Woodrow Wilson and the

Treaty of Versailles

Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)• Academic by profession:

President of Princeton University; PhD in Political Science

• In entering the war, he hoped to lead the world towards a "just peace"

• For him, WW1 would become the “war to end all wars.”

• As a professional academic, he was more idealistic than most of his supporters

Wilson’s 14 Points• Wilson condensed his ideas for

peace into one speech: “The 14 Points”

• Hoped to prevent new wars from happening

• “National Self-Determination” would allow for independence of nations within

– Austro-Hungarian Empire

– Ottoman Empire

– Poland

– Colonies in Africa and Asia

• Reduce national armaments

• Freedom of the seas

Wilson Traveled to Versailles• Asked Americans to re-elect

Democrats to Congress in 1918; instead, Republicans won both House and Senate

• Wilson chose mostly Democrats to be on his negotiating team in France

• Wilson demanded a “peace without victory” to create a peaceful future

• England, France, and Italy demanded war guilt and revenge

• Germany, Austria, Ottoman Empire took no part in talks

• Russia did not attend

Punishing Germany at Versailles• Clause 231: Germany forced to

admit to starting WW1

• Germany was forced to pay “reparations” money to pay to England and France

• Reparations were huge sum of gold to be paid over 20 years

• Some feared that reparations would ruin Germany’s economy

• Austria did not pay reparations because it went bankrupt immediately after war

• US did not receive reparations, but England and France used money to repay US banks

National Self-Determination• Theory: nations could decide

their independence and borders would reflect their populations

• Truth: Some nations got independence, many didn’t.

• Germans were not united because Allies feared a larger Germany

• New countries:

– Czhechoslovakia

– Romania

– Bulgaria

– Yugoslavia (Balkan nations, combined into one kingdom)

– Poland

– Estonia

– Latvia

– Lithuania

But Not for Africa, Asia• England and France kept

colonial control in Africa and Asia

• England and France gained control of territories in Middle East (temporary “mandates” to control land of Ottoman Empire)

• Wilson succeeded in adding “League of Nations” to peace treaty

– First try at an international organization of nations to work for peaceful conflict resolution

– Failed mostly because US did not join

– US Republicans feared that the League could drag the US into a war the US might not want

US Senate Rejected Treaty• “Reservationists” in Senate

liked treaty, except for Article 10 of League of Nations

• John Cabot Lodge led Republicans against treaty because Wilson was Democrat

• Internationalists liked treaty• Wilson spoke across country in

favor of treaty: collapsed from overwork (in Pueblo, CO!)

• “Partisanship” killed the treaty: US signed separate treaty in 1921