President Wilson Begins Negotiations for a World War One Peace Treaty

I'm Doug Johnson. Today, Barbara Klein and I tell about American President Woodrow Wilson and his part in events after the war.

The immediate task was to seek agreement on terms of a peace treaty. The Allies were filled with bitter anger. They demanded a treaty that would punish Germany severely. They wanted to make Germany weak by destroying its military and industry. And they wanted to ruin Germany's economy by making it pay all war damages. Germany, they said, must never go to war again.

President Wilson had led negotiations for a truce to end the hostilies of World War One. Now, he hoped to play a major part in negotiations for a peace treaty. To be effective, he needed the full support of the American people.

Americans had supported Wilson's policies through most of the war. They had accepted what was necessary to win. This meant higher taxes and shortages of goods. At the time, Americans seemed to forget party politics. Democrats and Republicans worked together.

"The return of a Republican majority to either house of Congress would be seen by foreign leaders as a rejection of my leadership."

Republicans protested. They charged that Wilson's appeal to voters was an insult to every Republican. One party leader said: "This is not the president's private war." The Republican campaign succeeded. The party won control of both the Senate and House of Representatives.

(MUSIC)

In the weeks before the conference, Wilson chose members of his negotiating team. Everyone expected him to include one or more senators. After all, the Senate would vote to approve or reject the final peace treaty. Wilson refused. Instead, he chose several close advisers to go with him to Paris.

In early December, President Wilson sailed to France. The voyage across the Atlantic Ocean lasted nine days. He arrived at the Port of Brest on December thirteenth. Wilson felt very happy. Thirteen, he said, was his lucky number.

French citizens stood along the railroad that carried him from Brest to Paris. They cheered as his train passed. In Paris, cannons were fired to announce his arrival. And a huge crowd welcomed him there. The people shouted his . He said: "I do not think there has been anything like it in the history of the world."

VOICE ONE:

However, the important decisions were made by the so-called 'Big Four': Prime Minister David Lloyd-George of Britain, Premier Georges Clemenceau of France, Premier Vittorio Orlando of Italy, and President Woodrow Wilson of the United States.

Wilson believed the league could prevent future wars by deciding fair settlements of disputes between nations. He believed it would be the world's only hope for a lasting peace.

Most of the other representatives did not have Wilson's faith in the power of peace. Yet they supported his plan for the League of Nations. However, they considered it less important than completing a peace treaty with Germany. And they did not want to spend much time talking about it. They feared that negotiations on the league might delay the treaty and the re-building of Europe.

(MUSIC)

President Wilson soon learned that opposition to the League of Nations existed on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Many Americans opposed it strongly. Some Republican senators began criticizing it even before Wilson's ship reached the port of Boston.

VOICE TWO:

Wilson's top adviser at the Paris peace conference was Colonel Edward House. Colonel House had continued negotiations while Wilson was back in the United States.

VOICE ONE:

(MUSIC)

You have been listening to THE MAKING OF A NATION -- a program in Special English by the Voice of America. I'm Barbara Klein with Doug Johnson. Your producer was Jill Moss. The audio engineer was Calvin Fowler. Our program was written by Frank Beardsley. Join us again next week at this same time, when we will continue the story of the administration of America's twenty-eighth president, Woodrow Wilson. We will tell more about Wilson's part in negotiating a peace treaty after World War One.