The Fourteen Points were a set of political statements proposed by United States President Woodrow Wilson during World War I. These points were intended to establish a foundation for a just and lasting peace after the war, and to address the causes of the conflict in order to prevent future wars.
The first point called for the abolition of secret treaties, arguing that open diplomacy and transparency were necessary for a peaceful world. The second point called for the freedom of the seas, arguing that all nations should have equal access to the world's oceans. The third point called for the reduction of armaments, arguing that a reduction in military spending would lead to a more peaceful world.
The fourth point called for the fair treatment of colonial peoples, arguing that all peoples should have the right to self-determination and independence. The fifth point called for the establishment of an international organization to promote international cooperation and resolve conflicts peacefully. This organization would eventually become the League of Nations.
The sixth through thirteenth points dealt with specific issues related to the war, including the restoration of Belgium, the return of Alsace-Lorraine to France, the independence of Austria-Hungary, and the creation of an independent Poland. The final point called for the establishment of a "general association of nations" to guarantee the political and territorial independence of all nations.
While many of the Fourteen Points were not implemented after the war, they had a significant impact on the peace negotiations and the treaties that were eventually signed. The concept of self-determination, in particular, had a lasting impact on international relations and was a key principle in the decolonization movements of the 20th century.
Overall, the Fourteen Points were an important attempt to address the root causes of World War I and establish a framework for a more peaceful world. While they did not completely achieve their goals, they laid the foundation for future efforts to promote international cooperation and conflict resolution.
Woodrow Wilson's 14 Points Speech
With the military situation deteriorating, the Germans finally approached the Allies regarding an armistice based on the terms of the Fourteen Points. Zentrum and various left-liberals for the Friedensresolution "peace resolution" in the Reichstag asking for the government not to seek annexations as a war aim. As the Rhineland was overwhelmingly German in population and its people did not wish to be severed from Germany, both Wilson and Lloyd George were completely opposed to Clemenceau's plans for the Rhineland, which they claimed would create "an Alsace-Lorraine in reverse" with the Rhinelanders being placed unhappily under French rule. Wilson laid down his fourteen points, it will simply add one more scrap to the diplomatic waste paper basket. Unlike many European countries involved, the war did not reach US soil, and therefore the US was not fighting for territory. The Challenge of Brest-Litovsk But, whatever the results of the parleys at Brest-Litovsk, whatever the confusions of counsel and of purpose in the utterances of the spokesmen of the Central Empires, they have again attempted to acquaint the world with their objects in the war and have again challenged their adversaries to say what their objects are and what sort of settlement they would deem just and satisfactory. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
The Fourteen Points of Woodrow Wilson's Plan for Peace
The lapse of America into isolationism after the war ended also undermined the power of the Fourteen Points to make a positive difference in global politics and diplomacy. The four types of submarines available for export are Type 209, Type 212A, Type 214, and Type 218SG. A World at Arms A Global History of World War II. Prior to the end of the war, United States President Woodrow Wilson gave a speech to Congress on January 8, 1918, outlining fourteen points for peace. Paris Peace Conference As the Paris Peace Conference began in January 1919, Wilson quickly found that actual support for the Fourteen Points was lacking on the part of his allies. Germany had already been violating American neutral rights; the United States, as a neutral in the war, wanted to trade with all belligerents.
Pros and cons of the fourteen points?
The evacuation of all Russian territory and such a settlement of all questions affecting Russia as will secure the best and freest cooperation of the other nations of the world in obtaining for her an unhampered and unembarrassed opportunity for the independent determination of her own political development and national policy and assure her of a sincere welcome into the society of free nations under institutions of her own choosing; and, more than a welcome, assistance also of every kind that she may need and may herself desire. Belgium, the whole world will agree, must be evacuated and restored, without any attempt to limit the sovereignty which she enjoys in common with all other free nations. . Treaty of Versailles World War I is considered the first global conflict, claiming between 9 and 13 million lives. No other single act will serve as this will serve to restore confidence among the nations in the laws which they have themselves set and determined for the government of their relations with one another.
Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points
No statesman who has the least conception of his responsibility ought for a moment to permit himself to continue this tragical and appalling outpouring of blood and treasure unless he is sure beyond a peradventure that the objects of the vital sacrifice are part and parcel of the very life of Society and that the people for whom he speaks think them right and imperative as he does. Wilson, on the other hand, remained cautious in his response to the attack, demanding that Germany apologize for the attack, compensate American victims, and agree to halt submarine warfare. In addition, Wilson decided America needed a firm set of war aims to help guide policy and, equally as importantly, begin to organize the peace in a manner which would be lasting. All the peoples of the world are in effect partners in this interest, and for our own part, we see very clearly that unless justice be done to others it will not be done to us. The result was a core list of points which stressed self-determination of peoples, free trade, and open diplomacy. Wilson suffered a series of strokes while campaigning for the League, and was debilitated for the rest of his presidency in 1921. However, the nationalist interpretations of both the Fourteen Points and Wilson's views regarding colonialism proved to be misguided.
Fourteen Points
To those who speak the spirit and intention of the resolutions of the German Reichstag of the 9th of July last, the spirit and intention of the Liberal leaders and parties of Germany, or to those who resist and defy that spirit and intention and insist upon conquest and subjugation? The issues of life and death hang upon these definitions. A free, open-minded, and absolutely impartial VI. Independence of Austria-Hungary: Austria-Hungary to be allowed to continue existing as an independent country and its people be accorded free opportunity for development. In reality, Wilson's calls for greater autonomous development and sovereignty had been aimed solely at European countries under the rule of the German, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires. Dolchstoßlegende that Germany had actually won the war in 1918 with the reality of their defeat. Between 2004 and 2015, Germany commissioned six Type 212A diesel- electric attack submarines. Guided by the tenets of progressivism which had steered American domestic policy during the previous decade, the group worked to apply these principles to the international stage.
