Woodrow Wilson is known for saying his famous phrase, "a war to end all wars". Wilson felt that intervention in Europe had the potential of ending all other wars; he strongly believed that if blood had to be shed in order to prevent further casualties, then that's how it would be. Wilson was extremely against war, yet his 14 points stated otherwise. Many European countries endorsed and felt that Wilson's 14 points were productive, and should be enacted, while others felt that they were somewhat counter-intuitive. After World War I, Wilson wanted to form a coalition of countries which would come to be known as the League of Nations. This League of countries would act as a whole, in case of any outbreak of war, or adversity thrown their way. Many felt that Wilson's policy would actually increase war instead of reducing it, because if one country declared war on a country outside of the League, that country would become enemy of the entire league which would then call for more war due to the amount of countries in that one coalition.
However, Wilson did advocate for great things. Wilson felt that the entire world should not have to live in fear of going somewhere overseas, hence his need for freedom of the seas alongside trade. He felt that in order for the world's economy to prosper, all countries should be open to free trade, since it would then cause a surge in the economy. Wilson's 14 points were highly controversial, but still, it carried with it ideas and values that we use today, such as free trade and freedom of the seas.
Sources: Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourteen_Points#The_Fourteen_Points
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Very well written post! Do you think Wilson would have wanted to create a League of Nations if there was no war? Do you think he created it solely to prevent war or to tackle other global issues?
ReplyDeleteI think Wilson's 14 Points were a key component of his vision for the future of international relations. Do you know how they were received by the international community? I am not sure that they were as popular during his lifetime, especially because of our reluctance to join a League of Nations in accordance with the policy of isolationism. However, they obviously paved a great path for the creation of a global peacekeeping organization, as seen in today's United Nations.
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