Following WW1, Europe was left in a bad state. Empires were destroyed and states were being formed. The Minority question that arose following the war, albeit important, was not as much of a destabilizing force in this time as people like to think. It was only the byproduct of events that took place. These events include the publishing of the fourteen points, the settlements made during the Paris Peace conference, and the creation of state constitutions. The minority question was, in essence, the straw that broke the camel’s back, breaking the already damaged infrastructure of post war Europe.
In order to answer the question on why minority rights became such a destabilizing force after the war, we must first look at what caused this problem to become the forefront of many European minds. Two pivotal events took place following the war that left stains on Europe; stains that, to some, indirectly led to the start of World War 2. The first and most important event was the publishing of Woodrow Wilson 's fourteen points on January 8, 1918. These points were created in the hope to promote peace and harmony among the recently war stricken nations of Europe. One prominent point that came from this document was the idea of self-determination. This encouraged people to form their own nation where they could choose rulers and live amongst others who share the same culture. This piqued the interest of the millions of people living in the various, and heavily
Woodrow Wilson, our 23rd president, became involved in a war that he did not want any part of. Wilson wanted to remain neutral and have peace as in his first term of office. During World War I Wilson’s roles in the war became well known in all countries. Wilson wanted peace more than anything else. In seeking for peace Wilson asked Congress for the U.S. to enter World War I. which may not sound like a peace strategy but Wilson felt it was the only way to stop Germany and gain peace. Wilson wrote his speech for world peace, Fourteen Points, that he was probably most famous for. He attended and played an integral part in The Treaty of Versailles. He was the founder of the League of Nations,
Chapter 28 Descent into the Abyss: World War I and the Crisis of the European Global Order
In 1914, European countries went to war with themselves. When the war broke out, it was expected to be done with quickly. However, much to Europe’s dismay, the war lasted for over four long years, with the lives of millions of soldiers and civilians being lost in the battle. After the war, Europeans questioned how this war came to be. There were many speculations and opinions on what caused the event known as World War One. However, only three of the most important reasons will be discussed.
As soon as World War One broke out, Woodrow Wilson, the president at that time immediately declared the United States neutral to maintain the nation’s stability. President Wilson thought the United States should take no part in a war where they were not affected. But, as the war carried on it was evident that a stance of neutrality was just clearly not the case. Even though they were not fighting in World War I, the United States were definitely involved. Whether it be loaning goods to a party of the war or rising turmoil with a belligerent nation, America did take part in the war before their actual entry. Voluntary or involuntary, the United States involved themselves in the war in many ways , most definitely contradicting Wilson’s policy of neutrality.
President Woodrow Wilson’s “War Message” addresses the momentous event of breaking neutrality and declaring war on the German government. Wilson explains that America can no longer remain stagnant. He calls his audience to action, through a tactical combination of both structured logic and emotional inclusion. Wilson begins his deduction with several points, starting with the details of the submarine warfare and the “wholesale destruction of men, women, and children” endured not only by the American people but various other countries (2). Wilson asserts that neutrality is no longer possible since peace and the freedom of the individuals of the world were under a direct threat (5). He reassures the audience that although his intentions were the same and he fully intended on keeping the American people safe, avoiding the war and remaining uninvolved was no longer a reality (4).
After the deaths of 37,508,686 soldiers by the end of World War I, Europe was a mess. Countries had been dissolved and rearranged, governments had fallen and been replaced, and economies were thriving then crashing, all as a result from World War I. One of the main goals at the end of World War I was to prevent another tragedy like World War I from happening again. Clearly that did not happen, as World War II still happened, causing over 50 million deaths. The repercussions of World War I caused World War II due to radical ideology, bad economic conditions, and nationalism to the point of extremity.
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.
I have taken this from an external source to show the power of idealism, and how Woodrow was perceived.
I believe that President Woodrow Wilson's speech in which he asks Congress to declare war on Germany is an example of how American nationalism can easily motivate political parties that are bickering within Congress to compromise.
On April 2, 1917, President Wilson wrote and spoke one of his famous speech: War Message. President Wilson wants to ensure the people 's hope and faith from the war. As President Wilson (1917) stated in his speech "Each nation must decide for itself how it will meet it... Our motive will not be revenge or the victorious assertion of the physical might of the nation, but only the vindication of right, of human right, of which we are only a single champion."was to fix the issue the nation was in. President Wilson wants to show the people that we need to get involved war for the loss of many American lives that Germany took. Wilson persuades to Congress to go to war. President Wilson shows his persuasion effectively by using rhetorical strategies. Each strategy he used gave more persuasion to Congress to declare war on Germany. All the persuasion he used to convince Congress was put in his famous speech War Message.
Assess the impact of Woodrow Wilson’s fourteen points on the Paris Peace Settlement and determine whether Wilson was successful in his goals.
President Wilson was determined to achieve peace. He based his peacemaking efforts in the academic argument Fourteen Points. Ideas of freedom of the seas, internationalism and justice for all were embedded in his idealistic approach, in an attempt to making long lasting peace.
The League of Nations was established in 1919 after the deadly and devastating conflict of World War I. The nations of the world needed a way to rebuild and regain trust in one another after this worldwide atrocity. President Woodrow Wilson believed that an international peacekeeping organization, such as the League of Nations, could achieve this monumental goal. President Wilson was convinced that the League could prevent another wWorld wWar, preserve peace, and promote total disarmament among nations. Wilson went to the Treaty of Versailles negotiations with a Fourteen Point Plan for peace, but he sacrificed almost all of his plans so that the League of Nations could be established. This organization, however, would never live up to the President’s dreams for its success. Despite Woodrow Wilson’s support for the League of Nations, it failed as a peace keeping organization because the United States did not participate, its decision making process was ineffective, and it lacked an armed force to impose its decisions.
“Until early in [the twentieth] century, the isolationist tendency prevailed in American foreign policy. Then, two factors projected America into world affairs: its rapidly expanding power, and the gradual collapse of the international system centered on Europe” . President Woodrow Wilson was the leader who would initiate the ideologies of American diplomacy in the twentieth century. Up until his Presidency, American foreign policy was simply to fulfill the course of manifest destiny, and to remain free of entanglements overseas. Although he could not convince his fellow politicians on Capitol Hill of the probable success of his ideas, he did persuade the fellow writers of the Treaty of
The political and social conditions of Europe before the onset of the World War I were extremely unstable and undergoing a rapid transition that was driven by national interests of different nations living in the region. Nationalism was endorsed to promote patriotism among masses and to achieve political objectives that were in alignment with the national or political interests of countries. As the time passed, the growing influence of imperialism and the ideology of nationalism manifested multifaceted