Wilson's Fourteen Points: A Deliberation of the Moralities of Foreign Policy and the Immediate

Protection of Democracy

Sophia Miller
Junior Division
Medium: Paper
Paper: 2513 words
Process Paper: 450 words
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Wilson's Fourteen Points

At the start of his term U.S president Woodrow Wilson advocated for the United States

independence from European nations and to not get involved with foreign affairs. There is a well known

remark to a friend during his presidential inauguration in March 1915: “It would be an irony of fate that

my administration had to deal chiefly with foreign affairs”.1 However, by his second term he switched

the entirety of his agenda and shifted the United States future. This most renowned aspect of his new

agenda was the Fourteen Points. Given at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, Wilson outlined his plan

for the Treaty of Versailles which would end World War I, and in his mind was the only right way for

continuous world peace.

Thesis:

Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points were ultimately unsuccessful when he announced them to the

world, in the end they influenced new rights and responsibilities through a wave of isolationism in the

United States, developed a mostly ineffective global approach to peacemaking, but also progressed the

advancements in global diplomacy, treaty development and moral obligations in politics.

Background:

Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of the United States, was elected in 1913. His

policies and mission was to be a personal advocate for the people, and to look out for American

interests. The new president started a Progressive Movement to further social and political

reform. In a speech on labor Wilson said, “the whole business of politics is to bring classes

together upon a platform of accommodation and common interest”(Hear Wilson's Speech “On

Labor; History Matters). His main aim was to promote and protect democracy for the future of

the United States. By 1914, World War I had officially started and Wilson had promised the

1
Tucker, Robert W. “Woodrow Wilson’s ‘New Diplomacy.’” World Policy Journal 21, no. 2 (2004): 92–107.
[Link]
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American public he would keep the U.S out of the war. But after the sinking of the British ship,

Lusitania, killing American passengers and the targeting of American vessels, Wilson switched

his views on rights and responsibilities. Nearly all recents interpretations of Wilson's leadership

rightly stress the influence of the president's belief in American exceptionalism and in the notion

that the United States had a "mission," in Link's words, "to serve mankind through leadership in

moral purposes and in advancing peace and world unity.2 His number one priority though was

national security and to him that meant protecting democracy.

When Wilson was elected to his second term in 1916, he won with the phrase “he kept us

out of war”. At the outset of the conflict, the president agreed with the House that “if Germany

won it would change the course of civilization and make the United States a military nation”.3 So

he quickly went against his winning public vote ideal and officially entered the United States into

WWI on April 4, 1917. His motive was to procure a safe world for the prosperity of democracy

in the United States and beyond. While asking for war from congress Wilson made a speech and

his overall arching point was,

The world must be made safe for democracy. Its peace must be planted upon the
tested foundations of political liberty. We have no selfish ends to serve. We desire
no conquest, no dominion. We seek no indemnities for ourselves, no material
compensation for the sacrifices we shall freely make. We are but one of the
champions of the rights of mankind. We shall be satisfied when those rights have
been made as secure as the faith and the freedom of nations can make them.4

At this time the public and a lot of the federal government were strongly against any

involvement in foreign affairs and in turn didn't approve of Wilson's new approach. But with

strong campaigns with persuasive propaganda and citizen motivated participation Wilson

2
Kennedy, Ross A. “Woodrow Wilson, World War I, and an American Conception of National Security.”
Diplomatic History 25, no. 1 (2001): 1–31.
3
Ross A. Kennedy. “Woodrow Wilson, World War I, and an American Conception of National Security.”
Diplomatic History 25, no. 1 (2001): 1–31.
4
Wilson, Woodrow. “Making the World ‘Safe for Democracy’: Woodrow Wilson Asks for War.” Making the World
“Safe for Democracy”: Woodrow Wilson asks for war, April 2, 1917. [Link] .
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temporarily won over the American people. These campaigns focused on the patriotic duty of all

Americans to back the war effort in order to defeat the enemy, thus enabling the preservation of

democracy at home and abroad.5

Build-Up:

Near the end of the war, a treaty was needed to be made. This was done at the Paris Peace

Conference in 1919. At this time, Wilson had constructed a list of Fourteen Points of his deemed

solutions and was waiting for the right time to present them. The people of America, he

emphasized, “could act upon no other principle” in concluding the war; as far as Wilson was

concerned, the Fourteen Points were the “only possible programme” for world peace.6 The

influence of national character on national government, which in turn shaped the character and

habits of its citizens, was the root of Wilson's deep faith in the civic ideal, the conjoined twin of

his organic ideal.7 The problem with this civic ideal though was the U.S senate and even the

American public had no idea Wilson had this plan. To them, he went behind their backs and

failed his responsibility to prioritize the U.S so his opposition was many. As soon as Wilson

presented his plan it was immediately discredited for being unrealistic.

