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Recognizing the right to ‘national self-determination’, as stated in the “Fourteen Points” outlined by President Wilson of the United States, the treaties created independent states for minority populations previously part of the fallen empires. In northern Europe were created Finland and the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Poland, which had disappeared at the end of the 18th century, was reconstituted. Then two new multi-national states were created: Czechoslovakia for the Northern Slavs (Czechs and Slovaks); and Yugoslavia for the Southern Slavs (Slovenians, Croats and Serbs).
http://www.the-map-as-history.com/demos/tome03/Map-of-Europe-after-WW1-and-the-Versailles-Treaty.php

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In the west, Germany returned Alsace-Lorraine to France. It had been seized by Germany more than 40 years earlier. Further, Belgium received Eupen and Malmedy; the industrial Saar region was placed under the administration of the League of Nations for 15 years; and Denmark received Northern Schleswig. Finally, the Rhineland was demilitarized; that is, no German military forces or fortifications were permitted there. In the east, Poland received parts of West Prussia and Silesia from Germany. In addition, Czechoslovakia received the Hultschin district from Germany; the largely German city of Danzig became a free city under the protection of the League of Nations; and Memel, a small strip of territory in East Prussia along the Baltic Sea, was ultimately placed under Lithuanian control. Outside Europe, Germany lost all its colonies. In sum, Germany forfeited 13 percent of its European territory (more than 27,000 square miles) and one-tenth of its population (between 6.5 and 7 million people).
https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/media_nm.php?MediaId=1620

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Then he began to talk about the consequences to the United States. He had no illusions about the fashion in which we were likely to fight the war.
He said when a war got going it was just war, and there weren't two kinds of it. It required illiberalism at home to reinforce the men at the front. We couldn't fight Germany and maintain the ideals of government that all thinking men shared. He said we would try it, but it would be too much for us.
'Once lead this people into war,' he said, 'and they'll forget there ever was such a thing as tolerance. To fight you must be brutal and ruthless, and the spirit of ruthless brutality will enter into the very fiber of our national life, infecting Congress, the courts, the policeman on the beat, the man in the street.' Conformity would be the only virtue, said the President, and every man who refused to conform would have to pay the penalty.
He thought the Constitution would not survive it, that free speech and the right of assembly would go. He said a nation couldn't put its strength into a war and keep its head level; it had never been done.
'If there is any alternative, for God's sake, let's take it,' he exclaimed. Well, I couldn't see any, and I told him so.
The President didn't have illusions about how he was going to come out of it, either. He'd rather have done anything else than head a military machine. All his instincts were against it. He foresaw too clearly the probable influence of a declaration of war on his own fortunes, the adulation certain to follow the certain victory, the derision and attack which would come with the deflation of excessive hopes and in the presence of world responsibility. But if he had it to do over again he would take the same course. It was just a choice of evils.
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/wilsonwar.htm

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One of the greatest organizational and long-term successes of Room 40 was its use of traffic analysis to detect the movement of German ships and U-boats. Traffic analysis was necessary when analysts could not break a signal and read the transmission. Instead, by using direction-finding stations, analysts could geolocate the origin of the signal, and thus identify the location of the vessel. Knowing even basic information about the type of signal gave the British an overview, updated daily, of German naval force disposition. This was particularly important during the U-boat campaign when Room 40 could display the location of German submarines and Allied ships on large maps in the Admiralty’s War Room, and then identify those vulnerable to attack. However, such identification did not necessarily mean protection. One of the endemic problems of intelligence is the critical decision of how to act upon it, if at all. Those few in the British government privy to Room 40 intelligence were anxious that acting on every piece of information (i.e. trying to protect every ship known to be under threat of a U-boat) would tip off the Germans, inducing them to change their communication practices and thus deprive Britain of valuable intelligence. Conversely, others questioned the purpose of intelligence that could not be acted upon. The Admiralty often developed ingenious, but not imperfect, mechanisms to obfuscate the source of intelligence. For example, when Room 40 intercepted and decrypted the Zimmermann Telegram, the Admiralty and foreign office developed elaborate lies, one for the U.S. government and the other for the general public, about how they acquired the telegram. The need for deception was heightened in this case by the fact that Room 40 was actively collecting signal intelligence against the United States.
http://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/room_40

