World War I

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The United States had entered World War I against many wishes of the American public, which made the ratification for the peace agreement an even more difficult task. Woodrow Wilson justified American involvement by claiming that an Ally victory would ensure a new world order. The war would be used as an instrument to "make the world safe for democracy". However, many Americans, government officials, and even the Allies did not agree with the progressive ideals that would be enforced to attain the peace that Wilson had desired and promised. This was made evident when Wilson's negotiations for the peace treaty were criticized and rejected by the leaders of the other Allied nations and isolationists. Even when Wilson acknowledged objections against his proposals, he refused to accept any compromises or different versions of the treaty. Therefore, both the inflexibility of Wilson and strength of the opposition forces led to the defeat of the Treaty of Versailles.

Woodrow Wilson's battle for ratification with the Senate proved to be difficult and time consuming. From the beginning, Wilson had already angered and frustrated the Republicans, when he advocated Democratic votes for the midterm elections of 1918. However, in that election, Republicans had won a majority in the House of Representatives and in the Senate. Because of this event, instead of getting the votes he needed for ratification, he had to face the Republicans' unwavering hostility, especially from Senator Henry Cabot Lodge. Even the liberals who were receptive to Wilson's war aims were disappointed at the peace treaty that was to be ratified. They believed that the treaty did not solve any crises, but rather deepened the existing disagreement (Doc B). ...

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...still gain support in the 1920 election (Doc G). However, other problems that were arising in the post-war society quickly overshadowed the public sentiment for the ratification of the treaty.

It was clear that much of the public was in favor of the treaty. Even the war peace movement led by The Woman's Peace Party realized such need for an international organization, like the League of Nations (Doc I). In the end the views of isolationists, which overpowered Wilson's persuasive tactics, ultimately led to the demise of the Treaty of Versailles. Not to mention the intense quarrels between the Senate and the tenacious president also contributed to the failure of Wilson's proposed peace treaty. By rejecting it, the Senate had ultimately destroyed Wilson's dream of peace and also illustrated how the future society would be turning away from his democratic ideals.

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