rences to open diplomacy, Open Door, arms control, and the league of nations were included. (5). This was a huge political result of the war. Realistically, Wilson was asking for too much and was basically forced to abandon the program. However, he did secure support for the 14th point. The 14th point would implement the League of Nations that would serve as an international committee for maintaining peace. Wilson was certain that he had support from his own country in joining the League of Nations. However, when he went back to the United States he found heavy opposition. The senate immediately began deliberations. The deliberations about joining the League and accepting the Versailles Peace Treaty lasted almost a year. Many members of the senate believed that by joining the League and signing the Treaty, the U.S. would be obligated to help defend another nation(s) regardless of what Americans felt and quite possibly end up in another foreign war that had little to do with America. This was simply too much of a risk and the senate rejected the League of Nations and the Versailles Treaty. Instead, the U.S. signed a treaty with Germany in 1921. The economic impact of the war was extreme. At one end of the spectrum people profited greatly. At the other end, extreme poverty and debt resulted. Inflation had the most detrimental effect. While huge war budgets were rising, high demand was rising as well. As a result of inflation, there were shortages on many consumer goods. Another result is that whenever you lose a large proportion of society, it greatly affects the economy. Casualties in land forces totaled more the 37 million while almost 10 million civilians were lost their lives as a result of World War I. Total war costs are believed to have amounted to $186 billion. The effects of this were astounding. The governments of Europe and Asia were weakened while it provided the emergence of the United States as the leadin...
