CHAPTER 10 SECTION 3 WILSON, WAR, AND PEACE

WHEN THE U.S. ENTERED WORLD WAR I THE CONFLICT HAD BECOME A STALEMATE – AMERICA’S ENTRY INTO THE WAR WOULD PLAY A KEY ROLE IN ALLIED VICTORY GERMAN MILITARY LEADERS RENEWED UNRESTRICTED SUBMARINE WARFARE HOPING TO END THE WAR BEFORE THE AMERICANS COULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE GERMANS BEGAN SINKING MERCHAN SHIPS AGAIN CAUSING THE ALLIES NOT TO GET SUPPLIES THEY NEEDED – BEGAN USING CONVOYS – GROUPS OF MERCHANT SHIPS SAILING TOGETHER PROTECTED BY WARSHIPS – TO COMBAT UNRESTRICTED SUBMARINE WARFARE

RUSSIA TORN APART BY REVOLUTIONS – MARCH 1917 – VLADIMIR LENIN’S RADICAL COMMUNISTS OVERTHREW CZAR NICHOLAS II AND GAINED CONTROL OF RUSSIA

LENIN SIGNED THE TREATY OF BREST-LITOVSK – WITH GERMANY TO END THE WAR BETWEEN RUSSIA AND GERMANY THE END OF THE WAR ON THE EASTERN FRONT LET GERMANY CONCENTRATE OF THE WESTERN FRONT – NOT GOOD FOR THE ALLIES – GERMANY LAUNCHED AN OFFENSIVE ON THE WESTERN FRONT WHICH THREATENED TO BREAK THROUGH ALLIED DEFENSES AND MAKE THEIR WAY TO PARIS

AMERICAN TROOPS LED BY GENERAL JOHN J. PERSHING – COMMANDER OF AMERICAN FORCES IN EUROPE – ARRIVED WITH AMERICAN TROOPS - DOUGHBOYS IN FRANCE IN JUNE 1917 – MARCH 1918 GERMAN OFFENSIVE BEGAN TO STALL - ALLIED COUNTERATTACKS AND GERMAN EXHAUSTION ENDED THE OFFENSIVE

ONE OF THE GREATEST HEROES OF WWI WAS ALVIN C. YORK – FROM TENNESSEE – FOUGHT IN THE MEUSE- ARGONNE REGION OF FRANCE – TRAPPED BEHIND ENEMY LINES WITH 16 OTHERS, YORK SHOT AN ENTIRE MACHINE-GUN NEST WITH HIS RIFLE – HE WON THE CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR FOR HIS SERVICE

MANY HEROES OF WWI DIED OR WERE NOT RECOGNIZED FOR THEIR SERVICES – BY THE END OF THE WAR 1.3 MILLION AMERICANS HAD SERVED, MORE THAN 50,000 DIED AND 230,000 WERE WOUNDED AMERICAN TROOPS GAVE THE ALLIES THE ADVANTAGE – FALL OF 1918 GERMAN AND AUSTRIA-HUNGARIAN ARMIES HAD HAD ENOUGH OF FIGHTING – MANY DESERTED, MUTINIED AND REFUSED TO FIGHT – CAUSED THE LEADERS TO SURRENDER NOVEMBER 11, 1918 GERMANY SURRENDERED TO THE ALLIES IN A RAILWAY CAR IN COMPIEGN, FRANCE – NOVEMBER 11 BECAME ARMISTICE DAY NEARLY 5 MILLION ALLIED AND 8 MILLION CENTRAL POWER TROOPS WERE DEAD – ALSO 6.5 MILLION CIVILIANS

PEACE WITHOUT VICTORY VLADIMIR LENIN CALLED WWI AN IMPERIALISTIC LAND GRAB – HE EXPOSED SECRET TREATIES THAT RUSSIA HAD MADE WITH THE OTHER ALLIES IN WHICH THEY AGREED TO DIVIDE AMONG THEMSELVES THE EMPIRES OF THEIR ENEMIES – UNDERCUT TO MORALITY OF THE ALLIED CAUSE IN THE WAR

WILSON BELIEVED THE WAR WAS ABOUT PEACE AND FREEDOM – NOT IMPERIALISM – INTRODUCED THE IDEA OF PEACE WITHOUT VICTORY – VICTORY WOULD FORCE PEACE ON THE LOSER, CAUSING RESENTMENT – WOULD NOT CREATE A LASTING PEACE

WILSON OUTLINED AMERICA’S WAR GOALS IN HIS FOURTEEN POINTS – WAS ABOUT “PEACE WITHOUT VICTORY” – HE PROPOSED PEACE INSPIRED BY NOBLE IDEALS, NOT GREED AND VENGEANCE THE FOURTEEN POINTS WANTED TH CHANGE THE WORLD BY PROMOTING OPENNESS, ENCOURAGING INDEPENDENCE AND SUPPORTING FREEDOM

