The German Delegation Of The Paris Peace Conference On The Conditions Of Peace

He labeled the conflict as “a war against all nations” exemplifying the distress that other countries have experienced due to the unbiased and relentless bombing of their own neutral ships (Safire 111). By associating the United States with other friendly countries who are also at odds with Germany, Wilson’s cry for war seemed more convincing. He went on to assert that the choice made by the U.S must be befitting to the singular characteristics of the country and that they must be very clear what their motives upon entry into the war were: not vengeance or profession of physical might, but to defend the principles of peace and justice and “to set up amongst the free people of the world an observance of these ideals” (Safire 113). We were entering the war not to battle with the German people, but to combat a greater menace, the system that had impended these violations (Baker 512).

After winning the election of 1916 barring the slogan, “We kept us out of war!” Wilson began his “peace without victory” crusade. (Zieger, 44) He failed to identify the secret treaties that were entered between the Allies during the war and Germany’s unwillingness to concede anything from a war they did not lose. When it was apparent that a “peace without victory” would be unattainable all that was left was a catalyst and the United States

What responsibility did each of the “Big Three” have for the failure of the Versailles Treaty to bring peace to Europe? Be sure to discuss what each wanted to accomplish.

The end of World War I left much of America confused on the country’s role in world affairs. Many people believed that the United States should primarily worry about its own issues and problems, and let the world handle their own problems. But President Woodrow Wilson was not one of those people. He believed that the United States should be directly involved in the issues affecting all of the countries of the world. He also wanted the United States to be the country to make a push for a League of Nations. “The people of the United States could act upon no other principle; and to the vindication of this principle they are ready to devote their lives, their honor, and everything that they possess. The normal climax of this the culminating and final war for human liberty has come, and they are ready to put their own strength, their own highest purpose, their own integrity and devotion to the test.” Wilson believed that if the United States needed to be a part of a League of Nations in charge of keeping peace around the world, this would keep America

The devastating WWI left a permanent mark on the European soil, as well as in American people’s minds. People now understood what real wars are like; they are not always honorable, romantic or beneficial. As a result, isolationism ran high as the postwar United States entered the 1920s. Three presidents, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover all devoted themselves to domestic affairs starting from 1920 while trying their best to keep the country safe from the European turmoils. However, as the WWII erupted in Europe in the 1930s, president Franklin D. Roosevelt sensed the potential danger posed by Germany toward the United States. A series of changes in foreign policies from 1920 through 1941 marked the United

Wilson's attempts to mediate peace between the belligerents were ill fated from the start (Doenecke, 2010, p. 23-28). Both sides had begun to entertain the possibility of unrealistic gains if they invested more heavily into the conflict. The recent foreign relations history between the U.S. and Germany was not encouraging. In addition, Germany's invasion of Belgium on August 2, 1914, under the pretense of self-defense, was viewed by many influential Americans as indefensible and providing a window into Germany's indifference towards international law. The German invasion violated the Treaty of London and triggered Britain's entry into the war.

President Woodrow Wilson’s “War Message” addresses the momentous event of breaking neutrality and declaring war on the German government. Wilson explains that America can no longer remain stagnant. He calls his audience to action, through a tactical combination of both structured logic and emotional inclusion. Wilson begins his deduction with several points, starting with the details of the submarine warfare and the “wholesale destruction of men, women, and children” endured not only by the American people but various other countries (2). Wilson asserts that neutrality is no longer possible since peace and the freedom of the individuals of the world were under a direct threat (5). He reassures the audience that although his intentions were the same and he fully intended on keeping the American people safe, avoiding the war and remaining uninvolved was no longer a reality (4).

