To what extent was US foreign policy neutral prior to entering the First World War?

The question requires that candidates consider the merits or otherwise of the suggestion that US foreign policy was neutral prior to entering the First World War. Candidates may argue either in support of or against neutrality by their interpretation of US cultural ties to Great Britain and France; the impact of European war orders on the US economy; President Wilson’s 1916 campaign rhetoric as compared to actual US policy; war loans to the Allied Powers; the US response to Germany’s submarine warfare as compared to Great Britain’s naval embargo of Europe. Other relevant factors may be claimed as affecting US foreign policy, for example the political impact of events, such as the sinking of the Lusitania and the revelation of the Zimmerman Note resulting in anti-German sentiment, but with a focus on the issue in the question. Candidates’ opinions or conclusions will be presented clearly and supported by appropriate evidence.

The question required that candidates consider the merits or otherwise of the suggestion that US foreign policy was neutral prior to entering the First World War. There were many sound responses that focused only on the transition of the US from a stance of neutrality to one of intervention. Some candidates began their discussion with examples of imperialistic behaviour from the late 1800s but failed to address the issue of neutrality toward Europe and the First World War, thus failing to address the full demands of the question.