THE FOURTEEN POINTS INCLUDED: 1. FREEDOM OF THE SEAS 2. FREE TRADE 3. A MOVE TOWARD ENDING COLONIALISM 4. GENERAL REDUCTION OF ARMAMENTS 5. SELF – DETERMINATION – THE RIGHT OF PEOPLE TO CHOOSE THEIR OWN FORM OF GOVERNMENT 6. LEAGUE OF NATIONS – A WORLD ORGANIZATION WHERE COUNTRIES COULD GATHER AND PEACEFULLY RESOLVE THEIR PROBLEMS

1919 – ALLIES HELD A PEACE CONFERENCE AT VERSAILLES – THE FORMER PALACE OF LOUIS XIV PRESIDENT WILSON WENT TO REPRESENT THE U.S. – THE FIRST TIME A SITTING PRESIDENT HAD CROSSED THE ATLANTIC WHILE IN OFFICE WILSON DID NOT INVITE ANY LEADING REPUBLICANS WITH HIM – ANGERED THE REPUBLICANS WHO HAD JUST TAKEN CONTROL OF CONGRESS IN THE 1918 ELECTIONS

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE OTHER ALLIED LEADERS DID NOT AGREE WITH WILSON – BLAMED GERMANY FOR THE WAR AND REMINDED WILSON THAT THE U.S. HAD NOT SUFFERED AS MUCH AS THEY HAD BECAUSE OF THE WAR – WANTED GERMANY TO PAY REPARATIONS – PAYMENT FOR WAR DAMAGE – TO WEAKEN GERMANY SO THEY COULD NEVER THREATEN EUROPE AGAIN

WHEN THE CONFERENCE BEGAN LEADERS: GEORGES CLEMENCEAU – REPRESENTING FRANCE, DAVID-LLOYD GEORGE – REPRESENTING BRITAIN, AND VITTORIO ORLANDO – REPRESENTING ITALY – BEGAN TO CHIP AWAY AT WILSON’S FOURTEEN POINTS

WILSON WOULD NOT COMPROMISE ON THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS – DELEGATES FINALLY VOTED TO MAKE THE PART OF THE TREATY

AMERICA REJECTS THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES GERMAN AMERICANS THOUGHT THE TREATY WAS TOO HARSH ON GERMANY THE TREATY HAD TO BE RATIFIED BY THE REPUBLICAN CONTROLLED SENATE – WHO WILSON ANGERED IRRECONCILABLES – SENATORS WHO BELIEVED THAT THE U.S. SHOULD NOT GET ENTANGLED IN WORLD POLITICS OR WORLD ORGANIZATIONS – OPPOSED THE TREATY BECAUSE OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

RESERVATIONISTS – LED BY HENRY CABOT LODGE – OPPOSED THE TREATY AS IT WAS WRITTEN – JUST WANTED SMALL CHANGES – BELIEVED ONE ARTICLE UNDERMINED CONGRESS’S POWER TO DECLARE WAR – WITH CHANGES THEY WOULD VOTE TO RATIFY THE TREATY – BELIEVED THAT WAS WHAT THE PUBLIC WANTED

WILSON FOUGHT FOR THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS AND WENT ON TOUR AROUND THE U.S. TO GET SUPPORT FOR IT – WAS NOT IN GOOD HEALTH – HAD TO BE RUSHED BACK TO WASHINGTON, D.C. WHERE HE SUFFERED A STROKE

A TREATY REVISED TO ELIMINATE THE COMPLAINTS OF THE RESERVATIONISTS REACHED THE SENATE FOR A VOTE – WILSON TOLD DEMOCRATS TO VOTE WITH THE IRRECONCILABLES AGAINST IT SENATE VOTED ON THE TRATY WITHOUT ANY CHANGES – THE DEMOCRATS VOTED FOR IT – BUT THE IRRECONCILABLES AND RESERVATIONISTS VOTED AGAINST IT THE SENATE WAS NOT ISOLATIONIST – MOST WANTED TO PARTICIPATE IN WORLD AFFAIRS – THE PROBLEM WAS HOW TO DO THIS

AT A MOMENT THAT DEMANDED COMPROMISE WILSON AND HIS OPPONENTS REFUSED TO PUT ASIDE PERSONAL AND POLITICAL DIFFERENCES FOR THE GOOD OF THE COUNTRY WITHOUT FULL AMERICAN SUPPORT THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS PROVED UNABLE TO MAINTAIN PEACE AMONG NATIONS