how did america react to the end of world war 1

• the american people were isolationists because (IMAGE) -

  • isolationism
  • money
  • american soldiers
  • german immigrants
  • empires
• IMAGE - isolationism

  • America viewed itself as the 'New World' and distanced itself from the 'Old World'
  • Perception of the 'Old World' as corrupt, old-fashioned, and containing dangerous ideas like Communism
  • Woodrow Wilson's visit to the Versailles Conference marked the first time a U.S. President had ever visited Europe
  • Monroe Doctrine of 1823 was popular among Americans - advocated for non-interference: America should stay out of Europe's affairs, and Europe should stay out of America's
• IMAGE - money

  American businessmen were worried about the COST of the League - paying taxes to pay for its organisation, and losing trade if it decided to impose sanctions.
• IMAGE - american soldiers

  100,000 soldiers had died in the First World War, and many Americans couldn't see why American soldiers should die keeping peace elsewhere in the world.
• IMAGE - german immgirants

  • Many Americans were immigrants from Europe with lingering ties to their countries of origin
  • German immigrants strongly opposed the Treaty of Versailles, sharing the sentiment with Germans in Germany
  • The Treaty of Versailles was disliked by German immigrants in the U.S.
  • Irish immigrants harbored strong animosity towards Britain - they were reluctant to support a League of Nations if it included British involvement
• IMAGE - empires

  • American colonies were formerly part of an empire
  • The American Revolution aimed at achieving freedom from empire
  • The Treaty of Versailles did not abolish the British Empire; instead, it added Mandates to it
  • Many Americans opposed being part of a treaty or a League that upheld the British Empire
• the political battle - part 1

  • America was a democracy - Wilson could not sign the peace himself, but had to ask Congress to agree to the Treaty of Versailles he had negotiated.
  • However, in the 1918 Elections the Republican Party had won a majority in the Senate, and Wilson was a Democrat.
  • The Republican opposition to Wilson was led by Senator Henry Cabot Lodge - he and Wilson hated each other.
  • Wilson set off on a nation-wide tour to drum up support for the Treaty, but the overwork caused a stroke and he had to stop.
• the political battle - part 2

  • He went to Congress - the first American president to do for 130 years - but could not read his speech properly.
  • The Treaty was defeated in Congress in November 1919.
  • James Cox (Wilson's successor as leader of the Democrats) campaigned for the Treaty in the 1919 election, but his Republican opponent Warren Harding fought under the slogan ‘return to normalcy’ and won the election.
  • The Treaty of Versailles was finally rejected by the Senate in March 1920
• the modern view - modern historians believe that america did not deny the treaty due to isolationism and point out that:

  • Americans were NOT isolationist - opinion polls at the time showed that more than 80% of Americans supported the idea of a league of nations.
  • Only a dozen Senators were out-and-out isolationists like Senator Borah.
  • Lodge was NOT an isolationist.   He believed in a league of nations and he wanted to build up an overseas US empire.   What he and the Republicans wanted were 14 changes in the Treaty (the '14 reservations').
  • Many Democrats could have accepted the 14 changes.
• the modern view - so why did the treaty fail? simply, say modern historians, because of Wilson stupidity.

  • He WOULD not compromise
  • He would not accept ANY change.
  • And in the end - rather than accept the 14 Reservations - Wilson's 23 supporters voted AGAINST the Treaty and destroyed it!