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WOODROW WILSON

WOODROW WILSON Woodrow Wilson, Premier Clemenceau, Prime Minister Lloyd George and Premier Orlando started the Versailles Treaty committee. Wilson worked to win the Senates consent of the Treaty of Versailles when he returned to America in July of 1919. Basically the treaty forced on Germany the burden of reparations, and to take complete blame for the war. Woodrow Wilson felt that the treaty was too harsh, placing unrealistic goals on Germany. Wilson wanted to add his Fourteen Points, which was a less harsh approach to punish Germany. Unfortunately not all the points were added to the Treaty of Versailles, but some points were introduced into the treaty. The Treaty that President Wilson agreed on did not include freedom of the seas or reduced tariffs, but he did hope that the Senate would agree to the League of Nations. The Senate, to the regret of Wilson, overruled the treaty. This was mainly because the reservationists, as they were called, couldn’t support the treaty for many reasons. They didn’t want to subject the United States into foreign entanglements. They also didn’t want the Senate’s constitutional power to declare war taken away from them. Wilson would have to compromise in order gain the support of the reservationists, but compromising was one thing he refused to do. In fact, the more his advisers urged him to compromise, the more rigid Wilson became. Although the ineptitude and stubbornness of Wilson was damaging to the amending of the Treaty of Versailles, it was not the only thing that led to its defeat. Unfortunately for Wilson there were many people who opposed his ideas and that of those in the Treaty of Versailles. A speech given by William Borah, a past member of the Senate, is displayed in Document A. He is criticizing the League of Nations saying that we must not rely on other countries to solve our problems, also that we must not allow ourselves to be subject to “an international army” and anyone “other than our own people.” He stresses that if the president wouldn’t even allow an “international army” to get involved, then how could the League possibly work. In the political cartoon, Document E, the artist is portraying Woodrow Wilson and foreign entanglements getting married. Objecting to the marriage is the United States Senate, holding a paper of their constitutional rights. The Senate largely opposed the League Covenant –Article 10-, the League of Covenant required member nations to attempt to solve disputes peacefully. If that attempt fails, the nations were to observe a waiting period before going to war. This Article took away Senates constitutional power to declare war. They were upset about this; they wanted their constitutional rights protected. Document H strongly urges The League of Nations, yet it criticizes both the Republicans who got involved and Woodrow Wilson. W.E.B. De Bois criticizes Wilson, saying that if he weren’t so stubborn and “idiotic” then the League of Nations would have worked. Since Wilson wasn’t willing to compromise with the Republicans, the United States must suffer by not joining in at the assembly of the League of Nations, which is “the most forward-looking event of the century” according to De Bois. These three documents all criticize Wilson in one-way or another. They blame the unsuccessful amending of the Treaty on Wilson and his stubborn attitude. In Document B, The New Republic stressed that competition and imperialism are good for the country because the “fruit of competition” which is stressed as a good thing, can only end in peace. On the other hand, everything that the Treaty of Versailles stand for doesn’t fulfill “these aspirations,” it just intensifies the problems that we already have. This Document says nothing of Wilson’s stubbornness or ineptitude, it mainly criticizes the Treaty of Versailles for how it is. Woodrow Wilson, in Document G, is stressing how good the Treaty of Versailles is for the country. He is trying to persuade people to approve of the League of Nations. He feels that without the League, the United States would not be able to become a world power. By amending the League the United States would be able to “lead the world in the assertion of the rights of peoples and the rights of free nations.” John Maynard Keynes, in Document F, sticks up for Wilson. Agreeing that the Treaty of Versailles was way too harsh. In his own words “It degrades the lives of millions of human beings, and of depriving a whole nation of happiness should be abhorrent and detestable” Keynes was right, it was degrading and downright unfair, and the harsh circumstances of the Treaty was a major cause of WWII. Herbert Hoover, in Document D, thinks that the League is a very good idea; he even stresses how important it is for an early ratification. In these three documents, each person is stressing how good the Treaty of Versailles, and especially the League of Nations will be for the country. They also agree with Wilson and his ideals, and feelings about Treaty. The sole reason why the Treaty of Versailles wasn’t ratified wasn’t because Wilson was “inept” and “stubborn.” Many people were for the Treaty, and everything Wilson added to the Treaty. Wilson was on the right track, he was right when he said that the treaty was too harsh on Germany. If it was up to him, and if the Fourteen Points, all of them, had been added to the treaty, and the treaty had been ratified, then probably WWII wouldn’t have started. The way I see it, if Wilson hadn’t been “stubborn” and “inept” then none of his points would have been on the Treaty, at least it lightened up the pressure on Germany but unfortunately not by much. Wilson was trying to help the country, trying to help them through a rough time, through post-war. Yes he was stubborn, and yes part of the reason the treaty wasn’t ratified was because of him. But he did want to help the country, and I feel he would have done anything to help the country. And if by doing that he had to be stubborn to get what he wanted, then so be it. Unfortunately, the treaty wasn’t ratified. If it were though, him being stubborn wouldn’t even be a subject; everyone would probably glorify him for being stubborn. Bibliography:

Word Count: 1053