S/H/52. Was it idealism or realism which persuaded Woodrow Wilson and the American Congress to declare war on Germany in 1917?

The paper considers the factors that contributed to Wilson's decision to commit US forces to the Allied effort in April 1917. From an initial stance of neutrality; the paper considers economic pressures; cultural affinities with Britain; US public opinion; American attitudes to European power politics; increasing antagonism towards Germany (Lusitania, Zimmerman telegram etc); Wilson's ideological principles and his desire to play a leading role in determining a new world order after the war.