World War 1 and Peace Plan

President Woodrow Wilson had a plan for peace in the war known as the Fourteen Points. It was also called “Peace Without Victory. ” The plan meant to prevent international problems from causing another war. To promote his plan for peace, Wilson visited Paris, London, Milan, and Rome in Europe. However, the Allies were against Wilson’s Fourteen Points. The Allies wanted to punish Germany for the war. One idea of Wilson’s peace plan was an end to secret treaties. One issue that caused World War I that was addressed in that idea was entangling alliances between the countries.

Another idea was a limit on weapons. The issue that lead to World War I that was addressed in that idea was militarism. The most important of Wilson’s Fourteen Points was a League Of Nations, to protect the independence of all countries. The issue that caused World War I that was addressed in that was also the entangling alliances. The final treaty that was agreed on was the Treaty Of Versailles. Germany thought they were getting Wilson’s peace plan but instead, they got this. The Treaty of Versailles consisted of many ways of punishing Germany.

The war guilt clause was a part of the treaty. The war guilt clause stated that Germany had to accept the blame of causing the war. Another part noted that Germany had to give up it’s colonies. It also consisted of the fact that Germany had to pay all war costs. This means they had to pay their war cost, as well as the Allies‘ war costs, which was over $200 billion. The Allies also wanted to disarm Germany. This meant that they wanted to cut off Germany’s army and navy, so they wouldn’t be able to fight another war for a long time. Did the Treaty of Versailles lead to World War II?

The Treaty of Versailles was the way of the Allies to punish Germany. To surrender, Germany accepted Wilson’s Fourteen Points but Germany didn’t get anything close to a peace plan. The treaty resulted in bitterness, betrayal, and hatred between Germany and the Allies. Italy was also not happy with the treaty because they did not get the territory they were promised for helping the Allies. Therefore, the Treaty of Versailles did “plant the seeds” of World War II because Germany and Italy wanted revenge. Priyanka Dongare Social Studies Mr. Ranalli 2 April 9, 2010

World War I was one of the bloodiest wars fought in history. The two sides were the Allies and the Central Powers. The Allied countries were Great Britain, France, Russia, Serbia, and Italy. The Central Powers were Austria Hungary, Germany, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire. There were many reasons the war started, such as militarism, entangling alliances between countries, imperialism, and nationalism. Militarism was the policy of building up a strong army and navy to prepare for war. Alliances were agreements between nations in which they promised to support one another in case of attack.

Imperialism was the policy of powerful countries seeking to control weaker countries. Nationalism was extreme feelings of pride in one’s country. At the beginning of the war, the United States was a neutral country. However, the neutrality of the United States was tested and it entered the war. The entry of the United States into World War 1 marked the turning point of the war and changed the outcome. However the postwar goals of the Allies may have lead to the outbreak of World War II. For most of World War I, the United States was a neutral country. One reason for neutrality was President Washington.

Washington warned to stay out of European affairs and entangling alliances. Another reason for the United States to stay neutral was the Atlantic Ocean, which acted as a natural barrier between the United States and Europe. The neutrality of the United States was soon tested. One reason why the United States entered World War I was Germany’s strategy during the war. Germany used submarines called u-boats and sunk any ship without warning near the Allies’ countries, which was the war zone. Therefore, Germany cut off supplies to Allies, while the United States was supplying the Allies.

Germany also sank the Lusitania, which was a British passenger ship, in which 128 Americans died. The Zimmermann Telegram also enraged many Americans. The Zimmermann telegram was sent by Germany’s foreign secretary, Arthur Zimmermann, to the German minister in Mexico. The secret note urged Mexico to attack the United States if the United States declared war on Germany. In return, Germany would help Mexico win back it’s lost territories from the United States, such as Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. Therefore, the U. S. entered the war on the side of the Allies.