Answer:
What did Wilson seek after the War?
Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States, sought to establish lasting peace based on reconciliation after World War I. He presented a list of proposals called the Fourteen Points, which included the following:
- Open covenants of peace, openly arrived at
- Absolute freedom of navigation upon the seas, outside territorial waters
- Removal, as far as possible, of all economic barriers and the establishment of an equality of trade conditions among all the nations consenting to the peace
- Adequate guarantees given and taken that national armaments will be reduced to the lowest point consistent with domestic safety
- A free, open-minded, and absolutely impartial adjustment of all colonial claims
- Evacuation of all Russian territory and such a settlement of all questions affecting Russia will secure her stable and independent existence, but no other territorial changes or modifications of the present boundaries of Russia should be made without the free consent and approval of the Russian people
- Evacuation of all occupied territories
- A League of Nations to enforce international law and prevent future wars
What were the major terms of the treaty?
The Treaty of Versailles, which was signed on June 28, 1919, officially ended World War I between Germany and the Allied Powers. The treaty imposed harsh terms on Germany, including the following:
- Germany was forced to accept responsibility for the war
- Germany was forced to cede territory to Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Poland, and France
- Germany was forced to pay reparations to the Allied Powers in the amount of 226 billion gold marks
- Germany was forced to disarm and demilitarize its borders
- Germany was forced to establish a democratic government
What were the long-term effects of the treaty?
The Treaty of Versailles had a number of long-term effects, including the following:
- The treaty created a sense of resentment and bitterness in Germany, which helped to pave the way for the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party
- The treaty imposed a heavy financial burden on Germany, which contributed to the Great Depression
- The treaty created a number of unstable new states in Eastern Europe, which contributed to the outbreak of World War II.
The Treaty of Versailles was a complex and controversial document. It is still debated by historians today about whether the treaty was too harsh or too lenient on Germany. However, there is no doubt that the treaty had a profound impact on the course of history.