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On May 4th, 1916, Germany agreed to the demands of the American government and informed Woodrow Wilson that Germany would adhere to international law. Germany also expressed its desire that America should pressure Britain to stop its ‘illegal’ blockade of Germany and if this was not forthcoming, Germany reserved the right to start up her submarine campaign. Wilson was pleased with the first part of the German response but not with the second. He told Germany that no American life should be threatened as a response of actions taken by the British government over which the Americans had no control.
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-one/naval-warfare-and-world-war-one/unrestricted-submarine-warfare/

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U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, backed by State Department second-in-command Robert Lansing, made his position on the Lusitania sinking clear to the Government of Germany in three notes issued on 13 May, 9 June, and 21 May 1915.
In the first Wilson note, signed by Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan, Wilson affirmed the right of United States nationals to travel on merchant ships of their choosing, urging Germany to abandon unrestricted submarine warfare against commercial ships of any nation.  Notably, Wilson did not warn to the American people against traveling on belligerent ships for their own safety.
In the second Wilson note, Wilson rejected the German arguments that the British blockade was illegal and an attack on innocent civilians.  Wilson also denied the German accusation that the Lusitania had been carrying munitions. Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan resigned in protest over this letter, stating that Wilson was being too provocative and that the President’s position was not befitting a leader of a neutral country.  Wilson appointed Robert Lansing as Bryan’s replacement.
The third Wilson note was an ultimatum, where the United States would consider any subsequent sinkings of merchant vessels with Americans aboard as “deliberately unfriendly”.
http://www.rmslusitania.info/primary-docs/wilson-notes/

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In view of recent acts of the German authorities in violation of American rights on the high seas which culminated in the torpedoing and sinking of the British steamship Lusitania on May 7, 1915, by which over 100 American citizens lost their lives, it is clearly wise and desirable that the Government of the United States and the Imperial German Government should come to a clear and full understanding as to the grave situation which has resulted.
https://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/Wilson's_First_Lusitania_Note_to_Germany

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Your letter of May 15th I think I shall take the liberty of quoting, of course
not using your name, because of the admirable lesson it contains for our pacifists. I agree
absolutely with you as to the future danger from Japan. Probably if this war results in a deadlock
abroad (which will be a virtual triumph for Germany) we shall have to pay tribute to Germany
first; but we will have to pay tribute to Japan in the end, as sure as fate; and by tribute I mean the
loss of Hawaii, the Panama Canal, and probably Alaska, unless we are willing to forswear
Wilson and Bryan, Taft, Carnegie, Jane Addams, David Starr Jordan, Nicholas Murray Butler
and all their works and act as men amongst men. England is in a death struggle with Germany;
and it is idle to suppose that she will try to save her own interests in the Far East at the cost of
sacrificing her life at home. [inserted: This accounts for her attitude when Japan (on her own,
and England’s, initiative) interfered.]
Like you, our attitude over the Lusitania horror made me heartsick. I hope you saw my
own statements in the matter. [3] They were very unpopular. Most of the Progressives approve
of Wilson’s infamous policy. As for you, you are a man and naturally take the view that you do.
Faithfully yours,
Theodore Roosevelt
O. K. Davis, Esq.,
Correspondent of The Chicago Tribune,
Hotel des Wagon-Lits,
Peking, China.
https://www.gilderlehrman.org/sites/default/files/inline-pdfs/t-08003.pdf

