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Woodrow Wilson's 14 Points Essay

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The Fourteen Points speech was a statement delivered on January 8, 1918. It was meant to be a master plan for world peace as well as a basis for peaceful agreements among the countries involved in World War I. This idea and speech was the brainchild of Woodrow Wilson, who was president at the time. In this speech, Wilson gave reasons for why the war occurred, and also prescribed remedies for these certain reasons; he called “for the abolition of secret treaties, a reduction in armaments, an adjustment in colonial claims in the interests of both native peoples and colonists, and freedom of the seas” (Wilson’s 14 Points). This speech demonstrated the specific ambition of the United States in the war. The intention behind this speech was to subvert …show more content…

It was met by rejection at the Paris Peace Conference. It is believed that “The difficulty he had in this case was that too many cultures would be involved at an eventual peace conference, each of them with specific grievances, most of them still hoping for delivery on promises made in the secret diplomacy which Wilson—his very first point—regarded as first cause of the present conflict” (Morton 118). The idea of a “league” was merely too unrealistic for any of the countries to consider at the time. In America, however, Wilson’s idea was …show more content…

“It reflected his belief that the world was as capable of just and efficient government as were individual nations—that once the international community accepted certain basic principles of conduct and constructed modern institutions to implement them, the human race could live in peace” (Brinkley 571). It was his reluctance to negotiate and compromise that stunted the Fourteen Points from being a successful influence on the world at the time. Also, what would have resulted out of its success would be the detriment to America’s sovereignty as a country. Wilson was not flexible nor was he willing to compromise to make his idea work, so he suffered for it. This persuasive speech was a product of Wilson’s ideology for reconciliation and amity among

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