President Theodoor Roosevelt and ww1

It tends to be a general consensus that if TR was president in 1914, we would have gotten involved in ww1 at the start. Let's say that he is president, either throught he progressive party, or Taft decides to step down at the RNC and give the nomination to TR.

I know during Tafts presidency Roosevelt did some traveling, Africa, the middle east, and Europe. He paid a visit to Kaiser Wilhelm II while in Europe. Was TR on good terms with the Kaiser? Would a positive relationship between the two of them be enough to make America join the central powers?

If TR was president in 1914, which side of ww1 would the United States join(assuming that the war starts the same as OTL)?
 
I can't speak to Teddy's relationship with Wilhelm II, I do however know that he had a friendship with Franz Joseph I of Austria. He are one point remarked that the only interesting politician in all of Europe was the Emperor of Austria. I believe their friendship was struck up when Teddy traveled to Austria-Hungary. The nobility of Vienna view him as a rather backwater and wouldn't talk to him, however he and the Emperor shared many interests and Teddy ended up spending most of his time in the company of Franz Joseph.

I don't know that a personal relationship with the Austrian Emperor alone would draw America into WWI on the CP (I tend to doubt it) however if there were multiple factors it could.
 
Roosevelt would definitely have been on the British side, but he would at first have been reluctant to get involved knowing that the American people would not see it as their quarrel without a lengthy period of preparation. However, he would push for military preparedness--this is proven by his columns during the war in, as I recall, the Kansas City Star, lambasting Wilson for not preparing the country. Roosevelt might have taken an aggressive attitude towards German subs, as his cousin did in the year preceding U.S. entrance into World War Two. My guess is that a naval incident would have prompted U.S. entrance into the war a year earlier but the U.S. would already be semi-mobilized and so could get to Europe sooner. This would mean the war would end a year sooner and the U.S. might have more clout in negotiating the Versailles Treaty. Roosevelt would have been in very poor health at the end of the war, but couldn't have done worse than Wilson, who in my opinion heads the list of Worst Presidents--worse even than Carter and Bush II.
 
To the best of my knowledge TR spoke German and did, indeed, know both of the Kaisers. However, I still think he was an Anglophile, at least politically, and I refer you to the recent book, "The King and the Cowboy" by Fromkin which is about TR's relationship with Edward VII and TR's general pro-British attitudes.
Whether this general attitude would have been enough to bring the U.S. into the war immediately is unlikely, but TR made very clear in OTL that he thought the sinking of the LUISITANIA in 1915 was an act of war and I think he would have taken the same view as President in an alternate time line.
As one earlier poster has indicated, TR would certainly have started "preparadness" activities as soon as the war broke out in Europe, so whether the U.S. entered the war in 1915 or somehat later, I believe its army would have better much better prepared than in OTL.
I also predict that Leonard Wood would have been the commander of TR's AEF, with Pershing perhaps a divisional commander, and later a corps commander, since TR knew him from Cuba.
Finally, I believe that much, if not all, of TR's ill health in 1919 and his premature death in 1920 was a result of various jungle diseases caught on his River of Doubt expedition which he undertook in 1913 after losing the Presidential election of 1912. If he wins, no expedition, no malaria, etc and a significantly healthier TR through the war and the peace negotiations.

AH
 
Roosevelts connections with the Kaiser and Franz Joseph may have resulted in an initial attempt to mediate which would probably have been rejected. However he would have eventually come in on the allied side sometime after unrestricted submarine warfare was introduced. The Lusitania would have played a crucial role. However he may have had problems in persuading congress and may have started by trying to provoke Germany with agressive neutrality patrols or escorts of American ships. In practice his involvement may have come slightly earlier than in OTL. It is concievable however that Roosevelts response to unrestricted submarine warfare may have resulted in Germany calling it off or exempting passengers ships
 
To the best of my knowledge TR spoke German and did, indeed, know both of the Kaisers. However, I still think he was an Anglophile, at least politically, and I refer you to the recent book, "The King and the Cowboy" by Fromkin which is about TR's relationship with Edward VII and TR's general pro-British attitudes.
Whether this general attitude would have been enough to bring the U.S. into the war immediately is unlikely, but TR made very clear in OTL that he thought the sinking of the LUISITANIA in 1915 was an act of war and I think he would have taken the same view as President in an alternate time line.
As one earlier poster has indicated, TR would certainly have started "preparadness" activities as soon as the war broke out in Europe, so whether the U.S. entered the war in 1915 or somehat later, I believe its army would have better much better prepared than in OTL.
I also predict that Leonard Wood would have been the commander of TR's AEF, with Pershing perhaps a divisional commander, and later a corps commander, since TR knew him from Cuba.
Finally, I believe that much, if not all, of TR's ill health in 1919 and his premature death in 1920 was a result of various jungle diseases caught on his River of Doubt expedition which he undertook in 1913 after losing the Presidential election of 1912. If he wins, no expedition, no malaria, etc and a significantly healthier TR through the war and the peace negotiations.

AH

Roosevelts connections with the Kaiser and Franz Joseph may have resulted in an initial attempt to mediate which would probably have been rejected. However he would have eventually come in on the allied side sometime after unrestricted submarine warfare was introduced. The Lusitania would have played a crucial role. However he may have had problems in persuading congress and may have started by trying to provoke Germany with agressive neutrality patrols or escorts of American ships. In practice his involvement may have come slightly earlier than in OTL. It is concievable however that Roosevelts response to unrestricted submarine warfare may have resulted in Germany calling it off or exempting passengers ships

The AH's have it! They managed to make all the points I wanted to. BULLY! :)

I must say, though, that given the close relationship with Franz Joseph IV mentioned the idea of the US stepping up to deliberate the Serbia Crisis offers some fascinating possibilities for a delay to any Great War...assuming you can keep Willy 2 from jumping at the chance to take out Russia before they get too industrialized.

If anyone had the diplomatic gravitas to do it it'd be TR, who already had the Nobel Peace Prize for ending the RJ war.
 
...assuming you can keep Willy 2 from jumping at the chance to take out Russia before they get too industrialized.

Well, while the fear of the continued increasingly Entente arms buildup (as well as Russian infrastructural and industrial buildup) did have German military and political leaders spooked I think the actually OTL DOW was move is better defined as a chance to take out Russia(Allies) before they (The Russians) get too mobilized rather than industrialized.

TR negotiated a settlement avoiding the Great War is something I've never thought much on. A lot of interesting things and relationships can develop in these different 1920's.
 
Teddy looked towards the pacific

I do not think TR would be willing to help the british: USA-Canada frontier is too great and a winning UK could have dangerous ambition.
On the other hand, I think him likely to have ambition in the pacific.
friction with the japanese?
friction with the russians?
after 1917 I am darned if he would not make plans to make Kamtkacha a US territory.
maybe a slice of china
 
OTL TR favored both the British and the Japanese (he considered the latter real scrappers and actually worthy of equality to white men!) and would have loved to join the Anglo-Japanese alliance if he thought he could get away with it. Japan was equally enamored of him while UK-wise he'd settled the last US-Canada border dispute and the Venezuela crisis through quiet negotiation. Despite his modern rep for hot-headedness and warmongering he was actually one of the more capable diplomats in US history. OTL he favored the Entente just as he favored Japan in the RJ war.

If you can find a copy read "Theodore Roosevelt and Japan". Great stuff, though really dry and academic.
 
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