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World War I had a profound human cost, both on servicemen and civilians. Conservative estimates put war casualties at 12 million dead and 20 million severely wounded, though in reality both figures should probably be much higher. Taking into account deaths from combat, disease and missing soldiers, each of the major powers lost numbers in the millions. Germany and Russia lost by far the most personnel, though Russian record-keeping was so inept that its losses will never be accurately known, even to the nearest 100,000. Italy, which only entered the war in mid-1915 and was not significantly involved on the Western Front, lost an enormous number of men, particularly in 1917. The losses incurred by British dominions like Canada, Australia and New Zealand were smaller in total, but more profound when one takes into account their tiny populations.
http://alphahistory.com/worldwar1/human-cost/

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or the Morgan partners, good personal relations and good business went hand in hand. [35] In dealing with French emissaries, the former was all too often absent to the detriment of the latter. The importance of personal relationships was heightened by the unexpected duration of the war, its unforeseen costs, and the complications which followed from American neutrality Jack Morgan, Davison and Lamont, occasionally assisted by Dwight Morrow, a Morgan partner since 1914, dealt with a series of French officials. From the outbreak of the war until the spring of 1915, the French ambassador to the U.S., Jean Jules Jusserand, played the primary role in money raising activities. [36] Thereafter, a French financial representative to the United States, Octave Homberg, was appointed and a French financial agency based in New York was established. J. F. Bloch replaced Homberg in the summer of 1916 as French financial agent.
http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/uhic/AcademicJournalsDetailsPage/DocumentToolsPortletWindow?displayGroupName=Journals&u=alli1510&u=alli1510&jsid=28d6b356f3ad5aeae33953f56b1d8360&p=UHIC&action=2&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CA63820093&zid=9e6596869effdaf5cd6e30d2a449e96f

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No country produced more food than America. America at the time of World War I was a major food producer. It not only was self sufficient in most agricultural commodities, but also exported large quantities of grains and other food products. The few products that America had to import were products that were best grown in tropical regions, particularly sugar and coffee. The United States also imported vegetable oils.
http://histclo.com/essay/war/ww1/cou/us/food/w1cus-usfa.html

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The US needed to contribute to the war to show their support towards the strong European nations, and also needed to create new allies. Before World War One America had a week military of only 200,000 men and limited supplies for war. Congress passed the Selective Service Act in May 1917 which required men to sign up for the military, and as a result, would be  randomly selected to fight for their country. Overall 4,791,172 Americans served in World War I. The US needed a quick large sum of money to finance these soldiers. There  was a rapid increase in federal spending from $477 million in 1916 to $8,450 million in 1918 and an estimated thirty two billion dollars was spent on the war. (Rockoff, Hugh. "US Economy in World War I". Rutgers University. February 10, 2008.) When the U.S. showed their support to the Allies, the allies bought most of there war supplies from them , which greatly benefited the U.S. economy.
http://ustoworldpower.yolasite.com/american-economy-during-world-war-i.php

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When the war began, the U.S. economy was in recession. But a 44-month economic boom ensued from 1914 to 1918, first as Europeans began purchasing U.S. goods for the war and later as the United States itself joined the battle. "The long period of U.S. neutrality made the ultimate conversion of the economy to a wartime basis easier than it otherwise would have been," writes Rockoff. "Real plant and equipment were added, and because they were added in response to demands from other countries already at war, they were added precisely in those sectors where they would be needed once the U.S. entered the war."
Entry into the war in 1917 unleashed massive U.S. federal spending which shifted national production from civilian to war goods. Between 1914 and 1918, some 3 million people were added to the military and half a million to the government. Overall, unemployment declined from 7.9 percent to 1.4 percent in this period, in part because workers were drawn in to new manufacturing jobs and because the military draft removed from many young men from the civilian labor force.
http://www.nber.org/digest/jan05/w10580.html

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Anti-German fervor during World War I resulted in the renaming of food that was of German origin or that simply sounded German. Sauerkraut became "liberty cabbage," frankfurters were called "hot dogs," and Salisbury steak was given a less gastronomically pleasing but more Americanized label: "meat loaf." Streets and even some municipalities with German monikers changed, such as the renaming of the Michigan town of Berlin to "Marne" in honor of those who fought in the Allied victory at the First Battle of Marne.
https://www.boundless.com/u-s-history/textbooks/boundless-u-s-history-textbook/world-war-i-1914-1919-23/the-war-at-home-180/the-anti-german-crusade-988-8773/
This shows the Anti-German sentiment in the U.S. as the German "kultur" is being taken away.

