Aims of the Participants and the Peacemakers : Wilson and the 14 Points

Wilson’s fourteen points summarise the quest for international cooperation in achieving and maintaining peace. However, this can be questioned as the first paragraph also suggests a self-centred approach taken by Wilson. The speech suggests that the USA is the only ones with the capacity to achieve such peace, the programme of the world's peace, therefore, is our programme; and that programme, the only possible programme. It reflects a world view and hierarchy, suggesting one big American alliance rather than an idea of international cooperation. This is also further illustrated on in Wilson’s speech, his concern for the safety of the USA is key in the way he treats countries such as Russia and Germany, and his disagreement with some of the terms in the Treaty of Versailles. In point six of the speech when dealing with Russia it talks of securing the best and freest cooperation of the other nations of the world. Wilson was careful in how he achieved peace, as he wanted to maintain relationships with countries within Europe, whilst keeping USA dominance ad not upsetting France and Clemenceau who wanted harsh treatment of Germany. This is illustrated in point eight of Wilson’s fourteen points.

The situation required the formation of alliances as an insurance of support in case the war would break out. Central Powers consisted of Germany and Austria-Hungary, while the Entante powers were Great Britain, France and Russia – that had many formal and secret agreements. In 1915, Germany declared war on Great Britain at sea and attacked all ships, including merchant ships. By drafting these first five points, Wilson was hoping to prevent any future conflict at the same scale as the Great War, by eliminating the actual causes of war. By bringing every nation to the same level and introducing them to the free trade and free sea navigation Wilson hoped to engage the nations into an economically beneficial alliance. The more nations joined the League of Nations – the more benefits would they have. This diplomatic solution is revolutionary because it did not only refer to the couple of countries – it referred to the global stage.

A second way in which it was a turning point was that Wilson set forth for a plan for “just and secure peace,” and not merely “a new balance of power.” His Fourteen Points outlined his vision for a safer and democratic world, whilst the proposal of an international organisation to serve as a forum against any future escalating conflicts emphasised this (The League of Nations). However, the European leaders ignored each of Wilson’s points one by one, forcing Germany to admit guilty to the war and pay endless amounts of reparations (The war guilt clause). The US Senate believed that any involvement in The League of Nations (part of the treaty) could place America at the forefront of oversea problems and therefore could not ratify it as it could be of no benefit to the country or its people. This fits in with her return to isolationist policy and the passing of the Neutrality Law in 1937. Therefore, The USA’s entry could merely be seen as a milestone as they entered the war as an associated power in order to avoid foreign

Wilson's Fourteen Points were a decent attempt at peace and restitution after the Great War; however, there were many inherent problems with the Wilsonian agenda. These problems were caused by many things, including Allied bias, American ambition, and Western European dominance. While trying to fix many problems in Europe, the Fourteen Points mainly concentrated on the things that were important to the Allied powers: France was bent on revenge, Great Britain was looking to further its power over the seas, and America was keen on becoming an even more powerful trade nation.

In January 1918, Wilson made a major speech to Congress in which he laid out "Fourteen Points" that he believed would, if made the basis of a postwar peace, prevent future wars. Trade restrictions and secret alliances would be abolished, armaments would be curtailed, colonies and the national states that made up the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires would be set on the road to independence, the German-occupied portions of France and Belgium would be evacuated, the revolutionary government of Russia would be welcomed into the community of nations, and a League of Nations would be created to maintain the peace. Believing that this revolutionary program required his personal support, Wilson decided that he would lead the American peace delegation to Paris, becoming the first President ever to go to Europe while in office. Despite Wilson's best efforts, however, the Treaty of Versailles, signed in June 1919, departed significantly

Most of the World’s major Nations were in a state of turmoil from the year 1914-1918, during the conflict of World War I. This War to End all Wars began with the German’s pushing other European Nation’s buttons, including the progression of militarism, imperialism, nationalism, and the creation of alliances among all of the Nations. After the course of three years of grueling trench warfare the tide of the Germans was receding, and President Woodrow Wilson of the United States presented his famous Fourteen Points, in hope that he would direct all Nations to aspire for the establishment of world peace.

Wilson’s Fourteen Points embodied his vision of a better world governed by fairer principles. He felt guided “by the hand of God.” His vision of a peacekeeping “League of Nations” was, in his view, the key element to a “secure and lasting peace” and was the “most essential part of the peace settlement.” If the diplomats

They say time is a great teacher. How true. History has taught us that peace must be kept at all costs. At the end of World War 1, the common goal between the victorious nations throughout the world was to declare peace. The leading statesmen of these triumphant nations met in Paris to draw up the Treaty of Versailles, which would decide the fate of the central powers. Woodrow Wilson, the American President, created fourteen points as the basis for peace negotiations. Among these fourteen points was the most controversial and yet the most important to President Wilson, the League of Nations.

