1. Why did Woodrow Wilson not take any Republicans with him to Europe for the Peace Conference?
The majority of Republicans did not approve of Wilson's plans for the treaty. Senator Henry Cabot, a prominent Republican, was a particularly staunch opponent of Wilson's 14 points; he influenced many other Republicans' views. Wilson brought no Republicans on his European trip in order to make sure that his presentations there were well supported.
2. Why was Wilson welcomed in Paris?
Parisians and other Europeans who flocked to Paris for Wilson's visit had already read his 14 points prior to his arrival. They were thrilled with it - many hoped that Wilson's plan would finally give their ethnic group the representation that they wanted, and everyone thought that Wilson would truly bring peace and unity to Europe.
3. The idea of self-rule, which Wilson advocated, was not included in the Treaty to the extent Wilson had hoped. Why not?
The other three members of the Big Four saw post-war Europe as heading towards something very different than what Wilson envisioned; they were more set on revenge than creating unity or granting self-rule to their colonies. They were totally concerned with punishing Germany and getting the money that they had lost back; in order for Wilson to get any of his points to go through, he had to back down on the self-rule aspect of his plan.
4. The Allied Big Four - Wilson, Lloyd George, Orlando, and Clemenceau - discussed the question of whether to invite the conquered Germans and the new Russian Bolsehvik government to the Versailles Conference and its negotiations but decided against it. Was the decision justified? Explain your reasoning.
This was not justified in any way. Yes, there was tension between the Big Four and Germany, and yes, Russia's new government was unstable and not condoned by much of Europe. However, signing a peace treaty with only half of the warring countries participating is inconceivable. By ignoring Germany, the Big Four only angered it further, lessening their chances of Germany submitting to their demands. As for Russia, by not inviting Russia to take part in the treaty debates, the Big Four created more tension and insulted Russia's new government. It would seem that when a new, unstable government arises, one would want to include it and try to befriend it, rather than automatically angering it.
5. Which Big Four leader showed up at the Paris Conference with the most strenght to influence the proceedings? Which was the weakest? Why?
Wilson showed up at the Paris Conference with the most strength to influence the proceedings, whereas Orlando showed up with the least strength. Wilson may not have been as deeply involved in the war, but it was thanks to him that the war had ended with the Allies on top; his plan was well-thought out and he was eager to present it. Orlando had the least strength, having been the last to join the Allies - Italy was not as militarily or monetarily sound as the US, France, or Britain.
6. Why did Wilson have such difficulty seeing his Fourteen Points written into the Peace Plan?
The other members of the Big Four were far too set on revenge to consider all of Wilson's points. They did not care about readjusting borders and all of the other details Wilson wanted considered; they simply wanted to punish Germany and get the blame off of themselves.
7. Explain Article X of the League of Nations Covenant. What problems with the covenant did some Americans have?
Article X stated that every member of the League of Nations would respect the borders laid out by the treat drawn up at Versailles, and each member would do their best to uphold these borders if danger arose, by either financial or military aid. Many Americans felt that this was working directly against America's isolationism policy; they worried that if American involved itself too much in Europe, in affairs that did not specifically concern it, it would simply put America at risk.
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