14 Points vs. Treaty of Versailles

14 Points vs. Treaty of Versailles Germany should be welcomed as a free country to trade and strengthen its economy like other free countries Germany must pay war debts (reparations) for their responsibility of the destruction and lives lost during the war It was determined that Germany owed the Allies $33 billion for causing so much “heartache”. It was obvious that Germany would not be able to pay it back right away and was intended to keep Germany’s economy weak for a long time.

No Expansion of Territory 14 Points vs. Treaty of Versailles No Expansion of Territory German colonies are divided and given to United Nations, Germany was divided up between France, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Belgium, and Denmark Most of the people that lived in the territory that Poland and Czechoslovakia received were Germans. By taking a large number of Germans out of German rule and putting them under Polish and Czech rule set the stage for future revolt.

Pre WWI After Treaty

14 Points vs. Treaty of Versailles Self Rule of Independent Peoples around the world (Allow people of same ethnicity to rule themselves) Self Rule ONLY for those who controlled by Central Powers (Poland, Czechs, Hungary, etc) Those controlled by Allies are still in Allied control (including colonies) People around the world were not able to rule themselves. Allied powers maintained rule over colonies in Africa and elsewhere. This continues to create problems in these regions for years to come.

Reduction of armaments (weapons) throughout Europe 14 Points vs. Treaty of Versailles Reduction of armaments (weapons) throughout Europe Germany must disarm. Other European nations can increase arms as they see fit. With a false sense of security, many European nations didn’t spend much money on increasing their military as they were rebuilding their countries/economies. Germany, on the other hand, was angry with the treaty and feverously rebuilt their military after disarming leading into WWII.

Formation of the League of Nations 14 Points vs. Treaty of Versailles Formation of the League of Nations Formation of the League of Nations. However, the U.S. senate did not ratify the treaty so League of Nations existed without U.S. Many republicans would not support a treaty that included giving control of certain US decisions to an outside “world agency”. They argued that this might force the U.S. into a war without Congressional approval. They believed that this “entangling alliance” was what the Founding Fathers warned against.