Treaty of Versailles Essay

Submitted By seanferguslauber
Words: 562
Pages: 3

After World War One, President Woodrow Wilson, who was an idealist, tried reaching his goals of everlasting peace among the world by attempting to implement his 14 Points into the Treaty of Versailles. Woodrow failed in successfully doing so, coming out of the situation with an unfavorable treaty. After not selling it to the Senate properly and not compromising, the Treaty of Versailles was shot down. One of the biggest reasons that he treaty failed to not only being synthesized the way he wanted, but also in being ratified was because the President was not willing to cooperate with other people and compromise, not because the Senate was too stubborn to accept it. When President Wilson went overseas to go and negotiate a peace, he did not decide to take any Republican Senate members with him. This was one of his first mistakes in terms of being stubborn. Wilson believed that his 14 Points were his work; therefore he was going to try and work them into the treaty. This was a crucial mistake for him because it meant that the Republicans had no claim in making the treaty, forcing Wilson to have to attempt to sell the piece of international diplomacy to the Senate. The Senate, which already had reservations about the treaty, disagreed with the Article X under the League of Nations, a piece of the treaty that Wilson designed to be installed. Foreign Relations Committee leader and Majority Leader Henry Cabot Lodge said “The United States assumes no obligation to preserve the territorial integrity or political independence of any other country or to interfere in controversies between nations - whether members of the League or not - under the provisions of Article 10, or to employ the military or naval forces of the United States under any article of the treaty for any purpose, unless in any particular case the Congress, which, under the Constitution, has the sole power to declare war or authorize the employment of the military or naval forces of the United States, shall by act or joint resolution so provide.” (Digital History) Irreconcilables were completely against any sort of treaty that was brought back by President Wilson, adding to the opposition of the treaty that had negative reviews, somewhat from the League of Nations Article X