The Rise Of Australasia
Chapter 582: Chapter 451: The United States' Participation in War and Its Impact

As Italy and the Balkan Allied Forces made surprisingly rapid advances on the borders of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the United States on the other side of the ocean was indeed a bit panicked.

The reason why Americans did not participate in this war did not mean they did not want to share the benefits.

It's just that the Americans wanted to play a more important role in this war. They wanted to wait until the Allies and the Central Powers were exhausted, and then join the war as mediators.

However, unexpectedly, the Central Powers had already shown signs of fatigue in the face of the Allies' offensive, and even now only two Great Powers remained struggling to survive in the Central Powers.

If Italy and Australasia really teamed up to defeat the Austro-Hungarian Empire, leaving only the struggling German Empire, it was also destined not to last long.

The current development of the situation and the Americans' expectations could be said to be two extremes. The Americans were surprised to replace that the Allies seemed to be able to win the war without them.

This made the Americans a bit anxious. If they sat idly by and watched the Allies defeat the Central Powers and divide the benefits, there would be no chance for the Americans to rise if they did not participate.

In order to share the benefits of this war, the Americans couldn't sit still anymore and began negotiations with the United Kingdom to request participation in the war.

Because of Australasia's involvement in the world, the Americans have had little influence on this war so far.

Even the arms trade, which brought huge profits to the United States in history, did not involve the Americans in this world.

Australasia has almost taken on all the arms trade of Russia and the Balkan nations, coupled with assistance from Britain and France, the Allies' demand for arms imports is not so high, and they would naturally not rush to send money to the Americans.

Since the Americans did not gain a huge benefit from the war, their status had not been reversed in Europe.

At present, the United States is still a debtor country, and a large part of its capital and economy is still controlled by European nations.

Seeing that the current situation had already exceeded their expectations, President Wilson of America quickly decided to join the war as soon as possible to fight for more benefits for the United States.

At least by reducing Europe's control over the U.S. economy, the United States could develop better.

However, the current situation is that the Allies do not need the United States very much. If the United States wants to force its way in for a share of the spoils, it depends on whether Britain and France agree.

President Wilson of America tried to persuade Congress to launch a total mobilization while contacting Britain and France to request to join the war as part of the Allies.

Although the United States could simply declare war on Germany, fighting Germany alone and joining the Allies to fight Germany together would result in different post-war benefit distributions.

First of all, Germany's overseas territories have been basically divided by the Allies, and the United States alone could not possibly get Germany's overseas territories.

Although Germany still has a vast native land, do the Americans dare to send troops to capture Germany's native land without Britain and France's permission?

Not to mention whether the Americans have the guts to do so, the current American army is no match for the German Army. The Americans want to attack Germany on their own, which is like trying to stop a car with their bare arms.

Regarding the US's proposal to join the Allies, Britain and France held completely opposite attitudes.

The British did not want the Americans to join in and share the spoils because the war had been going smoothly so far, and the position of the five Great Powers of the Allies had been very stable, with no need for any complications.

Although relying solely on the power of the Allies would inevitably lead to more casualties, the current casualties were not unacceptable for Britain and France, and the entire Allies.

After all, so far in the war, the two countries with the most casualties in the Allies are France and Russia.

Although the British casualties were also high, only a few hundred thousand were in the regular army, and most of the casualties were colonial troops.

It was precisely because the French had higher casualties, with more than 5 million in the regular army alone and more than 1 million dead.

Of course, France hoped that a power like the United States could join the Allies, bear some pressure and share some casualties.

The difference in opinions between Britain and France gave the Americans a chance to join the Allies. Next, the Americans targeted Russia and tried to win over the most severely wounded member of the Allies.

Russians also supported the United States to join the Allies because the United States not only promised to provide Russia with some interest-free loans but also promised to provide aid to Russia for two years.

For the Russian government, which is currently suffering from domestic turmoil, a shortage of supplies and funds, this is like a timely help.

As a result, the Americans quickly gained Russia's support and agreed to let the United States join the Allies in fighting Germany.

There are only two more Powerful Allied Nations left: Australasia and Italy. Arthur's position is very clear, which is the same as the British, he does not agree to let the United States join the Allies in fighting against Germany.

Though the joining of the United States would share some burdens of supply for Australasia, it would also split a large part of the post-war benefit distribution, which is not a good thing for Australasia.

What's more, the United States is a direct competitor to Australasia after the war and is the country most likely to compete with Australasia for European talents.

For such potential competitors, it is natural to weaken them whenever possible, let alone give them opportunities to develop.

Italy's opinion is very much in line with its position in World War I, unwilling to offend Britain and Australasia and wanting the United States to join in to get a large amount of funds and supplies.