Battle+for+Ratification

The main dilemma that stood between the ratification of the Treaty of Versailles was the personal conflict between **Woodrow Wilson** and **Henry Cabot Lodge**. Lodge, a conservative Republican senator from Massachusetts, was determined to protect the sovereignty of the United States by defeating the League of Nations. Lodge was an arrogant, rather cynical person, who's intense dislike for the Democratic Party (Wilson especially) played a big part in his push for the rejection of the Treaty.(Garraty) He was also chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, which gave him a significant amount of influence in the matter. Wilson, a democrat, was determined to establish the League of Nations and to foresee the United States' involvement in it." Anyone who opposes me...I'll crush!" (Garraty)

This cartoon shows how despite the League of Nations's efforts to avoid war and solve problems diplomatically, nationalism or "international strife" would prove too strong.
 * The League of Nations**, an organization formed as a result of the Treaty of Versailles, was founded mainly for the purpose of preventing war and resolving international disputes via negotiation rather than violence. It was a precursor to the United Nations.(wikipedia.org)

(wikipedia.org)
 * The Treaty of Versailles** officially ended World War I. The Germans were forced to accept blame for the war and to pay a large sum in war reparations, which caused them to be increasingly bitter. Austria-Hungary was forced to break up into several small nations (Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Transylvania, and Greater Romania). Russia was also broken up (into Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia).



Upon the resolution of the war, Lodge wanted Germany to be subject to a harsh settlement. Therefore, he opposed Wilson's
 * Fourteen Points** peace plan. The Fourteen Points applied Wilson's progressive ideals that had initiated domestic reform in the United States to foreign policy. Free trade between nations and democracy were a few of the many components of Wilson's speech.(wikipedia.org)

Before Wilson's peace conference in Europe had even ended, Henry Cabot Lodge wrote a manifesto opposing WIlson's League and demanding that the issue of international organization be put off until more important matters had been resolved such as finishing negotiating terms with Germany.(Garraty) He got 37 Republican Senators to sign it. When Wilson eventually presented the Treaty of Versailles to Congress, Republicans who shared Lodge's conservative beliefs remained adamant. Lodge viewed the League of Nations as a multinational government that would limit the power of the American government to resolve its own issues.

The Covenant of the League of Nations ordered the use of **collective security** to ensure the status quo in the postwar world. (u-s-history.com) Lodge was disturbed by the prospect of having American soldiers called to protect the territory of other member countries and serve under the command of foreigners in faraway places. He also pointed to the League’s voting procedures that assigned a single vote to the U.S, but allowed six from England.( u-s-history.com) Despite these sources of opposition, the majority of the public and an overwhelming majority in the Senate favored ratification if certain changes could be made. Lodge knew this and decided to use stall tactics to prolong the proceedings.

After six weeks of excruciatingly boring hearings during which Lodge carefully read the entire text of the Treaty (for no real purpose other than to delay the hearing), Wilson decided to speed things up by appealing to the public.(u-s-history.com) He embarked on an 8000 mile road trip during which he sought to accrue support for the Treaty. This trip, however, was cut short due to a debilitating stroke. This left his side in the argument significantly weakened due to the absence of leadership. It did not help that he was being criticized by ethnic minorities in the U.S. over the Treaty's shortcomings--German-Americans felt their homeland was being treated too harshly, Italian-Americans felt that they should have been awarded more territory, and Irish-Americans were irked that their independence was not addressed in the Treaty. Furthermore, many Americans who lacked strong ties to Europe were tired of fighting over peace and anxious to get back to domestic pursuits.



Senate opinion on the treaty was divided into three views:
 * 1) **Supporters**. Democrats loyal to Wilson wanted the treaty to be ratified in its original form without any amendments or alterations
 * 2) **Reservationists**. This group was in favor of the treaty, but only after including a series of alterations prior to ratification. Senator Lodge of Massachusetts was the leader of this faction. Other senators in this group sincerely favored the treaty, but wanted some modification to protect vital American interests. The largest of the three factions.
 * 3) **Irreconcilables**. Consisted of isolationist senators, including William E. Borah of Idaho, who opposed the treaty and American entry into the League of Nations under any circumstances. They had counseled against entering the war in the first place and now opposed participation in European affairs.(u-s-history.com)

Eventually, the treaty was voted on twice by the Senate. Both of those votes ended in a rejection of the treaty despite the Democrats (Supporters) gaining some additional support from the Irreconcilables. Consequently, the U.S. Government signed the Treaty of Berlin on August 25, 1921. This was a separate peace treaty with Germany which agreed that the U.S. would enjoy all reparations granted to it by the Treaty of Versailles, but left out any mention of the League of Nations, which the United States never joined.(state.gov) Wilson remained resolute, vetoing this treaty in favor of the Versailles Treaty. He was, however, unsuccessful in his attempt. Congress officially ended the war through a joint resolution. The U.S. never joined the League of Nations.

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 * William E. Borah** **& William Franklin Knox** were stubborn Conservative Republicans who opposed the League of Nations (as is seen in the cartoon), and fought hard to have it rejected.

Wilson vs. Lodge on the Treaty of Versailles (Felt Germany should be subject to a harsh settlement) ||
 * **Wilson** || **Lodge** ||
 * Supported the League of Nations || Opposed the League of Nations ||
 * Progressive beliefs || Conservative beliefs ||
 * Supported collective security || Opposed collective security ||
 * Supported diplomacy || Supported harsh settlement with Germany ||
 * Created the Fourteen Points || Opposed the Fourteen Points

__The American Nation__- John Garraty

http://www.oah.org/pubs/magazine/standards/pyne-sesso3.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_versailles

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourteen_Points

http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1338.html

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/wwi/89875.htm

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