America's Failure to Join the League of Nations

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America entered World War One in 1917. America and the President, Woodrow Wilson, were horrified by the destruction that had taken place in such a humane part of the world. The only way to avoid a repeat of such a disaster was to create an international committee whose purpose was to prevent wars by maintaining world peace. This would be the task of the League of Nations. Woodrow Wilson was the creator of the League of Nations in his Fourteen Points Speech. This was ironic because the United States failed to join the League of Nations. This can be seen in the US delegations in Paris, the Congressional election of 1918, Article X, Wilson's conflict with republican senators and his problem with compromising, the Americans that didn't agree with The Versailles treaty.

On January 18, 1919 Wilson led the U.S. delegation in Paris to ensure his fourteen points were used. The conference went into the hands of the "Big Four" which were Wilson as the "chairman"; Premier Uittons Orlando from Italy; Prime Minister David Lloyd George from Britain; and Premier Georges Clemenceau from France. In February, 1919 the world diplomats agreed to make the League Covenant. When Wilson returned to Paris, Premier Clemenceau pressed French demands for the German-inhabited Rhineland and the Saar Valley, a rich coal area. Wilson feared that if he didn't compromise he would be violating the point of self-determination so the compromise was that the Saar Basin would remain under the League of Nations for fifteen years, and then a popular vote would determine its fate. Then Italy wanted Fiume, a valuable seaport. Wilson said the se...

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...tes to crust risings for Irish independence.

America failed to join the League of Nations for several reasons, but the one to blame is mostly the creator Woodrow Wilson. He couldn't compromise with his Congress to pass through his longed dreamed League. If Wilson would have just let some of the senators changes pass the League of Nations would have been created a century ago, but it had to wait for the United Nations to be created for America to finally join an international committee based on world peace.

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