Thomas, Chris: Fourteen Points , in: online. International Encyclopedia of the First World War, ed. DOI : Version 1. Fourteen Points. By Chris Thomas. Chris Thomas, J. Cooper, John Milton, Jr. A biography , New York Alfred A. Ferrell, Robert H. Knock, Thomas J. MacMillan, Margaret: Paris Six months that changed the world , New York Random House. Manela, Erez: The Wilsonian moment. Self-determination and the international origins of anticolonial nationalism , Oxford; New York Oxford University Press.
Mee, Charles L. Citation Thomas, Chris: Fourteen Points , in: online. Metadata Subjects. Its primary goals included preventing wars through collective security and disarmament, and settling international disputes through negotiation and arbitration. It also indirectly addressed labor conditions, just treatment of native inhabitants, human and drug trafficking, arms trade, global health, prisoners of war, and protection of minorities in Europe.
At its largest, from September to February , the league counted 58 nations as members. While its philosophy and diplomatic aims were groundbreaking, the league never reached its full potential largely due to a lack of participation by key international players, notably Russian and the United States. The diplomatic philosophy behind the League of Nations represented a fundamental shift from the preceding hundred years.
The league lacked its own armed forces and depended on the traditional Great Powers nations—France, Britain, Russia, Germany, and Japan—to enforce its resolutions, maintain its economic sanctions, or provide military support when needed. Yet the Great Powers were often reluctant to do so because of concerns about weakening their individual strength and using resources outside their borders.
After a number of notable successes and some early failures in the s, the league ultimately proved incapable of preventing aggression by the Axis powers in the s. Germany withdrew from the league, as did Japan, Italy, Spain, and others.
The onset of World War II proved that the league had failed its primary purpose, which was to prevent another world conflict. By the time the fighting ended in November , World War I had leveled a profound blow, affecting the social, political, and economic systems of Europe and its colonies and inflicting psychological and physical damage.
One proposed remedy to this sort of damaging international affairs was the creation of an organization whose aim was to prevent future wars through disarmament, open diplomacy, international cooperation, restrictions on the right to wage war, and penalties that made war unattractive. Wilson and his adviser, Colonel Edward M. Failure of the League : While one of the primary goals of the League of Nations was global diplomacy, the league proved largely unsuccessful in part because it lacked the support of the United States.
The league held its first council meeting in Paris in January , six days after the Treat of Versailles came into force. The aftermath of World War I left many issues to be settled, including the exact position of national boundaries and which country particular regions would join. Most of these questions were handled by the victorious Allied powers, and subsequently the league played little part in resolving the turmoil resulting from the war. Representation at the league was often a problem.
Though it was intended to encompass all nations, many never joined, or their time as part of the league was short. The most conspicuous absence was the United States. When the league was born in January , neither Germany nor Russia was permitted to join.
The league was further weakened when major powers, such as Japan and Italy, left in the s. The second important weakness grew from the contradiction between the idea of collective security that formed the basis of the league and international relations between individual states.
Finally, the League of Nations lacked any type of armed forces of its own and depended on the Great Powers to enforce its resolutions, which they were unwilling to do. Its two most important members, Britain and France, were reluctant to use sanctions and even more reluctant to resort to military action on behalf of the league as pacifism had become a strong force among the people and the leaders of the two countries in the aftermath of World War I.
The two-thirds majority needed to pass the treaty was not obtained. Senate after the election of , but its members were divided into multiple positions on the Treaty of Versailles and, subsequently, the League of Nations. Among the American public, Irish Catholics and German Americans were intensely opposed to the treaty, claiming it favored the British. One bloc of Democrats strongly supported the Treaty of Versailles, even with reservations added by Lodge.
The largest bloc, led by Lodge, wanted a treaty with reservations, especially on Article X, which involved the power of the League of Nations to make war without a vote by the U. The Irreconcilables were bitter enemies of President Wilson, and he launched a nationwide speaking tour in the summer of to refute them. However, Wilson collapsed midway through the tour with a serious stroke that effectively ruined his leadership abilities.
It was not until July 21, , that Harding signed into law the Knox-Porter Resolution drafted by Congress, which formally ended hostilities between the United States and the Central powers.
The United States was the only major power to emerge from World War I in a position of relative economic strength, putting America in the best position to intervene in international disagreements with potential for war. Therefore, the U. The irony of the large, wealthy nation whose president first proposed the league failing to join its ranks was not lost on other countries and was a major reason the league did not become the great diplomatic clearing house Wilson envisioned.
The league cannot be labeled a failure, however, as it laid the groundwork for the United Nations, which replaced the League of Nations after World War II and inherited a number of agencies and organizations founded by the league. Privacy Policy. Skip to main content. World War I: — On January 8, , Ragtime by E. The book deals with race relations in the s, mixing fictional characters with real figures from the era. The book was made into a movie and a In competing versions of the story, what Elvis Presley really wanted for his birthday was a rifle or a bicycle—both fairly typical choices for a boy his age growing up on the outskirts of Tupelo, Mississippi.
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Woodrow Wilson inspecting troops in London en route to Paris.
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