America Rejects the Treaty
Previous Section: Wilson at the Paris Peace Conference
- Wilson left Paris on February 15th to return to U.S.
- Promote League of Nations
- Saw League of Nations as a main feature of the treaty
What Is?
- League of Nations - international organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland
- created after World War 1
- provide a forum for resolving international disputes
- Treaty of Versailles- formal peace treaty that ended state war between Germany and Allied Powers
Wilson's Belief/Thoughts:
- Overtime the League could correct problems of the treaty
- Lasting peace could emerge
Troubles Back Home:
- German Americans saw treaty as too harsh toward Germany
- "War guilt clause" suggested that Germany had caused war
- Irish Americans criticized failure to create an independent Ireland
- Treaty needed to be submitted to Republican Controlled Senate Foreign Relations Committee
- Approved by Republican Controlled Senate
Stiff Opposition
- Handful of senators believed that U.S. should not get entangled in world politics/organizations
- Isolationist senators known as Irreconcilables opposed to any treaty that had to do with League of Nations
- Disliked Article 10
Article 10
- Mutual defense by the signers of the treaty pledge that each nation "respect and preserve" the territorial integrity and existing political independence of all members of the League
Reservationists
- Larger group of senators led by Henry Cabot
- Opposed treaty
- Some wanted small changes others demanded larger ones
- Language was too vague
- Demand not go against power of Congress to declare war
- Example: Article 10 lead U.S. into war w/o consent of Congress (unconstitutional)
Senate Rejects the Treaty
- November 1919
- Treaty revised to eliminate complaints of reservationist
- Wilson wouldn't compromise