Woodrow Wilson and His Legacy in American Foreign Relations - Essay Example

The speech was essentially a statement of principles, which encompassed war aims, as well as succinct guidelines for post-war order and frontiers. Woodrow’s speech aimed at assuring the US and the entire world that the Great War primarily aimed at attaining a moral cause for the attainment of postwar peace in Europe (Ambrosius 95). In essence, President Woodrow sought to establish peace with Germany in a fair manner that appealed to all parties concerned, particularly countries that sought revenge against Germany for the war.

Since Woodrow’s fourteen points provided a succinct plan for world peace, they formed part of the Treaty of Versailles. Notably, not all points were encompassed in the treaty, which ultimately resulted in its partial success. Although the Treaty of Versailles was successful, it failed substantially in its enforcement and its inherent human element. Woodrow’s fourteen points invigorated the idealistic notion of peace in the absence of victors. Woodrow’s fourteen points incorporated in the Treaty of Versailles include self-determination and the League of Nations augmenting idealistic notions that concluded that the war aimed to end all other wars.

The treaty reflected European countries' need to end Germany’s power and affirm their own. Through the self-determination point, Woodrow's points showed that some of the causes of the war, for instance, imperialism and nationalism were avoidable. This was because, theoretically, countries demanding recognition would acquire it through the world ruling countries; the US, France, Italy, France, and Britain. Conversely, Woodrow’s point on the League of Nations argued that the influence of the League of Nations would unite the countries of the world and deter the incident of another war.

In addition to self-determination and the establishment of democracy through the League of Nations, the Treaty of Versailles also incorporated Woodrow’s points on free trade, as well as open agreements. Notably, Woodrow’s points 1-13 were not encompassed in the treaty to give leeway for the incorporation of the League of Nations in the final treaty (Niall 74). Since the treaty failed to incorporate the first to the thirteenth points, the treaty failed to address the real causes of the war and left an imbalance of power in Europe, thereby paving the way for another war during which Germany claimed that the Treaty of Versailles was unfair.

The treaty should have included these points to deter the incident of another great war. The failures of the Treaty of Versailles are responsible for modern-day conflicts such as the 2003 invasion of Iraq in which combined efforts from the US, UK, Poland, and Australian troops invaded Iraq.