Wilson S Quest for an Open World

WILSON’S QUEST FOR AN OPEN WORLD

UNIT 3B

Background:

Though Wilson helped win the War, he ended up loosing the peace. In war, the “End Game” is everything. In this session we will examine (1) Wilson’s vision for an open post-War world, (2) Wilson’s decision to force the door open in Russia, (3) Wilson’s failure to keep the door open in China and the Middle East.

I. WILSON’S VISION FOR AN OPEN POST-WAR WORLD

A. BACKGROUND TO WILSON’S “14 POINTS” SPEECH, JANUARY 18, 1918

1. The nature of the Bolshevik threat: ______

B. THE REVOLUTIONARY NATURE OF THE 14 POINTS

1. Called for a “New Diplomacy”: ______

2. Self-determination of peoples: ______

3. Open world economic system: ______

4. The League of Nations would serve two functions:

a. ______

b. ______

C. IN GENERAL, THE 14 POINTS AND THE LEAGUE WOULD ESTABLISH A

STABLE LIBERAL WORLD ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL SYSTEM

UNDER AMERICAN LEADERSHIP.

II. WILSON’S DECISION TO INTERVENE IN RUSSIA

A. THE SITUATION IN RUSSIA

1. Lenin signed the Treat of Brest-Litovsk with Germany in March 1918: ______

______

2. The Allies promptly intervened on two fronts:

a. First, in the northern Russian ports of Archangel & Murmansk in March 1918.

b. In July, Wilson sent 10,000 troops to the Siberian port of Vladivostok, the eastern

terminus of the Trans-Siberian Railroad.

B. THE FOUR AIMS OF WILSON’S RUSSIA INTERVENTION

1. ______

2. ______

3. ______

4. ______

III. WILSON FAILS TO KEEP THE DOOR OPEN IN CHINA & THE MIDDLE

EAST

A. DURING THE WAR WILSON HAD ABANDONED THE OPEN DOOR

PRINCIPLE IN CHINA TO PLACATE JAPAN

1. How Japan saw the War among the European powers: ______

______

2. Immediately after its declaration of war, Japan seized the German leasehold on

Kia-chow. Knowing that the U.S. would not militarily intervene, in early 1915, Japan

went further and issued what became known as the TWENTYONE DEMANDS:

a. China recognize Japanese seizure of Germany’s former possessions in China.

b. China use only Japanese bankers as sources of capital.

c. China clear all of its overseas diplomatic business with the Japanese ambassador.

3. Background to the Lansing-Ishii Notes, 1917: In the summer of 1917, Wilson wanted

assurance that Japan did not intend to move against the Philippines. Japanese Foreign

Minister Ishii was willing to make such a commitment provided that Japan got

something in return: ______

C. JAPAN AT VERSAILLES

1. Diplomats agreed that Japan could stay in China, running the government and railroads

in Shandong. News of this “betrayal” reached China igniting angry demonstrations by

thousands of student radicals who branded the agreement as a cowardly surrender to

the Japanese. Among those taking part was a young librarian at BeijingUniversity,

Mao Zedong who later called the “May Fourth” movement “the birthday party” of

Chinese communism.

2. The Japanese also given control over Germany’s Pacific islands north of the equator.

B. MIDDLE EAST

1. Britain and France carve up the Ottoman Empire:______

2. The U.S. ______

IV. ASSESSING THE VERSAILLES CONFERENCE & WILSON’S VISION

A. THE VERSAILLES SYSTEM SET THE STAGE FOR WORLD WAR II

1. Germany was bitter. She was stripped of all of her overseas possessions and lost

huge portions of her territory to France (Alsace-Lorraine), the newly created state of

Poland (West Prussia), and part of East Prussia to the new state of Lithuania. In

addition, the reparations were beyond Germany’s ability to pay and wrecked the

economy, and thus the political center of the nation.

2. The new state of ______

3. Russia, now the Soviet Union, was ostracized from the League.

4. Italy, denied the fruits of its joining the Allied cause, turned to ______

______

5. The United States ______

6. ______

______

B. WHY WILSON’S VISION FOR AN OPEN WORLD WAS PREMATURE

1. ______

2. ______