The Fourteen Points were distributed all over the world. On November 5, Wilson delivered the peace plan to the German government (http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1234.html). The Germans surrender November 11,1918 and expect a peace treaty under Wilson’s Fourteen Points. The war was now over. Many lives were loss because of the war. There was disease and starvation that killed ten million civilians. In addition, ten million soldiers were killed (http://www.polytechnic.org/faculty/gfeldmeth/chart.ww1.html).

Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points speech influenced the world in the way that few speeches in history have. Wilson was the leader of the free world and felt that it was his job to provide a solution for peace. As Wilson gave his Fourteen Points, which presented a path to everlasting peace, he addressed not only his nation, but also the world. Following his speech, his policies were mimicked in in every major western power’s affairs for the remainder of the Twentieth Century. He declared his philosophies on the way to obtain global peace to the world in a speech to congress on January 8, 1918. When the war ended and the leaders of the triumphant nations met to develop peace treaties and dole out retributions, the Fourteen Points were used as a basis for these international negotiations.

A devastating war had left much of Europe in ruin and smoke, but a task almost as difficult as the war was still ahead for the allies, devising a treaty. President Woodrow Wilson had come up with a fourteen point plan, which he proposed to the allied leaders of France, Italy, and Britain. Although this plan was eventually voted down by the senate, and never passed, several key points were put into the treaty that was accepted by the senate.

In the early months of 1918, the dynamics of The Great War ravaging Europe changed dramatically. On March 3rd, Germany and the Russian Bolsheviks signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, officially ending Russia’s involvement in the war and freeing Germany’s forces previously occupied on the Eastern Front . That same month, Germany launched an extensive attack in France along the Somme River, knocking a devastating blow to the Allies. By the summer of 1918, the United States had escalated it’s involvement in the war, sending over mass amounts of troops and coordinating with European powers to essentially back the German offensive into a position of little advancement. As Germany recognized its failing position in the war, the officials in the German High Command began quietly pursuing negotiations of peace and cease fire, not from their European counterparts, but from American President Woodrow Wilson . Germany was hoping to benefit from President Wilson’s ideals of peace and justice for all, ideals he had laid out publicly that year in a January speech outlining his “blueprint for a new democratic world order.” These Fourteen Points became the cornerstone of Wilson’s contribution to the peace negotiations following the armistice that ended the war in November of 1918. Focusing on the belief that an established system of democracy, communication and peace would prevent further atrocities like World War I, the Fourteen Points centered on equal representation and opportunity

The fourteen points. President Woodrow Wilson wrote fourteen points ten months before the war ended. Eight of the points based on specifically territorial and political settlements. The remaining points focused primarily on preventing future war. The last point proposed a League of Nations to arbitrate international disputes. The treaty of Versailles was presented to Germany after their defeat. The war would have peace and end a war without victory. The Treaty of Versailles blamed Germany for initiating the war in article 231 the“War Guilt Clause”.

The Paris of Peace conference was held on January 1919 in Versailles just right outside of Paris. Paris of Peace conference was called to establish reasonable terms to make peace with the countries after World War I. In that conference there was almost thirty nations that were participates. The “Big Four” were there as well, the big four consisted of Great Britain, represented by David Lloyd George, France, represented by George Clemenceau, United States, represented by Woodrow Wilson, and Italy, represented by Vittorio Orlando. David Lloyd George wanted moderate peace he also wants to alienate Germany as a naval threat. Vittorio Orlando wanted the territory was promised by the other countries. George Clemenceau wanted ironclad guarantees against future German military threat and he wanted Germany to pay for all the damages they caused during World War I. Woodrow Wilson wanted peace without Vengeance that were based on his fourteen points. One through five on his points consisted of open covenants, openly arrived at; which means no more secret treaties, freedom of the seas, free trade, and reduction of weapons. Six through thirteen consisted of self-determination of Europeans and point 14 consisted of the League of Nations. Woodrow Wilson was not successful in his goals, but in 1920 the League on Nations was established; after

The 14 points included proposals to ensure world peace in the future: open agreements, arms reductions, freedom of the seas, free trade, and self-determination for oppressed minorities. The 14 points served as a basis for the terms of German surrender negotiated at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, but most of Wilson’s 14 points were excluded in the Treaty of Versailles ending World War I. All of them were thinking only their own nation’s interests, and they did not put the whole nations and the world’s interest as a reason to enforce the treaty and to fight against Germany. There were often controversies occurred among the allied countries themselves during the discussion to make the treaty. Therefore, it showed that there were lacks of cooperation with one