Versailles and Peacemaking: Challenges to Wilson

While Wilson negotiated the terms of a ceasefire with German representatives, the Allied powers were left waiting on the sidelines. Wilson's reluctance at this stage to consult with British and French leaders did not augur well for a peace process which would inevitably involve complex political and territorial negotiations involving many countries. Nor was he willing to compromise with his critics in the United States.

There were many Republicans and even some prominent Democrats who did not support Wilson's liberal peace programme, calling instead for a peace of retribution and for an armistice with Germany of 'unconditional surrender'.

In the American mid-term elections held in November 1918, the American people voted not for Wilson and his peace programme but for his Republican opponents, resulting in a Republican-dominated Senate and a Republican majority in the House of Representatives.

Thus serious doubts were raised even before the armistice had been signed, and weeks before a peace conference could convene, as to whether any peace settlement based on Wilson's Fourteen Points would be ratified by the American Senate. This serious challenge to Wilson within the United States increased the determination of the British Prime Minister, Lloyd George, and the French Premier, Clemenceau, to push forward the demands of their own electorates. Lloyd George won a crushing election victory in Britain in December, 1918, under the banner of 'making the Germans pay'. French opinion was even more vociferous in calling for security against future German aggression and for reparations for all the damage caused by the Germans in northern France.

The Great War came to an end on 11 November 1918, the date when the Germans signed an armistice and agreed to peace negotiations on the basis of the Fourteen Points. Their interpretation of these points was extremely broad, encompassing plebiscites in Alsace and Lorraine and on the German-Polish border to reflect Wilson's call for self-determination, and arguing that German Austrians, if they wished, should be allowed to unite with Germany.

German officials were not slow to recognise that Wilson's principles and 'new diplomacy' could be turned to Germany's advantage, and used to justify territorial gains in Europe, even in the face of military defeat.

Assignments

1) Translate the text paying special attention to historical terminology.

2) Give Ukrainian equivalents to the following:

ceasefire, representatives, reluctance, to augur, to convene, damage, interpretation, basis, territorial gains, retribution

3) Give definitions to the following:

surrender, self-determination, to justify, reparations

4) Answer the questions on the text:

- Was Wilson willing to compromise with his critics in the US?

- Who did not support Wilson's liberal peace programme?

- When were serious doubts raised?

- What happened on 11 November 1918?

- How did German officials turn 'new diplomacy' to their advantage?

5) Put questions to the underlined words in the text.

6) Speak on this issue adding extra information from other sources.

Interactive content: net.lib.byu.edu/~rdh7/wwi/versa/versa7.html

Date: 2015-02-16; view: 702