his former boss. While Meyer is aware of one discredited work, he is apparently unfazed by the general disrepute of the entire genre.

Additionally, the book is a vast tome: almost 700 pages, weighing in at 11138 “positions” in a Kindle ebook. This is not a bad thing on its own, but a substantial amount of pages are dedicated to well-written digressions of questionable relevancy. Especially in the early part of the book, Meyer gives mini-biographies of historical figures we meet, even when they don’t play a significant role. An entire section is devoted to William Jennings Bryan: despite being in Wilson’s administration at the start of the European war, he’s out as SecState in June of 1915 and focuses his efforts on suffrage and conservative social reform, removing himself from the story except in snapshots. While a reader who doesn’t know of The Great Commoner may benefit, other readers gnash their teeth in impatience.

Despite some shaky foundations and minor quibbles, The World Remade is a highly readable synthesis of the significance of America in the First World War and the resulting order imposed on the globe by the victors. It may be apropos in a world in which the US debates removing itself once again from the position of power.

[George Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not a typical war book. There is little mention of battles or combat conditions. It is about the political and human impact of the Great War on the United States, before US involvement in the war, during the few months that the US was involved in combat, and the peace process after the Central powers surrendered. The analysis of the combatants political processes is through and comprehensive. The motivations of the combatants is extensively covered. I learned several things from this book:
1. Woodrow Wilson, aided and abetted by congress, was the greater abuser of the 1st amendment than any other president.
2. The allied and central powers both committed what we would now consider war crimes
3. The British were especially effective propagandists
4. After reading the terms of the peace treaty, I understand how the German people were willing to follow Hitler.

I view The Great War as the Seinfeld war - in essence a war abut nothing. After reading several books on this war, I still do not understand why the combatants were willing to suffer the losses that they endured during the stalemate that ran until the US entered the War.

[Mary Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was finally able to finish this very impressive history. I was sidelined by the Winter Olympics and a couple of things I was obligated to read for a writer friend.

G. J. Meyer has the gift of a very readable, non-pedantic style; the narrative just flows seamlessly. Not inclined to reinvent a well-made wheel, I highly recommend David Eppenstein's excellent and comprehensive review; it's what made me choose this book in the first place. (Thank you, David!)

One minor quibble. Perhaps it is only in the Kindle edition, but there is no superscript in the text to indicate notes. I am an avid and devoted reader of notes, and although I prefer footnotes on the page, endnotes are fine, too, as long as I know a particular passage or quotation has a note.

I am looking forward to A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918 and The Tudors: The Complete Story of England's Most Notorious Dynasty by the same author.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a tome for history buffs (which I am), this book also provides plenty of chances to ponder the news headlines and nationalistic motivations of today's politics and policies. Why did the US delay and then enter the war? Who was motivated to do what and why? We studied and visited several Great War sites last year. This book delves much more deeply into these kinds of themes, now being explored in the new museums built for the 100th anniversaries of the Battle of the Somme, Ypres, and more... Myers manages to tell stories while at the same time accurately portraying layers and layers of the historical dramas in several countries that made up the crazy events of World War I.

Thanks, Netgalley, for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long but thorough. Many aspects of the First World War were discussed that I hadn’t known. While some details relating to the events seemed to slow my reading, many I found fascinating. President Wilson was so revered in my childhood history textbooks and that seemed at odds somehow with the many facts of history and his so-called accomplishments. Meyer’s book seems somewhat more honest in the assessment of Wilson and ,any of the other players around him.

[Carla]

A fresh, provocative look at America’s role in WW1. Written briskly, free from annoying jargon, Meyer argues that Wilson’s shaky grasp of the issues, and handling of them, destroyed hopes for a peaceful Europe afterward— and on the home front, damaged Constitutional freedoms. Much of the history was new to me. A scary, thoughtful book.

[Socraticgadfly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would consider six stars if I could

This book is THAT good.

If you're like me, and you think Woodrow Wilson's neutrality from early 1915 on was more sham than real, that we should have had real neutrality like we did in the late 1930s, that Wm. Jennings Bryan was right, and that we had no compelling interest in Europe, this is a MUST read.

Meyer provides plenty of ammo in all the ways that Wilson screwed the pooch on fake neutrality.

He ALSO has information undercutting the standard narrative of events leading to and starting war, above all, Belgium.

The BIGGIE?

By no later than 1906, the British were paying the Belgium government a regular stipend to upgrade and overhaul its military. Belgium adopted conscription several years before the war because of this.

