MAKING THE PEACEUnit 8.4
Wilson’s 14 Points
In January 1918, Wilson presented Congress with the following:
Several of the points Wilson made were specific to certain territories of the Allies
Others were as follows: Recognition of freedom of seas Reduction of national arms No secret treaties Self-determination for Austria-Hungary A “general association of nations”
Would eventually become the League of Nations
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The League of Nations may have never existed if…
The Treaty of Versailles
Paris, France in January 1919: Every nation that fought on the Allied side was present
The Big Four: David Lloyd George- Great Britain Georges Clemenceau- France Vittorio Orlando- Italy Woodrow Wilson- U.S.
The other three leaders argued with Wilson for months Wanted both revenge against Germany and compensation in the
form of indemnities and territories
Wilson reluctantly compromised on most of his 14 points Still insisted that the other delegates accept his plan for a League
of Nations
The Treaty of Versailles
Conference adjourned in June, 1919:
1. Germany disarmed and stripped of its colonies in Africa and Asia; forced to admit guilt for the war; France occupies the Rhineland for 15 years; Germany must pay huge reparations to Great Britain and France
The Treaty of Versailles
2. Applying the principal of self-determination, territories once occupied by Central Powers were taken by the Allies, independence was granted to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, and Poland, and the new nations of Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia were established.
The Treaty of Versailles
3. Signers of the treaty would join an international peace-keeping organization called the League of Nations Each member nation must stand ready to
protect the independence and territorial integrity of the other nations
The Battle for Ratification
President Wilson needed to win approval of two-thirds of the Senate for all parts of the Treaty to be passed
Republicans argued involvement in the League of Nations would give up U.S. sovereignty and might also violate the Monroe Doctrine
Republicans in the House and Senate refused to vote for the Treaty In 1918, Wilson encouraged American voters to vote Democratic
as their “patriotic loyalty” This backfired as Republicans won a solid majority in both
houses of Congress The next year in 1919, Wilson would need Republican approval
for the Treaty
The Battle for Ratification
Irreconcilables: Republicans who would not accept U.S. involvement in the League no matter what
Reservationists: Larger group led by Senator Henry Cabot Lodge; would accept entry into the League if certain restrictions were added
Wilson chose not to give into any proposed changes to the Treaty
?
What if Wilson had made a more bi-partisan effort to get the Treaty ratified in the U.S.?
The Battle for Ratification
Wilson’s Western Tour: Wilson boarded a train and went on a long speaking tour through the West trying to seek approval for the League of Nations
September 25, 1919: Wilson collapses after giving a speech in Colorado; suffered a massive stroke which he never fully recovered from
The Battle for Ratification
Rejection of the Treaty: The Treaty was voted on twice by the U.S.
Senate in November 1919 Defeated both times, with and without
reservations
It wasn’t until after Wilson left office in 1921 did the U.S. officially end the war and sign a separate treaty with Germany
Never ratified the Treaty of Versailles; never joined the League of Nations
Postwar Problems
Demobilization: Bringing 4 million soldiers back home after the war was a difficult task for America
The wartime business went flat as factory orders for war production fell off African Americans and women were being
forced to leave the work place
European farm products back on the market- crop prices fall
Postwar Problems
The Red Scare (1919): There were growing fears of Communism being spread from Russia to the U.S.
The anti-German hysteria during the war suddenly turned into anti-Communism hysteria
Postwar Problems
Palmer Raids: A. Mitchell Palmer, attorney general of the U.S., established a special office under J. Edgar Hoover to gather information on anarchists, Socialists, and labor organizers
From November 1919 to January 1920, over 6,000 were arrested based on limited criminal evidence
A loss of Palmer’s credibility and rising concerns about civil liberties caused the hysteria to recede
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How would American post-war society been different had there not been a Communist revolution in Russia?
Postwar Problems
Labor Conflict: In a nation of free enterprise and individualism,
most of America did not trust unions This antiunion attitude softened during the
Progressive era Offered a square deal under Roosevelt Protected from lawsuits under the Clayton Antitrust
Act (1914) During the war, unions made important gains
Strikes of 1919 and fears of revolution turned public opinion against Unions once again
Postwar Problems
Strikes of 1919: Strikers were active all over America in 1919 February- 60,000 unionists in Seattle join shipyard
workers in a peaceful strike for higher pay
September- police in Boston went on strike to protest the firing of a few officers who tried to unionize M.A. governor Calvin Coolidge sent in the National
Guard to break up the strike
September- workers for the U.S. Steel Corporation struck State and federal troops called in; after considerable
violence, the strike was broken in January 1920
Postwar Problems
Race Riots: Whites in the North resented the increase in competition for housing and jobs after the war
In 1919, racial tensions led to violence in many cities Increased in lynchings in the North
Worst race riots occurred in Chicago, where 40 people (black and white) were killed and 500 were injured
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After WWI, a flat economy was made worse by a surplus labor supply. Had the U.S. been better prepared for demobilization and economic conditions were better, what is one alternative society would’ve faced ?