1. Wilson’s Fourteen Points
To End All Wars

2. He called his blueprint for peace the Fourteen Points.
On January 8, 1918, President Woodrow Wilson went before Congress to explain his war aims.
Although the war was still raging, he stated an ambitious program to make the world “fit and safe to live in.”
He called his blueprint for peace the Fourteen Points.

3. End Causes of War
The 1st goal of Wilson’s peace plan was to eliminate the causes of wars.
Wilson went to France to help create a treaty.

4. League of Nations
The last goal called for setting up an international organization called the League of Nations to ensure world peace.
Member nations would agree to protect one another’s independence and territorial integrity.

5. Territorial Integrity
Under the principle of territorial integrity, nations respect one another’s borders and do not try to gain another country’s territory by force.

6. Fourteen Points 1
Point One- Countries would not make secret treaties and alliances.
Secret alliances had been a cause of WW I.

7. Fourteen Points 2
Ships would be able to travel freely in times of war.
U-boat attacks on shipping had drawn the United States into WWI.

8. Fourteen Points 3
Free trade among countries would promote economic growth and reduce trade conflicts that could draw nations into war.

9. Fourteen Points 4 Countries would reduce their stockpiles of weapons.
Militarism had been a cause of WW I.

10. Imperialism and competition for colonies had been a cause of WW I.
Fourteen Points 5
The desires of colonial peoples would be taken into consideration in creating a more peaceful world.
Imperialism and competition for colonies had been a cause of WW I.

11. Fourteen Points 6-13
Restoring land taken from countries by war would restore respect for international law.
Redrawing borders on the basis of self-determination would reduce conflicts among ethnic groups.

12. Fourteen Points 14
Countries would work together in the League of Nations to resolve conflicts before those conflicts escalated into war.

13. The Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles negotiated in Paris redrew the map of Europe, granting self-determination to some groups.
Some Allies sought revenge on Germany, insisting on a war-guilt clause and reparations from Germany.

14. The Big Four
When the heads of the 4 major Allies- France, Great Britain, Italy, and the United States (The Big Four) – met in Paris for peace talks, they were more focused on self-interest than on Wilson’s plan.

15. Europe at the beginning of WWI
Europe after the Treaty of Versailles

16. Wilson’s Plan Crumbles
Terms of the Treaty:
Created nine new countries
Shut down Germany’s military
France gets land from Germany
Germany must pay $33 billion in reparations
Germany must admit guilt for the war

17. Reparations
Reparations are payments demanded of a defeated nation by the victor in a war to offset the cost of the war.
Germans resented both the war-guilt clause and reparations, fearing that the payments would cripple their economic recovery.

18. Wilson Compromises
 The other countries had lost many lives and property, and they expected compensation.
 The Allies had borrowed huge sums form American banks to finance the war. They hoped to repay these debts with reparations from Germany.
Effect???
Wilson reluctantly agreed to the harsh treatment of Germany.

19. League of Nations Charter
Wilson hoped that including the League of Nations in the final treaty would make up for his compromises on other issues.
He believed that the League would maintain world peace.

20. Ratifying the Versailles Treaty
Wilson required a 2/3 majority vote from the U.S. Senate to ratify the treaty.

21. Opposition Rejected by the Senate – TWICE! Why???
Isolationists were afraid the League of Nations would pull the U.S. into future European conflicts

22. Weaknesses of Treaty Humiliated Germany – led to resentment
Set payment too high for Germany to pay
Left Germany politically and economically unstable
Germany needed a savior…

23. The Big Question ?
Could World War II have been avoided if the U.S. had joined the League of Nations ?