Also, just as Germany, with legal right but PR stupidity, executed Edith Cavell as a spy? France did the same to three German nurses.

If there were a hell, Wilson should be rotting there.

[Clem · Rating 5 out of 5]

In many ways this book is a sequel, or maybe a companion, to the author’s brilliant detailed account of World War I titled A World Undone. When one reads A World Undone, or really ANY history of the first world war, they may be surprised by how little the United States was involved. The U.S. didn’t actually see combat until the final six months or so and suffered a much lighter number of casualties and fatalities when compared to the major European nations. True, estimates show that the U.S. experienced about 125,000 deaths, but Germany, France, Russia, and England combined had about 6 million. That’s not including civilians all along the tattered continent.

In this brilliant companion piece, G.J. Meyer argues that whereas the United States may not have entered the war until late in the game, they had a pretty strong presence in the conflict behind the scenes during the entire tenure. The U.S. greatly changed during the war “fever” starting around 1914, and Meyer almost insinuates that the U.S. knew that by standing on the sidelines while influencing the key players, they would keep themselves mostly out of harm’s way and still be able to influence the outcome. Then, when both sides were ferociously devastated, the United States jumped in on the side of the allies, took a lot of credit for the result, and played a rather large role in determining how the spoils were to be distributed to the victors. It almost reminds me of the story of when someone from another state rides into town and buys only one lottery ticket and then ends up winning the state lottery.

In fact, in many ways this book seems more of an excoriation of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson and his inner circle then an overall observation of the global conflict. The world was indeed a changing place and the author paints Wilson as a shrewd manipulator and observer while the most powerful European nations destroyed each other for more than four years. History shows us that the conflict began over ludicrous reasons, and once the major players realized this, they had invested so much in terms of lost lives, that they deemed it was essential to carry on, regardless of the disastrous continuation of costs. You can almost see Woodrow Wilson in the background licking his chops knowing that by staying out of this calamity, he and the United States would eventually have the most to gain once the guns were finally silenced.

We must then ask ourselves: when the war began in 1914, which side would the U.S. actually join if they were to get involved? This was a young nation of immigrants from all over Europe, and there really wasn’t any moral or economic reason to support either side. Historians will tell you, though, that these sentiments quickly changed and the U.S. found themselves on the “side” of the allies (Britain, France, Russia). Again, Meyer claims that much of this was the result of brilliant propaganda by a select few in Britain and France. I’m reminded of the allegations that the Russians colluded to influence the U.S. Presidential election 100 years later through social media, but let’s not go there.

Then, we hear of German ships that sunk vessels in European waters during the war that contained American passengers, which caused many in the U.S. to raise their ire and loudly scream. Yet should Germany really take the blame for this? I mean, it was WAR and these ships contained valuable war materiel that could seriously inhibit Germany’s position. So why should she not sink the ships? It seems the focus should have been keeping American passengers OFF these dangerous ships that had a reasonable chance of being sunk since they were traveling directly through a war zone. We read an awful lot about these naval “atrocities” throughout the first half of this book. G.J. Meyer then even argues that “neutral” Belgium really wasn’t neutral due to prior alleged “agreements” with England, so when the German army raped and pillaged its way through the nation on their way to France, the author seems to think that the world overreacted by telling stories of Germans killing Belgian babies, raping Belgian women, etc. He doesn’t spend much focus here, though, and I really do think more attention should have been paid to the author’s reasonings.

Without going into too much detail, once Germany surrenders after being stretched to the breaking point, it’s Woodrow Wilson who “chairs” the peace conference. The allies aren’t too happy, yet Wilson has played his cards magnificently, and we must remember that Britain and France were brutally devastated by the conflict as well. We read about Wilson’s failed ’14 Points’ and ‘League of Nations’ and we see Germany being brutally and savagely punished for being on the losing side of the war. The author doesn’t excuse Germany as a nation and points out that they were no more guilty than the allies, so the punishments that are inflicted on the nation at the end are viewed by many as barbaric. One observer shrewdly points out that this war was widely known as “The War to End All Wars”, yet the harsh treaty inflicted on Germany could easily be referred to as “The Peace to End All Peace”. Hindsight tells us how sadly accurate that statement was. Had Germany not been so brutally punished, it would have never allowed a failed Bavarian water-colorist to assume power and lead the world into another, more calamitous conflict only 20 years later. But that’s another story.

