Fourteen Points

The Fourteen Points was a proposal for world peace following World War I that President Woodrow Wilson presented in a speech to a joint session of Congress on January 8, 1918. During World War I, which was fought from 1914 to 1918, much of the world was at war. The Allies, including Great Britain, France, and Russia, were pitted against the Central Powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey. The United States joined the Allies in 1917. World War I would become one of the deadliest wars in history, claiming the lives of nine million people.

With hopes of achieving world peace, Wilson laid out the Fourteen Points during his January 8, 1918, speech on War Aims and Peace Terms. Among other issues, the points dealt with open treaties and agreements, freedom of the seas, free trade, a reduction of military weapons, adjustment of colonial claims, and the establishment of an association of nations that would provide political independence and territorial integrity to all nations. The Fourteen Points eventually became the basis for the peace negotiations that ended World War I. Although most of Wilson’s points were never adopted, the Fourteen Points represents one of the most important idealist expressions of American diplomacy.

Overview

In several speeches in 1917, Wilson outlined his vision of an end to World War I that would bring peace. He then asked his adviser, Colonel Edward M. House, to organize a group of 150 political and social scientists to help refine his vision. Known as The Inquiry, the group was tasked with generating recommendations for a comprehensive peace settlement. To accomplish this, the group studied Allied and American policy throughout the world and analyzed economic, social, and political facts. Ultimately, The Inquiry produced and collected about 2,000 reports and documents and 1,200 maps. Wilson then used this information as the basis for his speech on War Aims and Peace Terms, which included his Fourteen Points proposal.

The first of the Fourteen Points addressed covenants, or treaties and agreements. It called for open covenants, openly arrived at, as opposed to secret ones. The next point proposed freedom of the seas, both in peace and war. However, the point also suggested that seas may be closed in order to enforce international covenants. International trade was the focus of the third point. It recommended the removal of economic and international trade barriers and also equal trading conditions among all peaceful nations. In the fourth point, Wilson called for the reduction of armaments, or military weapons. The following point centered on the adjustment of colonial claims, with emphasis on population and rival colonial powers. The next two points dealt with the evacuation of German troops. The sixth point requested the evacuation of German troops from all Russian territory. This point also recommended that Russia have the opportunity to choose its form of government. The seventh point demanded the evacuation of German troops from Belgium. French territory was addressed in the next point. It urged the restoration of French territory, with specific restoration of Alsace-Lorraine. In the ninth point, Wilson recommended the readjustment of the frontiers of Italy. The following point proposed that the people of Austria-Hungary be given the opportunity for autonomous, or independent, development. The eleventh point covered several issues involving the Balkan states. It called for the evacuation of the Central Powers from Serbia, Montenegro, and Romania. Furthermore, the point suggested Serbia should have access to seaports. It also ordered international guarantees that the Balkan states have political and economic independence and territorial integrity. In the twelfth point, self-determination was proposed for non-Turkish peoples under Turkish control. This point also urged that the Dardanelles, the strait in northwestern Turkey, be opened to all nations. The next point demanded that Poland become independent and have access to the sea. Lastly, the fourteenth point called for the creation of an association of nations that would guarantee political independence and territorial integrity to all nations.

At the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, Wilson’s Fourteen Points was used as the basis for the terms of German surrender. In essence, Wilson’s proposal was used for the peace negotiations that would eventually end World War I. However, most of the points were subsequently abandoned in the Treaty of Versailles, which brought an end to the war. Some of the Allies, including Great Britain and France, were more interested in regaining what they lost in the war and punishing Germany than they were in Wilson’s points. One of the points, however, was included in the Treaty of Versailles. The fourteenth point, which called for an association of nations, was adopted, and an organization known as the League of Nations was later established. The organization provided a system of collective security for all nations. The US Senate never adopted the Treaty of Versailles, and the nation never joined the League of Nations, despite Wilson’s push for both. Wilson predicted that another world war would occur within a generation if the United States failed to join the League of Nations. He was correct, as many of the world’s nations soon became embroiled in World War II.

Bibliography

Immerman, Richard H., and Jeffrey A. Engel. Fourteen Points for the Twenty-First Century: A Renewed Appeal for Cooperative Internationalism. UP of Kentucky, 2020. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=2330011&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.

“President Woodrow Wilson’s 14 Points (1918).” National Archives: Milestone Documents, National Archives and Records Administration, 8 Feb. 2022, www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/president-woodrow-wilsons-14-points. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.

“Wilson’s Fourteen Points, 1918.” Office of the Historian, United States Department of State, history.state.gov/milestones/1914-1920/fourteen-points. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.

“Woodrow Wilson’s ‘Fourteen Points.’” Nolo, 2024, www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/content/wilson-14points-speech.html. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.