Unit 4 Lesson 7: Wilson and Isolation Flashcards
Woodrow Wilson was the first American President to do what?
Woodrow Wilson was the first American President to meet international leaders on foreign soil. He was determined to do whatever was needed to achieve his vision of a just and lasting peace.
What goal did Wilspn fail to ahevive?
In the end, however, Wilson failed. The other Allied leaders, it turned out, did not share his vision or his hopes. Even the American people were in disagreement about how to approach the postwar world.
In Europe, Wilson visited Paris, London, Milan, and Rome. Everywhere, cheering crowds welcomed him. How did the cheering crowds actually feel about Wilsion?
He thought that the crowds shared his goal of peace without victory. In fact, he was wrong. The Europeans who greeted Wilson so warmly scoffed at his high-minded proposals for peace. They and their leaders were determined to punish the Germans for the war
What were the main points on the 14 points plan?
- The first point in Wilson’s plan called for an end to secret agreements. Secrecy, Wilson felt, had encouraged the web of rival alliances that had helped lead to war.
- Next, he called for freedom of the seas, free trade, and a limit on arms. He urged peaceful settlement of disputes over colonies.
- He also supported the principle of national self-determination, that is, the right of national groups to have their own territory and forms of government.
- For Wilson, however, the fourteenth point was the most important. It called for a “general association of nations,” or League of Nations. Its job would be to protect the independence of all countries—large or small. His goals were clear.
What was the overall message of the 14 points?
It is the principle of justice to all peoples and nationalities, and their right to live on equal terms of liberty and safety with one another, whether weak or strong.
When and when did the “Big Four” Allied leaders met?
in Paris in 1919 to negotiate a peace treaty after World War I.
Who were the big four?
Key issues were decided by the leaders of the Allied nations known as the Big Four:
Woodrow Wilson of the United States, David Lloyd George of Britain, Georges Clemenceau (kleh mahn SOH) of France, and Vittorio Orlando of Italy.
What problems did Wilson run into when telling his allies about the Foruteen points plan?
Wilson persuaded the Allies to accept the Fourteen Points as the basis for making peace. However, the plan soon ran into trouble. Some goals were too vague. Others conflicted with reality. In Paris, Wilson faced a constant battle to save his Fourteen Points.
What did Wilson discover about the alies?
He discovered that the Allies were more concerned with protecting their own interests than with forging a lasting peace.
How did the pther alies veiw Germany?
The other Allies, however, ached for revenge. Germany must pay, they said. They insisted on large reparations, or cash payments, for the losses they had suffered during the war. Further, they wanted to include a “war guilt clause” that would force Germany to accept responsibility for the war.
The Allies were also determined to prevent Germany from rebuilding its military strength. I
What did Wilson have to do to his 14 points?
In the end, Wilson had to compromise on his Fourteen Points in order to save his key goals, especially the League of Nations. However, he would not budge on the League.
The treaty of Versailles:
By June 1919, the Treaty of Versailles, the most important treaty of the Peace of Paris, was ready. None of the Allies was satisfied with it.
Under the treaty, Germany had to take full blame for the war Germany also had to pay the Allies huge reparations, including the cost of pensions for Allied soldiers or their widows and children. The total cost of German reparations would come to over $300 billion.
Other provisions of the Treaty of Versailles were aimed at weakening Germany. The treaty severely limited the size of the German military. It returned Alsace-Lorraine to France. In addition, the treaty stripped Germany of its overseas colonies, which were put under the control of Britain or France.
What did mandates have to do with the treaty?
Britain and France were also given mandates, or authorization, by the League of Nations to govern territory in what was the Ottoman Empire. The purpose of the mandates was to govern these territories until they could function as independent nations. The British would control the former Turkish provinces of Iraq and Palestine, while the French would control Syria and Lebanon.
What goals was Wilsion able to acheive?
Despite opposition to many of his Fourteen Points, Wilson succeeded in keeping some of them. In Eastern Europe, the Allies provided for several new nations to be formed on the principle of self-determination, including Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. They were created out of lands once ruled by Germany, Russia, and Austria-Hungary. In addition, Poland regained its independence as a nation.
Some people were dissatisfied with the new boundaries. Many Germans, for example, had settled in Poland and Czechoslovakia. Before long, Germany would seek to regain control of German-speaking peoples in Eastern Europe.
To Wilson, however, his greatest achievement was persuading the Allies to include the League of Nations in the treaty. Wilson was certain that the League would prevent future wars by allowing nations to talk over their problems.
How did Americans feel about the war?
- Most Americans favored the treaty. A vocal minority opposed it, however. Some said that it was too soft on the defeated powers.
Many German Americans felt that it was too harsh. - Some Republicans hoped to embarrass President Wilson, a Democrat, by rewriting or defeating the treaty.
- Isolationists, people who wanted the United States to stay out of world affairs, opposed the League of Nations. They were convinced that the League would lead to an “entangling alliance.”
- Other people who were against the League felt that it did not have enough authority to solve any pressing economic problems. They thought that it could lead to another war.
