Woodrow Wilson: the Fourteen Points - Case Study Example

Woodrow Wilson: the Fourteen Points. President Woodrow Wilson’s famous ‘Fourteen Points’ speech was delivered in a Joint Session of the United States Congress on 8 January, 1918. At the outbreak of World War 1 in 1914, President Wilson was firmly committed to the maintenance of a position of neutrality for the United States, whose role he envisioned as one of reconciliation and mediation. In fact, Wilson won his second term as President in 1916 on an anti-war platform. However, Germany’s indiscriminate submarine warfare, directed against all Allied shipping, including passenger liners, was constituted by Wilson as a “war against mankind” (Beck, webpage). The sinking of the Lusitania, with more than 100 Americans on board, coupled with the publicized contents of the ‘Zimmermann telegram,’ in which Germany promised U.S. territory to Mexico in return for her support in the war, finally left Wilson with no choice. In April 1917, Wilson asked for, and received, a formal declaration of war from the U.S. Congress. In the months that followed, Wilson faced the task of mobilizing public opinion in favor of participation in the war. Wilson repeatedly stated that the motive for U.S. entry into the war was not vengeance, the assertion of military superiority or the expansion of territorial claims. He unambiguously declared that America’s aim in the war was “to vindicate the principles of peace and justice” and ensure that “the world ---- be made safe for democracy” (Beck, webpage). President Wilson constituted a panel of about 150 reputed experts, called the ‘Inquiry,’ which debated the issues related to European culture, international business and law, war damages and reparation and a proposed international peace-keeping organization. Based on their recommendations, Wilson formulated his ‘Fourteen Points,’ which can be considered to be a declaration of America’s war aims and suggestions for peace. President Wilson’s ‘Fourteen Points’ may be viewed as the natural extension of his life and progressive ideals. Thomas Woodrow Wilson was born in Staunton, Virginia on 28 December, 1856. The strongest influence in his life was his father, a Presbyterian minister, from whom he inherited his strong religious beliefs and sense of justice and fairplay. Wilson overcame a problem of dyslexia in childhood and went on to enroll at Princeton. He excelled in oratory and debate and graduated in law from the University of Virginia. His career in law took second place to his political ambitions. After earning a doctorate from John Hopkins University, Wilson embarked on a successful academic career and returned to Princeton as a Professor of political economy in 1890. He was elected President of Princeton in 1902, in which capacity he gained a reputation for the advocacy of educational reform and social equality. Wilson was elected Governor of New Jersey in 1910, on a progressive platform, outmaneuvering the conservative political bosses of the Democratic Party. He became the President of the United States in 1912. He introduced a slew of liberal progressive legislation, including the abolition of child labor, the implementation of the eight-hour working day for railway workers and the breaking up of the privileges of trusts. At the end of World War 1, Wilson directed all his efforts towards the formation of a League of Nations, to serve as a forum for the non-violent resolution of international conflicts. He campaigned unsuccessfully for the ratification of the League by the U. S. Congress. He suffered a stroke in 1919, the same year in which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He died on 3 February, 1924 (PBS website). Wilson was a staunch opponent of war. He sought to prevent the outbreak of World War 1 through the offices of his advisor, Colonel Edward M. House, and later attempted to mediate peace between Germany and the Allies through his Secretary of State, William Jennings Bryan. Both attempts were unsuccessful. In 1916, Wilson delineated his vision for the enforcement of world peace based on the principles of territorial integrity of all nations, protection from aggression and the right of citizens to choose their sovereignty. He advocated the dominance of civilian authority over military authority. He was the foremost adherent for the establishment of a League of Nations to prevent future wars and for the termination of World War 1 with a ‘Peace Without Victory,’ where peace is ensured by an organized, concerted effort of all nations, and no one nation has the advantage in the balance of power. When this staunch anti-war President was forced to enter the conflict, he assumed for America the role of “one of the champions of humanity’s rights” (Beck, webpage). Wilson used his ‘Fourteen Points’ speech to make U.S. motives and expectations clear to both the Allied and Axis Powers. President Wilson’s ‘Fourteen Points’ may be summarized as follows: 1. The prohibition of secret treaties and alliances among nations, so that international understandings were not undermined. 2. The guarantee to all nations of free navigation of the seas outside their own territorial waters. 3. The removal of economic barriers, such as tariffs, and the establishment of equality in international trade. 4. The reduction of national arms to the minimum level required by a nation as a safeguard against external aggression. 5. The settlement of colonial claims based on the best interests of the concerned populations and the just claims advanced by the concerned colonizing nation. 6. The evacuation of all Russian territory and the unrestricted opportunity and international support for Russia to choose and establish her own sovereign form of government. 7. The evacuation of Belgium and the complete restoration of Belgian sovereignty. 8. The liberation and restoration of all French territory, and the restoration of the province of Alsace-Lorraine, annexed by Prussia in 1817. 9. The readjustment of Italian frontiers on the basis of clear lines of nationality. 10. Unrestricted opportunity for the autonomous development of Austria-Hungary. 11. The evacuation and restoration of Rumania, Serbia and Montenegro, with access to the sea for Serbia. The international guarantee of the political and economic independence and territorial integrity of the Balkan states and their organization along lines of allegiance and nationality. 12. The granting of sovereignty to Turkey, while granting autonomous development to the other nationalities under the Ottoman Empire. The opening of the Dardanelle Straits as a free passage to all ships and to the trade of all nations. 13. The establishment of an independent Poland, comprised of all Polish populations, with assured access to the sea, and guaranteed territorial integrity. 14. The formation of a League of Nations, as a forum to settle disputes and act as a deterrent to aggression. President Wilson’s ‘Fourteen Points’ pulse with the genuine desire to secure lasting peace for all humanity. They constitute an unambiguous declaration of Wilson’s commitment to democracy, peoples’ right to self-determination and self-government, and the protection of the rights and liberties of small nations. This can be seen as a direct reflection of his progressive ideals and belief in equitable rights for all. His insistence of open treaties is a justifiable, practical reaction to the complex web of secret alliances which resulted in most of the world being engulfed in World War 1. I consider the President’s unstinted welcome to the newly Bolshevist Russia to be particularly indicative of his desire to bring all nations into a common fold. Perhaps if the world had persisted with this attitude towards Russia, the Cold War would never have come to pass. Likewise, Wilson’s avoidance of the imposition of punitive damages and reparations on the Axis Powers can be considered visionary: the heavy war damages imposed by the Treaty of Versailles on Germany, contrary to Wilson’s wishes, was one of the reasons for the rise of Hitler and the smoldering sense of injustice felt by the Germans, which led to World War 11. Wilson’s integrity, as expressed in his altruistic stand of not demanding any spoils of war for the U.S., in line with his declared war aims, can but be admired. The ‘Fourteen Points may be considered impracticably idealistic, but they are a poignant statement of a great man’s vision of a united, peaceful, equal brotherhood of nations. It is tragic that Wilson’s own country was the major cause for his failure to realize his dream of a successful League of Nations. This document is inspirational and is a shining example of a political statement which has retained its humanity and ideals, without submitting to the expedients of politics. Works Cited. Beck, Sanderson. (2005) Wilson and the League of Nations. Accessed on 14 April, 2008 from < http://www.san.beck.org/GPJ21-LeagueofNations.html > PBS website. (2001) American Experience. Woodrow Wilson. Wilson: A Portrait Accessed on 14 April 2008 from < http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/wilson/portrait/wp_wilson.html > Read More