Question

Read the sentence from "Wilson's War Message to Congress." It was a war determined upon as wars used to be determined upon in the old, unhappy days when peoples were nowhere consulted by their rulers and wars were provoked and waged in the interest of dynasties or of little groups of ambitious men who were accustomed to use their fellow men as pawns and tools. In this sentence, Wilson compares the German government to governments of the past. What is he hoping to convey?

Answer 1

Based on what I understand, there is no change in how government ruled over the land from the past up to the current time.

War was waged not because there is a dire threat on the well-being of the nation but because their government leaders are intent on gaining more power (financial, influence) over other countries at the expense of the common people to satisfy their own selfish interest and vested needs.. 

Answer 2

Answer:

The comparison attempts to make the German government look uncivilized and brutal.

Explanation:

According to a different source, these are the options that come with this question:

• The comparison attempts to make the German government look uncivilized and brutal.
• The comparison makes the United States seem more suitable for war than Germany.
• The comparison reminds the audience of how war was fought more often by emperors and kings.
• The comparison hopes to change the way governments look at decisions of war.

The main reason why Wilson might want to compare the German government to governments of the past in this way is that he wants to make the German government appear uncivilized and brutal. In this text, Wilson tells us that the German government is waging war in a cruel way. The government has decided to conduct war without getting the people's approval. Moreover, Wilson claims that the government is using the German people as pawns in order to achieve selfish interests.