During the Paris Peace Conference the United States 28th president was getting sick. No

soldier ever went into battle with more enthusiasm, more aspiration, more devotion to a sacred

cause than the president had when he came to paris; but day after day in those months we saw

him growing grayer and grayer, grimmer and grimmer, with the fighting lines deepening in his

face.8 Which only made him more determined to present his Fourteen Points. For the first time in

American History a President of the United States came to Europe to inspire the Old World with

5
“The U.S during World War I.” Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs - State of Delaware, April 20, 2021.
[Link]
6
Ross A. Kennedy. “Woodrow Wilson, World War I, and an American Conception of National Security.”
7
Throntveit, Trygve. “The Fable of the Fourteen Points: Woodrow Wilson and National Self-Determination.”.
8
Baker, Ray Stannard. What Wilson Did At Paris. United States: Doubleday, Page, 1919,
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new, American, hitherto un-tired concepts of statesmanship, to persuade its statesmen to adopt

new code of morality in international relations, a code conforming with the principles of

christian civilization, and to apply this new code to a peace settlement the would preclude future

armed conflict and make the world “safe for democracy”.9 In his eyes, it was his responsibility

not just to the U.S but the world to present these ideas and get them ratified. In his eyes, it was

the only way to world peace.

Declaration of the Fourteen Points:

On January 8th, 1918, Wilson presented his Fourteen Points to the leaders at the peace

conference. He pressed his advocacy of the principle of self-determination of nations, of the

League of Nations, and his opposition to Germany of unrealistically large reparations that could

not actually be levied.10 The Fourteen Points as a composition of how the land and territories

displaced in the war should be given back. In these points, he highlighted the importance of a

moral point of view and how all people, no matter what type of government, should have the

right to be given a second chance because they had no say in what their government did.

Woodrow wanted to redistribute the land back to the original countries before the war but did

have two clauses giving land to two new countries. Of all the fundamental principles proclaimed

and advocated for by Woodrow Wilson, the principle of self-determination was undoubtedly the

boldest, the most revolutionary, and the most impressive.11 This self-determination was a direct

hit on imperialism and pushed for the principles of the equality of rights for all nations regardless

of power or size. The biggest twist of the Fourteen Points was the advocacy for massive

involvement in foreign policy for all nations. He instructed these countries that it was their

9
Ciechanowski, Jan. “WOODROW WILSON IN THE SPOTLIGHT OF VERSAILLES.” The Polish Review 1, no.
2/3 (1956): 12–21.
10
Jan Ciechanowski. “WOODROW WILSON IN THE SPOTLIGHT OF VERSAILLES.” The Polish Review 1, no.
2/3 (1956): 12–21.
11
Jan Ciechanowski. “WOODROW WILSON IN THE SPOTLIGHT OF VERSAILLES.”
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responsibility to keep world peace and sustain communication and there should be a global

government to do that.

The most famous part of the Fourteen Points was the calling for the League of Nations.

This League of Nations would be made to keep peace between nations and actively keep

communication for open trade and future cooperation. Most of Wilson's points didn't make it into

the final treaty, but he was adamant for the inclusion of the League of Nations. President

Wilson’s insistence on the inclusion of the League of Nations in the Treaty of Versailles (the

settlement with Germany) forced him to compromise with Allied leaders on the other points;

Japan, for example, was granted authority over former German territory in China, and

self-determination—an idea seized upon by those living under imperial rule throughout Asia and

Africa—was only applied to Europe.12 By the end, the League of Nations was officially in the

Treaty of Versailles.

The overarching problem was Congress and the American public's views on the League

because of how Wilson had not mentioned it in his declaration of his points to the Senate in the

first place. Some opponents of membership claimed that the League would impair congressional

and presidential war powers, hobble federal authority over a wide range of domestic issues and

interfere with state police powers, other opponents of the League asserted that President

Woodrow Wilson violated the Constitution by failing to seek advice on Congress in connection

with his negotiation of the peace treaty, which included provisions for a League of nations.13

When he got back, the U.S Congress was called to take a vote on whether to join the League of

Nations or not. In Wilsons avocation speech he said, “we entered this war because of violations

12
“The Fourteen Points.” National WWI Museum and Memorial. Accessed September 6, 2024.
[Link]
13
Ross, William G. “Constitutional Issues Involving the Controversy Over American Membership in the League of
Nations, 1918-1920.” The American Journal of Legal History 53, no. 1 (2013): 1–88.
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of right had occurred which touched us to the quick and made the life of our own people

impossible unless they were corrected and the world secured once for all against their recurrence,

the programme of the worlds peace, therefore is our programme”(President Woodrow Wilson's

Message to Congress). The argument was that it was the United States responsibility to look

after its citizens and its democracy, not foreign countries across the ocean. And as more

Americans laminated the consequences of war and voiced their desire to avoid future

intervention in foreign affairs at all costs, public opposition to the League of Nations grew.14 On

the other side, Wilson claimed that it was also a responsibility to mankind to help all nations

achieve democracy or peace. In the end, congress and senate voted with a majority against the

inclusion of the United States in the League of Nations.