I would highly recommend this book, but I would start with the author’s first book A World Undone. That one seemed much stronger and comprehensive. Whereas this book seems to back up the majority of its claims, I can’t help but wonder, though, if this volume might just be lightly sprinkled with a dash of speculation. A lot of great information to ponder, though.

[Bill Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

G.J. Meyer has written an excellent book about the years leading up to America's entry into World War I and the immediate aftermath of the war. He writes well and has a knack for explaining complex situations in a succinct, straightforward manner. Background chapters, helpfully printed in a different font, explain the deeper historical contexts for the book's main themes. This is a thoughtful book: World War I was a complex affair--the Germans are not always bad, nor are the Allies always good. I thoroughly enjoyed reading "A World Remade," so I promptly started reading the author's earlier book "A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918." For very readable accounts of the Great War, I highly recommend both.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very well researched and written book. Meyer does a great job at telling the story of how the United States enters WW1, but at times it feels more like a biography of Woodrow Wilson. It also reads like Meyer has an agenda against Wilson, highlighting some of his flaws as a president and a person. However, this adds to his overall argument that the United States did not have to enter WW1 and was probably better off if it did not go to war in 1917. While this is a good book, I enjoyed "A World Undone" much more as it had more of a focus on the military history. I feel this book would have been more enjoyable for me if it had spent less time on American politics. Worth a read if you are wishing to learn more about WW1 and the US in the 1910s.

[Guerin Shea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this very well written work. It brought home 2 points illuminatingly to me:

* Germany did not start nor want any part of the war.......at first

* Woodrow Wilson was a BASTARD - while I already knew this, I learned new details of his deceit and treachery that I heretofore never appreciated.

[Joseph Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A World Remade is the look at the role of the United States during World War I. It details the path towards war with Europe, the experience during the war, and the role in shaping the post-war world.

At the center of the story is President Woodrow Wilson. A man both revered & reviled today depending on who you ask. This is the center of Meyer's story, how the personality of Wilson influenced the decisions of America before, during, and after the conflict. Meyer goes to show that Wilson's almost divine sense of self, a stubbornness unparalleled in most people, and a idealist to the extreme was what drove America's decisions. To Wilson, the United States was not merely joining a war, but called upon by God to cleanse the world of the old brutal ways & pave the way for a harmonic world in which American values (and by extention, Wilson's) would prevail over the world. His stubbornness to concede on issues such as American's rights to travel freely on even belligerent ships, how criticizing him was placing you on the wrong side of God, and his major visionary project the League of Nations which his stubbornness to concede brought America to never joining it. Although Meyer gives Wilson credit where credit is due, he does put Wilson in a negative light with the sufficient evidence to back it up.

Behind Wilson, perhaps the second largest figure in the story is Colonel Edward House, one of Wilson's closest friends until their split after the war. House knew how to play to Wilson's ego to get what he had wanted. House was more aggressive in trying to get the United States involved & resorted to extreme flattery & almost downright twisting the truth to get Wilson to side with him & bring America into the war on the side of the allies. Perhaps his biggest trait was being an absolute yes-man to Wilson. Every speech Wilson gave received high praise from House along the lines of it was the best thing in history, this is a common theme throughout the story. Eventually, the two would fall out over the peace terms.

Meyer writes his story with a more comprehensive picture of the entire scene in mind. Unlike other historians who exclusively write about America's military affairs or focus on the domestic politics, Meyer weaves the story into both sides. His writing style is excellent and is able to flow seamlessly between the action on the Frontlines in France to the tension between races, party politics, the calamity of the Espionage & Sedition Acts, and more.

Another major thing Meyer accomplishes is stripping a lot of the myth from the story. He delves into the not so nice details of the wartime experience & dispels the arc that America saved the world during the War. In particular, Meyer shows how Wilson dragged a generally reluctant America into the war & tried to silence opposition. With the passage of the Sedition & Espionage Acts in effect the press was sensored, and people who openly critiqued the war were fined or even jailed. Fears of America's socialist & labor institutions led to labor strikes & brutal crackdowns by the military, particularly after the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia socialism in America became despised. Race relations nearly broke out into all out race wars as cities turned into battlegrounds between whites & blacks. Simmering discontent with Mexico led to two small US invasions of the country. These are just some of the domestic unrest that the United States finds itself in during the war. This does not even mention military affairs.

Another nice touch that Meyer adds to his books is between each narrative chapter are "background" segments where he provides context for relevant pieces in the story or the period as a whole. Examples of these are how the Great War starts in Europe, the Prohibition movement, Women's Suffrage, aspects of the war in Europe, the development of labor. There are also segments focused on characters in the story behind fleshed out more like obviously Wilson but others such as: Willian Jennings Bryan, Robert la Follette of Wisconsin, General John Pershing, and much more. These background segments really help to flesh out the world while not explicitly breaking the narrative to go off on tangents.

