Woodrow Wilson and The Treaty of Versailles

The Treaty of Versailles was the US President Woodrow Wilson’s delivered speech in January 1918. In that speech, he put out his vision for the postwar world. The thing that helped evolved Wilson’s plan for the comprehensive overhaul of international relations was “The Fourteen Points”.

Wilson asked for a swift end to the war. Wilson’s Fourteen Points were hugely influential in shaping the outline of the postwar world and in spreading the language of peace and democracy around the world. With negotiating the Treaty of Versailles, the Paris Peace Conference established the “League of Nations”. The League of Nations is an international peacekeeping organization tasked with resolving international disputes without resorting to military force. Terms of the Treaty of Versailles.

The Treaty of Versailles established a plan for the postwar world. One of the most debatable terms of the treaty was the War Guilt clause. The other nations directly blamed Germany for the outbreak of bloodshed. The treaty forced Germany to disarm, to make territorial compromises, and to pay reparations to the Allied powers in the large amount of $5 billion. Meanwhile, US President Woodrow Wilson was opposed to such harsh terms, he was outflanked by the French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau. France was the only Allied power to share a border with Germany, so they to suffered the bulk of the devastation and casualties from the German war machine. The French wanted to weaken Germany to the greatest extent possible. Consequences of the Treaty of Versailles. President Wilson was heavily involved in negotiating the treaty, which reflected his vision for the postwar world isolationists. The US Congress proved a huge stumbling block to ratification. The Republicans but also some Democrats, where against the treaty, especially Article X. Article X was a committed member-states of the League of Nations to go to war on each other’s behalf in the event of a groundless act of aggression. The Irreconcilables saw this as a violation of US sovereignty and some believed that it would commit the United States to an alliance system that could eventually lead to another war in the future. Because of the opposition from the Irreconcilables, the Treaty of Versailles was never eliminated by Congress, so therefore the United States never became a member of the League of Nations. Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler was a German dictator.

In August 1914, during the outbreak of World War I, Hitler was living in Munich and voluntarily joined in the Bavarian Army. According to a 1924 report by the Bavarian authorities, allowing Hitler to serve was almost certainly a huge mistake, since he was an Austrian citizen, he should have been returned to Austria. Hitler served as a dispatch runner on the Western Front in France and Belgium, spending almost half his time at the “regimental headquarters” in Fournes-en-Weppes. While behind the front lines he was present at the First Battle of Ypres, the Battle of the Somme, the Battle of Arras. The Battle of Passchendaele was also one of the very many battles he was in. Adolf was wounded at the Somme. He was given a medal for bravery. Also receiving the Iron Cross, Second Class, in 1914. He was awarded these things because of a recommendation from Lieutenant Hugo Gutmann. First Class on 4 August 1918, a decoration rarely awarded to one of Hitler’s “Gefreiter” rank. He received the Black Wound Badge on 18 May 1918. Hitler became a dictator in 1934, and in 1939 is when he invaded Poland. Thus creating World War II in Europe. The war had put Germany against Italy, Japan, and the “Axis Powers”.

The aftermath. So after all of the back and forth with the League of Nations, Germany ended up paying for all of the bloodsheds that they had caused in the begging. Russia had suffered just like Germany did in the end, they had to pay a price also. But that price wasn’t money, no it was that they had lost their economy. The US had an awful outcome as while. Many people became disillusioned with the values and ideals of American political democracy and consumer culture. The generation that came of age during the First World War and the “Roaring 1920s”. Or better known as the “Lost Generation.” And that same lost generation is what had started the Industrial Revolution.