Waging Peace/Post WWI Why did America reject the Treaty of Versailles?

Features of the Treaty of Versailles: The Big 4/Settle Key Issues

“I can predict with absolute certainty that within another generation there will be another world war if the nations of the world do not concert the method by which to prevent it." Woodrow Wilson, 1919 Wilson arrived in Paris to help design a treaty that would avoid the problems that caused the war. How did Wilson & his European counterparts differ in their view of post WWI Europe?

Wilson’s 14 Points 1.) Open Covenants of peace 2.) Freedom of the seas 3.) Freedom of trade 4.) Disarmament 5.) Self-determination of colonies 6.) Evacuation of Russian Territory 7.) Evacuation of Belgium 8.) Alsace-Lorraine to be returned to France 9.) Adjustments to Italian borders 10.) Self-determination for the peoples of Austria-Hungary 11/12.) Other border changes 13.) German territory taken to form Poland and Czechoslovakia 14.) Creation of League of Nations

Wilson’s 14 Points 1.) Explain the economic importance of Point 2 2.) How was Point 3 consistent with the Open Door Policy? 3.) How was Point 3 inconsistent with the Roosevelt Corollary? 4.) Why was point 4 impractical to implement in 1919? 5.) What institution grew out of Point 14? 6.) Do you think it should or should not be the United States’ foreign policy to intervene in World Affairs?

Features of the Treaty of Versailles: Weaken the German Military so that it could never threaten Europe again Very Limited German Military

Features of the Treaty of Versailles: Treaty forces Germany to accept full responsibility for the war. Germany/Full Blame for the War

Features of the Treaty of Versailles: Full blame= Full responsibility= Full payment for war damage= Anger among German people REPARATIONS

Features of the Treaty of Versailles: The League of Nations Wilson's 14 points

The League of Nations would allow the US to be pulled into future European (or world) conflicts. America's Reaction

Why did the US Reject the Treaty of Versailles? “I can predict with absolute certainty that within another generation there will be another world war if the nations of the world do not concert the method by which to prevent it." Woodrow Wilson, 1919 Critics of the Treaty believed that the League would drag the US into future European wars (Senator Henry Cabot Lodge) Americans were “war weary” and wanted to return to isolationism (Return to Normalcy) Wilson suffered a stroke and was unable to sell the treaty to the people The US refused to join the League of Nations, making the League a “paper tiger” or weak on the world stage.