AboutTom Expertise While it is a huge topic, I am well-versed in World War II generally. There is a huge wealth of information available on the internet, HOWEVER, one has to know the trash from the gems. Many sites which are not obviously credible (govt, university, and museum sites, for ex.), provide erroneous information (intentionally or otherwise).
Experience BA in history, and been reading and studying WW2 as my 'hobby' for 30 years. Regular contributor to several online forums in military history, WW2, and related areas and topics.
Organizations None relevant to this topic.
Education/Credentials BA, History (Secondary Education), with minor in Geography
US Army Engineer Officer (Officer Basic and Advanced Courses)
Question which was more of a menace to the united states: the german kaiser in 1914 or hitler in 1939? Why?
also....
what mistakes did the united states make after 1919 which, if avoided would have preveted the rise of hitler?
Answer This is a homework question, which isn't allowed, but let me give you some pointers to guide YOUR work.
Bottom line, absolutely without doubt: Hitler and his Third Reich was more of menace to the US than the Kaiser. Think (or read) about the aims of the Kaiser's imperial Germany in 1914 - it was the latest in a long series of European wars. He had no designs on the world, on the US, and had no "new ideology" - he was a king and due to circumstances, was at war in 1914. If he could defeat France and Russia, that would be the end of it, just like wars in past.
But Hitler's Nazi regime was fundamentally different, wasn't it? They started out wanting to make Germany proud and strong again - then they focused on reuniting (or uniting) all German-folk under Germany. But the big difference - Nazi ideology. Hitler sought "lebensraum" - living space - and so was out to conquer vast territory to make a new world order, based on German supremacy.
But if you are bold and want to make a contrarian statement - argue that while Hitler was a greater menace due to his ideology, neither was a direct menace to the US. After all, BOTH were European wars, and something OUR FOUNDING FATHERS WANTED US TO BE NO PART OF. European wars stretch back endlessly, and in the words of George Washington, we should "avoid entangling alliances".
As for what your teacher is seeking for the second question: focus on US participation in the League of Nations, and you cannot go wrong. Commonly held view - but not universally held - is that the League (pre-UN of today) was fatally weakened when the US didn't join it following WW1.