During the 1920s, the United States was forced into war by the Germans. Germany, attacking and violating with the use of submarines, gave President Woodrow Wilson, who was president during World War I, no other option but to go into war. “We enter this war only where we are clearly forced into it because there are no other means of defending our rights.” (Wilson, 1917). He was a neutral person. Even though he wanted

In August 1914, Europe descended into war, without the support of U.S. Wilson refuses to get involve in the European conflict, until German forced Wilson to declare war on the central powers because of German’s declaration of unrestricted submarine warfare. When the war ended in November 11, 1918, Wilson negotiated a covenant for the League of Nation that he believed would sustain a world order. However at home, the congress rejected the League of Nations. Now, Wilson is admired by some scholars while hated by others. Some has praised him for his vision, while others criticized him for his impractical ideal.

In the early months of 1918, the dynamics of The Great War ravaging Europe changed dramatically. On March 3rd, Germany and the Russian Bolsheviks signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, officially ending Russia’s involvement in the war and freeing Germany’s forces previously occupied on the Eastern Front . That same month, Germany launched an extensive attack in France along the Somme River, knocking a devastating blow to the Allies. By the summer of 1918, the United States had escalated it’s involvement in the war, sending over mass amounts of troops and coordinating with European powers to essentially back the German offensive into a position of little advancement. As Germany recognized its failing position in the war, the officials in the German High Command began quietly pursuing negotiations of peace and cease fire, not from their European counterparts, but from American President Woodrow Wilson . Germany was hoping to benefit from President Wilson’s ideals of peace and justice for all, ideals he had laid out publicly that year in a January speech outlining his “blueprint for a new democratic world order.” These Fourteen Points became the cornerstone of Wilson’s contribution to the peace negotiations following the armistice that ended the war in November of 1918. Focusing on the belief that an established system of democracy, communication and peace would prevent further atrocities like World War I, the Fourteen Points centered on equal representation and opportunity

The Successes and Failures of the Treaty of Versailles in Addressing the Causes of Conflict and Restoring Peace and Normality

At the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, the Allied victors had to decide the peace terms for the defeated Central Powers. The questions, which had been challenging the peacemakers, were the position of Germany in the current international system, whether it had to pay both in land and in reparations, and how could security could be provided without hindering the post-war stability. Another question, which soon was arisen, was how the French interests for security and diminishing

The German Problem was the overriding issue discussed at the conference, and because there were decisions to be made about many different matters such as frontiers, reparations, and military limitations, the countries had contrary ambitions, and were forced to make numerous compromises. Each country was focused on achieving their own goals.The discussion of frontiers, especially the German Rhineland, was controversial between the three countries because they each opposed the ambitions of the others. France had very specific intentions, such as regaining the territory of Alsace-Lorraine and expanding into territories such as the German Rhineland. However, as France’s size would increase, so would its power, and this went against Britain’s goal of establishing a balance of power in Europe. Wilson believed that the opinions of the people of each territory should be considered in their decision. The final decision was that France would regain Alsace-Lorraine and the German Rhineland would become a demilitarized zone, so Germany could no have no forces there. This compromise satisfied each of the three countries because France desired a buffer state between itself and Germany, and it would not threaten the British balance of power nor Wilson’s ideas of new diplomacy. This settlement shows that the delegates, despite their opposing views, were able to reach a compromise.

Following the First World War, commonly referred to as the ‘War to end all wars’ due to its severity and the damage it had caused, a peace needed to be drawn between the nations involved to settle the punishments for the nations who lost and also a plan to ensure that something like this would never occur again. This peace conference is the center of much debate amongst historians with two dominant views, one being that the victory nations acted out of revenge towards the losing nations and laid the seeds for not only World War Two but future conflicts and the other view that the victory nations acted out of necessity

The Paris Peace Conference of 1919 opened on the 18th of January, with delegations from all over the world attending to lay claim to their desires, or gain reparations for their sacrifices throughout the greatest war the world had ever been subject to. The big four countries at the negotiating table were the British under Lloyd George, the French led by Georges Clemenceau, The Italians and their prime minister Vittorio Emanuele Orlando, and The United States of America under President Woodrow Wilson. Each group had their own ideas for a post-war world order, and their own tactics for reaching it. The actions of these victorious