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French Postcard shows Anti-German Sentiment

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Germany invaded neutral Belgium on 4 August 1914. From the next day, civilians were executed en masse, as the invasion force advanced on its first obstacle, the ring of forts around Liège. To retaliate for the shelling from these forts, the German troops rounded up inhabitants of surrounding villages. Victims were selected and shot, those still alive being killed off with bayonets. By 8 August, nearly 850 civilians were dead. By then, several of the dynamics of this particular type of violence had fully emerged. First, the massacres occurred where the invading army suffered setbacks; the German military did not consider Belgium’s military defence to be legitimate. Second, the victims were accused, incorrectly, of being franc-tireurs (civilian snipers). Most of the German rank and file genuinely believed that the locals were attacking them; this sniper delusion was sometimes countered by the commanding officers, sometimes not. Third, there were women, children and old men among the victims but the vast majority were men of military age. These were more likely to be suspected of sniping; moreover, the invading troops resented them for still enjoying the civilian life that they themselves had so recently been torn from. Fourth, and last, the massacres went together with rituals designed to show civilians how helpless they were. People were made to cheer the troops; local dignitaries (mayors, priests) were publicly mistreated, in some cases killed.
https://www.bl.uk/world-war-one/articles/civilian-atrocities-german-1914

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The majority of Americans felt that the United States should stay out of World War I because it was not a signatory to any of the agreements that had lured the European powers into conflict across the continent, so President Woodrow Wilson declared a neutrality policy, attempting instead to broker a peace agreement. Even when a German sub sank the British ocean liner Lusitania in 1915, with 128 Americans on board, the United States demanded a stop to the destruction of passenger ships, and Germany agreed, leading to continued American neutrality.
https://www.reference.com/history/did-united-states-want-remain-neutral-wwi-589f0b09022a9484

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The one strongly held opinion in America with the outbreak of the War was that America should hold to its long term isolationist traditions. There were efforts to aid the starving Belgians and to negotiate a peaceful end of the conflict, but there was no interest in entering the War. German-Americans were not the only group opposed to entering the War. Here sympathy with Germany was combined with strongly held pacifist sentiment. Irish Americans with anti-British sentiments were also opposed to entering the War. German Americans were, however, the largest and most influential group. There was some support for Britain. The most outspoken proponent was former President, Theodore Roosevelt. There was some sympathy with the Germans among the large German ethnic community, but the overwhelming desire on the part of Americans was to stay out of the war. This does not mean that Americans were neutral concerning who launched the war or on the conduct of the war. From the very beginning, most Americans saw the Germans who invaded neutral Belgium as the aggressor nation. Most Americans as a result of the German invasion of neutral Belgium and mistreatment of Belgian civilians from the onset saw Germany as the major aggressor and a lawless nation. The American assessment of Germany only deteriorated as the War continued. The reports of German atrocities in Belgium began to change the generally positive view that most Americans held of the Germans. This was an entirely new assessment. Before the War, Germany was an admired nation. Not only had America not had any diplomatic differences with Germany (unlike Britain), but the Germans had become the largest ethnic group in America. These reports were inflated by British propaganda, but were not entirely false. And then there was a steady drip of war reports that steadily darkened the American view of Germany, including U-boat attacks on shipping, RMS Lusitania, the introduction of poison gas, and Zephlin bombing of cities. The German sinking of Lusitania and the terrible loss of life cemented the new American assessment of Germany. The American assessment of Germany, however, did not mean that Americans wanted to go to war with Germany. Despite the public repulsion to German actions, most Americans wanted no part of the War.
http://histclo.com/essay/war/ww1/cou/us/home/w1cush-opi.html