C H . 1 1 S E C T I O N 4

Wilson Fights for Peace

Fourteen Points

Wilson’s plan for peace

There should be no secret treaties among nations

Freedom of the seas should be maintained for all

Tariffs and other economic barriers among nations should be lowered or abolished in order to foster free trade.

Arms should be reduced “to the lowest point consistent with domestic safety, thus lessening the possibility of military responses” during diplomatic crisis

Colonial policies should consider the interests of the colonial peoples as well as the interests of the imperialist powers

Creating the league of nations

Allies Reject Wilson’s Plan

France and Britain want to make Germany pay

Treaty of Versailles:

Established 9 new nations and shifted other borders

Reduced German army and got rid of air force

Germany had to pay reparations for war damages

$33 billion

Treaty’s Weakness

War-guilt clause: forced Germany to admit sole responsibility for starting WWI

Reparations were far more than Germany could afford to pay- especially after being stripped of its colonial possessions

Treaty ignored claims of colonized people for self-determination

Many in the US opposed the treaty

League of Nations

Some believed that the League of Nations would threaten US foreign policy of isolationism

Wilson would not compromise with the Senate and add amendments

The Senate did not ratify the treaty

The US signed a separate treaty with Germany after Wilson was no longer president

Legacy of the War

The war accelerated social change

US military was strengthened as well as the power of government

“the war to end all wars”