Short Term Impact:

The impacts of Wilson's Fourteen Points started with the repositioning of the country

border that stuck till today and the League of Nations. The United States voted to not join the

League of Nations even though it was their president's idea. With the turnout against him, Wilson

started a tour advocating his agenda. However, Wilsons tour did not encourage the American

public like he expected, in the end his over-explaining depleted his credibility to the public and

his popularity plummeted. At the end of WWI, the United States benefited greatly economically

from the production of war materials and aiding foreign allies. Wilson's decision to enter World

War I boosted the American economy, morale, and brought in a new wave of women's rights

through the dependence on them in the workforce.

14
“Isolationism and U.S. Foreign Policy after World War I.” Isolationism and U.S. Foreign Policy After World War
I. Accessed September 6, 2024.
[Link]
t=What%20ensued%20was%20a%20radical,a%20focus%20on%20internal%20problems.
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Long-Term Impact:

When Woodrow Wilson's term came to an end, William Harding was soon elected in

1921. Harding was sure that Wilson made a mistake entering the war and decided that the best

thing was to focus on American democracy. To focus on the United States, Harding entered the

U.S into an isolation that cut off imports from other countries while focusing on American

economic growth and production. He accomplished this by implementing tariffs on foreign

goods allowing for the U.S to come of a post-war recession with high economic growth. Many

debate whether these tariffs were actually effective, but in the long term, they may have done

more harm than good, as other countries retaliated by increasing their own tariffs, in turn this

created trade barriers that ultimately hurt American producers and jobs, decreasing the presence

of U.S products in foreign markets, because of this war-time debts could not be paid and bills

were stacking up.15 At the end of World War I, the United States was experiencing strong growth

and unruly inflation, driven in part by an expansionary fiscal policy and an accommodative

monetary policy.16 After a few years though, the United states economy crashed. These tariffs

caused a complete shutdown of foreign ports and sent the United States and the world into an

economic depression.

Along with the opposition of Wilson's policies leading to the great depression, the League

of Nations was successful in the future politics of peacemaking. In 1939, when Aldolf Hitler first

invaded Poland, the League of Nations did nothing to stop the attack. The only negotiations held

was just agreeing to Hitlers terms. The League of Nations was made to protect democracy, and in

15
“Isolationism and U.S. Foreign Policy after World War I.” Isolationism and U.S. Foreign Policy After World War
I. Accessed September 6, 2024.
[Link]
t=What%20ensued%20was%20a%20radical,a%20focus%20on%20internal%20problems.
16
Anderson, Haelim, and Jin-Wook Chang (2022). “Labor Market Tightness during WWI and the Postwar
Recession of 1920-1921,” Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2022-049. Washington: Board of Governors of
the Federal Reserve System, [Link]
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the aspect of WWII they failed to stop it form starting and ignored the mass genocide Hitlers

fascist government was carrying out.

Further down the world timeline, in 1946 the League of Nations dissolved into what is

now the United Nations . The overall differences in both organizations seemed massive even

though the structure seems the exact same. In a statement of the League of Nations Sir Alfred

Zimmern expressed,

The League of Nations was never intended to be, nor is it, a revolutionary
organization. On the contrary, it accepts the world of states as it finds it and
merely seeks to provide a more satisfactory means for carrying on some of the
business which these states trans-act between one another. It is not even
revolutionary in the more limited sense of revolutionizing the methods for
carrying on inter-state business. It does not supersede the older methods. It merely
supplements them.17

And just like the League of Nations the United Nations was based on these principles too just

added on too.

In 1945, the United States was the second country to join the new United Nations. This

United Nations would focus their efforts on world peace and be more proactive in deciding

punishment and negotiations. The essential character of the United Nations is specifically

affirmed in the first of the principles laid down in Article 2 of the Charter where it is stated that,

“the organization is based on the principles of the sovereign equality of all its members” this

principle was not expressly stated in the Covenant of the League of Nations.18 Collectively, the

new mission was the maintenance of world peace and security. Wilson's Fourteen points issued a

new wave of political questioning and agendas. With the United Nations, the Great Depression,

and World War II, Wilson's Fourteen Points had an influence on all.

17
Goodrich, Leland M. “From League of Nations to United Nations.” International Organization 1, no. 1 (1947):
3–21.
18
Leland M. Goodrich. “From League of Nations to United Nations.” International Organization 1, no. 1 (1947):
3–21.
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Conclusion:

Wilson's Fourteen Points provided new insight into what the United States and foreign

countries responsibilities should be. Even though initially Wilson's Fourteen Points lived in

infamy for the rights Woodrow fought for in self-government and self-determination in lesser

countries. Woodrow Wilson completely shifted the focus of the rights and responsibilities needed

in foreign policies. Under todays United Nations a World War III so far has been averted and the

world can thank Woodrow Wilson for his unconventional ideas and the turn of the century/