Christopher Engel ApUSHistory p3 DBQ
The Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919. This treaty officially ended World War I. There were, however, forces in the senate that opposed this treaty. This treaty set up the foundation for the League of Nations. This idea for a league of nations came from President Wilson himself. However, it was the strength of the opposition forces, both liberal and conservative, rather than the ineptitude and stubbornness of President Wilson that led to the Senate defeat of the Treaty of Versailles. There were many people who supported the Treaty of Versailles, but there were also many people who opposed it. The one major person who opposed the treaty was Henry Cabot Lodge. He was a Republican Representative in Congress. He opposed the treaty of Versailles because he felt that by ratifying the treaty it would involve the United States in foreign commitments it could not keep or that it would not keep. Lodge however was not alone in his opposition of the Treaty of Versailles. In Document A, William Borah states that he was against the Treaty of Versailles because he does not want to subject the people of the United States to the matters of controversy which may arise between other nations. These people were not alone in their opposition to the Treaty of Versailles. Many Americans were against this Treaty, document B, an article from The New Republic newspaper, shows that many liberals were also against the Treaty of Versailles. It states that they were against it because it didn't do anything to heal the old and ugly dissensions between conflicting nations. Many people say that the second largest obstacle to the ratification of the Treaty of Versailles was President Woodrow Wilson himself. This, however, is not true. Document C shows that Wilson promised the troops who fought in World War I that he would do all he could to ensure that the war they were fighting was the war to end all wars. This shows that, although President Wilson was stubborn and objected amendments to the Treaty that he wanted to do all that he could to make the League of Nations, which was set up by the treaty, come to pass. The League of Nations was the pride and joy of President Wilson, and if anyone would believe that he would defeat his own dream, that person would be considered foolish because nobody defeats their own dream. The Senate as a whole could also be considered one of the biggest enemies to the ratification of The Treaty of Versailles. The Senate was entirely too easily persuaded not to ratify this treaty due to the views of select politicians. They also insisted that they needed to have changes to the treaty immediately, which was completely selfish considering the great deal of time in deliberation the foreign nations had already taken. Document C shows this by having the United States Senate break into and stopping the wedding of the United States, represented by Uncle Sam, and foreign entanglements. The United States Senate is seen carrying a sheet of paper labeled Constitutional Rights showing that the Senate believed that joining with foreign nations, and sharing their rights would not be allowed. Instead, the United States Senate stayed
Christopher Engel ApUSHistory p3 DBQ
greedy and demanded that they remain a completely separate nation instead of helping the less successful nations by creating the League of Nations Overall, it was the strength of the opposition forces, both liberal and conservative, rather than the ineptitude of stubbornness of President Wilson that led to the Senate defeat of the Treaty of Versailles. Henry Cabot Lodge, William Boroh, and the Senate all attempted to kill the Treaty, and sadly they succeeded. Wilson’s dream of this League of Nations was before its time, and the people were not ready for change. The League of Nations had the potential to stop many of the conflicts which arose later in time, however, the people, were simply not ready for such a change, and like many Americans did not want to share their freedom with other nations, they simply remained greedy, selfish, and foolish.