Treaty Of Versailles

The peace treaty envisioned would not be like those of the past, in which small patches of real estate were traded back and forth. The survivors of the most terrible war yet seen in human history wanted to ensure that such a war could never occur again. Although world leaders had some desire to make such a long-lasting peace, their energy and passionate idealism did not match that of the American president Woodrow Wilson. While European statesmen fell back into the intrigues of Old World politics, arguing over territories and debt repayment, Wilson desired to revolutionize politics and statesmanship forever. He embarked on a ship in 1919 to Versailles, with plans of creating an international peacekeeping and legislative body called the League of Nations.

While Europeans politely regarded Wilson as honorable but pitifully out of touch with the modern world, back in the United States he was vigorously attacked. Wilson indeed viewed the League of Nations as his brain child, and did not allow any other opinion to distort it—even so far as to exclude any Republican from accompanying him to France. As a result, the Congressional debate and vote for the peace plans became a decision for or against the person of the president. Yet Wilson’s aggressive attitude, and neglect of the domestic affairs of his own country, led the majority of the population to doubt him.

Wilson, perceiving the strong opposition, spent his time in between European visits campaigning across the country to get his message out. He explained to the people that he wanted to make any threat to peace “everybody’s business”. Wilson expressed, as best he could, his sincere opinion that only through taking a permanent position in world politics could one prevent future wars and disasters. Lodge and others disagreed with Wilson’s overly idealistic interpretation of the Versailles treaty, siding with the Europeans that captured colonies should belong to the victors, not to a non-existent League of Nations.

The result was mostly Wilson’s failure to bring the masses of voters to his view, and his failure to reconcile America’s hesitations and doubts with his own all-or-nothing plan for a highly controversial peace.