Bottom line, this is an excellent book for anyone looking to know more about America's involvement in the Great War. The book takes on a more balanced approach not calling America an savior from God nor completely vilifing it for its actions. His writing style keeps the story going without dragging you into so much detail. Normally I am not too big into American history but I found myself unable to put this book down. Absolutely recommend.

[Terri Wangard · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this book, I realized how little I knew about World War I. Woodrow Wilson is lauded as a man of peace, but he was a self-righteous fool. He believed he was always right about anything. If anyone disagreed with him, that person was not only wrong, but morally wrong and forever scorned. Wilson refused to consult with his cabinet, Congress, anyone but his pal Edward House, who knew how to manipulate him with effusive praise. He was so intent on creating his League of Nations he allowed France and Britain to write a horrendous peace treaty.

The British manipulated Wilson (and America) from the beginning: severing underwater cables so only their propaganda got through, collaborating with Wilson’s pal Edward House to write America’s responses to British atrocities, setting a precedence for the future. Britain had been in decline since 1870, while united Germany grew industrially. Britain’s resentment of Germany was a significant reason for going to war. Wreck the upstart rival and reassert their global supremacy.
Germany had been the last European nation to mobilize. The others had mobilized on the basis of false reports. When Russia and France mobilized, Germany was motivated, not by the desire of conquest, but fear of being crushed by its neighbors.

Innocent little Belgium was not so innocent or neutral; rather, it was a junior partner with Britain and France, secretly planning for war with Germany and receiving British aid.

Britain decried Germany’s U-boats, but actually had more subs than Germany, preying on Baltic Sea shipping lanes. London’s censors created stories of German “frightfulness” with their U-boats to divert attention from their own transgressions—an illegal blockade of Germany and denying neutrals the right to trade with anyone Britain didn’t want them to. Britain ruled the waves and waived the rules.

The U.S. should have maintained strict neutrality, not supplying the Allies and giving them credit, and should not have intervened. The warring nations would have soon exhausted themselves.

This is just the tip of the iceberg G. J. Meyer reveals in A World Remade. This is an excellent book. I received a free copy for my honest opinion.

[Evan Þ. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can we blame Woodrow Wilson for the whole mess the world's been in for the last century?

Why yes, we can. Or, at least, for the messiness of the mess.

I don't just blame him because of his racism (which got as petty as firing every Black person from the Post Office), or his getting America into the bloody war. Nor, even, how while officially neutral he winked at everything Britain did wrong (such as blockading Germany against foodstuffs, in violation of international law) and magnified everything Germany did (such as submarines sinking ships without warning). He held grudges against everyone who contradicted him or even refused to endorse his schemes. He promoted and held close people who abjectly flattered him by calling him a great historical figure. Then, after considering himself perfectly competent to remake the world (because who left near him would say otherwise?), he threw away everything to gain the League of Nations... which then did nothing. I can trace, one after another, the causes of postwar strife back to Wilson: he let Britain and France blame everything on Germany; he promoted ethnonationalism in Eastern Europe; he got America into the Russian Civil War; he wrote up a Covenant for a League of Nations supposed to be based on universal principles but let die Japan's plea for it to acknowledge racial equality.

In my review of Meyer's previous book (on WWI in general, focusing on the European view), I said no country that was fighting in the war came out ahead. I now need to qualify that: America did. But that wasn't because of any genius on our side; Meyer paints Pershing as an amateur. It was because we got in at the last moment when everyone else was exhausted, while making money hand over fist by sales to Britain and France and finally our own government.

But the world was undone, and was remade much more fragile than before.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know remarkably little about the Great War. After all the documentaries and everything about WWII, it seems criminal that there's so little out there about the war that essentially led to that one. So, out of curiosity, I went for a book I hoped would give me a pretty decent overview/entry into the topic.

I was hoping there would have been more about the war in this book, but after reading it, I suppose it makes sense that there's relatively little. America was in remarkably little of the war anyway. So most of this book is almost a memoir of Wilson's presidency, as he's the one making most of the decisions and signing off on laws that completely changed the war, America, and the lives of millions.

