They say time is a great teacher. How true. History has taught us that peace must be kept at all costs. At the end of World War 1, the common goal between the victorious nations throughout the world was to declare peace. The leading statesmen of these triumphant nations met in Paris to draw up the Treaty of Versailles, which would decide the fate of the central powers. Woodrow Wilson, the American President, created fourteen points as the basis for peace negotiations. Among these fourteen points was the most controversial and yet the most important to President Wilson, the League of Nations. President Wilson developed its charter and soon died from exhaustion after his own country, the United States, refused to ratify it in the senate. American policy had temporarily shifted from isolationism to internationalism because of the war, however the United States senate was not ready for the responsibilities of a world peacekeeper. Due to a republican majority, senators Henry Cabot Lodge, Alfred Beveridge, and other isolationist senators helped to sway the rest of congress to deny the ratification of the Treaty of Versailles. These senators b

Wilson believed he had the support of his own people when he left for Europe. Ironically, Wilson also believed that, ?The men, whom we are about to deal with, do not represent their own people.? Yet, it was Lloyd George, the Prime Minister of England, who had just finished an election that would send him to Paris with a very popular mandate. Georges Clemenceau, the leader of France, had also just finished an election in which he won a vote of confidence four to one. However, in November, in the midterm elections, it was shown to the world that America did not support their leader. The election in 1918 resulted in a clear Republican majority for the Senate and the House. This led President Wilson to ?issue a public appeal for the election of a Democratic majority in both houses of Congress in order that he might be wholly unhampered in the approaching negotiations.? This was unsuccessful and showed to spectators that there was a difference of opinion between these two parties. The President felt even more opposition from his country when former President Theodore Roosevelt spoke openly of his lack of support when he stated, ?our allies and our enemies, and Mr. Wilson himself, should all understand that Mr. Wilson has no authority whatever to speak for the American people at this time.? With the events that took place, Wilson faced a very painful question on his passage back to the United States. Without a Democratic senate would the Treaty of Versailles be ratified?

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