Is there at least one great power involved in WW I that didn't have imperialist plans?

Answer 1

USA

Answer 2

You could make an argument that none of the western allies had imperialist designs on their entry into the Great War. After all, France was attacked by the Germans, the British entered because of their defence guarantees to Belgium, and the Americans entered to back up the western democracies and counter German terrorist tactics that reached beyond their immediate enemies (ie: unrestricted submarine warfare) Now you could punch holes in every one of those arguments till the cows come home, but they are the "official" reasons and they do stand for something.

As to the guy who claimed the Habsburg Empire had no imperialist designs.... Frans Ferdinand was in Sarejvo exerting to demonstrate their sovereignty over a province that wasn't really theirs and they started the war with the express purpose of eliminating the Serbian state which they described in very much the same manner W. has described Iraq or Afganistan prior to his invasions. Sponsor of terror, Threat to world peace. etc. Read a book man......

Answer 3

Yes, Austro-Hungary which wasn't really an imperialist power in that it had no colonies outside Europe. I'm not sure that that the USA could, at the time, have been described as a 'great power' If you do class it as such, however, it wasn't involved in the imperialist rush like Great Britain, Germany and France.

Answer 4

Japan seems to have joined the Allies primarily with an eye on Germany's Pacific posessions. The European powers were all interested in preservation, if not expansion, of their empires. American imperialism, at least after the Spanish-American war, has been of a kinder, gentler nature, at least, and the Wilson administration's position at the end of the war was considerably different from that of the other Allies. A junior partner compared to Britain, France and perhaps even Italy, the U.S. position was essentially ignored at Versailles, and one can argue that herein lies the inevitability of the second world war.

Answer 5

The USA after World War One did not receive any territory as a result of the Versailles Treaty. President Wilson's reason for entering the war was to stop German militarist aggression , stop unrestricted U-boat attacks, and promote Democracy and self-determination of peoples in the world.

Answer 6

Great Britain