That's not to say it's just about Wilson. It's not. This book does an excellent job at giving you a full picture of the 1910s in every aspect, from what was going on in Europe's politics to the women's suffrage movement in America and how it gained ground. The book is almost told in two timelines. There's the actual story and then what he calls "background", which usually give context on the war, European leaders, and the political climate of America. So it's connected to the story, but it's not the actual war events so it's kept a little separate.

The author also doesn't sugar coat anything. He gives multiple perspectives on how a certain event is perceived by historians/biographers so you can see what the critics and the biggest fans think and you can fall somewhere in the middle. It was really nice that it was so balanced.

This was good. It was slow at times for me, not knowing what was going on, but it was actually a really good introduction to the time.

[Anna Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

BOOK REVIEW:
Posted by Anna Patterson. Writer, Journalist, Book Reviewer
I received a copy to read through the Netgalley program in exchange for an honest and unbiased review which I am happy to share now.
THE WORLD REMADE: America in World War I by G. J. Meyer. Published by Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Bantam.
This is a Nonfiction, History Book (Adult). Of 619 pages.
About this serious and timely book:
This is a book which must be added to Historic collections at once!
Thorough and yet utterly engaging from beginning to end
A wealth of information, to be read again and again
I would give it Five Stars, as a book which helps one understand history and its complexity.

I would have to give this book Five Stars because of the sweeping attention to details on this timely piece of writing. It is a delight to read and something to go back to because of its subject matter. I was caught up in this nonfiction history from the first page. The photographic illustrations are at one with the smoothly written story of surely one of the most important times of the History of the World!


Make no mistake, this is a war story. Describing one scene, Germans attempt to move forward, but are stopped. and I quote: “The Americans returned to Seichcprey, but eighty-one of them had been killed and 187 wounded, with another 214 suffering the effects of gas and 187 missing or taken prisoner. The commander of the Twenty-Sixth commended his men for giving as well as they got. The American press celebrated the AEF’s first victory. Pershing, however, was not pleased.”


This is the story of many events and people including” The Women’s Suffrage Movement; The Prohibition Movement; the Draft. This book introduces President Thomas Woodrow Wilson in the drama of his life caught in the storms of war.


G. J. Meyer received an M.A. from the University of Minnesota, where he was a Woodrow Wilson Fellow and awarded a Harvard University’s Nieman Fellowship in Journalism. He has taught at colleges in Des Moines, St. Louis and New York. He lives in Wiltshire, England.

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Other books by this author include:

The Borgias: The Hidden History; The Tudors: The Complete Story of England’s Most Notorious Dynasty; A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914-1918, and also, Executive Blues: Down and Out in Corporate America, and The Memphis Murders.

[Chris · Rating 1 out of 5]

I listened to the audio book narrated by Rob Shapiro and I love Rob Shapiro as a narrator. That is really about the only positive thing I can say about this book. I just looked up G.J. Meyer's bio on Wikipedia and he is an author and a journalist with a degree in English, not a historian. Meyer was born in 1940, Woodrow Wilson passed away in 1924.

Meyer writes as if he knew Woodrow Wilson personally. To me this book is revisionist history or history of the author's liking. Meyer writes, mostly negatively, about Woodrow Wilson and again as if he was there during the decisions Wilson made as President which had me skeptical throughout the whole book.

While there were some interesting historical, provable facts in the book and I learned some new things especially in the Background sections of each chapter this book was far too long for my liking. I will say that Woodrow is portrayed as someone with a very large ego and someone who believes he is a savior to planet earth and humanity and possibly out of touch with the everyday, average American and human being and I believe this is probably accurate based on others books I have read about the political class.

I cannot recommend this book.

[Richard Greene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminiscent of Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States", GJ Meyer sets to provide an alternative account of how the United States came to be involved in World War I - British manipulation and crucial economic links with the Allies. The books centers on Woodrow Wilson and his effort to keep the the US out of, then get into, the fighting in Europe. The book then wraps up on Wilson's failure to get the Treaty of Versailles and the establishment of a League of Nations through Congress. Wilson emerges as a not-to-sympathetic figure: vain, hypocritical, vengeful and vicious in suppressing civil liberties. Meyer breaks up the history with side notes about other central issues and figures at the time, for example, Hemingway, the "Lost Generation", unions, and lynching. Meyer is not as rigorous with his citations as other historical works, which leaves some room for doubt. ** Fun read if you like hearing a different account of history. It's not a "war" book, no lengthy accounts of battles or strategy. Straight politics. Came away with a better appreciation for the Republicans and Henry Cabot Lodge's refusal to join the League of Nations, which it seems, probably would have been ineffective anyway.**