America At War: Wilson's Peace Plan

War Aims.

In an 8 January 1918 address to Congress President Wilson put forward peace terms that became known as the Fourteen Points. Declaring that the United States had no designs on European territory and no desire for monetary reparations, Wilson made it clear from the outset that the United States wanted no part of the secrecy, intrigue, and imperial ambitions that had created the conditions for war. Instead, he hoped to use the war—and American participation in it—as a means to achieving a just peace maintained by a new international system.

Wilson and Versailles.

After the Armistice was signed in November 1918, Wilson gathered together a group of advisers and supporters—together called "The Inquiry"—and sailed for Paris to participate in shaping the terms of the peace. On arrival in Europe he toured western regions ravaged by the war. From Brest to Paris men, women, and children knelt in prayer near...

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